International movies

Some time ago, I promised I'd "review" some foreign films and it's about time I fulfilled that promise. So - here goes!

First up, perhaps my favorite movie of any type - "The Barbarian Invasions". This movie won "Best Foreign Language Film" (it's French-Canadian), and with good reason. Denys Arcand is the director, and in this film he re-visits some characters he brought to life in "The Decline of the American Empire". A father (who is quite a rake) is quite ill, and his persevering ex-wife contacts their son (a wealthy Londoner) to come to Montreal to help. The film unfolds from there; clearly the son resents his father and the way his father has tom-catted around, and the father resents the capitalistic success of his son. I have rarely seen a film which captures so many human foibles so well as this one. Don't miss it. If you don't like sub-titles, learn French! Arcand is responsible for another very worthy film "Jesus of Montreal". A group of actors puts on the passion play in an unusual manner, and the actors begin to take on the roles they're portraying. Opposition arises, and the results play out like the "real" passion.

Another great one is the Danish film "After the Wedding", directed by Susanne Bier (who has enjoyed some success as a director in the U.S.; "Things we Lost in the Fire"). A man who runs an orphanage in India must travel to Denmark to cozy up to a potentially rich patron, whose donation could drastically improve the lives of the orphans. He reluctantly does so, only to find that the patron has imposed some unusual conditions on the donation (basically - come to my daughter's wedding). This is a surprising and beautiful film, with rich characterization. Bier is also responsible for "In a Better World" and "Brothers". The latter movie was remade by Jim Sheridan in 2009, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, and Tobey Maguire. The remake pretty much sucks, but the original Danish version is excellent.

Well, darn it, gotta get ready for class. I'll try and post some more great foreign flicks in the near future.