The Beginner’s Guide to Foreign Film: 15 Must-Sees

There are a million great films outside the U.S, it’s just you haven’t seen them. Good fortune smiles on you today because I’m here to show 15 foreign flicks you should have seen a long time ago. These films range from Europe to the Far East and give you some of the most visceral, most shocking and most emotional images you will ever see.

For every film on this list, you should be exposed to cultures and ideas vastly different to your own. Nothing here is homogeneous, there is an idea, a technique, a performance or an image that breaks convention. Each film will offer you these things and expand your mind outside of what Hollywood tells you. By the end of the article, you will have a list of films that will make you more creative, more aware of the outside world, and help you find great respect for people that make up this planet we call Earth.

1. City of God (Cidade de Deus, 2002)

Country: Brazil

City of God is one of the few films in the world that should make you feel grateful for any peaceful life you have. This film does not depict heroes and villains, it puts into frame characters forced to live in a brutal landscape and either thrive in it or die at the behest of a bullet. Rocket, a young boy who aspires to be a photographer, relates to you the history of organized crime from the 60’s to 80’s. Through his eyes and voice, you experience the terrifying cruelty and brutal violence of the City of God.

Little children ganging up to murder adults and treating it as a common day occurrence is one of the things you experience here. As time in the film goes on, it’s like an inescapable hell escalated by drugs, rivalries and even more violence. Within this hell, though, are decent people who just want to live their lives without trouble. All these people make up the film, and these very same types of people make up the world. Watch these interactions and understand these different thoughts of survival, philosophy, and ways of life.

2. Oldboy (Oldeuboi, 2003)

Country: South Korea

You may have seen the 2013 version of Oldboy directed by Spike Lee and starring Josh Brolin. Wipe that from your memory and watch this original. Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-Sik), a bumbler, is kidnapped and locked in a room for 15 years. Once he escapes, he sets out to discover the reason for his incarceration and takes cold blooded revenge for it. This film is a excellent centerpiece to look into the sick mind of director Chan Wook-Park. In his films, he always adds weird shock value moments to unnerve the audience. A fine example of this is when Oh Dae-Su walks into a sushi place and consumes a raw octopus like a savage.

Another great attraction in this film is his fight scene in the hall. Long shots where multiple things are happening at once are hard enough to capture, this long shot has the protagonist committing to a fight against a group of many 11 or more people. The scene flows naturally and grows even more impressive by the fact that old boy just kicked the collective rears of all these punks by the end of the scene. The main draw for this film will be the surprise at the end of the story and how it ties this crazy little adventure together. Make no mistake, this film is absolutely disturbing but absolutely fascinating to watch.

3. Funny Games (1997)

Country: Austria

There is an agenda here but the images supporting it are so striking that you must keep watching Funny Games. Two young boys are set loose upon a wealthy German family in a horror style setting. As they have their way, attention is aimed at the conventions of horror film-making and the expectations associated with it from the audience point of view. This film is not for simple pleasure, it pulls you toward the screen and makes you aware of your habits. This is a must-view if only to see yourself so involved with the psychological bombardment only Michael Haneke will give you.

4. The Son (Le Fils, 2002)

Country: Belgium

I’ll get this out of the way first, The Dardenne Brothers are film-making masters. The Son is the tale of Olivier, played by the amazing Olivier Gourmet, who takes in a new carpentry apprentice. This apprentice, Francis, murdered Olivier’s son five years prior to the start of the film. Yes, now you see where this is going, but it’s no story of revenge. The theme here is struggle, the struggle of enduring years of anger vs. what may be sympathy or curiosity.

There is no explanation given as to why Olivier chooses to forsake revenge and if you ask, he will say “I don’t know.” There is one scene where Olivier steals Francis’ apartment keys and you are not sure why he does it. At first, it may be for something illicit like breaking in and causing harm but later on Olivier just explores. Now try to sympathize with Olivier’s situation and imagine the hard questions it brings up. That is the mark of the Dardenne Brothers’ film and the first one of many that you should see.

5. Infernal Affairs (Mou Gaan Dou, 2002)

Country: Hong Kong

Chances are you’ve seen Martin Scorsese‘s The Departed. Infernal Affairs is the movie The Departed is based on. It’ll be very similar except everyone is Chinese and Anthony Anderson is nowhere to be seen. Theme is the big difference here as there is a strong Buddhist message in the story that ties things together. The Departed, in my opinion, took out many relevant themes and messages for their version and makes itself shallow. There is so much more depth in the original I want you to see such as the history between the two main characters, their bosses, the underlings, and the song.

