# Paste Magazine's 25 Most Essential Foreign Films **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705 "2009-06-14T02:57:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/1 "2009-06-14T02:57:55Z")
[Link](http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/06/the-25-must-see-foreign-films-since-2000.html) I have seen Maria Full of Grace; Oldboy; Downfall; Y Tu Mama Tambien; Amelie; Cache; Amores Perros; The Lives of Others; Spirited Away; Talk to Her; City of God; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; and Pan’s Labyrinth. That is over half of them. I have Persepolis; Best of Youth; In the Mood for Love; 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days; and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly already in my Netflix queue. The only one I had never heard of was Gomorrah. I think Crouching Tiger is overrated, but is essential because of its popularity. The only one I can disagree with being on the list is Y Tu Mama Tambien. Placement is always an issue, but I think overall it’s a pretty good list. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/2 "2009-06-14T03:03:44Z")
I’ll just point out that this list is supposed to be the 25 most essential foreign films made since 2000 not overall. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/3 "2009-06-14T03:09:01Z")
Nice list. I’ve got a few new Netflix to check out. \*\*Yesterday \*\*sounds like the most depressing film in the history of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/4 "2009-06-14T03:38:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ll just point out that this list is supposed to be the 25 most essential foreign films made since 2000 not overall. Thanks. I knew that, but I failed to mention it in my OP. On second thought, I don’t think Cache belongs either. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/5 "2009-06-14T05:03:40Z")
If we’re talking films since 2000, the most conspicuous omissions are Edward Yang’s _Yi Yi_, Bela Tarr’s _Werckmeister Harmonies_, and Ki-duk Kim’s _Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring_, all of which I’d take over _Amelie_. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/6 "2009-06-14T06:41:12Z")
Wow, I must be cool. I’ve seen almost all of those. (What’s the “essential” part? Essential to me being cool, I’m guessing?) Y Tu Mama Tambien should be a lot higher (probably #1 on that list) and Pan’s Labyrinth should be quite a bit lower IMO. Persepolis was a good book but a pretty awful movie. I agree Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring should probably be on the list and I bet a lot of people are going to disagree with me but I think A Very Long Engagement should be on the list. I found that movie lovely and very entertaining. At first I thought “boy this list is _really_ biased towards recent films,” and then I realized it’s restricted to this decade, which the OP doesn’t mention. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/7 "2009-06-14T06:51:13Z")
I’ve seen _City of God_ and _Pan’s Labyrinth_, and agree with their places on this list. I’d like to see _Downfall_ and _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon_. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/8 "2009-06-14T07:23:52Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > I’ve seen _City of God_ and _Pan’s Labyrinth_, and agree with their places on this list. Isn’t it kind of hard to agree with their places when you haven’t seen any of the other films? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/9 "2009-06-14T07:26:49Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Isn’t it kind of hard to agree with their places when you haven’t seen any of the other films? I meant their presence on the list (as opposed to not being on the list), not their placement within the list (as opposed to being somewhere else in the list). ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/10 "2009-06-14T07:34:04Z")
Gotcha. I liked Crouching Tiger. It was a visually beautiful and unique film. I think it gets a lot of hate and backlash because a lot of people hyped it up as a “great” film, which maybe it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/11 "2009-06-14T07:56:54Z")
I’ve seen Amelie, Y Tu Mama, Spirited Away, Talk to Her (why are some titles in their original language but this one is translated?), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Pan’s Labyrinth. I would definitely put Amelie and Y Tu Mama higher up than the others except for Pan. I’d like to see Volver, Let the Right One In (though I’ve heard the DVD subtitles are not great), and based on the description on that page, Paradise Now. I’ve never been in the mood for City of God but I see references to it so often that I kind of feel like I ought to see it sometime. I tried watching Amores Perros but had trouble getting into it. I may try again some day. ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/12 "2009-06-14T13:22:16Z")
Thanks for the link. I’d like to offer an honorable mention for [The Curse of the Golden Flower](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473444/) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/13 "2009-06-14T13:58:47Z")
In my opinion, the biggest flaw on the list is that it completely ignores the East Asian horror genre, which is probably the biggest foreign influence in movies in the last ten years. Where’s _Dark Water_ or _The Eye_ or _Suicide Circle_ or _A Tale of Two Sisters_ or _Wishing Stairs_? ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/14 "2009-06-14T15:16:57Z")
I would put _Russian Ark_, _The Five Obstructions_, Jia Zhangke’s _The World_, _Lagaan_, and _Intacto_ (a personal favourite) on my own list-- also; I’m assuming by ‘foreign’ they mean ‘foreign-language’, so that movies made in other countries but in the English language do not count? If not I believe they have omitted a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/15 "2009-06-14T15:54:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m assuming by ‘foreign’ they mean ‘foreign-language’, so that movies made in other countries but in the English language do not count? If not I believe they have omitted a lot. It’s hard to say. The list included _Yesterday_, a South African film that was made in English. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/16 "2009-06-14T16:43:41Z")
If you were waiting for a DVD with the theatrical subtitles (as opposed to the crappy subs on the first release) of **“Let the Right One In”** , according to the fans on the IMDB, the re-release with the theatrical subs is starting to show up in some stores. Make sure it says “Theatrical Subtitles” on the back of the box. It’s the best movie of last year and may well be the best movie on that list. I’ve seen them all except for the six hour one. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/17 "2009-06-14T16:57:20Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > why are some titles in their original language but this one is translated? I think they’re listed as whatever they were released in the US as. Hable con ella was released here as Talk to Her, Y tu mamá también was released here as Y Tu Mama Tambien. > [@randwill](#): > > **“Let the Right One In”**. It’s the best movie of last year and may well be the best movie on that list. I’ve seen them all except for the six hour one. Are you generally a vampire fan? I give it points for originality but I thought it chugged along at a glacial pace. The scene near the end in the pool was good, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/18 "2009-06-14T17:51:21Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I’ve seen Amelie, Y Tu Mama, Spirited Away, Talk to Her (why are some titles in their original language but this one is translated?), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Pan’s Labyrinth. They are all offered with their official USA title. Sometimes the movie’s PR people translate the title, sometimes they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/19 "2009-06-14T18:05:30Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Nice list. I’ve got a few new Netflix to check out. > > \*\*Yesterday \*\*sounds like the most depressing film in the history of the world. It’s not quite that bad - It’s not _Grave of the Fireflies_. It’s a very good film. ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705/20 "2009-06-14T18:37:47Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Nice list. I’ve got a few new Netflix to check out. > > \*\*Yesterday \*\*sounds like the most depressing film in the history of the world. Well, I find that’s what these lists usually mean by “essential” – upsetting or depressing films, because (in general) critic type people have trouble finding the value in a movie that’s fun to watch and doesn’t make you feel like you were hit in the head. 😛 But, Let the Right One In is awesome (to be on topic. :)) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paste-magazines-25-most-essential-foreign-films/499705.md?page=2)