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.
If you like food, Eat Drink Man Woman is your film. It’s at the centre of the Chu family from Taipei. It brings them together, it fuels their romantic escapes, and even brings them in touch with their past. It’s a guide through life in Taiwan.
From: Taiwan, AsiaContinue reading “Eat Drink Man Woman – Food is Life”
Watch: Trailer, Free on Tubi, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Like Water for Chocolate, Mi Familia, Lamb
Midnight Traveler is the ultimate first hand account of a family fleeing across Western Asia and Eastern Europe from death threats received in their home country Afghanistan. Because the filmmaker has made movies deemed immoral by the Taliban, he and his families safety is in danger. After having requests for asylum denied by Western countries, the Fazili family are forced to try their luck at migrating to the safety of Europe. However, little do they know that the the troubles and prejudices will increase when they hit Europe. Through the cell phone footage of their journey, you’ll get a idea for what it feels like to no longer have a home and to be criminalized for trying to escape death. If you’re a citizen of a country whose citizens don’t live in fear, consider yourself lucky, and spare a thought and 88 minutes to join the Fazili family in their quest for a normal life.
From: Afghanistan, Asia Watch: Trailer, Kanopy, JustWatch, IMDb Next: Saudi Runaway, Los Lobos, Sin Nombre
Ever wondered what life would be like growing up in the back of a converted East German truck with an alcoholic con man for a father, a practicing witch doctor for a mum, and your father’s second wife who’s probably young enough to be your sister. Well, here’s your chance to experience it. Join the crazy road trip in Suleiman Mountain.
From: Kyrgyzstan, AsiaRead The Full Review
Watch: Trailer, Amazon
Next: Shoplifters, Little Miss Sunshine, The Wounded Angel
Taxi Tehran is filmed from a taxi cab driven by Jafar Panahi. As he’s driving round Tehran, he picks up a wide range of characters from a variety of backgrounds. It’s a perfect microcosm for real life in Tehran and Iran and the perfect disguise for a banned filmmaker to practice his art.
From: Iran, AsiaContinue reading “Taxi Tehran – Travel Around Tehran with the Locals”
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Ten, This is Not a Film, Locke
The Lunchbox Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
“Sometimes the wrong train gets you to the right station”
Are you looking for a great Indian film that isn’t a musical? Well here’s a good place to start. Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox is a beautiful celebration of Indian culture alongside a warning of the effects of rapid economic development. At the heart of the film is food; what it symbolises and how it can bring people together. For a trip to Mumbai, go watch The Lunchbox available on YouTube and (I think) Netflix – it’s also worth your money – click on the picture for a link to buy.
The Lunchbox starts with a montage of Mumbai. Director, Ritesh Batra, shows us the trains, shoes cleaners, and cars before stopping at the house of Ila. Ila is fussing over her young daughter before she goes to school, telling her be careful. Her daughter disappears and she goes straight to her cooking. She tastes the contents of one of the pots and figures it is missing something. A basket appears at the window with a pot of spices, lowered down by ‘Auntie’. Ila adds the spices and readies the food for collection.
The lunch box prepared by Ila travels through the incredible lunch box system and ends on the desk of Saajan (played by Irrfan Khan) who is seduced by the amazing smells of this unexpected lunchbox.
Food is central to the narrative of this film and also shows us a lot about each of the characters. At home, Saajan eats heated up food from a plastic bag. In comparison with the fresh cooked meals that a family next door eats, his plastic meals are a symbol of his loneliness.
Food also symbolises class. Shaikh, an orphan who becomes Saajan’s apprentice, always brings in two pieces of fruit for lunch, usually two bananas. In comparison with the lunch box that Saajan can afford, a banana is a lunch for the lower class.
In addition, The Lunchbox does not hide the stress of life in Mumbai. Each of the main characters has experienced the death or absence of family. On the news, we hear of a mother jumping off the top of a tall building with her daughter to escape life. Ila blames it on the government that prioritises the GDP over happiness. The country has got caught up striving for a greater economy and forgotten about the importance of happiness.
The Lunchbox cleverly shows the current state of life in Mumbai through a romantic tribute to the lunchbox system. In doing so, it shows us a lot of Indian life: the food, the people, the transport, and relationships. It also subtly depicts the burdens that the Indian people are carrying as the country develops rapidly. This reminded me a lot of the Chinese film A Touch of Sin, which shows the strain of economic growth on people in China. However, in contrast to A Touch of Sin, The Lunchbox is much more upbeat and has plenty to celebrate.
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