You must hear the song Lost Time by Tsai Chin with high quality audio and let it takeover your senses. Additionally, check out Infernal Affairs II for even more back story into the characters just starting their careers. From the narrative point of view, this story is so rich and excellently executed that it will draw you in on it’s own power. I’m just giving a little help.

6. Versus (2000)

Country: Japan

Ever wonder if the ideas in a Japanese anime could work in a live-action setup? Versus is the answer. It has reincarnation, samurais, the undead, a crazy magic forest and best of all, psychos. Now watch as I try to explain all that into something coherent. Versus is about an epic fight between an escaped prisoner (Tak Sakaguchi) and the immortal boss of a Yakuza mob group to reach a girl who must be sacrificed, to an evil forest, to obtain great dark power. How did I do?

In between all that are the crazy psychos compiling the Yakuza boss’ subordinates, the “authorities” hunting the prisoner, and a big giant gun culminating in one of the most badass sword fights you will ever see. I can’t even describe any specific scene for you because it would be an injustice to the rest of the film, it is that awesome. None of these ideas should work on paper but within the world of this film it all works. Take notes on how each element of the story is implemented and notice the difficulty of incorporating so many disparate ideas together. Versus just makes it all work and you should see how it does so.

7. Ong-Bak (2003)

Country: Thailand

Ong-Bak is Tony Jaa‘s debut to the world. A young Muay Thai kickboxer goes on a journey to the Thai capital to reclaim the head of a precious Buddha statue. I’m going to level with you, the main draw here is Tony and his free running mixed in with skillfully choreographed fight scenes. Please understand me as I tell you there is more to this movie than a man kicking people in the face though that’s fun to watch in its own right.

An important and overlooked aspect of this movie is how they try to relate to the audience the importance of Buddhism in their culture. One scene in the film involves Tony using his body to shield the statue from damage. To the logical mind, a man sacrificing his flesh for an animate object is ludicrous. For many Thai people that statue, the Ong-Bak, is a symbol of their country, their history and their culture. So, essentially, come for the butt-kicking, stay for the culture shock.

8. [Rec] (2007)

Country: Spain

[Rec] is about a reporter and her cameraman being quarantined in a building after following firefighters on an emergency call. Upon entering the building, everything gets crazy starting with the granny in the locked apartment. Now, what makes [Rec] so appealing is its use of long shots. Each long shot seems so meticulously crafted and planned that the shock moments occur unpredictably because your attention is focused on the on-screen characters. For example, there is a scene in the apartment lobby where all the folks are getting agitated by the Spanish equivalent of the CDC outside. While they’re talking, boom, something drops from several floors above. This is all done in a single long shot worth seeing for yourself.

9. Volver (2006)

Country: Spain

Pedro Almodóvar films manage to constantly do something that is not typical of most directors. He humanizes his characters whether they are transsexual bullfighters, transvestite actors or pregnant nuns. Don’t be fooled, Almodóvar movies are not about novelty. Each story he crafts is a creative venture into what it means to be human and Volver is a great starter.

It stars Penelope Cruz as Raimunda, who is struggling to raise her daughter after an unfortunate accident with her husband. The most beautiful thing about this film is the female empowerment most strongly presented through Raimunda. Her character is not a call-to-arms for feminists but representative of women strong enough to help themselves. This is most apparent when she takes over a business to feed a film crew and successfully garners profit off her ingenuity and negotiation skills. Also, strong women are hot.

10. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Country: U.K.

I’ll be honest, the real reason I bring up Shaun of the Dead is as an excuse for you to see the whole Cornetto Trilogy. That means you get to watch Hot Fuzz and The World’s End too. You’re welcome. Seriously, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are hilarious in these films. All three are just out of this world implausible and all three are just awesome. For sampling purposes though, please check out Shaun of the Dead about an ambition-less man and his group of friends and family fighting off zombies. Then buy the others.

The great appeal of these films is that they are comfort flicks. That means they relate to you without aggravating your senses. Despite what goes on in each Cornetto world, the film manages to get across the message that it will be alright. That’s what each goofy muck-up in the film is all about. It will make you laugh even though the situation is so serious and by the end, you will keep on laughing.

11. Friend (Chingoo, 2001)

Country: South Korea

This is a film that is under the radar for many people but I’m going to shed some light on it today. Friend is the tale of four boys who grow up into different environments while retaining their connections to each other over the years. Things get complicated when Joon-seuk (Yu Oh-seong), heir to a mob family, and Dong-su (Jang Dong-gun), undertaker’s son turned gangster, become part of rival families. I won’t ruin the ending but I will say Friend became the highest grossing South Korean film of all time upon release for a reason.

