As our film industry is so healthily saturated with regular releases spanning a wide range of tastes and genres, it is often easy to overlook movies making waves in other, non-English speaking countries. If you are yet to delve into the world of foreign-cinema, the following 10 choices may do well to be your first.
10. The Conformist
This Italian piece paved the way for many of the conventions still relevant in modern cinema, as well as acting as one of the first to confront the fascism Europe was subjected to 3 decades previously. Based on a novel by Mussolini era journalist Alberto Moravia, the movie tackles the issues surrounding the act of conforming, in this case with regards to a totalitarian government such as Mussolini’s. The cinematography in the piece is often championed as some of the best ever, and it’s easy to see why.
9. Pans Labyrinth
This time set in fascist 1940’s Spain; Pans Labyrinth is the tale of a young girl and her escape from reality into a fantasy world. Despite sounding like a walk in the park, the world which she uses to vent her confusion and loneliness is every bit as terrifying as the civil war torn reality she must endure for real. Featuring some inspiring special effects which act to provide the viewer with an eclectic mixture of some particularly imaginative monsters, the movie is often cited as a modern great- drawing an un-mistakable and sobering line between the magic of childhood and the realities of adulthood.
8. Seven Samurai
In a time when the dusty western cowboy flick dominated American cinema screens, along came Japans ‘Seven Samurai’. Basically a solid interpretation of themes commonly conveyed in aforementioned westerns, this early trip into the power and potential of Samurai culture within cinema follows seven skilled warriors and their mission to protect a village from bandits. Not the most intricate of plots no, but this piece certainly helped pave the way for the modern violent action movie.
7. Das Boot
Often praised as the most gripping take on WWII camaraderie to date, Das Boot (the boat) is several hours of intense U-Boat set claustrophobia and the effect it has on a crew that (for the most part) are disenchanted with their cause. Patrolling the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans with nothing but anticipation for company, the movie chooses to focus on the portrayal of the psychological conditions of the men underwater than it does solid plot. Despite touching on some of those quickly boring war-movie clichés, Das Boot is an odyssey of endurance.
6. Amelie
Amelie is the critically acclaimed story of a young French woman who, after devoting much of her life in the pursuit of securing other people happiness, finally comes across the key to her own inner joy. Having endured a distanced childhood, Amelie moves to Paris to work as a waitress, soon setting out to assist her many acquaintances with their misgivings. After a while her attention turns toward her own position in life, and she sets out to seek love. The overall tone of the piece carries something very magical yet in a way self-conscious, making for an intriguing watch.
5. Let the Right One In
As far as vampire movies go, I am not really a big fan. However; this take on the classic horror premise from Swedish director Tomas Alredson stimulates so much more than the urge for big teeth and long capes that you just can’t resist its stylish character. Focusing on the lives of 2 youngsters in an early 1980’s Stockholm suburb, much emphasis is placed upon the developing relationship between the children. Instilling humanity into the vampire race in a way no other movie has yet managed, Let the Right One In combines the innocence of childhood with some rather shocking acts of brutality to bring this myth vividly into the realms of the real.
4. Amores Perros
Being met with comparisons to Tarantino’s masterpiece Pulp Fiction upon its release, this Spanish offering from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu focuses on the stories of three separate characters, which intertwine eventually by means of a horrific accident. The title Amores Perros translates to ‘Loves A Bitch’, a suitable name for a feature which concentrates on the complications surrounding love and how those in its pursuit are often forced to confront far worse long before finding it.
3. Downfall
Downfall is the utterly grim yet transfixing story of Hitlers final weeks at the head of the Third Reich, told in a way by his secretary Traudl Junge. Ultimately dealing with the most recent fallen Empire in human history, Downfall documents the disbelief, denial, false hope and eventual hysteria with which the Reich crumbled in around Hitler. Bruno Ganz gives a career defining performance as the Fuhrer, with the German language certainly acting to give the movie an authentic and impactful edge.
2. City of God
An emotional journey into the realities of Rio De Janeiro and it’s endless favelas, City of God tells the tale of two young friends and their separate quests for acceptance, happiness and success. Set in the 1960’s,70’s and 80’s the movie is both touching and brutal, giving insight into the gang run impoverished ‘City of God’ (the two protagonist’s home area) and the lives of the people who must live there. There is so much sex, violence and drugs that you could almost mistake it for a mob film, were it not for the fact that most of those involved in the debauchery are yet to reach their 20’s. Based upon real events- City of God is a sobering yet completely worthwhile piece of cinema.
1. Old Boy
The South Korean film industry is, in my opinion, completely under-appreciated by many people in the West. If you are yet to dabble, may I humbly suggest that you use Chan-wook Parks psychological mystery thriller action drama all round epic movie ‘Old Boy’ as a starting point. Artfully telling the tale of protagonist ‘Oh Dae-su’ and his unjustified 15 year imprisonment, unexplained release and eventual pursuit of his captor- Old Boy is for those partial to the crime thriller. Suave and sophisticated to look at, the piece challenges the overall psychology that accompanies revenge and wrath, at the same time throwing some astonishing fight sequences into the mixer.
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