# Great Unique Non-English Language Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [November 7, 2022, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540 "2022-11-07T23:26:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/102 "2022-11-17T16:06:03Z")
Well, there isn’t a lot, but it’s there (mostly narration). And there’s singing. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/103 "2022-11-17T16:39:12Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > but you can’t go wrong with _Jesus of Montreal_, I actually watched it a few times when it first came out. I obviously enjoyed it at the time. I just rewatched it for the first time in 30 years and found that it had aged really well. I found it to be a really interesting and moving story. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/104 "2022-11-17T16:41:28Z")
If they are non-English but dubbed in English, does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/105 "2022-11-17T19:43:08Z")
I’d say so. I prefer subtitles myself, except for animated movies (and then only if there’s a good cast and the dubbing is well-done, as is the case IMHO with _Castle in the Sky_). ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/106 "2022-11-20T04:08:40Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > This was a Japanese-language film, but it’s interesting to note that the novel it’s based on was in English. In a similar vein, _Yojimbo_, another Kurosawa film, was based on Dashiell Hammett’s [_Red Harvest_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Harvest). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/107 "2022-11-21T20:58:58Z")
I loved _Yojimbo_ from the first time I saw it in college. Favorite line: a local tough guy dares the world-weary ronin: “Try and kill me!” His reply: “It’ll hurt.” ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/108 "2022-11-25T19:43:34Z")
This thread is turning more into my favorite movie versus truly unique movie treatments. I think Kitano “Beat” Takeshi’s _A Scene at the Sea_ fulfills the intent of the OP’s topic. _Born with a hearing impairment, Shigeru is a part timer working for the sanitation service. His girlfriend Takako has the same condition as well. On his usual pickup route, Shigeru finds a broken surf-board in a pile of garbage. His introduction to the world of surfing. Shigeru fails in his attempt to catch a wave. Takako looks on as the locals heckle the first time surfer. Un-hindered by the world around them, Shigeru and Takako commute to the beach every day. Impressed by Shigeru’s determination, owner of a surf shop hands Shigeru a wet suit and an entry form to a contest. Ironically, Shigeru is disqualified from the contest for missing the announcement. Not to be discouraged, Shigeru’s love for surfing consumes everything around him. He is able to fit in with the local crowd and even finish respectably at the second contest. Summer comes to an end and the cold wind starts to blow between Shigeru and Takako._ - Office Kitano [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103704/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103704/) The music is both of the videos below is _Silent Love_, the movie’s theme song. Trailer: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FKiIqunBHc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FKiIqunBHc) This beautiful montage captures the essence of the film: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LWjhBVLQMyo/hqdefault.jpg "a scene at the sea") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWjhBVLQMyo) ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/109 "2022-11-26T17:44:06Z")
I watched _Steel Flowers_ last night and it was a unique viewing experience of this beautiful heartwarming film for me. This was the first time I’ve watched a foreign language (Korean) movie without any subtitles and without understanding the language. Fortunately, there’s very little dialogue and these reviews summarize the movie well: [https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/steel-flower-review-busan-film-festival-1201609645/](https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/steel-flower-review-busan-film-festival-1201609645/), [Modern Korean Cinema: Busan 2015 Review: STEEL FLOWER Offers Wilted View of Korean Youth](https://www.modernkoreancinema.com/2015/10/busan-2015-review-steel-flower-offers.html) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Hs49eYKps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Hs49eYKps) Huge credit to Jeong Ha Dam whose expressions and movements say far more than anything she could express with words in her often mute performance. Ha Dam deservedly was nominated for and won several film festival Best Actress awards for her performance in _Steel Flower_ Here’s a beautiful reading of some of the scenes by her: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF9Lzts04TA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF9Lzts04TA) ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/110 "2022-11-27T01:49:59Z")
A series of brilliant, beautiful movies that are unique because of the real world events behind them. In 2015, director Hong Sang Soo did _Right Now, Wrong Then_ with actress Kim Min Hee. The movie is in two parts and is about a former model turned artist, who meets an arthouse director who is in town for a festival of his movies. He meets her at a temple and invites her to dinner where their friendship has a potential for an affair despite his being married. The two parts have the same beginning (meeting at the temple), but the events that unfold differ. Following the release of the film in 2016, rumor was that Hong was having an affair with Kim, who he met for the first time during the filming of the movie. Both denied the affair, but Hong left his wife and teenage daughter, filing for divorce, saying he had to support Kim, who had lost millions of dollars in sponsorships because of the rumor. Kim was at the height of her fame because of 2016’s _The Handmaiden_, but both she and Hong were blacklisted from mainstream Korean cinema because of their affair. Both continued to deny the affair until 2017, when during a press conference for _On the Beach at Night Alone_, they held hands and announced they were in love. This may have been a daringly brilliant publicity stunt because the movie is about an actress traveling to Germany to await the arrival of her married director boyfriend, after leaving his wife. But the affair was real and much older Hong (62) and Kim (40\_ been together since. With Hong casting Kim as the lead in various movies that often deal with real or rumored affairs. Hong insists his films aren’t based on his and Kim’s lives, but the parallels, especially _On the Beach Alone at Night_ are too great. _It’s said they only met during the filming of "Right Then, Wrong Now_, but we’ll probably never know the truth. Hong has always been an arthouse director, while Kim was a popular mainstream actress. I’m not a supporter of extra-marital affairs, but support what appears to be true love, found through a coincidental\* meeting during a filming. Hong’s application for a divorce in 2016, was denied in 2019, with the court stating that only his wife could apply for the divorce. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/111 "2022-11-28T06:19:07Z")
