Lost in Translation

Nora is not happy. As the Guest Relations supervisor in a boutique Manhattan hotel, she coddles cranky actors and fussy debutantes while contemplating where, in fact, her artistic aspirations fell by the wayside. Despite hours spent seeking enlightenment through Buddhist meditation, the downward dog, and life affirming chats with her...

By John Linn

July 26, 2007

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Nora is not happy. As the Guest Relations supervisor in a boutique Manhattan hotel, she coddles cranky actors and fussy debutantes while contemplating where, in fact, her artistic aspirations fell by the wayside. Despite hours spent seeking enlightenment through Buddhist meditation, the downward dog, and life affirming chats with her mum, Nora still seems to find her only salvation in the dulling embrace of pills and booze. But then she meets Julien; a French bohemian whose headspace is unsaddled enough to tackle Nora’s troubles alongside her. And she’s still kind of screwed up -- but at least now she knows it.

Sure, it all sounds so uplifting, you say. But there is an extra catch to Nora’s dilemma: The reasons that Nora can’t see she has all the beauty and time in the world to discover herself are precisely the reasons that we go to the movies. And that process of self-examination is the crux of Broken English, a film by indie ingénue Zoe Cassavetes (daughter of the famed director John). Commiserate with Nora and Co. Thursday at 6 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso (503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale). Tickets cost $5 to $8. Call 954-525-FILM.

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