The Heartbreak Kid (1993 film)


The Heartbreak Kid is a 1993 Australian film starring Claudia Karvan and Alex Dimitriades, which was based on a play of the same name by Richard Barrett and first performed by Griffin Theatre Company. It was later spun off into the television series Heartbreak High.

Plot

Christina Papadopoulos is a sweet and well-meaning 22-year-old school teacher, engaged to ambitious lawyer Dimitri. Christina's entire future seems planned out for her—albeit planned by her fiancé, her father and her priest.
Lively 17-year-old Nick Polides is a student in Christina's class. Nick and Christina find themselves attracted to each other as both begin to rebel against the constricting Greek-Australian cultural restraints put upon them.
When Christina becomes the Coach of the school's soccer team, she and Nick begin to spend more time together outside of school hours. Soon their mutual attraction ignites into an illicit, passionate affair centred around child abuse by a female teacher of a student in her care.

Cast

  1. "The Heartbreak Kid" — John Clifford White
  2. "Teacher I Need You" — Stephen Cummings
  3. "Love Is All Around" — The Persuasions
  4. "I Can Just " — Lisa Edwards
  5. "Vision" — Caligula
  6. "One" — U2
  7. "True Love" — The Neville Brothers
  8. "Great Palaces of Immortal Splendour" — Single Gun Theory
  9. "Words Written Backwards" — Single Gun Theory
  10. "Mozart Requiem, K626 – Introitus" — Mezzo Soprano, Cecilia Bartoli, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
  11. "Mozart Requiem, K626 – Lacrimosa" — Mezzo Soprano, Cecilia Bartoli, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
  12. "Looking for Nick"
  13. "Father and Son"
  14. "Anthem"

    Production

Mike Jenkins developed the script with Richard Barrett, who wrote the original play, over two years, doing around seven drafts. Jenkins and the cast then rehearsed for three weeks.

Box office

The Heartbreak Kid took in at the box office, making it the 74th most successful Australian film.

Awards and nominations

The Heartbreak Kid received three Australian Film Institute Award nominations in 1993, in the categories of Best Supporting Actor, Best Director and Best Film. The film was nominated for and won Best Screenplay at the Montreal World Film Festival in 1993.

Criticisms for the glorification of child abuse.

The film has been criticised in modern times for glorifying child sexual abuse by teachers. Whilst the teacher is female and the student is male, the power imbalance and abuse by the teacher remain clear and unexcused in the film, with the student and teacher blissfully in love at the conclusion.