The Breaker Upperers

The Breaker Upperers is the tale of two women whose business is ending other people's relationships. Leading both the cast and the filmmakers are Madeleine Sami (Super City) and Jackie van Beek (What We Do in the Shadows). Sami's character finds herself falling for a teen (James Rolleston) who needs to dump his girlfriend. The film began winning acclaim after debuting at US festival South by Southwest, in March 2018. It had a successful New Zealand cinema release, and was purchased for screening by Netflix. The impressive cast includes Rima Te Wiata and Rose Matafeo.

The Breaker Upperers has the increasingly familiar patter of Kiwi comedy: dogged naivety, nervous politeness, hazy thoughts that trail off like vapor ... it’s a terrific showcase for the duo [of Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami] and their entire cast, which, besides a pop-up bit from [Jemaine] Clement, is curated from a local talent pool that Hollywood has yet to spelunk. After this, it should.

– Amy Nicholson, reviewing The Breaker Upperers in Variety, 14 March 2018

Key Cast & Crew

James Rolleston

As: Jordan

Ana Scotney

As: Sepa

Jackie van Beek

As: Jen, Writer, Co-Director

Madeleine Sami

As: Mel, Writer, Co-Director

Carthew Neal

Producer

Georgina Conder

Producer