While most year-end lists have given us the best of Hindi movies, regional movies as well as English-language movies, this list here features some of the best non-English language movies from all over the world that deserve your attention.
The Nile Hilton Incident (Egypt)
Fares Fares made a name for himself playing Assad in the hit Danish series Department Q (if you haven't read the books or seen the trilogy, do it ASAP) but now he plays an Egyptian cop trying to go deep down inside a political scandal as Arab Spring blooms in the country. Based on a true story, this political thriller is a study of the Egyptian society marred by rampant corruption and the exploitation as revolution approaches and the scandal becomes a mere motif, as the country plunges into chaos.
Bad Genius (Thailand)
Though structured like a heist thriller, Bad Genius is a deeply moralistic tale. Here we have super intelligent Lynn who gets involved in a high-end cheating scheme in the STIC exam that spirals out of control. Bad Genius neatly constructs a narrative with a protagonist who herself is broken and yet cannot move away from the wrongs she has done. Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying who plays Lynn is a talent to look out for.
Paradox (Hong Kong)
In a rather dry year for Hong Kong, Paradox comes as a much needed breather for the industry. Directed by Wilson Yip and starring Louis Koo, Tony Jaa and Wu Yue, this is the third entry in the acclaimed SPL series that has a cop father looking for his missing daughter in Bangkok who has become victim of political aspiration as well as organ trade. Though the story is booby-trapped with cliches, the exhilarating action scenes (choreographed by Hong Kong legend Sammo Hung) and a tight screenplay makes it one of the must watches this year.
The Outlaws (Korea)
Just like Paradox, The Outlaws injects a much needed adrenaline boost to the South Korean film industry this year. The Outlaws works mostly because of the no-nonsense approach it takes in portraying a Chinese-Korean gang war with fan-favourite Ma Dong-seok of Train to Busan fame here to save the day to emerge as the unlikeliest hero of the Korean industry this year.
Hostages (Georgia)
Directed by Rezo Gigineishvili, Hostages is based on true events that happened circa 1983 when a group of well-to-do men and women caused a national scandal by trying to escape Soviet Georgia by hijacking a plane. The movie goes back and forth investigating the hopelessness that triggered them to act like this when they had everything and yet they wanted to give up the 'freedom' of a communist utopia and become slaves to the western extravaganza.
Antiporno (Japan)
Part of Nikkatsu's effort to revive the pinku genre of Japanese cinema, Antiporno is a starkly feminist work (though there will be people who will disagree). Maestro Sion Sono effortlessly transforms a genre, creating a fantasy that's so real and a reality so fantastical, accompanied with some strong performances from the leads - Ami Tomite and Mariko Tsutsui. There is no guarantee that pinku genre will be revived after this, but it is definitely an interesting addition to a genre that is overflowing with masterpieces.
Everything You Want (Italy)
Alessandro becomes a companion for the Alzheimer stricken poet Giorgio, rather unwillingly. From there starts a magical journey, as the young and the old creates a world filled with memories ancient and new as well as memories that were forgotten. Francesco Bruni's directorial is a deeply personal study of human emotions and is apparently inspired by the relationship he had with his father.
Summer 1993 (Spain)
This terrific full-length directorial debut of Carla Simon is about a six-year-old girl who is orphaned following the death of her parents to AIDS. The movie slowly unfurls around this tragic event as this little girl tries to understand what is missing from her life as she is shipped off to her uncle's place in a rural area. The excesses are avoided and becomes a beautiful study of both pathos as well as those little things that help us overcome it.
Thelma (Norway)
It is a bit difficult to categorise Thelma, but where superhero movies have more or less become saturated, Thelma brings out a devastatingly human tale where we see the titular character trying to come to terms with her extraordinary superpowers. And if this is not enough, the dangers of forbidden love lurks around the corner, ready to engulf her. If Nacho Vigalondo's Colossal was a game changer for the kaiju genre, Thelma too deserves the same honour.
Glory (Bulgaria)
This little gem of a movie, that's also a biting satire on the Bulgarian society was the country's official selection for the 90th Oscars in the Foreign Language category. It failed to get a nomination but Glory exposes the hypocrisy of the soulless Bulgarian society as well as the political setup that won't hesitate to milk a man's honesty ultimately pushing him to take a very drastic step.
The Looming Storm (China)
It is rather strange that one of the best movies to come out of China this year has no IMDb or Wikipedia entry. Having had its world premier at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival, it allegorizes the rapid degeneration of China - both socially as well as culturally where we find an upright security guard of a state-owned factory in a sleepy industrial town hunting for a serial killer. Some remarkable performances, a top-notch musical score and a tight script come together to deliver a succinctly cooked atmospheric noir which also has a tinge of black comedy thrown in, all deftly handled by first-time director Dong Yue.
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