The 25 Best Foreign Films to Watch Right Now
If you limit yourself to just English language films, you'll miss out on some of the best work out there. Much of the world's most innovative cinema comes from beyond our borders-and it's been this way from the medium's birth. Not sure where to start? Never fear-below, we've gathered a list of 26 foreign films that have stood the test of time.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Not only is this short film not in English-it's hardly even a film, by the technical definition. Instead, legendary director Chris Marker has strung together a series of stills, linked together by narration and music. Sure, it's out there, but La Jetée will stay with you long after you've seen it-just ask the generations of filmmakers it's inspired since its release.
Miramax Lionsgate
amazon.com
$9.99
For those skeptical of delving into the foreign film canon, Amélie is a great movie to start with. It's nearly impossible not to fall in love with the titular lead, and any indulgent directorial choices come with a heavy dose of tongue-in-cheek humor.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
It's hard to feel sympathy for an East German secret police agent surveilling peoples' private lives, but somehow, The Lives of Others makes it happen. The officer finds himself caring for those he's watching, and begins to intervene in their lives, even when it comes at a risk to himself.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Based on the visionary novel from Polish author Stanislaw Lem, Solaris follows a psychologist sent to a faraway space station to investigate the cause of the crew's sudden insanity. Buckle in, this one gets a little trippy.
Shout Factory
amazon.com
$13.79
Legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki has created many a masterpiece, but it's Spirited Away that's often tipped as his greatest work. It's not hard to see why. Every frame reveals more of the film's fantastical world, introducing creatures and spirits so entrancing they deserve their own spin-offs. And amidst all of the sumptuous aesthetics, it never loses the thread, taking the audience on captivating a journey from start to finish.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Another legend in the canon of fantastical cinema, Pan's Labyrinth made what might have been sidelined as a "genre" film into a piece of movie history. And because it often relied on make-up and old-school cinematic trickery rather than always leaning on special effects, it's aged far better than many supernatural movies of its era.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Metropolis is such a fixture that even if you've never seen it, it's hard to avoid a glimpse of its iconic stills and posters. Plus, for those who dread reading subtitles, a silent foreign film may be just what the doctor ordered.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Films about filmmaking have been around for about as long as the medium itself. And one of the best in the genre came along in 1963, courtesy of the beloved Federico Fellini. In 8 1/2, we watch a director (partly based on Fellini) at a loss for what to make next. His writer's block leads the plot to turn inward, exploring the lead's fantasies, memories, and nightmares.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
In 1967, a latent fear of advancing technology had already begun to take hold. With Playtime, director Jacques Tati projects that reality on to the screen-but chooses to embrace its absurdity and humor rather than wallowing in anxiety.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Alain Resnais's first feature film is one for the history books. Hiroshima Mon Amour centers on a romance between a French actress and a Japanese architect, taking place in postwar Hiroshima. Structured by celebrated writer Marguerite Duras's screenplay, the result is a meditation on public and private trauma.
Criterion
amazon.com
$24.02
Wong Kar-Wai's moody, sumptuous style is evident throughout In the Mood for Love. The story follows two married couples in neighboring apartments. After learning that each of their spouses is cheating on them, two neighbors form an intimate bond.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
An actress suffers a psychological break, and is moved to a seaside home to rehabilitate under the supervision of a nurse. Aside from that, much of Ingmar Bergman's landmark film is up for interpretation-and all the better for it.
(168)
amazon.com
Out of Stock
French New Wave classic Breathless tells the story of a ne'er-do-well who, in a panic, kills a policeman. He turns to his girlfriend, an American exchange student, for help. But as she learns more about her beau's transgressions, she may not stay loyal.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Fact and fiction blend so thoroughly in Close-Up, they seem impossible to untangle. The film re-stages a real event, in which a man impersonated a famous director, with everyone playing themselves. The results are somewhat mind-bending, and have earned the film a spot in the cinematic canon.
amazon.com
In an industry dominated by men, Agnès Varda has carved out a space for herself-and made it unabashedly women-centric. Cléo from 5 to 7 follows a woman during her two-hour wait for the results of a biopsy, showing her grapple with her anxiety and uncertainty in real time.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
The graphic novel on which Persepolis is based is worth experiencing on its own, but the movie adaptation is just as unmissable. Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical story sheds light on life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, but is also an endearing portrait of a girl coming of age.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
With Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Pedro Almodóvar gifts us a romantic comedy for people who hate romantic comedies. Like much of Almodóvar's work, it's all very deliciously despicable.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Fran?ois Truffaut's debut film tells the story of his own childhood, from his neglectful parents and harsh schoolteachers to his run-ins with the law.
(260)
amazon.com
Out of Stock
In this film, director Akira Kurosawa presents four different peoples' accounts of one gruesome crime. The result is a stunning psychological thriller, which paved the way for Western audiences' growing interest in Japanese cinema.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Set in contemporary Iran, A Separation paints a visceral portrait of a failing marriage.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
The last feature film from the inimitable Ingmar Bergman, Fanny and Alexander was conceived as "the sum total of my life as a filmmaker," according to the man himself. It's also perhaps his most accessible work-and therefore a good place to start diving in to his oeuvre.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Not only is the animation beautiful, filled with detailed cityscapes and future-punk imaginings, but Ghost in the Shell's themes continue to resonate. As we inch closer to developing artificial intelligence-and consider augmenting our bodies with technological tweaks-this film remains an ever more valuable meditation on the blurry line between human and machine.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Y Tu Mamá También gives the on-the-road buddy comedy a heartfelt, intimate twist. It's among Alfonso Cuarón's earlier work, but it hardly feels undeveloped.
amazon.com
Out of Stock
Laurence Anyways presents ten years in the life of a couple, one half of whom transitions from male to female. The film follows the pair as they struggle through the process, both together and apart.
e net
netflix.com
Alfonso Cuarón's Roma is a top awards season contender, beloved for its touching portrayal of Cuarón's former nanny's life. And it's on Netflix, so there's no reason not to press play right now.
If you limit yourself to just English language films, you'll miss out on some of the best work out there. Much of the world's most innovative cinema comes from beyond our borders-and it's been this way from the medium's birth. Not sure where to start? Never fear-below, we've gathered a list of 26 foreign films that have stood the test of time.
From cinematic pioneers to modern masters, these auteurs are worth the subtitles.
Solve the daily Crossword
