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.

Train to Busan (South Korea)

Train to Busan Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

This is the best Zombie Train film there is. If you love zombies (think Walking Dead, 24 days later, or World War Z) you’ll love this film. If you love train films (Snowpiercer, Transsiberian) you’ll love this film. Finally, if you love a great thriller film, you’ll also love this film. Need I say more?

As usual, best to only watch 40secs of the trailer to avoid any spoilers!

Why Watch Train to Busan?

It’s one of the good zombie films out there
It’s also a great train movie (on terms with Snowpiercer, another great South Korean film)
There’s plenty of glorious action
All complemented by some great action cinematography (mostly shot within the confines of the train carriage)

The Breakdown

Train to Busan, like many great horror movies starts with a prelude of what’s to come. A farmer drives his truck through a quarantine zone. His truck is sprayed and ushered through the quarantine. On the other side, he runs over a young deer, curses his shitty day, and drives off. The camera stays fixed on the dead deer in the road, and after a few seconds, comes back to life and limps off into the bush.

Following the dramatic opening, the film introduces us to Seok-woo, a cold office boss who doesn’t really care about his little daughter. He treats his mum like a maid and messes up his kids birthday. He even stands up his daughter when she is singing a song at a concert especially for him. What a guy! Will it take a train full of zombies to make him care for his daughter?

Conclusion

This is the best zombie train movie that I have ever seen (it’s also a great thriller). It has the typical range of characters, the genre faithful story-line, and doesn’t take it self too seriously.

What caught my eye was the great camera work within the small space of the train carriage. Most of the action is shot from within the carriage with a mix of handheld shots. But the director creates space by mixing in tracking shots from outside the train carriage (where the camera moves alongside the train) and shots looking at the other carriages. Check it out for yourself!

Prince of Nothingwood (Afghanistan) – Meet Afganistan’s Biggest Film Star

Prince of Nothingwood Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

“This isn’t Hollywood, this isn’t Bollywood, this is Nothingwood, because there’s no money”. – Salim Shaheen

Salim Shaheen is Afghanistan’s biggest film star. He’s Afghanistan’s working class hero (like Cantiflas or Charlie Chaplin) and action film star (like Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger). It’s time for you to get to know him!

Why Watch Prince of Nothingwood?

To meet Afghanistan’s biggest film star
For a positive alternative to the negative war dominated footage of Afghanistan you’ll usually see
See the remains of the famous Buddhas of Bamyan
Hear about the time when there was a bomb on set…

The Breakdown

Salim Shaheen’s story mirrors the story of Afghani cinema. There should be no role for him or for film within the strict Afghani customs. Back when he was a kid, he was beaten by his mother and brothers when they caught him singing and dancing on film. He was also beaten when he was caught sneaking off to the cinema to see some of the Bollywood hits. He was beaten up whenever he got near to film! Simply put, dancing, singing, and acting were all taboo; it just doesn’t fit in strict Afghani tradition.

However, even though Salim Shaheen’s films are a triumph for creativity, you’ll notice there aren’t any women on camera. The director, Sonia Kronlund, is the only woman you’ll see in the whole film. That’s because she’s treated like a man because she isn’t from there. In contrast, Sonia’s female translator is always hidden off camera. According to Sonia, she refused to say anything on camera. As there are no actresses, some of the men have to dress up as women. Despite the apparently strict society, this is considered acceptable, perhaps because homosexuality is inconceivable.

If you’ve been wanting to go to Afghanistan but are worried about the security, this is the perfect film to see. You’ll meet the people, travel across the country (to Bamyan), hear the music, and see the food.

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Conclusion

All in all The Prince of Nothingwood is a rare opportunity to see life in Afghanistan, and an equally rare opportunity to see a positive story from Afghanistan. Salim Shaheen’s story is a triumph for creativity in a society where access to cinematic resources is pretty much non-existent.

The Missing Picture (Cambodia)

The Missing Picture Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Have you heard of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge?

If you have, great, watch this film to understand how they changed Cambodian society.
If you haven’t, no problem, watch this film to learn who/what they were and how they revolutionised a country on film and destroyed it in reality.

Why Watch The Missing Picture?

To learn about life in Cambodia in the 1970s before and after Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge came to power
To imagine a country where your only possession was a spoon
Learn about a country where artists were prohibited – the only images left are of a myth created by Pol Pot and his regime
Clay figures!

