Broken English is a 1996 New Zealand romantic drama film. Directed by Gregor Nicholas, it stars Aleksandra Vujčić, Julian Arahanga, Marton Csokas, and Rade Šerbedžija. Synopsis Nina is the daughter of Ivan, a fierce Croatian patriarch whose family immigrated to Auckland, New Zealand to escape the war. She works as a waitress in a restaurant and falls in love with Eddie, a Māori chef, despite her father's objections. For a price, she agrees to marry a Chinese co-worker so that he (and his Chinese wife) can establish permanent residency. The money gives her the independence she needs to leave her parents' house and move in with Eddie. Complications arise when Eddie realises the depth of her father's fury and the strength of Nina's family ties. Cast Aleksandra Vujčić as Nina Julian Arahanga as Eddie Rade Šerbedžija as Ivan Marton Csokas as Darko Madeline McNamara as Mira Jing Zhao as Clara Li Yang as Wu Elizabeth Mavric as Vanya Production Aleksandra Vujčić had never acted before and was discovered in an Auckland bar. NC-17 rating On September 20, 1996, Broken English received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. Sony Pictures Classics attempted to appeal the rating to R, but the original rating was upheld. An edited R-rated version was released alongside the unedited NC-17 cut. In response to the MPAA's decision, Nicholas released an official statement detailing his experience with their Appeals Board: Reception Broken English received generally positive reviews, currently holding an 82% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.83/10. References External links 1996 films 1996 romantic drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s Croatian-language films Māori-language films 1990s Japanese-language films Films set in Auckland Films shot in New Zealand New Zealand independent films Sony Pictures Classics films 1996 independent films 1996 multilingual films New Zealand multilingual films New Zealand romantic drama films