If you are a regular on my blog, chances are you have noticed that I review a foreign language movie every Thursday. Therefore, when I saw the theme for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks this week was non-English movies, I kind of felt like a kid in a candy store.
Having so many films to choose from, I asked my parents and brother to pick a language each --father said Spanish, mother said Polish, brother said Russian-- and I picked one for each. Without further ado, I leave you with my three picks.
Blancanieves (2012)
After the death of her grandmother, young Carmen goes to live with her former bullfighter father and her evil stepmother. Years later, her stepmother plots to kill her, but her plan fails as a band of travelling bullfighting dwarf saves Carmen and helps her to become a bullfighter. It's a great and compelling take on the famous fairy tale.
The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
It tells the story of two identical women, Weronika who lives in Poland, Véronique who lives in France. They have never met but they share an incredible and mysterious mental and emotional connection that influences their lives. It's a superb thought-provoking film.
Loveless (2017)
It tells the story of a married couple going through a tough divorce as they both have new partners but neither of them wants the custody of their 12-year-old. During one of their arguments, the son overhears that neither of them wants him and runs away. It takes the parents two days to realise their son is missing but at least they team up to find him. Not my favourite Foreign Language nominee at this year's Oscars, but it's a great character study as well as a bitter commentary on our society.
I like how you included your family in on this! I haven't seen any of your picks. I've had Loveless saved in Netflix for quite some time but it's still not available yet.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteBlancanieves was just a fascinating spin on Snow White. So bizarre but never to the point where it lost sight of the tale it was telling.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of the last but I've wanted to see The Double Life of Veronique for ages and really must get to it.
I faced a similar scope problem and while there are many fine foreign films in a variety of languages I decided to go all French this week!
A Man Escaped (1956)-Director Robert Bresson tells the tale of Fontaine (François Leterrier), a member of the French Resistance, who is being held by the Nazis at Fort Montluc. Notified that he is scheduled for execution he begins to devise a plan to break out. Things are coming together slowly when he is assigned a new roommate. At first wary but needing to proceed Fontaine grudgingly brings the newcomer into the escape effort relying on crudely made weapons and an intricate knowledge of the prison’s layout to try for his freedom. Tense and involving this is based on fact.
Elevator to the Gallows (1958)-Duplicitous Florence (an extraordinary Jeanne Moreau) married to the wealthy arms dealer Simon Carala (Jean Wall) is carrying on an illicit affair with one of his employees, Julien (an equally fine Maurice Ronet). They make a pact to dispose of Simon so late one night Julien climbs a rope into Simon's office, kills him and leaves unnoticed. Anxious to get away from the site Julien accidentally leaves the rope at the crime scene. After retrieving it he becomes stuck in the building's elevator while Florence desperately waits below. Frantic he soon finds that his bad luck is just beginning. Compelling, nerve jangling noir filmed with enormous style by Louis Malle.
Police Python 357 (1976)-One night while pursuing a crook loner police inspector Marc Ferrot (Yves Montand) meets and is immediately smitten with the alluring Sylvia (Stefania Sandrelli) and they begin an affair. Unknown to Ferrot Sylvia is the mistress of his direct superior Commissaire Ganay (François Périer) who when he discovers the liaison murders Sylvia in a fit of jealousy. Panicked Ganay confesses his crime to his paralyzed wife Thérèse (Simone Signoret) who offers him advice on how to shift the evidence away from himself. Once the death is discovered Ferrot is assigned to investigate and as he wades through the case finds that all evidence points to him. Now he must race the clock to reveal the true culprit. A reworking of the 1948 Charles Laughton/Ray Milland film The Big Clock and rethought again in 1987 as the Kevin Costner/Gene Hackman No Way Out.
I haven't heard of any of your picks but they sound like must see.
DeleteHaven't seen any of these, but this..."Years later, her stepmother plots to kill her, but her plan fails as a band of travelling bullfighting dwarf saves Carmen and helps her to become a bullfighter." This, I must see.
ReplyDeleteThe Double Life of Veronique has been on my radar. I just need to watch it.
Absolutely! I'm sure you would enjoy Blancanieves.
DeleteI never heard of these movies, they all look worthy of watching. Thank you for sharing with is. Keep the good work going!
ReplyDeleteThey are! I hope you get to see them.
DeleteAll 3 of these films sound compelling and thought-provoking. I really wish I had more opportunity too see all the foreign films that are out there. I marked these down and hope to see them.
ReplyDeleteI really hope you get to see them.
DeleteI have The Double Life of Veronique as that's a film I truly love. Blancanieves and Loveless are both in my watchlist as those are 2 films I want to see.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll like them.
DeleteI like that you asked your family and how they think differently :)
ReplyDeleteThey made my job so much easier haha
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