DRAMA (20)

(20) UNO



Gritty, honest 2004 Norwegian film about what happens when your responsibilities to your family clash with your responsibilities to your friends, which clash with your responsibilities to society, etc. Who are your true friends, and how much do you owe them? And, once you've gotten yourself deeply involved in a life of crime, can you ever go back?


(19) BEYOND SILENCE



Beautiful little 1996 German film, telling the story of Lara. Her parents are deaf, and she and her younger sister cross back and forth between their silent homelife, and the hearing world. Lara's aunt, a musician, give's her a clarinet one Christmas and it turns out Lara has a gift for music. Tension ensues as her parents feel that the music is taking their daughter away to a world they can't follow her into. Lara moves to Berlin, to live with her aunt and take music lessons. Heartbreak and joy follow as she experiences both traumas and romance.


(18) HONEY FOR OSHUN



Bittersweet 2001 Cuban film that gives a rare glimpse of everyday life in the country today. A man taken by his father to the United States as a small child, returns to the land of his birth to search for the mother he barely remembers. Reconnecting with relatives and thrown together with strangers, his search takes him out of urban Havana, and into the rural Cuban countryside.



(17) RABBIT PROOF FENCE



This 2002 Australian film is all the more heartbreaking because it is true. In the 1930's, Aboriginal children are forcibly taken from their families and put in state run schools, to "civilize" them. Three little girls escape from one of the schools and lead their pursuers on a nine-week, 1,500 mile trek. Be sure to watch the info at the end and in the extras on the dvd, as it shows the real characters the story is based on, elderly women by this time, and also how young Aboriginal children were cast in the film.



(16) SWEET SIXTEEN



Released in 2002, this is another Scottish film by director Ken Loach. Beautifully made, and achingly sad, it tells the story of Liam. Soon to be sixteen, he working toward, and happily anticipating his mother's upcoming release from prison. But, the movie asks, how much should you sacrifice for your dream, and what if the best gift you can think to give someone isn't something they want. Again, be forewarned, strong accents, so subtitles may be in order.



(15)MY NAME IS JOE



A 1998 Scottish film by one of my favorite directors, Ken Loach. The title refers to the fact that Joe, the lead character is a recovering alcoholic. This gritty, realistic film, features a sweet romance, poverty, and drug centered violence, all heart-breaking in their own ways. Filmed in the slums of Glasgow, the accents are very strong, and it may be helpful, at least at first, to take advantage of the subtitles. A movie that sticks in your head for days afterward, as you rehash the storyline in your mind.



(14) LAGAAN



This 2001 Indian film could easily have gone in several catagories...drama, romance, musical... Based on a true story, it's set in the days of the Raj, when during a drought, villagers except a bet with the British rulers. If they can win a cricket game, their yearly tax (lagaan) will be suspended for three years. If they lose, it will be tripled. Most of the villagers have never seen or played the game before. One of those sweeping epics that is made far too rarely these days. Its long, but worth it.



(13) INDOCHINE



It was a hard call, whether to put this 1992 French film in the "romance" or "drama" category, but, ultimately its sweeping style and scope make it so much more than just a romance. Set in French colonial Vietnam, the story of Eliane, wealthy French owner of a rubber plantation; Camille, her adopted Vietnamese daughter; and Jean-Baptiste, the French naval officer they both love, is swept along by the upheaval and turmoil of revolution and war. This is the kind of huge blockbuster that is rarely made anymore. Not a warm fuzzy feel good movie, but one of my favorites, story telling at its best.



(12) SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE



This 2008 British film deserves its blockbuster status. Colorful, heart-wrenching, funny, romantic and suspenseful, it defines "feel good". Jamal, who grew up in the utter poverty of Mumbai's slums, is a contestant on the Indian version of "Do You Want to be a Millionaire?" Amazingly, he keeps answering correctly, moving closer and closer to the elusive monetary prize, and riveting the attention of the country. But, the night before the final episode, he's arrested on the premise that a poor slum boy could never answer so many questions correctly without cheating. Throughout the night, as he is questioned roughly by police, we learn how each chapter of his life prepared him for the questions on the game show.



(11) LADIES IN LAVENDER



Starring Judith Dench and Maggie Smith, this 2004 British film also features Charles Dance (who also wrote the screenplay). And the male lead was the young actor from another favorite of mine, "Goodbye Lenin". This is a great film, a little bit sad and wistful, a little bit funny, and shot in drop dead gorgeous countryside in Cornwall. It's the story of two older sisters living on the coast who find a young foreign musician washed up on the beach one morning. They take him in, and that changes everything. The actress who plays their housekeeper almost steals the show, it's worth it almost just to watch her scenes.

* Judi Dench as Ursula
* Maggie Smith as Janet
* Daniel Brühl as Andrea
* Natascha McElhone as. Olga
* Miriam Margolyes as Dorcas



(10) NOBODY KNOWS



Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE foreign films. But even I am left scratching my head sometimes at a gap between languages...lol. This 2004 Japanese film is based on a true case of four young children abandoned by their mother, and left to fend for themselves. The acting was great and the attention to little details beautiful, although the story was sad and finally disturbing. But what got my attention was the subtitles at the end. As two characters sat and walked quietly, contemplating a pivotal incident in the story, a soloist sang what I'm sure was, in the original language, a moving, evocative song. But after being translated into English, it came out like this:

"When I ask the midnight sky
the stars just shine into
the black lake of my molten heart

I can only flow

Will the angel ever give me a backward glance?

