Favourite foreign language films.

[Thunderduck]

I need some suggestions. I love to watch foreign language films, any genre and would appreciate some ideas on what to get next.

Films I've enjoyed recently are...
Amelie
L'Argent de Poche
Brotherhood
Nightwatch
My Life as A Dog
Goodbye Lenin
Downfall
Das Boot
Etre et Avoir
Jean De Florette and Manon des Sources.

[EmGee]

Bumping up this thread to add a few more!

TV Series - Spiral (Engrenages)

Argentinian winner of best film in Oscars a while back - Secrets in their Eyes - fabulous

Gritty French policiers films - 36 Quai des Orfevres (Daniel Auteuil), Contre Enquete (Jean Dujardin)

French - Ensemble c'est tout (Audrey Tatou), LOL (Sophie Marceau)

Headhunters, A Royal Affair - Danish films

[MikeandLor]

We love asian cinema in particular. Anything by Studio Ghibli (a japanese animation studio roughly on a par with Disney -but much better in our humble opinion) is gold, not just for children but for adults too. My Neighbour Totoro, Laputa : Castle In The Sky, Spirited Away (which got an Oscar), Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo On A Cliff By The Sea. All good!

Otherwise, well it's boring to list but also more succient. Gotta love:-

Most stuff by Park Chan-Wook (he is South Korean and his Hollywood debut 'Stoker' is out this week) including Oldboy and Joint Security Area.

Chow Yun-Fat has been in some great films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and A Better Tomorrow.

Twins Effect (Hong Kong weird comedy / horror vampire film)
Ring (Japanese original)
Election (Chinese Trid film).

Non asian greats:-

Cinema Paradiso (already mentioned)
District 13 (French free running film)
Amelie (already mentioned - gorgeous)
Also Life Is Beautiful (Italian - film about the persecution of Jews in WWII. Suprisingly funny but heartbreaking ending)

Phew! Loads more, but best stop there!

[PennyBrowne]

Dutch series Beatrix Oranje Onder Vuur- very interesting and cultural!

[dreamingbohemian]

I really liked A Very Long Engagement too

Ma vie en rose (but prepare to cry buckets)

The Edukators (you'll like if you liked Goodbye Lenin)

Joyeux Noel (about the Christmas truce 1914)

Night on Earth (early Jarmusch, 5 taxi rides in 5 cities of the US/Europe)

No Man's Land (a bit grim, Bosnian war)

My off the wall suggestion: 9th Company, it's one of the biggest Russian films ever made, about the Afghan war. It's the Russian version of Full Metal Jacket, basically. It's pretty insane but really interesting.

[OlyRoller]

Please try Truffaut's Jules et Jim. It's it truly great.

[GetOrf]

Burnt by the Sun. Russian film about the Terror in the 30s. It is absolutely wonderful. So beautiful and so bloody heartbreaking.

Agree Downfall and Goodbye Lenin.

[Lomaamina]

I'd recommend 'A Miracle in Milan' www.imdb.com/title/tt0043809/

[defineme]

I've just watched Rust and Bone which came out at the cinema last year-thoroughly enjoyed it-quite gritty and very moving at the end. About a women who loses her legs in a whale accident and a bare knuckle fighter single parent!

[sis]

Untouchable

[HenriettaChicken]

Oh and if you like older films get anything with Jean Vigo. His screen presence is phenomenal.

[HenriettaChicken]

Kolya is a truly wonderful Czech film about a cellist and a little boy. I also love 24 eyes - a Japanese film following a class of school children before the war...and then during and after.

La gloire de mon pere and le chateau de ma mere are fantastic too: autobiographical stories about the childhood of the guy who wrote jean de florette and manon des sources.

[LordEmsworth]

Les Diaboliques
No Man's Land (NB very, very black comedy)
Le Placard

If you can bring yourself to try some Bollywood (they have quite a few on Lovefilm)...
Lagaan
Dabaang
Om Shanti Om
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

[Ariel21]

Another vote here for 'The Lives of Others'. I love everything about it. It's just amazing. Watch it!

Love Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Delicatessen is fantastic.

Loved Pan's Labyrinth too.

The other night we watched 'The Kite Runner' as I'd read the book (brilliant). Nowhere near as good as the book, but I still enjoyed it. Extremely harrowing.

[Rattitude]

I would highly recommend the following three, which have already been mentioned:

• Pan's labyrinth
  
• The orphanage
  
• Festen.
  

I am quite fond of the following French comedies too:

• I do (Prete-moi ta main)
  
• Hearbreaker (L'arnacoeur)
  
• La grande vadrouille
  
• Ni vu, ni connu (I doubt this one is available in the UK).

[Cremolafoam]

'Il postino 'is also one if my favourites
and 'headhunter 'was a terrific adaptation of a stand alone jo nesbo book that came out last year( grisly )

[MrsSalvoMontalbano]

Oh, god, Betty Blue brings back memories!!!
Another vote for Les Visiteurs, and Le diner des Cons.
Also, Tais-Toi with Jean Reno and Gerard Depardieu
Cairo Nest of Spies (Agent 117) Jean Dujardin is fabulous in this.
Le Beau Mariage and anything by Eric Rohmer
Il Ladrone (Similar theme to Life of Brian, but much funnier)
Anything by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

[Cremolafoam]

Tell no one
Sarah's key
Mesrine 1&2

[Cremolafoam]

The lives of others
Black book
Le diner des cons
Hugo
Munich
Micmacs

[mrscog]

Sophie Scholl is an excellent German film about the White Rose movement, and based on a true story.

[SanityClause]

We watched AngelA last night, which is a favourite.

Also, look out for Black Cat, White Cat, Underground and Life is a Miracle by Emir Kusturica.

[apachepony]

Pan's labyrinth - a masterpiece
Second lives of others.
Two of my favourite films

[StephaniePowers]

Some of the old Truffaut films are great, but you know, very French.
Baisers Volés for example.
I enjoyed them when an impressionable teenager, am a bit more jaded nowadays

[StephaniePowers]

Nordlinger? The Northerners? Something like that. (So good I can't remember the title!)

[StuffezLaBouche]

Battle Royale.
The Lisbeth Salander trilogy.
Anything by almodovar,
There was a good foreign film on.telly a while ago called The Wave. German perhaps?

[StephaniePowers]

Festen is amazing (but harrowing)
Elling
Troll Hunter (light and amusing)
Tampopo
Delicatessen