Is it only weirdos who like foreign films?

 It might seem obvious, I am one of those weirdos.  Although the scorn of others makes me feel defensive I feel the benefits outweigh the occasional flak.  The world is a big place with more things on offer than anyone has the capacity be aware of, let alone to enjoy.  Better understanding of the other 99% of the world is not only important, but often very enjoyable.  Still many of us live in something resembling a cocoon.  

Why do you watch any movie?  Some times they amount to time fillers, but hopefully you are enjoyably entertained and you might learn something.  Viewers of foreign films will pick up differences quickly and some of them might enhance your life.  But I hope you will notice the similarities.  We all seek love, security and meaning; we all get angry, jealous and even depressed.  

Not only to understand another culture a little better, but we might also appreciate some insight to our own human nature.  Sometimes they are just from a different perspective.  On top of all that there is some creativity and FUN.  Humor is universal, but varies; some subtle, some direct and often we don't understand the context.

Subtitles distract from the action and dubbing seems incongruous.   See at bottom for efforts to ease your understanding.

A complaint of some is they can't tell some Asian actors apart from one another.  A matter of experience minimizes this natural phenomenon.  See for a personal confession:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/biased.html

Trump voiced a threat to impose a tariff on foreign films expressing the concern in economic terms.  Trump seems to look down on foreign countries, once referring to "shithole countries".  India and Nigeria release hundreds of films of various quality and interest and when you add in all the other non English countries the number is overwhelming.  I am one of those who have found more than a few gems among the rest of the world's offerings.

Censorship or standards vary from country to country and even media to media.  So you prefer good clean romance without the graphic sex?  Or, do you prefer suggestive dialogue and discrete interplay?  Or do you feel let down if there is not explicit sex?   How about violence?   Definitely censorship restricts all those things and also politics.

Here are some examples that are worth checking out

 "The Secret in their Eyes" (2015) won an Oscar for best foreign film.  I have enjoyed the star Ricardo Darin in several films.   He feels he can get more challenging roles in Spanish where he already has name recognition.  Many foreign actors are attracted by bigger money in the American and British markets.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/04/ricardo-darin-brings-charm-from.html

Spanish is actually the most common European language spoken in the world, but as it is spread around the world there is a very wide range.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/07/hispanic-cinema-spans-globe.html
 

 

 

 

 This is about a man who is overlooked by his family.

 http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/05/home-comedic-clash-of-generations.html

With modern communication I was able to learn about films in a language not heard of beforehand:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/how-i-discovered-malayalam-cinema-and.html

 

My first awareness of Mads Mikkelsen.  This one only received an Oscar nomination, but other Danish films actually won.  In all his films which include English and French he always makes you believe.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/05/mads-mikkelsen-helping-denmark.html 

 

 

 

 Taiwan is a unique country.  China considers it their rightful property, but Taiwan sees themselves as distinctly different.  This film features a standup comedian who has to deal with dementia.   Having seen Ying Hsuan Hsieh in a few films and she has become a favored actress.  Not only is she a good actress she is chosen for or chooses some interesting scripts.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/forget-you-not-something-from-taiwan.html

 

More about Taiwan cinema::  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/taiwan.html

 

 

Concerned about male chauvinism.  The main focus is on female circumcision, called purification by the men.  They are Muslim, but as one women proclaims "Purification is not from Islam." and ""Our men want to lock up our minds."  Also saw "Making Moolaade" of that spoke of technical progression by Africans.  Won an award at Cannes and was highly rated by Roger Ebert.   Filmed in Senegal in Bambara and French languages.

 

 

 

 

 

In Africa, albinism (white skin) is a source of prejudice and also misinformation.  For instance albinos are thought to have medicinal benefits which result in their deaths.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/09/can-you-see-us.html

Filmed in Zambia.

 

 

 

 

 

 This won an Oscar using several African language with a little English thrown in.  A young boy stealing, find himself with an infant and doesn't know what to do.  Filmed in South Africa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Life is Beautiful" is concerned about Jewish victims in Italy during World War II.  It won 3 Oscars for best foreign film, music score, and  best actor for Roberto Benigni who also received a nomination for best director and the film for best script and best feature film.

Italy has a long film history and has contributed to the English speaking world" http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/04/italian-cinema.html

 

 

 

 

 

Korea is loved for its clean romances that are very well done.  But they also put out grittier films such as recent Oscar winner, "Parasite" that competed directly against American films.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/09/parasite-breaks-oscar-tradition.html

My introduction to Korean films:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/04/a-slice-of-korean-cinema.html

 An ongoing bias  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/korean-mini-series-to-watch.html

 

 

Korea also illustrates similar culture (and behavior.)  What North American is not familiar with baseball?  Well they are in Korea as well and they have prima donna players, locker room conflicts, dramatic games and this movie illustrates all that.  It also follows a typical sports plot line, except victory comes a little differently and the particular drama is unique.  One unique feature is dealing with baseball among the deaf.

 

 

 

The Iranian government was embarrassed that this won the best foreign film Oscar., but it demonstrates a human dilemma that is not all that remote from the rest of the world.  The director has done a film in Spanish.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/03/three-persian-directors.html
 

 

 

 

The Oscar winner, "CODA"  (2022) focused on a family of three deaf people and one hearing.  They had the problem of communicating with the rest of the world.  Sign language was the mechanism, but few outsiders  understood it.  The viewer relied on subtitles to follow the story.  Typically involved conflicts within family and with the outside world.  Originally the concept came from France, "La Famille Belier" (2018)

 

 

 

"Malbatt" from Malaysia gives the perspective of the rescuers helping those downed in "Black Hawk Down"  The American version was informative, but diminished the role of the Malaysian rescuers.  Another interesting one from same event was "Escape From Mogadishu" (2021) which related about North and South Koreans uniting to escape from the same situation

 

 

 

 

 

There are literally another hundred languages from many nationalities.   I would have included more examples, but this post is long enough. 

 Dubbing allows you to more easily follow the story line, but there is a little cognitive dissonance. The voices may not match the bodies and the mouth movements aren't quite synchronized.  For instance Koreans have distinctive ways of talking; when excited the last words seem to rise in tone and they also drag out some words making it difficult to match the lip movement  Netflix is investing in dubbing.  The quality can vary greatly.  Jackie Chan has done dubbing into Mandarin and English and recognizes preciseness makes a better impression.  I have noticed American dubbers tend to over do it.

Subtitles demand concentration that may detract from the background.  Many lines are actually shortened to give you time to comprehend, but may lose depth.  Some films have adopted a consistent background .

There is not much to lose and much to gain when you watch a foreign film.   There is a gold mine of entertainment and thought provoking stories in foreign films waiting for you attention. 

January 8/26 P.S. Less than a week from my posting I encountered a relevant situation (in my mind at least).  Donald Trump has continued to say he wants Greenland and lately has been more aggressive and pointed.  My tv viewing is necessarily selective, but I have managed to watch CNN coverage and CBC.  I have not noticed from CNN so far that selects interviews with American and sometime Danish politicians.  CBC is quick succession had interviews with the mayor  of a Greenland town and a former national politician who gave their perspective.  One thing that stood out for me was they were articulate in English.  The more underlying emotion was they are human.  The American media and politicians need to see Greenlanders as human beings and not insignificant creatures,   A few years ago we watched a Danish series, "Borgen" that in its last season was set in Greenland under rule by Denmark.  My post on that only mentioned Greenland a little bit, but I would encourage anyone to see the actual series as it helps make the Greenlanders seem more human.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/borgen.html