The Breakdown

The Missing Picture starts in a darkish room full of stacks of film rolls. The floor is covered with film strips. Someone picks up one of the film strips and looks at the still images it contains. It shows a Cambodian woman dancing in traditional dress. This Cambodia, traditional Cambodia, was left to be forgotten by the Khmer Rouge so they could forge a new country.

Image result for khmer rouge logo rice paddy factory The Khmer Rouge created a new country by creating a new mythology. Art and tradition was thrown to the side. Now “the spade is your pen, and the rice field is your paper”. The picture on the right shows the Khmer Rouge’s utopia. There is a factory, irrigation, corn harvest, and rice fields but no people. This is Pol Pot’s vision for a state driven by work and void of culture.

The clay figures represent many things. As they are motionless, they represent the death: death of the past and death of the many Cambodians that died during under the Khmer Rouge. The clay figures also represent ‘the missing picture’ ie. everything that was not documented by the Khmer Rouge on film. As the Khmer Rouge only documented films of people working the rice fields, the clay figures end up recreating a lot of undocumented life. They re-enact the famine, death, and forced labour that the Khmer Rouge did not document. This is the untold story of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge.

Conclusion

The Missing Picture allows us to recreate a more accurate history of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. It shows us the real footage shot by the Khmer Rouge and adds in ‘missing’ scenes of famine and death that the Khmer Rouge ignored. As a result, this film importantly documents the horrific events that the Khmer Rouge tried to absolve from history. If you’re after a true documentary of the Khmer Rouge – this is as close as you can get.

For another great South East Asian documentary, I strongly recommend watching The Look of Silence (available on Netflix).

Golden Kingdom – Follow the Path to Enlightenment

Golden Kingdom Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Do you want to leave your job to go meditate in a Buddhist temple surrounded by lush green hills? This film might just be the one for you. In the idyllic setting of Golden Kingdom you’ll follow one junior monk on his path to enlightenment.

From: Myanmar, Asia 
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Colours of the Mountain, Rabbit Proof Fence, Kundun

The Road Home (China) – Fall in Love with Zhang Yimou’s China

The Road Home Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Are you looking for a love story that will warm your heart? Or are you looking to explore rural China and all it’s customs and culture? Either way, check out The Road Home, a beautiful love story set in rural China directed by Zhang Yimou. Currently available to watch here on Amazon (for rent)

Why Watch The Road Home?

If you’re in the mood for a romantic love story
You’re a fan of Zhang Yimou’s martial arts films (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) and you want to see him explore something different
To learn about customs (and superstitions) in rural China
See how different school is in this film

The Breakdown

The first part of The Road Home is shot in the present day in dull black and white. Luo Yusheng arrives at his family home in rural China having traveled from his home in the city. His father has just died, and he’s come home to keep his mum company and sort out the funeral arrangements.

Tradition says you need to carry the dead all the way home whilst shouting out ‘this is the way home’ to remind them how to return. Yusheng’s mum is adamant that he must honor this tradition for their father. However, this tradition has rarely been carried out since the Cultural Revolution in the 60s and 70s. Whilst he’s figuring out what to do with his father’s body, the narrative switches to the story of Lusheng’s parents romantic courtship which has become a legend in their hometown.

Is this film a challenge to the state of Communism in China?

On the surface, The Road Home appears to be a regular love story. But, if you pay a bit more attention, you’ll see an underlying critique of the state of Communism in China.

In The Road Home, Zhang Yimou critiques the loss of culture. You’ll hear this first when the mayor says that the traditional burial mentioned above has not been done since the Cultural Revolution (a subtle jab against the Cultural Revolution for taking away part of Chinese Culture). But, more obviously the critique is present in the film’s portrayal of the past.

Whilst the present is shot in a dull black and white, the past is shot in vibrant colour. The colour reflects the emotion and hope embedded in the past, when the Communist Revolution was still young. In contrast the dull black and white of the present symbolises how the hope and optimism of the Communist Revolution has disintegrated and has taken culture and emotion with it.

Image result for the road home film

Conclusion & What To Watch Next

The Road Home is a beautiful love story set in rural China. Luckily for all of you who don’t want to settle for pure cheesy romance, there’s much more to this film than initially meets the eye. Because if you look carefully, you’ll see the subtle critique of the direction of Chinese Communism.

If you want more romance, click here to explore all the films under in our Love film category.

Or if you’re looking for more Chinese film, head over to our Chinese film page. We recommend checking out A Touch of Sin for a more brutal depiction of life in contemporary China.