With American-blockbusters hitting the cinemas every week, we can totally forget what else there is to watch. Here is a list of the top of 7 international films you must see, from Germany to North Korea.
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari/The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, dir. Robert Wiene, 1920, Germany
Want to know who the frontrunner in the horror genre is? You can look to Germany for that. During the Expressionist Era there was a big movement, not only in art but in cinema as well. In the early 20th century, artists started to explore new feelings and how people use them. The main idea for Expressionist Cinema to show a fear that spread through German society in 1920: existing in a German Empire when you are just one person in a crowd.
The film tells the story of mad hypnotist Dr. Caligari, who uses a somnambulist to commit murders. A couple of friends decide to visit his show at the town fair. That night the first murder occurs. Who manages to survive until sunrise?
Vivre Sa Vie: Film en Douze Tableaux/My Life to Live, dir. Jean-Luc Godard, 1962, France
La Nouvelle Vague Wave brought fresh directors like Francois Truffaut, who began as a film critic. They were concerned about what roles young people could play in society and what kind of boundaries they had – and how they could break them. The most riotous aspect of cinema started in France and spread to other countries.
This film was directed by one of this waveâs frontrunners â Jean-Luc Godard. The story revolves around a young Parisian called Nana. She left her husband and young son to follow her dream of becoming an actress. After of couple of pointless jobs she found herself working as a prostitute and started to earn better money. The movieâs narrative is typically postmodernist and is split into 12 scenes.
Todo Sobre mi Madre/All About My Mother, dir. Pedro AlmodĂłvar, 1999, Spain
Spanish cinema is often associated with Luis Buñuel and now, Pedro Almodovar. The key theme of Almodovarâs film is that of women and their role in the world. This Spanish director has defied time and made his film an eternal milestone in cinematic history.
The film tells the story of a single mother, Manuela who is living in Madrid with her 17 year old son, Esteban. On his birthday he was fatally injured in a car accident. After grieving, Manuela decides to return to her hometown of Barcelona to find Estebanâs father and rediscover her youth.
Irréversible, dir. Gaspar Noé, 2002, France
Gaspar Noe is well-known for his postmodernist way of narration and his use of hyperrealism. His first film âIrrĂ©versibleâ received conflicting reviews at the Cannes film festival in 2002, but most people were shocked by an explicit rape scene with Monica Belucci.
The plot of this film is fabulously un-chronological. The story is about two lovers and one night which almost ruins their relationship. But who cares about the ending if you have a nice beginning?
4 Luni, 3 SaptamĂąni si 2 Zile/4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, dir. Cristian Mungiu, 2007, Romania
Romanian cinema shows social realism in a never-before-seen way. Cristian Mungiu brought this film to Cannes film festival and won the Palme Dâor. The film touches upon British social realism and Post-Soviet topics.
The film tells a story about a young woman who assists her friend in arranging an illegal abortion in communist Romania. A must-see.
La Grande Bellezza/The Great Beauty, dir. Paolo Sorrentino, 2013, Italy
The movie was completely ignored during the Cannes film festival in 2013. Afterwards âLa Grande Bellezzaâ won an Oscar for âBest Foreign Filmâ. The movie represents a modern view on Italian film and tells a story about not so young man, Jep Gambardella who wrote one successful novel and as a consequence lived a hedonistic, wild life for decades in historical Rome. But on his birthday one year something changed and he comes to a cross-roads with reality and his past.
Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Gyeoul Geurigo Bom/Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring, dir. Kim Ki-Duk, 2003, South Korea
A distinctive feature of Asian cinema is how directors show the extraordinary dynamic between people and nature in their culture. Absolute harmony and trust are key themes in Kim Ki-Duk’s films.
The film tells a story about a young and naive boy who decided to live by an isolated lake where he he met an old Buddhist master living in a small, floating temple. The Buddhist man attempts to teach the boy all he knows, but will temptation prevail?
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