Asia

Best Asian films

If you’re looking for the best Asian films, there’s plenty to choose from. Asia holds approximately 60% of the world’s population, so it’s no surprise the continent has a wealth of great films. The continent hosts one of the world’s largest (if not the largest) film industries in India’s Bollywood, the most famous animation studio outside the U.S. in Japan’s Studio Ghibli, as well as the second largest film market in the world by box office receipts in China (second only to the U.S.).

But that’s not all. The Iranian art-house cinema scene is still booming despite government bans. Southeast Asia holds two of the most famous torch-bearers of the transcendental film movement in Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Lav Diaz. Plus, there’s South Korean, Bong Joon-ho, whose Parasite became the first foreign language film to win the Best Picture. And we haven’t even mentioned the growing film presence of the countries in Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, and the Caucasus.

So scroll down to see some of the best Asian films. Or, if you know where you want to go, pick a country from the links below.

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, East Timor, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon,Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

*We’re still looking for the best Asian films from countries without links. Send us your recommendations.

16

Not One Less (China) – 13 Year Old Teacher, What Could Go Wrong?

Not One Less Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

What do you do when you mother is dying and you need to find a replacement teacher to do your job whilst you go visit her? You find a 13 year old girl from a neighboring town that hasn’t been to high school to take over from you for a month. What could go wrong? Find out here (buy to watch on Amazon).

Image result for not one less

Why Watch Not One Less?
  • Learn from the world’s youngest substitute teacher – a 13 year old girl from rural China
  • For a 5 minute teaching masterclass – who needs qualifications?
  • Experience life as a kid in rural China and see how it contrasts with life as a kid in the city
  • If you like Italian neo-realism and/or coming of age films
The Breakdown

Not One Less starts with the arrival of the substitute teacher named Wei. She’s only 13 and hasn’t completed high school yet. But as it’s just a month and this rural town has no one else remotely qualified to teach their kids, she seems like a great option.

Before the actual teacher goes, he gives her a 5 minute 101 in teaching. Here are the golden rules:

  • Let the students go home, when the sunlight reaches this stick
  • Copy these lessons for the students to write – one a day
  • Don’t use too much chalk (it’s expensive)
  • Sing one song a day

It doesn’t sound too hard. As he leaves, he promises to give her 50 Yuan for her month’s work, and an extra 10 if she keeps all the students until he gets back. Just for perspective, a ticket to town on the bus costs around 20 Yuan. The pay is poor, but it’s what drives this 13 year old substitute teacher – she does whatever she can to keep these kids until the teacher returns for that extra 10 Yuan.

However, as you’ll see, this extra clause is a harder than it might seem. Firstly, as expected, she’s not a great teacher. She doesn’t ‘teach’ the kids, as she just writes on the board, tells the kids to copy it down, and sits outside the exit to block anyone from escaping early. Secondly, her students are poor. One is moved to an athletic school under the promise that her life might be better elsewhere, and another is taken out of school to go work in the city. So what does she do? She turns her lessons into a mission to get them back to school encouraging the students to help her in her quest.  If it weren’t for the promise of money, she would be the most caring teacher in the world.

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

Wei learns a lot in this film, and so do we. We learn about the Chinese education system, poverty, work, local politics, salesmanship, marketing, the consequences of cheating, and more. Even though this film is about teaching, it shows us that the most valuable lessons are learned outside the classroom in life itself. To learn about China and life in general, go watch this film!

For more great Chinese film, check out the following:

  • The Road Home: for another film from Zhang Yimou – this one’s an emotional romance
  • A Touch of Sin: a bleak, politically charged portrayal of contemporary Chinese society
  • The Assassin: An art-house Martial Arts film with beautiful cinematography and choregraphy

Or, if you’re looking for more coming-of-age films in which kids are forced to grow up quickly, check out Mustang from Turkey and Abouna from Chad. I’d even recommend watching the heartwarming Kikujiro from Takeshi Kitano as well!

 

17

From What is Before (Philippines)

From What is Before Film Difficulty Ranking: 5

This is Lav Diaz. He’s one of torch bearers of the slow film movement having made some of the longest cinematic films. In From What is Before he documents the history of a small rural town in the Philippines during Marcos’ rule. Like Gabriel Garcia’s Macondo, this small town serves as a metaphor for the entire country. As a result, this is your chance to experience contemporary Filipino history.

Here’s a little snippet courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival. It shows you exactly what slow cinema is like – are you patient enough to try it?

Why Watch From What is Before?
  • You want to one of the best examples of Slow Film there is!
  • To truly immerse yourself in the recent history of the Philippines
  • Witness how fear can undermine a community
  • For your chance to see the beautiful Filipino countryside in monochrome
The Breakdown

“This story is a memory of my country”

The film starts with a beautiful black and white shot of the Filipino countryside. You can see the fields of corn, tall hills in the distance, and a small shack in the foreground. This is the rural Philippines in 1970.

From the outset you can tell this is a slow film. You can tell because the camera rarely moves, each of the shots lasts for at least 2 minutes, and there is very little dialogue. Contrast this with the 5 second shot length in Hollywood films, and a load of action and dialogue, and you’ll understand why this is called slow film.

The length of From What is Before allows Lav Diaz (the director) to properly show us the gradual growth of fear in the rural town he examines. You’ll meet all the people of the town before the first signs of Marcos’ martial law start appearing around the 3 hour mark. Then you’ll see how the military rule slowly undermines the community through fear.

