To help you ease your way into our world, we have devised a the film difficulty ranking system to rate the difficulty of each film reviewed on our site. The easiest to watch films (the Rom-Coms and Superhero flicks that you watch anyway) will have a rating of 1. Foreign language films automatically add one point, as do black and white films, and films with strange and hard to follow plots. Welcome to Film Difficulty 2.
Film Difficulty Ranking 2: These films are perfect introductions to those new to foreign films. These one’s may have subtitles, or be in black and white, but these films are all easy to follow and enjoy.
For the next step, check out Film Difficulty Ranking 3.
I haven’t read Journey to the West and I’m completely unfamiliar with the story line, so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this adaptation of the Chinese Classic. However, if you’re looking for pure cinematic mayhem, Chinese Odyssey Part One and Part Two are as good as you get.
From: Hong Kong, AsiaRead The Full Review
Watch: Trailer, Tubi, Vudu, Buy on Amazon
Next: Life of Brian, Star Wars, Kung Fu Hustle
If you’ve been watching a lot of films recently, you’ll notice that Sampha: Process is different. Firstly it’s got a lot of music, which you’d probably expect as it’s an extended music video. Secondly, you’ll notice the quick and choreographed cuts (the editing works with the music). Music videos are where Spike Jonze and David Fincher started out, will Khalil Joseph transition to feature films as well?
First off, if you haven’t heard of Sampha, you should check out his latest Mercury Prize winning album Process before you watch this film – give it a listen here. Then you’ll need to know that this album was created after he lost his mum to cancer. He deals with loss in the music, but it is also the focus of this film.
Throughout the film, Khalil Joseph cuts to the image of Sampha’s mum trapped in a chrysalis. Her image appears between the beautiful beaches of Sierra Leone and urban London, connecting the two different cities. As a result, she is the link that connects Sampha to Sierra Leone. Her death, along with her mother’s old age (she’s the last of 14 siblings), threatens the link.
Sampha: Process is a film you should watch if you want to see how to adapt a music album into a film. Khalil Joseph takes a brilliant, complete album and manages to add more depth to it.
For more, check out this art/music video Khalil Joseph made for Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City album.
From: India, Asia Watch: Trailer, JustWatch, Netflix, Amazon Prime Next: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, PK, Y Tu Mama TambienContinue reading “3 Idiots – A Feel Good College Buddy, Road Trip Musical”
If you’re looking for a Norwegian update on Stephen King’s Carrie, you’ve come to the right place. In Thelma, just like in Carrie, there’s Christianity, madness, and strict parents. However, Thelma also boasts a lesbian awakening and enough subtlety to keep you questioning long after the ending.
From: Norway, EuropeContinue reading “Thelma (Norway) – A Supernatural Coming-of-Age Story”
Watch: Trailer, Amazon Buy
Next: Carrie, Gone Girl, Call Me By Your Name
If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced crime-thriller from South America, Ratas, Ratones, y Rateros is the film to watch. You’ll try and evade the law with crazy ex-con Angel and his amateur thief cousin Salvador, accompanied by his teenage friends. It’s probably the closest you’ll get to the style of Trainspotting or Run Lola Run from South America. Plus it’s available to watch with subtitles below (thanks to Vimeo).
The film starts with a close up of a Angel’s face upside-down. He opens one eye and the camera zooms out to show him lying upside down, hanging off a bed, lying beside a woman. The camera starts fast-cutting between Angel, as he starts rolling a cigarette, and the bedroom door, which he keeps looking at.
It’s obvious he’s uneasy. The woman tries to reassure him that “no one saw him coming in”.
All of a sudden the door busts open and two armed men run in. Angel manages to escape the room and jump across a few tin roofed houses as the two men chase after him. The grimy rock music kicks in at this point as if to cheer on Angel vs. the chasers.
The chasers lose him in a large cemetery until Angel ambushes them and knocks dead one of the men chasing him to end a adrenaline-filled opening scene. (As words can’t accurately capture the feeling of the opening, I recommend checking out the opening here or in the embedded video above).
Quite a lot. We meet Salvador and his friends back in Quito. Salvador is Angel’s cousin, and he’s excited to hear that his cousin will be returning to the capital to see him. Salvador and his friends are all amateur thieves of their own, but when Angel arrives, he’s looking to take them to the next level.
Without giving too much away, he has some enemies in the capital, and Salvador also has some rich friends.
All action or crime thriller fans will enjoy this film. It looks and feels like a great Hollywood indie film so it will be familiar to all Hollywood film fans. Check it out here on Vimeo.
If you’re after something similar (another stylised action thriller) I strongly recommend checking out the German thriller Run Lola Run. You could also check out Kung Fu Hustle or Layer Cake, two more films full of style that will keep you entertained throughout.
Otherwise for more South American thrillers, check out The Secret in their Eyes (just make sure it’s the Argentinian original). It’s one of the best foreign language films to start your world cinema journey with.
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