Product Details

• Actors: Aleksandra Vujcic, Julian Arahanga, Rade Serbedzija, Marton Csokas, Madeline McNamara
• Directors: Gregor Nicholas
• Writers: Gregor Nicholas, James Salter, Johanna Pigott
• Producers: Janet McIver, Robin Scholes, Timothy White
• Format: Color, Special Edition, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese, Maori, Serbo-Croatian
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home E
• VHS Release Date: June 30, 1998
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0800103882
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,758 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The producers of the internationally acclaimed drama Once Were Warriors return to the familiar themes of race and identity with this story of culture clash and racism. Aleksandra Vujcic is the frustrated grown daughter of Croatian patriarch Rade Serbedzija, who has relocated his family from the war-torn former Yugoslavia to his wife's homeland of New Zealand and supports his clan by smuggling drugs. While the strict father clings desperately to the way of the old country, the rebellious daughter begins dating Julian Arahanga, a handsome, hunky Maori she meets at work, and reluctantly agrees to marry a Chinese coworker so he can remain in the country, a volatile combination that draws the hateful wrath of her racist father. Director Gregor Nicholas's steamy, modern Romeo and Juliet relates familiar themes in an unfamiliar setting, which he paints in vivid, colorful detail. This explosive drama falls just short of the mark set by Once Were Warriors (perhaps an unfair standard to hold it to) but succeeds in creating a richly realized set of cultures and exploring the destructive forces of hatred. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle, technically perfect incest study, May 27, 2001

By 

Chris McKinstry (South America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broken English [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I saw this $2 million film at the Edmonton film festival in 1997. From the first scene I knew I was seeing a film that was very well thought out - the windshield wipers of a bus traveling through a destroyed Sarajevo are synched to the sound track's beat. The characters were obviously well researched and it is also obvious that the director spent a great deal of time with his cast of unknown actors - there is a startling sex scene that no inexperienced actor could pull off without a great deal of coaching - a scene that caused the film to be rejected by North American distributors and is the reason the film is largely unknown there.

This film was Rade Serbedzija big break. The director, Gregor Nicholas told me after the film that Serbedzija called him one night drunk from London thanking him for making him into a bad guy. Serbedzija was thanking him because he got the roll of the bad guy in The Saint opposite Val Kilmer because of his role in Broken English. He also told me that they had to modify the bus in the first scene so that the wipers would synch with the music.

Finally, the true issue of this film - incest - is so subtle that most people don't even notice it at all.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing delivery of powerful message, February 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Broken English [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is completely engrossing. I don't think it's meant to be "accidentally hysterical" or a true depiction of life in NZ, as other reviewers have suggested. The irony of this story is that a Croatian man moves his family to NZ to escape persecution by the Serbs, yet he proceeds to persecute everyone who is different (Fijians, Maoris, Chinese) even though NZ is not even his country. It is a powerful message given the situation in Yugoslavia right now (and for the past 600 years). If a viewer comes away from this movie truly recognizing that the Croat was out of line, then maybe there is a glimmer of hope for TOLERANCE after all.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully shot, December 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Broken English [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I really like this movie, but i don't think that it was a romeo and juliet story. I really thought the performances were powerful especially the father's. Also , the look of the film was very impressive.