In this high energy, cringe-while-you-laugh buddy film of the Winter, Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami write, direct and star in the story of two flawed women who run a business devoted to speeding up the inevitable end of relationships. It’s a simple premise and it’s the characters and their reactions to the absurdity of love, sex and family which makes the film fun to watch.
Gloriously messy Jen and Mel start a friendship after discovering they are being cheated on by the same man. It leads to a business of breaking up unhappy couples through elaborate plots like a missing persons case, to simple schemes like pretending to be the other woman. It doesn’t take long though to see these two are stuck in a loop of ruining relationships for others and themselves, and soon they separate and need to re-evaluate what and who makes them happy.
The banter between power couple van Beek and Sami glows and helps the ending feel like less of a cop out. Sami’s Mel is naïve, adorable and instantly your new best friend, while van Beek’s hardhearted Jen is slightly sadistic and mostly intelligent navigating through her plethora of malfunctioning relationships.
The supporting cast delivers an identical level of performance, including James Rolleston’s dopey and lovable Jordan bringing a smile into every scene, and the contrastingly mature and emotional fake-widowed Anna played by Celia Pacquola. Every individual in the story is filled with some kind of passion and no moment is without drive and conflict, but there was one troupe of actors on screen that the film would have failed without; Sepa and her girl squad. In a film celebrating friendship and women, the natural sisterhood, teenage attitude and originality of newcomer Ana Scotney and all the gang behind her were perfect casting.
The Breaker Upperers is 90 fast minutes of crude humour with an emoji-level of simplicity in how it makes you feel. Afterwards there is a lingering feeling that women-led projects and powerful women characters have room to grow and improve on screen, with The Breaker Upperers as a marker of basic success in both. Given Taika Waititi‘s tick of approval as Executive Producer, the project is still female-centric and the platonic rom-com we have been waiting (impatiently) for. Other notable mentions should go to Cinematographer Ginny Loane who visually facilitates all the charming imperfections of each moment, and Costume Designer Jane Bucknell‘s understated creative decisions which complement the characters but also bring a life to the eccentric world (see: Sepa and the gang’s attempt to win back her ex through the magic of ~dance~).
The Breaker Upperers ticks all the feel-good and comedy boxes; dance sequences, nostalgia nods, morally conflicting strip teases, cyclic montages, sex with Jemaine Clement, and New Zealand’s quirky nationalism. The film is unique, like a tea you’ve never tried before. It might not be everyone’s taste but it’s damn good and you can take it however you like if that helps it go down better, for example focusing on Waititi’s name attached if supporting women creatives makes you uncomfortable. Or maybe, this film is just beautiful … like a beautiful flower.
In cinemas next week.
Sabrina Stubbs – On The Town
