# Foreign Language (non-English speaking) genre movies



## Rodders (Mar 7, 2018)

I couldn't find a thread on this, so i figured that i'd start a new one to see what foreign language (I.E. non-English speaking) movies other Chronicles members rated and wanted to discuss.

I'm particularly interested in Sci Fi and other subgenres and there are a few movies that i want to watch. "Rec" (a Spanish made Zombie movie) as well as The City of Lost Children and Delicatessen by Jean Pierre Jeunet. (Both of which are highly regarded.)


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## AlexH (Mar 7, 2018)

I haven't watched Rec in case it's too scary for me!

I really enjoyed The City of Lost Children and Delicatessen - pretty much everything Jean Pierre Jeunet I've seen is good. Micmacs was another enjoyable one.

Sometimes I struggle to remember whether films were foreign language or not. I like a lot of Studio Ghibli, particularly Nausicaa, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Wolf Children and Your Name are other great Japanese animations.

Departures is a wonderful film, and a great insight into part of Japanese culture. It also has a soundtrack by my favourite composer - the same one as the Ghibli films I mentioned. Some excellent Takeshi Kitano films share the same composer too.

Infernal Affairs (which was badly remade into The Departed) was the film that got me into foreign-language films. It's superb.

3-Iron (a South Korean film) is outstanding. Very slow at times, but I don't mind that if I'm entertained.

Timecrimes is a good Spanish sci-fi film. Blancanieves a good Spanish (I think) fantasy.

I enjoy a lot of French and Asian comedy - particularly Stephen Chow for the latter (his most famous films are Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer, but he has some other great stuff including the best Bond-spoof I've seen - just don't watch CJ7 - that was quite poor). There's a French comedy called The Closet where a guy spreads rumours he's gay in an attempt to avoid getting the sack. Another French one I think - A Man Escaped is a good classic film.

I love a few films from the Middle East - Incendies is one.

I was actually watching a Bond film set partly in Montenegro when I realised I'd seen a film set or made in every country I've been to (which was about 20 at the time) - most of them are foreign language and not Bond!

I watched a Georgian film called Tangerines with my mum just before I flew out to Georgia (the country). It was about a blood-debt a tourist got caught up in, and I hope it didn't worry my mum too much!

Oh, and usually I couldn't think of much worse than a Bollywood film (I'm not a fan of musicals), but 3 Idiots is not only hilarious, but excellent outside of the comedy (and didn't have many songs).


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## Rodders (Mar 7, 2018)

Thanks, Alex. Quite a comprehensive list.

I watch a Spanish movies a few months ago called The Last Days. Really well made ant totally recommended. A couple of plot holes, but it was well paced, well scripted and well acted. Superb.

I also watched a French action movie with sci fi undertones called Chrysalis. Again, pretty good.

I have time crimes at home and will watch it soon, I swear.

I do enjoy French comedies and The Closet sounds great.

Something I watched a long time ago was a movie called Casserne. At the time, it had quite an impact on me but I haven’t gotten around to rewatching it.


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## Matteo (Mar 8, 2018)

Well there is a world of very good foreign language films out there - much of it far better than the dreck that comes out of the US these days.  I used to be far more conversant and frequently went to the cinema to see these but in the last ten years or so this has tailed off.  Some recommendations (after looking at my list to jog the grey cells) are:

*French*
_La Cité des Enfants Perdus - _you know about this already and the good reviews are valid.
_Delicatessen_ - ditto
_Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain_ - no SF but a delightful film
_Jean de Florette_ and _Manon des Sources_ - again, no SF, but lovely films.  The second also has Emmanuelle Beart - of whom you can a lot more (and I mean a _lot_ more in _La Belle Noiseuse_ - which is a very "typical" French film; beautifully filmed but nothing happens - stunning to watch if you have four hours spare, but not sure I would recommend it as such)
_Nikita _- a Luc Besson film about a female assassin that's been remade, turned into a series, copied...this is the original and fabulous.
_Noce Blanche_ - starring a young Vanessa Paradis as a student who seduces her professor.  It's the sort of film that the French do so well.  I think it's quite a lovely, gentle film. 
_Le Pacte des Loups_ - an action film set (I think) in the French Revolution. Stunning photography and action sequences. Not SF but there is a "beast" (if I remember rightly there's myth about this, based partly on fact, from the Loire)
_37.2 le matin_ - this 'Betty Blue' which I think is a stunning film.  For years I actually didn't bother to watch it on video or the odd occasion it turned up on C4 late at night because I'd heard it was basically soft porn. Then one night, I did watch it and realised that it was very much more than that.  No SF of course, but what a film.  Watch the long version if you can.

