Jen (Jackie van Beek) and Mel (Madeleine Sami) are best friends that run a very different kind of relationship agency – rather than matching people together, they specialize in tearing them apart. When someone is in a relationship they want out of, they venture to the humble offices of “The Breaker Upperers”, who have a series of unique approaches to helping ending relationships. Their line of work may be unconventional, but it certainly does not mean they aren’t extremely popular, with their brand of disdain towards commitment making them suitable allies for everyone, regardless of background, who wants to end a relationship for any number of reasons. However, when both women start to realize their misanthropic ways are not assisting them in their own lives, especially in their individual romantic pursuits that are lacking, to say the least, their work and their friendship starts to come between them, and the two curmudgeons start to realize there is more to love than simply commitment – and how will they face it when they find love themselves, if they even can?

With their audacious directorial debut, Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami have made something quite extraordinary. With the participation of producer Taika Waititi, the man who single-handedly revolutionized New Zealand comedy with films such as Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and the deliriously brilliant What We Do in the Shadows, it was clear that The Breaker Upperers was going to be special. Certainly not a film that makes an immediate impression at the outset, it is rather a small gem of a film, an unassuming, humble little comedy that is hidden just out of view, patiently waiting for curious viewers to give it a shot. It is not a film without flaws, and it doesn’t reach the same heights as the other sporadic “anti-romantic comedies” that appear from time to time, but for a small independent film like this, I would say it is a glowing achievement from the filmmakers, who serve as co-directors, co-writers as well as occupying the leading roles. It isn’t a film that is widely-seen, but it certainly deserves to be, and for all of its shortcomings, it is ultimately a charming, sweet and outrageously hilarious comedy that never takes itself too seriously, and remains steadfast in how heartfelt it manages to be.

Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami are two performers I had encountered along the way, but whose careers I wasn’t as familiar with as I would’ve liked to have been, but they have established themselves as hardworking comedic actresses in their native New Zealand, and with the exception of some minor roles in other films by their cinematic collaborator Taika Waititi such as Eagle vs Shark and What We Do in the Shadows, they were patiently awaiting their breakthrough moments that would define them as filmmakers to watch. This has changed with The Breaker Upperers, which is an astonishing showcase for their talents, and a wonderful reminder of the talent that is sometimes hidden just out of view. It is clear that this film is a passion project, as the two are involved in every aspect of the filmmaking, a remarkable feat for a duo that may have comedic experience, but not much in making feature-length films. This was the second feature directorial excursion for van Beek, who had previously worked in directing television and short films, and the first time Sami had stepped behind the camera. As a duo, they clearly work well together, and their chemistry on both sides of the camera is certainly remarkable, with their vision coming together masterfully into this hilarious and heartwarming tale of romance and friendship, and the difficulties that come with different kinds of love, whether it be that of a romantic partner, or that of a friend. Solely on the filmmaking level, van Beek and Sami wrote a terrific script, one that is fast-paced with a unique frantic energy, but not lacking a refined intelligence that makes it such an entertaining experience, as well as directing it well, as despite the sometimes pedestrian nature of the execution (it isn’t that a film like The Breaker Upperers needs an auteur’s touch), they find the space for some creative flourishes that only deepens the impact of this film. I would say, purely on the level of filmmakers, these are two individuals that we need to keep our eyes on.

Then when it comes to the performances, they reached another level of comedic brilliance. As individuals who have mainly worked in comedic performance, it was always going to be their strongest asset when it came to this film. It is difficult to choose between the two, because they are absolute perfection, playing these roles with an earnest honesty rather than the unfortunate vanity many projects where the director is the lead tend to exhibit. These are carefully-curated characters, built out of reality and played with absolute conviction by the two actresses, who find a certain truthfulness in their portrayals. It isn’t clear how much of The Breaker Upperers was based on their own experiences (I hope very little because as hilarious as these characters are, they are quite despicable individuals), but it seems like their performances are coming from a place of profound honesty. Both are so brilliant, and through their work on this film in multiple different positions, they prove that they are multi-talented filmmakers, capable of crafting a compelling film completely out of scratch. Special mention must go to Rima te Wiata, an actress I have been patiently awaiting to see breakout since her extraordinary turn in the severely-underrated Housebound. If there is an actress with the most pitch-perfect comedic sensibilities and the ability to turn a one-dimensional character into something utterly brilliant, its te Wiata. James Rolleston and Ana Scotney also deserve immense praise for their smaller but pivotal supporting roles as the young couple at the centre of the core conflict, both being extremely hilarious, but also deeply moving when it is required. The performances in The Breaker Upperers, whether from the leads, the supporting cast or any of the smaller performers who appear in only one or two scenes, are entertaining and brilliantly-conveyed through their dedicated portrayals of a talented cast.

The Breaker Upperers is a very different kind of film, and as mentioned before, this isn’t necessarily a romantic comedy – and unlike other films that purport to show some disdain to the tropes of the romantic comedy (such as this year’s wonderful Isn’t It Romantic), it doesn’t portray two cynical characters that eventually find romantic love. There isn’t the perceived notion of “they hated romance because they had never truly felt it for real” – rather, it is a film still very much about love, just not the one normally portrayed in a romantic comedy. One might be mistaken for thinking The Breaker Upperers is a film focused solely on the machinations of romance, with two characters at the core who are so jaded by their experiences, they have no choice but to spread the same misanthropy to others. Far more than this, it is a film that prioritizes friendship. The two main characters only found each other as a result of failed romances on both sides, and out of that heartbreak they developed a friendship – and while the central tension in The Breaker Upperers is focused on the idea of one of them finding love, the underlying theme was always going to be a celebration of friendship. If anything, this film shows that love extends beyond simply the realm of the romantic, but exists as something much deeper, conveying different forms of love that are hardly given much attention in films like this. While the characters finding the perfect men would’ve been a typical ending for a film like this, and perhaps a much easier route to take, van Beek and Sami opt for something far more heartfelt, demonstrating that sometimes the most meaningful people are those you don’t necessarily expect.

I said it before, and I’ll say it again – The Breaker Upperers is a gem of a film. It is not particularly serious, and it does dip into the realm of cliche and predictability on numerous occasions (the structure of the romantic comedy, with the expected second-act tension and third-act reconciliation, is very much intact here), but it has a clear and coherent heartfulness that means more than the surface-level interpretation we receive at the outset. Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami are brilliant, creating a film that is carefully crafted to be sweet but not saccharine, meaningful but not sentimental. It is not a negative film, but rather a film that looks at how negativity can be used in positive ways, and vice versa. New Zealand is starting to reveal itself not only as a beautiful nation, but also the home of some of the most irreverent, memorable and brilliant comedic minds, and The Breaker Upperers is just another addition to the canon of great films we’ve seen come out of the country. Seek this film out, because it is certainly as entertaining a time as any, and you’ll be witness to what we can hope to be the breakthrough moments of two profoundly talented filmmakers and actresses, who have the skills and unhinged courage to take the world by storm and provide us with wonderful stories that are as hilarious as they are meaningful.