Film festivals as well as streaming sites have made movies more accessible. And yet sometimes it's difficult to exactly pinpoint what you want to watch and skip. As 2019 comes to an end, here's an attempt to come up with a list of some of the best non-English language movies of the year that grabbed my attention.
1. Monos (Colombia)
Monos is a complete triumph, an empathic tribute to the medium of cinema. Deftly handled by Alejandro Landes, it's a scathing tale of child soldiers, a revolution that has gone wrong and an erratic attempt to scavenge for survival. A group of child soldiers try and create their own wonderland atop a mountain where they have to guard a hostage and look after a cow, which is a rare possession and must survive at any cost. Ideologies clash as fear reigns supreme, and Monos becomes a cruel yet vibrant addition to the cinematic canon.
2. Still Human (Hong Kong)
While some may find the premise a bit similar to The Intouchables (2011), Oliver Siu Kuen Chan's directorial debut is a masterpiece as it brings up a number of issues like migration, identity etc. without burdening the audience. Anthony Wong plays a paralyzed man who gets a Filipino caretaker (Crisel Honsu), who is in the city to build a new life for herself. Wong's character is often eccentric, crude and yet loveable and his life is deeply affected with this change that's both emotional and empathetic.
3. I Lost My Body (France)
A hand is looking for its body. A young man is in love. These two parallel narratives form a terrific bond in Jérémy Clapin's first full-length animated feature, which has not only won the Nespresso Grand Prize at Cannes film festival but has wowed critics and audience alike all across the world. Lost childhood to fractured desires all form a credible theme to bring this narrative to life. This movie is not only an allegory of desire, but equally makes us realize the importance of what we have lost and might never get back.
4. The Wandering Earth (China)
Loosely based on author Liu Cixin's novella, The Wandering Earth is rich, gorgeous and often a stupefying saga that broke records at the Chinese box-office. Earth is on the verge of destruction because the sun is expanding. The only way to survive is to migrate Earth out of the solar system. The premise is absurd, but we have a group of scientists, astronauts and others band together to make this happen. Some crisp writing, enough nail-biting moments and actors like Wu Jing, make The Wandering Earth a blockbuster worth the effort.
5. Bacurau (Brazil)
Bacurau can be anything - a feminist fairytale, a black comedy that tears apart the current Brazilian society. Or it can also be seen as a western. Directors Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho create a devastating socio-political commentary, rich in metaphorical attacks against dominant social structures that only repress and suppress. And in this genre-defying punch-drunk tale, you have Udo Kier as the menacing invader out for some fun and destruction.
6. Pain and Glory (Spain)
Pedro Almodovar's quasi-biopic is a gentle reminder that the director is still at the top of his game and he reunites with his long time collaborators - Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. It charts the story of a famous director, Salvador Mallo (played by a terrific Antonio Banderas), where the real finds a sense of reconciliation in the reel as we see the past, present and what the future holds. More than anything it's an ode to cinema, belonging to the same league as that of Cinema Paradiso (1989).
7. Talking About Trees (Sudan)
This documentary traces the history of cinema in Sudan and how it was wiped out unceremoniously by the Islamist government. But four Sudanese filmmakers try and revive the culture once again. A poignant tale of struggle against all odds, it will also make you realize your own privileged status. It's a bittersweet, as you observe these old people trying to defy several impossibilities to bring back something that has been completely erased. Part-political, part-nostalgia, Suhaib Gasmelbari's documentary also serves as a warning.
8. Manta Ray (Thailand)
If Tsai Ming Liang's I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (2006) and Govinda Van Maele'S Gutland (2017) ever had a child, it will be Phuttiphong Aroonpheng's Manta Ray. Taking on the Rohingya refugee crisis, immigration and identity, we see a fisherman rescuing an injured man and names him Thongchai. Thongchai can't speak but his new friend helps him survive till one day he disappears and Thongchai finds that he has become a surrogate in his friend's absence as he takes over a life that he once had but lost. Manta Ray is powerfully scripted, like a longish EDM track with vivid colours and visuals enhancing the horrors of loss and tragedy.
9. The Third Wife (Vietnam)
This stunner from Vietnam is briefly reminiscent of the Thai cult classic Jan Dara (1992). It talks about the indelible damage done by patriarchy and how helpless one becomes in front of it. It's rural Vietnam and landowner Hung procures a third wife, the 14-year-old May. But she sees that she has no agency in the household unless she gives birth to a male child. The conflicts and the tensions are all presented in a rich verdant backdrop which is burning slowly but the characters here fail to realise it until it's too late.
10. Beanpole (Russia)
A city in utter ruins after the Second World War and in this destruction and carnage, two women try and find hope and the will to survive. Beanpole talks about circumstances and how weird, strange and difficult they can get as you try and ensure they are in your favour. Director Kantemir Balagov makes sure that you are affected by the looming tragedy that sets the tone for the lives of the protagonists - Iya and Masha, friends, comrades-in-arms and also sharing a life that they probably wish to forget. And yet the city won't let them.
11. The Load (Serbia)
It's 1999 and NATO is bombing Serbia. The protagonist Vlada is assigned to deliver a load from Kosovo to Belgrade. He is a no-nonsense guy and does stuff without asking any questions. But this time he has to face the consequences of this journey, which is filled with horror as war rages on across the unforgiving landscape. Director Ognjen Glavonic ensures that focus is both on Vlada and the outright destruction that's happening around him. But for Vlada, it's not only about carrying the load and delivering it but it's also about the burden of history that he carries on this journey.
12. The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (South Korea)
Just when you think there's a bit of saturation set in the South Korean industry, you come across this explosive piece of cinema that manages to overturn all possible tropes to create an exhilarating ride. The premise is kept simple - a cop and a gangster team up to bring down a serial killer. And this is where the treatment triumphs over the premise. Fan favourite Ma Dong-Seok once again proves his mettle. While a Hollywood remake is on cards after the rights were purchased by Sylvester Stallone, it won't be a surprise if Bollywood comes up with its own version.
13. Queen of Hearts (Denmark)
Director May el-Toukhy takes us to the world of Anne who risks her career and family when she ends up seducing her stepson. There's freedom, there's reason till it culminates into an irreversible damage that threatens to destroy everything that the characters hold near and dear. It challenges the very construct of a family and breaks down the idea, one scene at a time. And Trine Dyrholm as Anne possibly gives one of the best performances of the year.
14. The Warden (Iran)
Nima Javidi delivers a moody, atmospheric thriller in the form of The Warden. It's the 60s Iran and a prison is getting shifted. The inmates have to be transferred but one of them is missing. Colonel Jahed (Navid Mohammadzadeh), who is overseeing the transfer now has to run against time to find the missing inmate or see the very dream that he has constructed fall apart. But it's not going to be easy. The Warden is very well-made and pays attention to details to the fullest. Though some instances in the movie are inspired, it still manages to deliver when we want it the most.
15. Better Days (China)
Pulled out of the Berlin Film Festival thanks to the overzealous Chinese censor board, Derek Tsiang's Better Days got a second chance at life. Not only was it critically acclaimed, but it also became a box-office hit. Nian (Zhou Dongyu) is preparing for her final exams but gets targeted by a group of bullies at school. Help comes in the form of Bei (Jackson Yee), a small-time thug and they come together to battle against all odds. But things are never easy and this unlikely friendship is tested at all possible fronts, when they also get accused of murder. Better Days is terrific at times and at times it drains you out completely as it brutally depicts bullying and its repercussions, making it more personal than you can imagine.
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