Want to splash around in my heart?

The winds of the coming winter lap
at the waves
calling me into the dark
with eyes as wilted as ice

I'm growing up
a jewel with a pungent stench
that brooks no one's approach"

I had a lot of hope for this film, but, the end was VERY disturbing.


(9) THE CHORUS



A musician and an old school mate get together for the first time in 50 years, in this 2004 French film, and take a look at the journal of the teacher who changed their lives when they were children. Set just after the end of WWII, a man who has been a failure at everything he has attempted takes the only job he can find, that of a teacher at a Dickensian school for young boys with behavioral problems. Appalled by the conditions his students are dealing with and at a loss as to how to deal with their sullen attitudes, he decides in desperation to try to form the boys into a choir. A great, feel-good movie. The music is gorgeous, too.



(7/8) ONCE WERE WARRIORS/WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED?



It is no exaggeration to say that "Once Were Warriors", a 1994 film from New Zealand is one of the most powerful movies I've ever seen. This gut-wrenching film explores the effects of alcohol, poverty and violence on an urban Maori family. It literally takes your breath away at points, and you won't soon forget it. Not for the faint of heart, but, such an achingly important message about how families can destroy those they love the most. This is considered one of the all time great movies from this market. Great soundtrack, also.

Thanks to Gavin for letting me know that a sequel, "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?", was released in 1999. Although good, it is no where near the quality of the first movie, and it seems that the critical acclaim of "Once Were Warriors" led producers to amp the sequel up with more Hollywood-like, less realistic violence and subplots. It is an interesting look into the New Zealand gang culture, and despite being a bit of a disappointment compared to its predecessor, it does have some moving parts. I was touched by the relationship between the fresh out of jail, lifetime gang member, and a local single mother, but, it was a relationship tinged with sadness and doom.



The lead actors, while not well known in Hollywood circles, are acting royalty in New Zealand.

* Beth Heke - Rena Owen
* Jake "the Muss" Heke - Temuera Morrison



(6) PAPER CLIPS



Ok, this isn't really a foreign film, but, this is my blog, so I can break the rules if I want to. EVERYONE, AND I MEAN EVERYONE, SHOULD SEE THIS DOCUMENTARY. Released in 2004, it is at turns heartbreaking and joyous. Watch the trailer, it will explain it all.



(5) HULA GIRLS



Great 2006 Japanese film, based on a true story, think Jamaican bobsled movie crossed with Japanese hula dancers. When the mines start closing in a cold, remote part of Japan, the desperate management is faced with laying off their workers. They come up with a wild, improbable plan....recreate Hawaii in this cold, desolate location, and turn it into a must see tourist destination. They hire a famed dance teacher to take a group of miner's daughters and turn them into believable hula dancers by opening day. Let me interject here that I know a bit about hula. I lived in Hawaii as a child, my neighbor was a hula champion, and we spent a lot of time at the old International Market Place watching the evening hula shows. What is just as incredible to me as the true story this is based on, is the fact that the original teacher for the resort took the cast of this movie and in a short amount of time whipped them into incredible dancers. I could watch the dances sequences over and over. A definite feel good movie!



(4) AFTER THE WEDDING



You learn things about yourself when you start watching movies from around the world. One thing I've discovered is that I have a fondness for Scandinavian, especially Danish, films. I have no idea why, but over and over, they end up being favorites. This 2006 film follows Jacob, who after a wild, hippyesque youth, has settled in India, benefactor of an orphanage. He considers these children his, especially one boy he has really bonded with. He grudgingly returns to Denmark for a short visit, when a potential financial donor will not agree to make a contribution unless they talk in person. He is slowly drawn into the family life of this rich man, at first for no apparent reason, but, then, for what turn out to be shockingly personal ones. A well crafted movie that explores the role of family, who we are responsible for, and how much control we ultimately have over the course our lives take.



(3) JESUS OF MONTREAL



1989 French (Quebec) film that follows an actor and his colleagues as they take part in a Passion play hosted by a local church. They shake things up by straying from the traditonal, "safe", version of the story, and upset the status quo by showing a more realistic, violent version. The lead actor's life mirrors the life of Christ during the run of the play. A film that will bore some, offend others, and isn't easily tied up in a neat package at the end. Although I find parts of it greater than its whole, it has been a movie that stayed with me ever since I first saw it in the '80's. Not a light, or easy film to watch, and don't watch it if you are easily offended by different attitudes toward Christianity.



(2) THE SEA INSIDE



2004 Spanish movie based on the true story of Ramon Sampedro, who was paralyzed in a diving accident, and spent 28 years fighting for the right to end his life. Javier Bardem gives a riveting performance as the film explores not just his legal battles, but, the life he lost, the life he built out of what was left, and the effect he had on those around him, and them on him. An incredibly moving, poignant film, regardless of your views on his intentions. This is a movie that will stay with you for quite awhile.



(1) IN AMERICA



2002 Irish release, following the Sullivan family as they settle in New York City after leaving their native Ireland. Lovingly detailed characters, dealing with a loss they are trying to move on from, and the joy and adventure of a new world. I think this was the first movie I saw Djimon Hounsou in. You'll come to care about the family and their neighbors. Great film and nice to see a NYC movie not set in Manhattan.

* Paddy Considine ..... Johnny
* Samantha Morton ..... Sarah
* Sarah Bolger ..... Christy
* Emma Bolger ..... Ariel
* Djimon Hounsou ..... Mateo