“Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films,” said Parasite director Bong Joon Ho. 

Ahead of the 2020 Oscars, Bwog would like to present you with our favorite foreign films! Even as great things happened for foreign filmmaking in this year’s awards season, like the first Korean film being nominated for Best Picture (shoutout to Parasite, if you haven’t seen it you’ve been living under a rock and should find your way out), the Academy is notorious for shutting out foreign film entries and lauding films that examine and praise Hollywood. Bwog says no more to that, and if you ever find yourself bored at night, we hope you watch one of these fabulous movies!

Film: Paris Je T’aime by Multiple Directors

Summary: a bunch of short stories/vignettes about relationships between people about love, loss, loneliness, and pain, all happening in the different Paris banlieues. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, but all will make you fall in love with Paris.

Who would like this film? Everyone. This is the best movie one Bwogger has ever watched. 

Film: Howl’s Moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki

Summary: A witch puts a spell on a young woman, turning her into an old lady. She runs away and finds herself in the magical, mechanical, moving castle of an enigmatic wizard named Howl. With the help of a snarky fire demon and an adorable apprentice wizard, she learns her own worth and helps Howl save the country from Evil Wizards TM.

Who would like this film? Literally everyone. Every person who has seen this movie says it is their comfort movie and singlehandedly restored their faith in humanity. There are people who say you haven’t seen a Studio Ghibli film unless you’ve seen Spirited Away, but Howl’s Moving Castle is the one that best distills Miyazaki’s unique style, belief in humans’ fundamental goodness, and tremendous respect for the world we live in.

Film: If You Are the One by Feng Xiaogang

Summary: Chinese romantic comedy about a man who becomes a multimillionaire and decides to try online dating- he puts up an ad asking for potential marriage partners. He meets a huge variety of strange candidates but eventually meets a heartbroken air stewardess. They become unexpected friends but she believes her heart will always belong to her ex-lover. Will he change her mind? 

Who would like this film? Everyone.

Film: Ana e Vitória by Matheus Souza

Summary: In this sweet Brazilian musical, two young queer girls (Ana e Vitória) decide to start singing together. As they gain recognition, their love lives get more complicated. The movie is based on real life, with the girls playing themselves and singing their own songs!

Who would like this movie? People who love queer romcoms, Brazilian folk music and beautiful cinematography. 

Film: Pain and Glory by Pedro Almodóvar

Summary: A famous director, largely inspired by Almodóvar himself, reflects on essential moments of his past as the present around him begins to unravel. This movie is nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars, and Antonio Banderas, who is the lead actor, is nominated for Best Actor!

People who would like this movie: People who like movies centered around family issues, LGBT+ stories, color theory, stories about poverty and class struggle, a more personal account of Spanish history, or Almodóvar movies in general.

Film: A Town Called Panic by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar

Summary: An animated French film about two friends who accidentally order 50 million bricks instead of 50, the delivery of which destroys their house.  When the friends try to rebuild their home, their walls keep getting stolen, leading them on an adventure to find the thieves.

Who would like this movie? Those who are okay with weird, kind of absurdist animation, and like light-hearted films.

Film: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Summary: This film is a cartoon based upon Satrapi’s autobiography about growing up during the Iranian Revolution. It’s in French, and the art style is incredible. It’s also really emotional and educational on the Iranian Revolution and Islamophobia in Europe, as well as the Iranian punk rock movement.

Who would like this movie? Those who like narratives centered on young women, graphic novel adaptations, and black and white movies.

Film: Populaire by Régis Roinsard

Summary: This film is an adorable French rom-com set in the late 1950s. It’s all about how Rose, a young secretary from a small town, becomes one of the fastest typists in the world, winning competitions left and right with her employer Louis as her coach. The competition scenes are crazy high energy and the tension and chemistry between Rose and Louis is insane. Such a fun watch, really aesthetically pleasing.

Who would like this movie? American romantic comedies have not been good for about a decade, so this is for anyone who misses them.

Film: Au Revoir les Enfants by Louis Malle

Summary: A French Catholic boarding school for boys hides a few Jewish children during the German occupation of France. The film centers around a friendship between a Catholic schoolboy and a Jewish boy in hiding.

Who would like this movie? Those who enjoy coming of age stories, dramas, and classics.

Film: La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz

Summary: La Haine (Hate in French) is a story set over 24 hours. With the clicking of the clock comes the ticking of a social time bomb, with French society ready to implode on itself over the racial tensions between the majority white population that lives in Paris and the minority populations that live right outside, in the banlieues.

Who would like this movie? People who are interested in social issues, into black and white movies, or who like thriller-ish movies

Film: The Handmaiden by Park Chan-wook

Summary: The Handmaiden is a thrilling film that navigates in Japanese-occupied Korea. What starts out as a con to acquire the inheritance of a sheltered Japanese heiress named Hideko twists and turns into an erotic love story (with many highly NSFW scenes) between the heiress and her maid, one of the people trying to steal her money.

Who would like this movie? If you like romantic thrillers, social commentaries, gorgeous cinematography, and revenge.

The Parasite Cast via PBS