The story is beautiful, as it came from the director’s own experiences, in that it relates typical adolescents growing up. Their fates, while exaggerated to a point, are indicative of a common human experience. Essentially, we grow up and we grow apart to assimilate into new lives. Try as we might, it’s hard to keep together and even then it is only sometimes we get to see old friends. This experience is poignant in the film and a great use of theme in the word, friend. Warning: it might make you cry.

12. Chungking Express (Chung Hing Sam Lam, 1994)

Country: Hong Kong

Chungking Express is one of director Wong Kar Wai‘s most romantic and endearing films. It’s the story of lonely people who find treasured fleeting moments of peace with each other. This film is comprised of two stories. One is about a cop, pining over his ex-girlfriend, having a chance encounter with a drug smuggler at a bar. The second story relates a girl’s affections for a beat cop going through a breakup.

Each story is beautifully expressed with amazing cinematography from the great Christopher O’Doyle, especially during Takeshi Kineshiro‘s part in the story. It’s a crooked angle shot that is insightful about the character’s nature being at odds with the rest of the world, it’s beautiful.

If I can sum up Wong Kar Wai’s movies in two words, it would be “incredible romance.” It is not a romance of shallow love though but of love belonging to people still looking for their place in the world and only finding it with other misfits. So few people can truly understand each other, that is what this film is about and that is why you should see it.

13. Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno, 2006)

Country: Mexico & Spain

Pan’s Labyrinth is a Disney movie for adults. It has the little girl, Ofelia, at odds with her wicked step-parent, Captain Vidal, dynamic. The difference here though is the brutal violence, freakish life-like monsters and placement in Spain’s civil war. One of the hallmarks of Guillermo Del Toro are his vivid monsters that appear so real it is as if they could actually exist. In this film, Del Toro also plays with warm and cool colors to depict the gamut of human emotions heightening the glory of victory or the sadness of loss.

Beyond that, you get to experience the adventures of a little girl day-dreaming in a horribly violent period in Spain’s history. A question begins to form a little into Ofelia’s adventure, which world is real? Is it the world where people are killing each other for power or the land of strange creatures? Soon, a better question forms. Which world is better to live in? That is Ofelia’s question to answer and in part a question for the audience as well. A strong theme of duality exists here, examining real life and the need to escape it. You will need to see the film for a conclusion though.

14. Run, Lola, Run (Lola Rennt, 1998)

Country: Germany

Let’s go through a checklist of what a good action movie needs. Franka Potente? Check. Sex? Yes, please. Clever film techniques? Stop salivating. With a dash of constant running? Hey, why are you taking off your pants? Run, Lola, Run is a straight action movie made enjoyable by everything in it.

Lola is a girl tasked with getting 100,000 marks for her criminal boyfriend, Manni, within the time-span of 20 minutes. Every time she fails, she gets to try again like a video game restart. With each redo, Lola changes the futures of the people around her. Director Tom Tykwer also adds things like a little animated segment for one of Lola’s runs out of her apartment. This film is worth seeing if only for the multitudes of techniques and ideas used. The only negative to the movie is that you might feel sad for Lola, she’s always running.

15. Spirited Away (Sen To Chihiro No Kamikakushi, 2001)

Country: Japan

I had a hard time choosing between Akira and Spirited Away as the need-to-see animated feature. Ultimately, Spirited Away is my choice because I want you to experience a magical world only Hayao Miyazaki will give you. A young brat, Chichiro, becomes an indentured servant to save her parents who are magically turned into pigs by the entrepreneurial witch, Yubaba.

At its core, the film is about growing up for Chichiro, but in an Alice in Wonderland setting. Themes abound, but my favorite is in the character of No-Face, who takes in the characteristics of anyone it consumes, essentially the epitome of how bad influences cause calamity.

Chichiro-chan isn’t the only one taken on the adventure, you, as the audience, are taken as well. Each facet you see in the film changes your idea of the ordinary. Once you see the film, try to look at the people around you with that lens. You will see similarities you never considered and a world you never knew existed. By the way, that world I’m talking about is the same world you live in.

There are actually more movies on my list but let’s save them for another time. My wish here is that you get to watch these movies and enjoy them with family and friends. See the world through 24 frames per second. Open your mind to things you haven’t seen or experienced before. I know it can be scary to try new things but being so scared that you hold back from trying new things is a disservice to you. The type of fear you should have is in the excitement before getting into a new adventure. That is what each film is, a new adventure to take on.

It won’t be the same boring stuff Hollywood gives you. No. It will be people you desire to be like, a passion to spread around, an idea to write down and a better version of you for everyone to see. That is what this list will give you. Please seek out these actors and directors in other films when you’ve seen everything here. Happy watching.

Think anything is missing from the list? By all means, go ahead and school me. I’m totally up for it. 

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