I first started watching foreign films a few years back, well actually I had watched a few before that but that’s when I seriously got into it and started to take more of an interest in them (And by foreign films I mean subtitled). Anyway, since them I have always kept an eye out for what’s being released on the foreign scene and always write down stuff that seems interesting to me so I remember, sometimes it takes me a a while to get around to watching them, but in the end I usually do, even if I buy them and they just sit on my shelves for months, I always have something to watch and because I do that for most things I buy I don’t have the time to watch everything straight away, especially with other things going on in my life too, there is only so many hours in the day

Some good places to bookmark and read with regards to foreign releases are Twitchfilm.net, 24framespersecond.net, KoreanFilm.org, LoveHKFilm.com, FilmMovement.com and ForeignFilms.com, those are the ones I check out the most, plus I have friends who give me recommendations too. Below is a small list of good foreign films to watch in no particular order to get you started if you wish to watch some, their are many more I like but I won’t list them all. I will list a couple of Asian films but I also made a seperate post on that before so check that out as well.

1. LA Haine - French film following 3 friends for 24 hours after a riot breaks out and the police put a kid in a coma, the film title means hate and that should give you an idea on the basis of the film, it’s gritty and powerful and just a brilliant film that deals with a number of issues. It’s shot in black and white which just adds to it all really. One of my all time favourite films full stop. [IMDB] [Trailer]
   
   
2. Das Boot - German war film set during World War 2 and told from the German side of things which is based on actual events.
   
   A detailed look into the claustrophobic and terrifying world of a German U-boat crew hunting ships from undersea. Gritty, realistic, and peppered with black humour, this is one of the few sympathetic portrayals of the war from the German side to be released in western distribution
   
   I took that from elsewhere but it’s a good description. The film was also made into a TV series as well that is worth checking out. .[IMDB] [Trailer]
   
   
3. Das Experiment - Another German film and it is based on the real life Stanford prison experiment that was conducted in the early 70’s in America where 24 students were split up in a makeshift prison, where some became guards and some became prisoners and what happened as a result of that, which was the ‘guards’ became besotted with the power they had and started to torture the ‘prisoners’ in various ways before the experiment was shut down after a couple of weeks. The film basically follows that formula with the film following one character in particular, a journalist who goes in undercover to cover it all, it all starts out okay but then it all takes a turn for the worse. The film is gritty and powerful and tells a good story in more ways then one. [IMDB] [Trailer]
   
   
4. Run Lola Run - Yet another German film which stars Franka Potente who has had mainstream success in films like The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, amongst others. She plays Lola, who needs to come up with money otherwise her boyfriend is in big trouble and she only has 20 minutes to come up with it. The film tells of her efforts to get the money but is done 3 times over, with different variations to the story each time. The film is fast paced, never boring and with a decent soundtrack too it’s quite an energetic film all round and is very interesting, upon repeated viewings you will notice little things you didn’t first time round that just adds to it all, an excellent film! [IMDB] [Trailer]
   
   
5. City Of God - I’m pretty sure most people have seen this one, and so they should, a fantastic Brazilian film about a Rio de Janeiro ghetto and the violence that embarks on it. It’s hard to put into words how good this film is, their is just so much about it that is that if I started I would be here all day (I might write a review of it sometime), but if you haven’t seen it then go and rent it or just buy it, definitely one of my favourites, it’s so good in so many ways. And if you have this seen this film you might want to check out City Of Men, which was a TV series they did after City Of God which ran for 4 seasons and then got made into a film (Not seen the film yet tho), but if you liked City Of God you will probably like City Of Men, even though it is less violent and more TV show themed, still recommended. [IMDB] - [Trailer]
   
   
6. Man Bites Dog - A Belgian film, this certainly won’t be for everyone! The film is disturbing, but oh so interesting and not really like much else I have seen. The film is about a documentary crew who follow around a serial killer named Benoit, you hear his views on a number of things from stuff about his killings to random views on life, it follows him around as he meets his family, see’s friends etc, it’s shot in documentary format as said, you get to know the character brilliantly, he’s witty and at times someone you don’t mind, before he then goes and says something or does something brutal. You get to see him do his killings, listen to why he does what he does and a lot more. The film is fantastic and has a message behind it too. It’s disturbing and brutal but at times you will also find yourself laughing with Benoit as he says something funny, normally in a dark humoured kinda way. Man Bites Dog is brilliant, although it certainly won’t be for everyone, it has some very strong scenes, but watch it anyway. [IMDB] [Trailer]
   
   
7. Oldboy - If I had to pick a favourite Asian film it would probably be Oldboy, the film is mental but in a good way. A man is held hostage for 15 years and while held hostage his wife is murdered, upon release he is asked by the kidnapper if he can find out why he was held hostage and if he does the kidnapper will kill himself, a fantastic film in so many ways. - [IMDB] [Trailer]
   
   
8. Battle Royale - Another Asian film about a bunch of school kids that are put on a deserted island and told to kill each other and only one can survive, a truly excellent film on so many levels! Very simple concept but oh so effective. [IMDB] [Trailer]
   
   
9. Afterlife - One of the most interesting films I have seen and is another Asian film, I am going to copy and paste what it says on the Amazon page because it sums it up nicely on how interesting the film is.
   
   Without special effects, corny music or any flashy visual jiggery-pokery whatsoever, former documentary-maker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s elegantly discreet drama manages to be one of the most haunting films ever made about life after death. The action unfolds in what looks like (and is, in real life) a disused school, powdered with the first winter snows. This is Limbo, a sort of dole office cum movie studio, where a group of clerical workers process the recently dead. Their task is to help each recently deceased choose one memory from their life to take with them into all eternity, a memory the will help recreate with props and jerry-rigged sets, for the celestial video records. Those who can’t choose a memory, like Arata (Takashi Mochizuki), must stay on to help the new arrivals until they decide.
   
   The film is interesting and thought provoking and just a bit different, an excellent movie. [IMDB] [Trailer]
   
   
10. Amores Perros - Amores Perros is a Mexican film that is divided into 3 different parts/stories which are linked together from a starting point (Think Pulp Fiction), the starting point in this film being a car crash which the what the film revolves around in all 3 of the stories. The film is violent and also emotional and dog lovers might wince at some of the scenes in this film! It’s a good film with a good script and while it copies Pulp Fiction in some ways it does more than enough to stand out on its own as well. [IMDB] [Trailer]

So those are 10 foreign films I like, there are a lot more I like but didn’t want to make it overly long, maybe I’ll make another list sometime.

• What are some of your favourite foreign films?