WATCH THE WORLD

Our goal is to open up the world to everyone through film. Everyone should travel if they can (the world is amazing), but it costs time and money which we don't always have. That's where FilmRoot comes in. We bring the world of films to your couch, so you can travel wherever you want to without the flight fees.

Use our World Map to find the best films from each country, choose a continent below to explore the best films from each continent, or simply scroll down to see our latest posts featuring films from around the world. Or, if you're up for a challenge, work your way up to the top of our Film Difficulty Rankings to become a World Film expert.

Latest Posts

Homeland: Iraq Year Zero – Life Before the Iraq War

Homeland Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

How much do you know about the Iraq War? You may know that it was a war between the U.S. and it’s allies and Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein and bring democracy. However, that’s just the account that you’ve probably been exposed to. Homeland is your chance to see the Iraqi perspective. Through the home footage of Abbas Fahdel’s family maybe your view of the war and it’s intentions may change.

Why Watch Homeland: Iraq Year Zero?

Because this is one of the only ways you can experience life in Iraq before the Iraq War started in 2003
You’ll pretty much become part of an Iraqi family for close to 6 hours
To hear some of the best stories, all from the simple act of people watching
You’ve seen Ahlaam or The Journey and want to see some real footage of life in Iraq to compliment these great fictional films

The Breakdown

You’ll join director Abbas Fahdel’s family in Iraq as soon as this film starts as if you’ve always been a part of his family. His nephew, Haidar, is watching a piece of state propaganda referring to Saddam Hussein as ‘our beloved leader.’

Outside of the short interruptions of unsubtle state propaganda on TV, life in Iraq is very familiar. Haidar and his friends are just like any other kids of their age, playing fun pretend war games and fooling around. Similarly, adult life goes on normally. People talk to their neighbours, go to the market to buy provisions, and spend a lot of time with their family.

However, their normal lives slowly disappear as the American invasion gets closer and closer. They all start preparing for war: stocking up provisions, preparing water pumps, and moving to the country in attempts to get out of the war zone. Then the war hits. You’ll then experience what it was like to live in the Iraq War. You’ll hear injustices, you’ll see cultural buildings ruthlessly bombed, and you’ll also witness the resilience of the Iraqi people.

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Conclusion

Homeland: Iraq Year Zero is the film to watch to get a first-hand account of the Iraq War from the Iraqi perspective. You’ll get to experience how life was before the war and also how life changed when the war started.

It is less biased than you might expect because it is solely home footage rather than a more opinionated narrated documentary. But it’s a strong statement against war.

he shows his niece and nephews watching television one morning; a piece of state propaganda referring to Hussein as “Beloved Leader” soon gives way to a Looney Tune cartoon featuring Foghorn Leghorn.

The Towrope (Colombia) – Can You Hide from the Colombian Civil War?

The Towrope Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Could you escape from the Colombian Civil War? Even in the remote parts of Colombia where The Towrope is set, the effects of the Civil War are unavoidable. It seems like everyone knows someone who has been affected by the conflict. However, the part of Colombia in The Towrope is like another world. Welcome to the grey skies and cold rain you don’t see on the Colombian guide books.

Why Watch The Towrope?

To see more evidence of the beautiful, diverse landscape of Colombia (for more evidence see Colours of the Mountain and Embrace of the Serpent)
See how the landscape becomes an extra character (like the sparse desert landscape of New Mexico in Breaking Bad)
Learn how the Civil War has permeated all parts of Colombia
See what it’s like to live in the remote countryside without electricity

The Breakdown

The Towrope starts with the silhouette of a limp figure hanging from a stake. It’s dawn, and the sky is so grey that it’s impossible to see if it’s a dead person or a scarecrow; either a sign of the civil war or a sign of fertility.

It’s not people, but the landscape that sets the tone of this film. The grey sky and persistent rain is not the sunny, hot Colombia that foreigners probably think of. The lake they live by is empty and quiet and not full of tourists or visitors. The landscape and weather defines the life of the locals. They have to continually fix their houses to withstand the weather and their movement and freedom is limited by the lake.

The gloomy weather compliments the dark backdrop of the Civil War. 19 year old Alicia arrives at her Uncle’s house on the lake after her hometown was destroyed by the Civil War. It’s not clear if her family have been killed or abandoned. Her Uncle reluctantly lets her stay with him but does not offer her much hospitality.

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Conclusion

This slow paced film masterfully builds tension. The sound of creaking floorboards and rain and wind battering the sides of the house ominously hint that trouble is nearby. All the signs of Civil War are around, but nothing is explained in any detail. It’s not clear how they have been affected by the Civil War and if danger is nearby. All we can do is keep guessing.

Lucia (Cuba) – This 1960s Film is Stylish and Progressive

Lucia Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

How well do you know your Cuban history? Lucia charts the evolution of revolutionary consciousness in Cuba from Spanish Imperialism until after the Cuban revolution through the stories of three women named Lucia (living in 1896, 1932, and 1960 respectively). Who’d thought a Cuban film made in the 1960s would be more progressive than most of the Hollywood films of today because of it’s political consciousness and female protagonists.

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Why Should You Watch Lucia?