If you want crazy car chases and silly humour, then there's the _Taxi_ films.
*
Italian*
_La Vita e Bella_ - you probably know about this wonderful Benigni film
_Sedotta e Abbondonata_ - from 1964 and set in Sicily it shows up the negative consequences of the moral code concerning women at the time.  Almost unbelievable to see through today's eyes but an accurate depiction of the way things were at the time (and for some years after...)  
*
Spanish*
_Abre los Ojos_ - this is the one that was re-made into _Vanilla Sky_ (fairly faithfully it has to be said) but the original is better
_El Espinazo del Diablo_ (Devil's Backbone) - a great horror from Guillermo del Toro
_El Laberinto del Fauno_ (Pan's Labyrinth) - you probably already know this other del Toro film
Nueve Reinas - a fun, and clever, film about a couple of conmen
_El Orfanato_ (The Orphange) - another great Spanish horror

And if you can handle the plain weirdness, then most of Almodovar's films are worth a look.

There was also a very fine b&w Argentinian film I saw at a festival years ago called _La Somnambula_ in which there is mass memory loss, a machine that can read thoughts and dreams, and a woman that can see into the future.  All a bit vague I know but the version I saw had no subtitles and my Spanish is a bit ropey) and it was a bit fantastical.  Don't think it's available on dvd though.

*Swedish*
_Lat den Ratte Komma In_ (Let the Right One In) - a very fine, understated vampire film (I think remade - probably badly)
_De Osynlige_ (The Invisible) - another understated film about an almost dead teenager in limbo, trying to connect with the living world
_Tillsammans_ (Together) - a very funny film set in a commune in the early 70s

_Avalon_ is a weird, but good, Polish film about virtual reality.  Last time I searched there were numerous versions available on dvd - so much so that I gave up and so I don't actually own a copy.  I do remember it being very good though.

Korea has been producing some great horror/supernatural stuff in recent years.  Don't have any on dvd but have seen several at festivals.

And staying in Asia, the classic Chinese supernatural films are worth a look (_Ghost Story, Butterfly Murders_, etc.) - though I'm not sure they are available on dvd (I used to have bunch of pirated VHS tapes years ago).  Many drift into the kung fu genre but that's no bad thing.  Speaking of which the 70s stuff such as the Shaw Brothers films are wild - not least because of the dubbing; watching some demented Chinese guy beating the hell out of everyone using praying mantis style kung fu with a thick cockney accent is great fun (_Thundering Mantis_).   

There are many others of course, and some classic French and Italian films especially, but they are on a (probably never to be realised) "to be watched" list.

And I suppose I don't need to mention _Solaris_?

Finally, you (in particular) might appreciate the Turkish film _Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam_ - clips are on youtube...


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## AlexH (Mar 8, 2018)

Rodders said:


> I watch a Spanish movies a few months ago called The Last Days. Really well made ant totally recommended. A couple of plot holes, but it was well paced, well scripted and well acted. Superb.


Thanks - I've added that to my list to watch soon. I particularly look out for Spanish films as it's a language I'd like to speak and understand. I couldn't find Casserne.

The Last Day of the Rest of Your Life is a French film that had a big impact on me when I first watched it years ago, but I watched it again recently and while it was good, there wasn't the impact this time.

I've seen some excellent French thrillers - Tell No One comes to mind, plus another I can't remember the name of. La Haine is a famous French film, but I didn't enjoy that so much. Les Visiteurs is another favourite French comedy.



