I get it, I really do. We’ve grown up among the privileged who spoke English from birth, or at least very early childhood. That means we’ve never had to work hard to understand a film, never had to miss out on a big release, never had to sit through some painful voice-overs of our favourite characters in a Hollywood blockbuster. We’ve had it easy. After all, all the best movies are in English, right? Nothing truly equals Hollywood, right? Well, with improvements in film technology and personal technology, with a widely available market of freelancers and with massive studios opening around the world and reaching into the West, we’re going to have to say: wrong. There are some truly amazing films out there which were not conceived or sometimes even not dubbed into English. But they’re well worth the pain of terrible voice actors, mismatched voice-overs and bad subtitles. Because the films themselves are amazing.
1: Amelie.
Original language: French.
Genre: Comedy, Romance.
Synopsis: A young woman is working hard to navigate life with her own optimistic, but slightly naïve outlook of it. She sees the wonder, the mystery and the marvel in everything around her and everywhere she goes she brings charm into the lives of everyday people.
2: Pan’s Labyrinth.
Original language: Spanish.
Genre: Supernatural and Drama.
Synopsis: Set against a backdrop of civil war and a family torn apart, a little girl’s fears about her life are made manifest as monsters which set her up to painful, confusing and terrifying trials. Although several scenes may be quite scary, they are also confusingly childish at the same time, showing how confusing and scary a world torn apart can be to a young girl.
3: Piku.
Original language: Hindi.
Genre: Comedy, Drama.
Synopsis: Piku is an architect living in Delhi with her father, who suffers numerous health problems which result in eccentric behaviour. Piku wants to sell their ancestral home, but her father refuses and instead moves back in. The film follows Piku’s journey and integration into the old world, always bordering on the surreal.
4: Battle Royale.
Original language: Japanese.
Genre: Thriller, Dystopia.
Synopsis: In a world that has grown to fear its young people, a camp has opened up where every year a class of students is selected to fight each other. Only one student may emerge alive. Should they all live to the time limit, they will all die. The class fights to survive and struggles with their humanity as they find themselves trapped by cruel adults.
5: Amores Perros.
Original language: Spanish.
Genre: Drama, Thriller.
Synopsis: A car accident briefly connects three separate lives. Octavio and Susana have a tense relationship: Susana is married to Octavio’s brother, but Octavio is obsessed with her and believes he could do better for her. Daniel has left his family to live with his lover, a supermodel named Valeria. An apparent vagabond, El Chivo turns out to be a professional hitman seeking to make contact with his daughter Maru. As misfortune befalls them, their loves for each other all tear their lives apart.
6: Uzak.
Original language: Turkish.
Genre: Drama.
Synopsis: Yusuf is a young man who loses his job at the factory, forcing him to travel to Istanbul and stay with a relative as he looks for work. There is conflict between his highly educated and cultured relative, and his simpler, unsophisticated self. Several attempts are made to resolve the conflict, but their aimless lives interfere with openness and honesty.
7: L’Auberge Espagnole.
Original language: French, Spanish.
Genre: Slice of life.
Synopsis: A group of students share an apartment in Barcelona. Every student comes from a different country, resulting in strong culture shocks, conflict, romance and comedy. They develop a unique relationship and rhythm of life reflecting the international nature of Barcelona and their own need to discover their identities. Cultural and personality clashes abound, and the students find themselves transformed by the experience.
8: La Strada.
Original language: Italian.
Genre: Drama.
Synopsis: After her sister dies working for a travelling strongman, a young woman discovers her mother has sold her to replace her sister. Gelsomina sets off on her journey, winding up working in a travelling circus. But caught in a love triangle, she discovers that life is not as light and gentle as she had hoped.
9: One Missed Call.
Original language: Japanese.
Genre: Horror, Paranormal.
Synopsis: A ringtone signals the end of a person’s life. Different people receive calls from a strange number, after which they die in confusing and horrifying ways. During the investigation, a story of abuse and loss is uncovered which must be resolved to end the pain.