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Please help me find a foreign film

26 replies

SnuggleBuggleBoo · 03/12/2023 22:44

on DVD that would be good for my mum's stocking.

French or German
English subtitles
Nothing too heavy, but nothing too zany either!
Not a musical
No higher than 12 rating
Good clear audio is important
She loves animals and family films, less interested in romance
Beautiful scenery would be a plus!

She has all the suitable ones Google is churning up. I'm really hoping someone's got a lesser known film they can recommend which will really hit the spot.

OP posts:
Clydagh · 03/12/2023 22:56

Le Pot au feu? Juliette Binoche, Benoit Magimel, and a lot of gorgeous food and cinematography. Just released, got best director award at Cannes, and up for the best foreign film Oscar.

LostandHound · 03/12/2023 22:57

Dialogue avec mon jardanier. An oldy but beaustiful

MarjorieDanvers · 03/12/2023 23:31

I like:

’Toni Erdman’ (comedy - though it is a little zany but in a good way?)

’The lives of others’ (a spy thriller - won an Oscar for best foreign language film - fantastic film)

‘Corsage’ (historical biopic - though not entirely accurate - but a beautiful film and great scenery)

I don’t know the rating for any of these though!

Panderoo · 03/12/2023 23:44

Goodbye Lenin

Fab film about a lad that’s Mum wakes up from a coma and he worries that the realisation of the fall of the Berlin Wall will kill her so he pretends that it never happened.

converseandjeans · 03/12/2023 23:49

Amelie
Les choristes
He loves me he loves me not
Goodbye Lenin

alloalloo · 03/12/2023 23:56

I loved Goodbye Lenin. Lives of others was a great film too. Both German.

GrumpyPanda · 04/12/2023 00:07

Die Herbstzeitlosen (Late Bloomers)

Lovely little film about four feisty old ladies who (much to the dismay of assorted DHs) open a lingerie store in their conservative Swiss village. Was Switzerland's Oscars submission for 2006.

https://www.amazon.de/Die-Herbstzeitlosen-Stephanie-Glaser/dp/B002G5U1W4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=Die+Herbstzeitlosen&qid=1701648255&s=dvd&sr=1-2

(There's a couple more vendors on Amazon.de. Careful with titles - there's also an American film with the same English title.)

AndWordsWhen · 04/12/2023 00:45

Jean de Florette & Manon des sources. Both beautiful films.

meatbaseddessert · 04/12/2023 00:46

Amelie... surely fits all those descriptions!

meatbaseddessert · 04/12/2023 00:46

Oh I saw you said 'lesser known' ignore me then!

Whataretalkingabout · 04/12/2023 01:02

Babette's Feast with Stephane Audran. A beautiful film about food and generosity.

cattygorically · 04/12/2023 01:12

Came on to say "dialogue Avec mon jardinier " and "Les choristes " but others got there first. They're wonderful films

NCNC4 · 04/12/2023 02:48

Priceless starring Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh. It's a romantic comedy and quite fun/sweet.

I also second The Lives of Others, which is excellent, but
might not fit in with your criteria of not too heavy going.

HelpNeededBeforeIHaveABreakdown · 04/12/2023 05:38

Le renard et l'enfant

The fox and the child

Beautiful scenery in France

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0756648/?ref=exttshrlnk

Museum10661 · 04/12/2023 06:54

Amelie (2001) - French
Good Bye Lenin! (2003) - German
The Secret of Kells (2009) - Irish/French/Belgian
My Life as a Zucchini (2016) - French

WinterParakeets · 04/12/2023 07:01

I'm guessing she already has French classics with gorgeous scenery like Jean de Florette, Manon des Sources and Le Chateau de Ma Mere. If not, all of those fit the bill.

Less well known: There is a stunning German film called Barbara about a German medic in the Eastern bloc who is trying to sneak into West Germany to be with her lover and live a more comfortable life. It is one of my favourite films. Beautiful, brilliant ending. Similar in a way to Lives of Others but gentler with an uplifting ending. There are two films called Barbara btw. Make sure you get the German one!

Edited to add link Barbara on Amazon

DisplayPurposesOnly · 04/12/2023 07:31

Toto Le Hero (1991)

Ocani · 04/12/2023 07:33

Tous Les Matins Du Monde - the story is about a viol de gamba player, his daughters and a man who wishes to become a student which all sounds terrifically dull but it is absolutely beautiful, with gorgeous music and much discussion about what music is, who it is for, why and how it happens. Plus life, love and everything.

MrsRachelDanvers · 04/12/2023 07:36

Run Lola Run is a fabulous German film. Few years old now but good. My donkey, my lover and I with the fabulous Laure Calamy from Call My Agent has animals, scenery and comedy plus it’s a lesser known recent film.

Tulipsroses · 04/12/2023 07:56

Thank you for a Brilliant Tread! I carefully noted all of the suggestions. All of the ones I would have suggested are already here.

SweetLorelei · 04/12/2023 08:04

Another vote for the Jean de Florette / Manon des Sources films.

I came onto say L'Arnecoeur (Heartbreaker) in English which has the beautiful Roman Duris in it and is extremely funny. It's a romantic comedy and one of my comfort watches.

I also love L'argent de poche (pocket money) which is a really sweet Francois Truffaut film.

Pushkinini · 04/12/2023 08:06

Quatre aventures de Reinette et Mirabelle - The Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle. A sweet film about two teenage girls, one from the country and one from the city who decide to live together in Paris while attending university.