Matteo said:


> _Jean de Florette_ and _Manon des Sources_ - again, no SF, but lovely films.  The second also has Emmanuelle Beart - of whom you can a lot more (and I mean a _lot_ more in _La Belle Noiseuse_ - which is a very "typical" French film; beautifully filmed but nothing happens - stunning to watch if you have four hours spare, but not sure I would recommend it as such)


There are lots of films I've enjoyed on your list. I thought Jean de Florette was okay, and Manon des Sources was the much better of the two.

Amelie has one of my favourite soundtracks ever! I haven't seen it for over 10 years, and plan to rewatch it. I went to Montmartre in Paris last year and the cafe it was filmed in isn't so subtle about it! Unlike some places from film and TV, which are barely recognisable.



Matteo said:


> And if you can handle the plain weirdness, then most of Almodovar's films are worth a look.


I think I've only seen Wild Tales, but a lot of the titles (and DVD covers) look familiar. I only remember enjoying about two of the stories in Wild Tales.



Matteo said:


> _Tillsammans_ (Together) - a very funny film set in a commune in the early 70s


I've seen a few Lukas Moodysson films. I can't remember what my favourite was called, but it was about two teenage girls who fell in love.


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## WaylanderToo (Mar 8, 2018)

Not seen many - but there are a fair few Russian genre flix


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## Rodders (Mar 9, 2018)

I've not really considered mutch in the way of Russian movies. The original Solaris is still in amongst the movies that i need to watch. Night Watch is another.


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## WaylanderToo (Mar 9, 2018)

another one...


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## williamjm (Mar 12, 2018)

_The Host_ is a very entertaining South Korean monster movie. 



AlexH said:


> Thanks - I've added that to my list to watch soon. I particularly look out for Spanish films as it's a language I'd like to speak and understand. I couldn't find Casserne.



I liked _Intacto_, a weird fantasy thriller about a man who decides to challenge Max von Sydow for the title of luckiest man on Earth. 



> I've seen some excellent French thrillers - Tell No One comes to mind, plus another I can't remember the name of.



Tell No One is excellent, so now I'm curious what the other film is that you can't remember.


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## AlexH (Mar 12, 2018)

williamjm said:


> _The Host_ is a very entertaining South Korean monster movie.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll check Intacto out too - it sounds interesting.

Something about cards has just come to me, then I thought of Nine Queens. So that might be it, but I haven't checked if it's French or not.


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## hitmouse (Mar 12, 2018)

For Spanish funny and weird SF try Accion Mutante.

@Matteo. Brotherhood of the Wolf is a great film. Based on The legend of the Beast of Gevaudan, which is in Haute Loire.


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## Rodders (Mar 12, 2018)

I didn’t rate The Host much. It was entertaining enough, but I didn’t think it warranted a second viewing. 

Something I would recommend is “Train to Busan”. A very well made Korean Zombie movie. Well worth watching and a great ending.


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## Rodders (Mar 28, 2018)

I finally got around to watching Time Crimes last night. 

Very clever. A good time travel movie that definitely warrents a second viewing.


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## awesomesauce (Apr 24, 2018)

I haven't seen "Rec" (on my list) but if you're into different takes on zombies, the French series _Les Revenants_ is very good. I think I read it's on Netflix now.


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## Rodders (Sep 1, 2018)

I bought a film called "The Villainess" after reading about it on Ian Sales' blog. A Korean movie that looks quite stylish. I haven't seen it yet, but I lent it to a work colleague who said that it was good, but very bloody.


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## WaylanderToo (Sep 1, 2018)

Rodders said:


> I bought a film called "The Villainess" after reading about it on Ian Sales' blog. A Korean movie that looks quite stylish. I haven't seen it yet, but I lent it to a work colleague who said that it was good, but very bloody.




if you have NetFlix this, and many more, Korean (and other languages) movies are available.


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## Rodders (Sep 1, 2018)

Netflix is high on my list of things to do.


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