Conclusion

For an exploration into the power of fear in undermining unity, this film is a masterclass. Watch as Marcos’ martial law slowly envelops a small town in the Filipino country.

For more Slow film try the following:

18

Kikujiro (Japan)

Click the poster to buy the DVD and open up Japan!

Kikujiro Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Want to experience Japan without paying the expensive flight tickets? Then watch Kikujiro. You’ll travel the cities and country of Japan with little Masao and Kikujiro and do things that probably aren’t in the guide books, like betting on bike races and having fun at a local fair. You’ll also get a beautiful soundtrack from Joe Hisaishi to go with it all!

Why Watch Kikujiro?
  • If you like coming-of-age films or road trip movies! This one is inspired by The Wizard of Oz!
  • For some cool camera shots. Look out for one shot from the inside of a glass, and another shot from a car hub-cab.
  • For another Kitano classic (check out his gangster flick Hana-bi for something different)
  • It’s a postcard tour of Japan – watch this if you want to go to Japan!
The Breakdown

Kikujiro starts with a slow motion shot of a young boy running across a pedestrian bridge. He is smiling and is wearing a backpack with little wings attached to it. The camera follows him as he runs from one side of the bridge to the other.

The young boy, Masao, is described as a ‘gloomy kid.’ His parents left him when he was a baby and he has grown up with his grandmother ever since. You start to feel sorry for him as soon as his school finishes for the summer holidays. He runs home by himself, he lets himself into the house by himself, and eats a plate of food left for him on the table by himself. He’s all alone with no parents. The next morning, he walks to football practice but the instructor tells him that the session is cancelled because of the summer vacation. He plays by himself for a bit before going home. Poor Masao! He just wants a friend!

He doesn’t get a friend, but one of his grandmother’s friends (Kikujiro) reluctantly takes him to find his mum. Their journey takes us through a diverse range of life in Japan. First, Kikujiro takes Masao to the cycle races as a good luck totem for his betting. After he strikes a bit of luck, we are taken into a strip club and a Japanese diner. Later we are taken to a local fair, a hotel resort, and even end up at a bus stop in the country which is reminiscent of the bus stop in My Neighbour Totoro. Watch Kikujiro to experience Japan!

Conclusion

Just like The Wizard of Oz, Masao comes across a rabble of people from different walks of life. They all allow Masao to escape his loneliness for the summer holidays. Kikujiro shows the versatility of director Kitano as he ranges from Yakuza gangster film Hana-bi to this endearing coming-of-age film.

 

19

A Touch of Zen – An Innovative Wuxia Epic From King Hu

A Touch of Zen

A Touch of Zen Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

A Touch of Zen is one of the most inventive martial arts films you’ll see. It combines a bunch of genres, including the historic Samurai films of Japan, haunted house horror, and the classic hero’s journey adventure films. Plus it adds it’s own styles have been hugely influential on later martial arts films. There’s plenty of epic widescreen landscape shots, bouncing characters (that you’ll also see most noticeably in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and innovative editing to create some stunning CGI-free action sequences. On top of that, it focuses on a powerful female fugitive and an unstoppable Buddhist monk. It’s all shot from the perspective of a regular guy like us to bring us into the action. It’s one of the best wuxia films you’ll see.

From: Taiwan, Asia
Watch: Trailer, JustWatch, Criterion
Next: Seven Samurai, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Dragon Inn
20

Ajami

Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

On Mubi, Ajami is compared to Brazil’s City of God for it’s use of non-actors and gritty look at life in a city. But I think it compares better with Amores Perros because of it’s narrative structure. Produced by both a Palestinian and an Israeli, this film sheds light on what seems to be an unbiased look at Israel. Building until the last puzzle piece is added, the Academy Award nominee Ajami is one to watch!

Why Watch Ajami?
  • Get a feel for race relations in Israel – the role of borders and race relations makes Ajami a lot more relevant than some might think.
  • What drives someone to do something out of character?
  • Looking for a cleverly layered multiple narrative like Amores Perros, Traffic, or Magnolia? Look no further.
  • Be amazed at the auction-style way that family disputes are solved.
Breakdown

Nasri, Omar’s younger brother, narrates the opening as he draws a comic book. He introduces us to his neighbour who is fixing Omar’s car and then to his grandpa who he takes care of and washes due to his paralysis. It all seems pretty normal, pretty pleasant. Then two men riding on a motorbike pass by and shoot Nasri’s neighbour fixing their car.

From this point the film takes on a City of God feel as Nasri takes us back in time to explain what events led his neighbour to be shot. After this introduction, the film switches stylistically to a more natural, documentary like style. The colours become washed out, the dialogue takes centre stage, and the music is noticeably absent.

In addition, things happen really quickly. The dialogue is very punchy and snappy, not because of what the characters are saying, but how quickly people respond to each other. The narrative matches the fast pace of the dialogue. A birthday surprise happens so quickly that I felt almost suspicious of it’s authenticity. This made me start to question the authenticity of every character in the film. A lot of them are forced to act outside of their normal character.

Ajami’s genius lies in it’s narratives which are linked in non-chronological order. They come together to create a fatalistic quilt made of interlinking religions, races, and emotions.

Ajami is “a sustained gaze into a widening, all-encompassing trap” – Eric Hynes at Indiewire