The Dead and the Others follows Ihjãc, a 15 year old indigenous Krahô father. After his own father dies, he starts to hear voices and receives a visit from the legendary macaw, a signal of the start of his transformation into a shaman. However, instead of accepting his duty, he runs away to a white Brazilian cowboy town a day’s drive away from his community. It’s here, isolated from his people that he faces the reality of being an indigenous person in contemporary Brazil.
In a way, The Dead and the Others feels like a prequel to Maya Da-Rin’s The Fever. Both films are directed by outsiders filming indigenous people in Brazil, but whereas The Dead and the Others centers on a young person leaving his community, The Fever centers on a middle aged man that has already left his community that starts being drawn back to it through visions and the prejudices he faces in ‘white’ Brazil. Both I believe are two great films to watch to get a glimpse into the indigenous experience in Brazil. However, take this opinion with a pinch of salt as I haven’t had the opportunity yet to watch any indigenous films from Brazil actually told by indigenous people. Please let me know if you have any recommendations!
Watch the World with Amazon Prime UK – 10 Must See World Films Available for Free!
All of the following World Films are available to watch with an Amazon Prime UK membership. If you don’t have a membership you can always make the most of the free trial and watch as many of the films below before the trial runs out 😉 Just click here to sign up for a free trial!
10. Motorcycle Diaries (South America)
If you haven’t seen Motorcycle Diaries you’re in for a treat. It’s one of the best road trip movies out there and perfect to watch if you want to go to South America. Plus, it’s got the legendary revolutionary Che Guevara. Night in sorted!
9. Train to Busan (South Korea)
Hot off of the press, Train to Busan is one of Amazon Prime UK’s most recent additions. If you like zombies you’ll love this film. If you’re not bothered about zombies but love a great action movie, you’ll also love this film. It’s a win-win.
8. The Salesman (Iran)
Also recently added, Iranian film The Salesman won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Film at last year’s Oscars. If you missed the free viewing that the Mayor of London held in Trafalgar Square, no worries, as you can now watch it for free on Amazon Prime (with the free trial).
7. Son of Saul (Hungary)
You can also watch another Oscar winner. This one follows a Jewish worker in the Auschwitz prison camps during WW2. It’s harrowing, but brilliantly well made. Read more about it here.
6. The Assassin (Taiwan)
There’s also plenty of Cannes Film Festival winners available to watch. Hou Hsiao-hsie won the best director prize for this beauty, a martial arts film set in 9th century China. Films don’t get much prettier than this.
5. Cell 211 (Spain)
For a bit more grit, check out this prison drama. A new prison officer gets trapped on the wrong side of the prison bars during a prison riot. Can he play the part of a prisoner for long enough to escape? This one is perfect for an easy night in.
4. Dheepan (France)
Here’s another Cannes winner. Dheepan took the famed Palmes D’or at the 2015 Cannes film festival and tells the story of three Tamil refugees who flee the war ravaged Sri-Lanka for a new life in Paris.
3. Mustang (Turkey)
If you love coming-of-age films as much as I do you will love this film. It has all the qualities of a classic family film but with a bit more grit. A nominee at Cannes and the Academy Awards go watch this one now. Feel free to read more about the film here.
2. Toni Erdmann (Germany)
Toni Erdmann is one of the world’s great comedies. It will teach you never to lose your sense of humour or take life too seriously. Watch it for plenty of surprises that you never saw coming! It also features the world’s most embarrassing dad.
1. Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia)
This is perhaps the best film available to watch on Amazon Prime UK full stop. It’s a beautifully shot film set deep in the Amazon jungle that delves into the biggest themes including (but not limited to) Life and Death, Civilization, and Religion. You will come out of it a wiser person 😉
Where to Watch these films?
Well this is just a taster of some of the best world films on Amazon Prime UK. There are many more world films available on the platform, so go ahead and start your free trial by clicking on the banner below. (Remember to cancel it if you don’t want to be charged after the free trial).
We will be back with the best world films on Netflix UK in the next few weeks.
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