Sorry for the flood. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHgamYdHnZc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHgamYdHnZc) Here’s a couple of truly unique movies, the first being moreso. Both by Lee Je Yong. Both movies are shot in mockumentary style where it’s unclear what is and isn’t scripted. _Actresses_ brings together six actresses, ranging from a newcomer to veteran, for a Vogue photoshoot. As the photoshoot is continually delayed, they have discussions about their careers and themselves. The second half of the film carries this further as they have dinner after the photoshoot. I fell in love with Kim Min Hee during this scene when someone asks why she’s so quiet, and she replies that she’s just enjoying the conversation around her. This struck a chord with me because it showed that the persona she usually shows in her roles are really her low key personality. Reel became real when a scripted confrontation scene between Go Hyun Jung and Choi Ji Woo ended with Ji Woo storming out of the bathroom. [https://www.soompi.com/article/359759wpp/movie-actresses-blurs-line-between-fact-and-fiction](https://www.soompi.com/article/359759wpp/movie-actresses-blurs-line-between-fact-and-fiction) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj-1raKfAsw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj-1raKfAsw) _Behind the Camera_ continues mockumentary theme, and while still fascinating, not as successful as _Actresses_. A number of well known actresses and actors are brought to the studio for filming. But the director, Lee Je Yong as chosen to direct the movie remotely, supposedly while in America, creating the script on the fly and slowly giving directions over the TV. Without a director, the performers and crew become restless and tensions rise from the frustration. There are more clearly scripted scenes, but the viewer is left to wonder what is scripted, what improvisation for the camera and what is really the performers reactions. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/112 "2022-11-28T17:30:38Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Nothing in common but the rhythm of the titles, but all the mentions of Tampopo have reminded me of **Rififi** , the French crime drama from 1955. It’s not quite the first heist movie, but it’s one of the earliest, and it was very influential on later ones. In the same vein is _Le Trou_; not the first prison-break movie, but one of the earliest, and with a similar mix of character study and intricate plotting. > **[The Hole (1960) ⭐ 8.5 | Crime, Drama, Thriller](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054407/)** > > 2h 11m | Not Rated ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/113 "2022-11-28T18:59:00Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > I just finished, “The Worst Person In The World” and it was very good - exactly what I was looking for! She’s the center of the movie, crises, and without the endless twists and turns. If you liked that one, you might like a couple of less recent films, both starring Juliette Binoche: _Certified Copy_ (2010) and _Who You Think I Am_ (2021). ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/114 "2023-02-19T21:39:09Z")
I just saw The Three Colours Trilogy and they’re all on YouTube for Free… I liked “White” the most, but they’re all pretty good. 7.5/10 [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NR0xSKj94o) > [@peccavi](#): > > Juliette Binoche I just noticed the last post mentioning her… I recognized it immediately! I’ll look into the movies you listed. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/115 "2023-02-19T21:54:21Z")
(With reference to _Das Boot_ (1981)) > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I can’t tell you which version to see first; the English-language version is so well dubbed you’d almost swear the entire cast had learned English. > > Oh, slight caveat: I think there are at least two additional “cuts” beyond the original release. Haven’t seen them so can’t vouch for 'em. Enjoy! _Das Boot_ was unusual with regards to dubbing: - The movie was dubbed _into German_ (we Germans do not mind dubbing and don’t take even notice of it) as the set was too noisy for the original sound to be usable. - Almost all roles in the English dub were spoken by the the original actors. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/116 "2023-02-19T21:55:12Z")
Troll Hunter is a wonderfully fun movie. The principal language is Norwegian. The first time I watched it I wasn’t paying close attention because of the subtitles when suddenly they’re speaking English. It’s a one of the Norwegian characters talking to a Polish character and they use English as a common language. > **[Trollhunter (2010)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740707/mediaviewer/rm3734419456/?ref_=tt_ov_i)** > > Trollhunter (2010) The movie is presented as ‘found footage’ of actual Trolls and those hunting them for scientific purposes, and to keep their existence a secret. Joined by curious journalists they pursue trolls, and come upon some of the largest that there are. Great work on creating the trolls and presenting this part of Scandinavian mythology. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2023, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/117 "2023-02-19T22:30:07Z")
In Marc Okrand’s _Klingon Dictionary,_ the word _das_ is translated as “boot.” ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/118 "2023-02-19T22:55:49Z")
Just watched the 1997 _Irma Vep._ I’d seen the recent HBO five (?) episode version, and it was weird that it seemed like this 1997 version was a prequel to that series. Turns out it was done by the same director. I liked both, but I could see that he probably had more ideas he couldn’t cram into the movie, so he did a more detailed series. Second Jean-Pierre Leaud film in a week! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/119 "2023-02-20T05:26:10Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > The movie was dubbed _into German_ (we Germans do not mind dubbing and don’t take even notice of it) as the set was too noisy for the original sound to be usable. That’s called ADR – Automatic Dialog Replacement – here. It’s common in Japan as well where it’s hard to get a clean audio track on location, especially for a period-piece. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/120 "2023-02-20T20:09:42Z")
“Who You Think I Am” 7/10 ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540/121 "2023-02-21T14:47:27Z")
I haven’t read all of the posts so I’m not sure if _Cinema Paradiso_ was mentioned. I watched it many years ago, when I was getting Netflix DVDs in the mail. I remember it being a very touching movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-unique-non-english-language-movies/974540.md?page=7)