By not watching foreign language movie we close ourselves off to a whole lot. So here are some fairly recent, great movies from all over the world that you can get at your local video store.
City of God - Don't be fooled by the title, this Brazilian movie has nothing to do with religion. Rather it deals with the children who make up the violent street gangs of Rio. A word of warning: some of the violence in this movie makes The Godfather look like Sesame Street.
Open Your Eyes - If you've seen the American remake, Vanilla Sky, promptly forget all about it. This surreal, intelligent Spanish film makes the viewer question the reality of the characters, as well as his own. Plus, Penelope Cruz is a lot less annoying in her native Spanish.
The Celebration - This Danish film was one of the first of the Dogme 95 movement - film without the frills. It depicts a large family getting together for a birthday celebration. Slowly, the family is torn apart as hidden secrets are revealed. Shot on a real location, using real lighting, some of the extras hadn't even read the script before shooting. As a result, their reactions are as shocked as yours will be.
Run Lola Run - This German film presents the viewer with a scenario: Lola's boyfriend loses a small fortune and she must replace it in 20 minutes, or he will be killed. Taking place in real time, the film shows us three possible outcomes for Lola and her boyfriend. If also show us the different possible fates of the people that Lola encounters on her way.
The City of Lost Children - Before he made the sunny crowd pleaser Amelie, French Director Jean -Pierre Jeunet made this darker, but more beautiful film about a man, The Inventor, who cannot dreams, so he kidnaps small children and steals their dreams. In this dark, surreal city, a man and an orphaned girl search for The Inventor's most recent captive.
