It takes courage to tackle such a confronting, volatile issue. But the very word issue should, by now, be enough to set the alarm bells ringing. Dealing with an issue is like walking a tightrope - it's hard to keep your balance between exploring the topic at hand and developing an engaging story with real, affecting characters.

This is very evident in Broken English. Each character has been assigned the task of "representing" an aspect of an issue, whether of assimilation, war or cultures. While there is a certain depth to the two main characters Nina and Eddie, the rest of the cast don't come off so well. This is especially true of the Chinese, who are little more than short- hand characters built on an implied acceptance of popular stereotypes. And they're not very nice stereotypes, suggesting that Chinese people are pushy, straight-laced, money-grubbing and funny because of their differences, such as the couples wish to have "a little Kiwi". The real problem, however, comes when this approach is applied to one of the main protagonists - Nina's father - a mean, racist, macho and violent man. There's no doubt that he "represents" the brutality and violence of war, but in doing so he is reduced to a cartoon-like kind of villain, so evil that it's impossible to relate to him in human terms. People and issues are complex entities. Repackaging them as black and white points of view treads on dangerous ground, leaving a cold, emotional hole at the centre of the film.

This said though, there is plenty to praise the film for. Broken English is technically highly competent, and clearly shows Nicholas' ability as a feature director. Hopefully next time he'll turn his obvious talent to a story which strikes the balance between people and issues.