Thursday Movie Picks: Non English Movies
1) Tangerines
This Estonian film honestly should've won the Oscar that year. It's about a man who stays behind during the war to harvest his crops when everyone else in his small village has left.
2) In The Fade
I tend to think of Diane Kruger as more of a tabloid fixture(She's with Norman Greasus for fucks sake) and because of that I sometimes forget that she actually can act. She's amazing in this German film about a woman whose son and husband were killed by white supremacists and isn't satisfied with the outcome of their trial.
3) Two Days, One Night
I cried like an absolute baby in this French language film from Belgium. Marion Cotillard is amazing in it. On paper, a woman going door to door trying to talk her coworkers out of accepting their bonuses so she can keep her job doesn't sound like a good watch, but it is.
Some really great choices. This would be tough to narrow down since I love foreign cinema. There are so many brilliant filmmakers across the globe (and has been since the inception of cinema).
ReplyDeleteOh it is, thankfully we have this theme every year so it's easier to find a new one to talk about.
DeleteI'm the actual worst for foreign language movies. I can count on ten fingers how many I've seen and have a few to spare! This week is going to be great for recommendations though :D
ReplyDeleteI hope you find some ones you enjoy!
DeleteTangerines!! I really loved that movie. It's also a co-production with Georgia so I consider it 50% Estonian. :D I'm looking forward for your opinion on Truth and Justice which Estonia also submitted for an Oscar and they better get a nomination because it's so worth it.
ReplyDeleteI forgot it was a co-production. I always consider it Estonian because I think they got the credit come Oscar time. I hope I get to see that!
DeleteOf these I've only seen the Marion Cotillard film, which was very good, though I've heard of all three. In the Fade will probably be the one I seek out of the other two, at least first.
ReplyDeleteI'm always happy to see this theme roll around too. I'm not the biggest foreign film watcher, by that I mean I don't watch them at random but try to catch up with those recommended or renowned. So this week comes in handy.
That said I was shocked when I realized I hadn't used my first pick before since it's one I hold in such high regard, and I did use its 70's remake Sorcerer for a theme. My other two I watched within the last year based on their reputations which are well earned.
The Wages of Fear (1953)-As a fire rages in an oil field in the South American jungle the parent company hires four men desperate enough to accept the challenge of delivering two trucks of nitroglycerine over rugged terrain where the slightest jolt can result in death to extinguish the blaze. As they cautiously proceed a rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers. A masterwork of tension from director Henri-Georges Clouzot.
High and Low (1963)-A wealthy industrialist (Toshiro Mifune) who is facing a business disaster becomes the target of a kidnapper, but it turns out that the child snatched is his chauffer’s not his. With money temporarily very tight he is faced with a crisis of conscious as to how to proceed. Akira Kurosawa's take on film noir, based on Ed McBain's novel "King's Ransom", is something different from him. Crafted with his usual care it’s a taut and constantly involving film.
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)-Set in Hiroshima after the end of World War II a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada) and a French actress (Emmanuelle Riva), lovers turned friends, recall through many hours of conversation previous romances and the life experiences that have brought them to this point. Intertwined with those memories they ponder the devastation wrought by the atomic bomb dropped on the city. Simple and gripping with exquisite work by Riva and Okada.
I haven't seen any of your picks this week but that's another thing I Like about this theme, so many more recommendations.
DeleteAll three are tremendous but I'd say Wages of Fear is an essential.
DeleteThe only film in that list I've seen is Two Days, One Night which is a great film and surprisingly an accessible film from the Dardenne Brothers whose films tend to feature non-actors but they went with a superstar and Marion proved she can do low-key films like this.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely check out the other two if you get a chance.
DeleteMarion Cotillard is an amazing actress. I think her acting skills are enough to make “Two Days, One Night” a worth watch. “Tangerines” as well look pretty interesting. I like films in the war era that focusses on random individuals.
ReplyDeleteI Hope you like both! They're wonderful films.
DeleteTwo Days, One Night is the only I've seen and, while it's heartbreaking and hard to watch at times, I loved every single moment of it.
ReplyDeleteI know! It's so well done.
DeleteI would like to see Tangerines as well as Two Days, One Night although I am not sure how she could get her co-workers to accept this. I am unaware of the Diane Kruger film but sounds good. I have no idea who she is dating?
ReplyDeleteShe's dating Norman Reedus, aka the greasy dude from The Walking Dead lol.
DeleteThat's whats interesting about Two Days, One Night. All the different answers she gets.
It really is!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wide-open theme but you sure did pick some good ones.
Thank you!
DeleteI haven't seen any of them though I have heard of your last one.
ReplyDeleteDiane Kruger - I have yet to see a movie where she really wows...I usually think her acting is just ok.
I thought the same until I saw this. She's wonderful in it.
Delete'Two Days' was one of my favourites of that year. Its one of the Dardennes' best. Having suffered from a fair share of mental health issues myself too, it really hit close to home. I'm glad you liked it!
ReplyDelete'In The Fade' sounds very interesting! I'll have to check it out
In The Fade is great. It's also part courtroom drama if you like that sort of thing. I do.
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