Foreign to me I mean.
Has anyone seen this? If you haven’t, and you like quirky films I think you’ll like Elling. It’s sub-titled but very easy watching.
Two men trying to learn how to live in the real world after being institutionalized for years in Norway.
That is one of my favorite foreign films ever! Just delightful and fun to watch without being ridiculously symbolic or hopelessly depressing.
If you liked Elling, might I request recommendations for other films? What else have you seen and enjoyed?
I haven’t ever found a film quite like Elling, but I did very much enjoy Ip Man and Bread and Tulips.
Totally different than Elling, but good in their own right.
Thanks! I should check those out.
Ben X was awfully good, too. (It’s in Flemish.)
My wife queued up a bunch of foreign films when we first got Netflix.
We particularly liked
The Red Violin
Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall, Spring
Onmyoji 1 & Onmyoji 2
Twilight Samurai
Chocolat
I’m a fan of martial arts films, too, so I enjoyed
. House of Flying Daggers
. Curse of the Golden Flower
. The Lone Wolf & Cub series
. The Blind Maseuse (Swordsman) series
But I’m well aware those are not everyone’s cup of blood.
—G!
“I think we’re in trouble. We’re completely drunk.”
“Your lover just had a baby. I think you’re supposed to get drunk.”
Cool, I really enjoyed Elling and hoped to find more like it. I will look for those other two!
I think I might suggest Together if you liked Elling.
Added it to my Netflix queue. Films from northern Europe seem to resonate with me - Aki Kaurismaki is one of my favorites - so I’ll probably like it.
I’ll recommend Angels of the Universe by the Icelandic director Fridrik Thor Fridrikson. Similarly-themed to Elling but probably more downbeat. Well worth tracking down the R2 DVD though…
I’ll second Together. Probably Lukas Moodysson’s most upbeat movie!
It was pretty fun. I like when Kjell Bjarne visits Vigeland Park for the first time (I somehow remember his name a year after seeing it…)
Thanks tons for the other recommendations! Keep 'em coming!
Resurrecting this to add some new ones I’ve seen lately.
Aftershock, in Chinese with subtitles. Bring the tissues, this is a heartbreaker. A Mother is forced to choose which child to save after a massive earthquake. Very well done and an interesting look into a communist community. This movie is a memorial to the 240,000 people killed in the Tangshan earthquake of 1976.
Together, in Chinese with subtitles. Heartwarming. Very sweet movie about a father and son who is a violin prodigy.
Man Woman Eat Drink, in Chinese (I think) with subtitles. If you’ve ever seen Tortilla Soup, you’ve seen this movie except this one is the original and it’s set in Taiwan.