My favorite movies from around the globe
I am not going to pretend that I have watched all the International classics to talk about world cinema as the title suggests. I am just going to focus on some of my favorite films which I have watched and enjoyed thoroughly.
So, let’s dive in.
1) Parasite (2019):
By now if you have not heard of Parasite, I am sure you are living under a rock. As many of you might already know, it became the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is a South Korean movie directed by Bong Joon-ho, which may seem on the surface like a black comedy thriller, but if you look under the layers it deals with themes like class divide, social inequality, and wealth disparity. It showcases this class divide beautifully through two families namely the Kim family and The Park family. The acting performance of the ensemble cast is marvelous, especially that of Song Kang-ho as the head of the Kim family. Parasite is an urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, which finds writer-director Bong Joon Ho in near-total command of his craft.
2) Memories of Murder (2003)
Memories of Murder is another South Korean crime thriller classic from Bong Joon Ho which is only his second film. It is loosely based on the serial murders that took place in the Gyeonggi Province of Korea between 1986 and 1991.It follows two detectives with contrasting personalities investigating the serial killer case. I was reminded of David Fincher’s Seven and Zodiac while watching this film because of the tone and the plot, although Zodiac released only in 2007. It is not your usual crime detective story but rather it blends the crime genre with social satire and comedy while brilliantly capturing the desperation of the two lead detectives and humanizes them in the process. It is a twisted movie with a more twisted ending, and definitely worth your time.
3) Another Round (2020)
Another round is a Danish tragicomedy drama film from Thomas Vinterberg starring Mads Mikkelsen whom you might know from Doctor Strange or Rogue one. It recently won the Best International Feature Film Award at the 2021 Academy Awards.
The premise of the movie is actually very bizarre and interesting. It follows four high school teachers who consume alcohol on a daily basis to see how it affects their social and professional lives. It explores the interesting relationship between humans and alcohol and gives us an intoxicating look at the mid life crisis of its lead characters. Although I had minor issues with pacing of the film during the second hour, it more than makes up for it with a wonderfully choreographed climatic sequence and Mads Mikkelsen’s amazing performance. You can currently watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
4) Amores Perros (2000)
Amores Perros is a Mexican film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu who is well known for his American films like Birdman and The Revenant. It makes use of the multi-narrative hyperlink cinema style and contains three distinct stories connected by a car accident in Mexico City. Vetri Maaran has said in an interview that the controversial dog fighting sequences shown in this film were actually the inspiration for his film Aadukalam. It deals with themes like domestic violence, gun violence, animal cruelty and the class divide through its various characters spread across the three stories. The brutality of Amores Perros may be difficult to watch at times, but this intense, gritty film is not to be missed.
5) The secret in their eyes (2009)
The Secret in Their Eyes is a 2009 Argentinian crime drama film directed by Juan José Campanella, based on the novel La pregunta de sus ojos by Eduardo Sacheri.
This multi-dimensional movie starts out as an investigation of a rape and murder case, but slowly reveals its layers and blends in the message of long-lasting love and friendship. The climax is just chilling and questions the viewers morality of right and wrong. Watch it just for its sheer technical and visual brilliance, it will definitely keep you hooked.
6) The Lives of others (2006):
The Lives of others is a 2006 German drama film directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It is basically a spy thriller movie, but it completely subverts your expectations. The plot is about the monitoring of East Berlin residents by agents of the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police. But unlike more traditional spy films, The Lives of Others doesn’t sacrifice character for fight and chase sequences, and the performance by the late Ulrich Muhe as Stasi Captain Wiesler stays with you long after the credits roll.
Released 17 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, marking the end of the East German socialist state, it was the first notable drama film about the subject, so watch it for that and for its compelling human story.
7) The Invisible Guest
The Hindi film Badla and the Telugu film Evaru are actually the remakes of this far superior Spanish mystery thriller film. The Invisible Guest accomplishes almost all the elements in any checklist of a perfect thriller-suspense movie. It is told in a puzzling-kind of way, letting you feel like you finally know what is going on, just to tear your expectations apart with a new shocking truth. It keeps you guessing right till the end and it’s a must watch for mystery film lovers.
8) Old boy(2003) :
Old boy is another gem of a film from South Korea which can be advertised as “something you have never seen before” and it would totally be apt. It is based on the Japanese manga of the same name written by Garon Tsuchiya and is the second installment of director Park Chan-wook’s The Vengeance Trilogy. If I reveal anything about the plot, it may become a spoiler, but just know that Old boy is a powerful and strange tale of revenge and a very unique film. Special shout out for its amazingly violent action sequences although a warning, it is not for the weak hearted!!
9) The Hand Maiden (2016)
Another modern classic from Park Chan-wook, The Hand Maiden is a twisted psychological thriller inspired by the 2002 novel Fingersmith with the setting changed from Victorian Era to Korea under Japanese Colonial rule. The film is narrated in 3 parts and is a chilling tale of love and betrayal, overloaded with beautiful imagery while never losing the focus on its tragic human core of its story. It is a hugely entertaining thriller with twists and turns and wonderful characterizations, do give it a try.
10) Bad Genius (2017)
Bad Genius is Thai thriller film inspired by the real-life news of students cheating on the SAT exams. The film transports the heist movie structure to a school-exams setting, and features themes of class inequality as well as teenage social issues. The movie was very relatable to me personally because of the JEE exams being similar to the ones shown in the movie. The academic test is the most boring activity, but Bad genius deserves full marks for a smart script that makes even answering multiple choice questions as thrilling and entertaining as Ocean’s Eleven.
That’s all for my list, and I would like to leave you with a quote from Bong Joon Ho’s moving acceptance speech at the Oscars, which says: “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films”.