To experience life in Cuba before and after the revolution
If you like period films you’ll love the first two parts
For some chaotic battle scenes
To see how to add emotion to film scenes

The Breakdown

Part one. It’s 1895. Lucia, a lady from the upper class, gossips with her friends about another lady who has just returned from Paris with a rich, chubby husband before they all head into church. She catches the eye of a trader whilst in church, and they both exchange smiles. This is romance of the 1890s.

As part one progresses, you gradually see more and more of the demise of Spanish imperialism. Firstly, from the horrific story of Fernandina; a former nun that crazily roams the streets after being raped. Secondly from the doomed love affair of Lucia. And, lastly from the chaotic battles that take place at the end of the segment. The chaos which ends part one is a long way from the playful gossip that starts the film.

You’ll also notice how Humberto Solas adds loads of emotion to his film. For example, in Fernandina’s rape scene, he quickly cuts between different angles preventing us from focusing on one view point which disrupts our viewing flow. To add to the effect, he uses a hand-held camera. The combination of the quick cutting and the hand-held camera make us feel Fernandina’s confusion and horror as all these soldiers are frantically chasing her. If you’ve seen Sergei Eisenstein’s famous Battleship Potemkin, you’ll recognise this chaotic montage.

Conclusion

Lucia is stylish and progressive. It mixes quick cutting montages and hand-held cameras into it’s three parts which all feature women. For a film that charts the evolution of the revolutionary consciousness in Cuba from Spanish Imperialism to after the Cuban revolution, check out Lucia!

Click on the poster on the left to buy on Amazon!

Tony Manero (Chile) – Meet One Of the Craziest Characters on Film

Tony Manero Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Want to meet one of the craziest characters on film? Watch Tony Manero! It features an unpredictable madman that reminds me of both Begbie from Trainspotting and Anton Chigurgh from No Country for Old Men. He’s unpredictable and unnerving just like the brutal regime of Pinochet that he lives in.

Why Watch Tony Manero?

Meet an absolute nutjob that reminded me of Begbie from Trainspotting
Experience how strange and surreal life was under the Pinochet dictatorship
If you like your comedies very dark
To get to know director Pablo Larrain’s roots (he’s the guy that directed Jackie and Neruda)

The Breakdown

Image result for saturday night fever Tony Manero opens with our anonymous middle aged male lead trying to get on a game show. He introduces himself as ‘Tony Manero’ and gets told by the producer to come back next week.

You may be thinking – who is Tony Manero? Well, he’s the guy in the poster on the left, the character that John Travolta plays in Saturday Night Fever. In this Chilean film, the main character idolises Tony Manero. He wants to be him. And I don’t mean that lightly… he really wants to be him.

This anonymous Tony Manero imposter makes this film. He’s a complete nutcase that will do anything to try and become Tony Manero. He goes mad when his local cinema stops playing Saturday Night fever and he gets even madder later on in the film.

Larrain (the director) doesn’t present us with a reason why his lead character is so crazy, but he does leave some clues. The clues are snippets of Pinochet’s interference in daily Chilean life, such as police shooting a guy walking with revolutionary posters. We can only assume that the brutal dictatorship has created this crazy Tony Manero wannabe.

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Conclusion

Check out Tony Manero if you want to meet one of the craziest characters you will see on screen. The main character is pretty anonymous, unpredictable, and unnerving. He’s not a guy that you want to meet. Watch this film to get to know him from a distance.

Bad Genius (Thailand) – Films About Exams Can be Exciting!

Bad Genius Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Looking for teen thriller at the other end of the spectrum from the usual teen horror films? Try Bad Genius. It will conjure up those dreaded memories of sitting in exam rooms at school. And before you think, how can a film about exams be exciting, think again. These fun characters are big time cheaters and keep taking their tricks to the next level as the stakes get higher and higher.

Why Watch Bad Genius?

If you’re looking for an exciting teen-thriller that everyone will enjoy!
To be introduced to the criminal underworld of exam cheating
It’s easy to watch – in fact 20-30% of the dialogue in this film was unscripted (according to the director, Nattawut Poonpiriy)
There’s already rumours of an American remake

The Breakdown

Bad Genius starts with Lynn, a teenager applying to a top secondary school to take her final year exams. She’s got a load of trophies from all her academic achievements, but she knows her dad can’t afford to pay for the education at this new school. So, her Dad pays for it on the sly by hiding the payments he makes.

It’s inevitable that she finds out he is paying more than she expected (which she’s not happy about). But, more importantly, she finds out after she’s helped her best friend cheat in a maths exam. The perfect time to receive a proposition from her richer classmates: to help them cheat their school exams for a price. From then on, the stakes slowly get higher and higher.

What’s obvious from the start is the massive class divide between the kids at this scholarship school. Unfortunately, the poor, clever kids are exploited by the rich, lazy kids. Ultimately, this is the wealth privilege. As presented in this film, the rich will always make it out OK, whereas the lives of the underprivileged have to be absolutely speck free to get anywhere close to success.

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Conclusion

If you’re looking for a thrill, watch Bad Genius. The story-line is tight, and the characters are fun, and just like the best magic shows, you’ll be enthralled by seeing how these kids managed to cheat the SAT exams.