A New Yorker Searches for Love
Writer-director Zoe R. Cassavetes introduces a delicious indie film, Broken English set in New York City. Nora Wilder ({Parker Posey), a single, career woman is trapped in a dead-end job and surrounded by friends who are all happily engaged or romantically involved. Somehow, love escapes Nora -- until she meets an unusual Frenchman (played by Melvil Poupard) who helps her discover life beyond her self-imposed boundaries. Also stars Gena Rowlands, Griffin Dunne and Drea de Matteo.
A Writer-Director Debuts in Paris
Zoe Cassavetes travels to the City of Lights, Paris to film her first debut. She carefully captures some of the most scenic views in Paris. Coming from a family of directors, she takes helm of the role with ease. As an eager writer-director, she gives a reflective and restless look at this pained New Yorker (played by Parker Posey) who seeks comfort, often left in more despair.
Nora works at a Manhattan boutique hotel (Chambers on West 56th). Her excellent skills in guest relations lack in romantic department. If it is not her loving and dominant mother (Gena Rowlands) attempts to set her up that consistently fail, she has her friend’s (Drea de Matteo) disastrous blind dates to rely on as a backup for further dismay.
Cassavetes illustrates an existing paralleled paradox between a single woman’s misery and a married woman’s boredom. Neither life proves more tolerable than the other. One may just lead to a risky proposition.
A Frenchman Appears
Nora lives quietly and waits her romance. She is alone, masked in her insecurities, anxiety attacks, and stocking antidepressants. When she unexpectedly meets a Frenchman visiting New York, she gets her chance at romance.
Julien (Melvil Poupard) recognizes that relationships take time. He also has to return to France soon. The two characters are a complementary pair. She lives in isolation. He is more carefree and willing to accept her as she is.
Life, Laughs, and Love
Cassavetes offers a story rich in complex characterization, emotional anxiety, and romance. Her characters spend their lives seeking something to fulfill their void. Throughout the film, each character crosses a line which challenges well-being. She serves her audience a concoction of a romantic-dramedy with humor on the side.
With a few missteps in plot, missed communications, and slow pacing, Broken English is a fresh film. Cassavetes does justice to the story and her characters. Parker Posey also steps out in her role, a stimulating change from her previous ditzy roles (Kitti Kawalski in Superman Returns; Priscilla in OH in Ohio).
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