Category Archives: Foreign Language

2010, Based on true facts, French, Military, Occasional gore, Quiet, Religious Theme, Slow, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Unusual

Of Gods and Men (2010)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Awarded Grand Prix honors at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, this compelling historical drama relates the ordeal of seven French Trappist monks in the mountains of Algeria who are taken captive by Islamic fundamentalists. Before the monks’ abduction, they have ample reason to believe they may be in danger, but their assumption that there can and must be common ground between Islam and Christianity leads them to remain at the monastery.

Quiet, beautifully photographed, possibly inspiring (depending on your point of view), this film is an unusual gem. It is based on a true story which you will find in the Wikipedia article.

Notable throughout is the chanting of the monks. In fact the only other music that I can recall is Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake overture played on a tape recorder in an unforgettable dinner scene.

Among other things the film is a study in the characters of each of the monks, each of whom must decide whether to flee from death by terrorists or to stay at the monastery and accept his fate. In this respect there is a constant atmosphere of menace at war with the peace and quiet.

Kathy and I debated afterward about whether their decision to stay really did any good for anyone or had any meaning at all.

Normally I don’t like to include spoilers, but here I make an exception for a good reason. Do not avoid this film because you expect to see violence brought against the monks. You never see this violence explicitly. (However, you do witness a Croatian worker having his throat slit.) Rather that final violence is implied in the perfect photographic ending.

French with subtitles.

2006, Car Chase, Child Molestation, Complicated, Crime, Detective, Drama, Frame someone for a crime, French, Gangs, Kanopy streaming, Lawyers, Love Story, Suspense, Torture, Violent

Tell No One (2006)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Eight years ago, pediatrician Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) was the prime suspect in his wife’s murder. He’s put all that behind him, but now that two dead bodies have been found near his home, he’s suspected of wrongdoing once again. The case takes an unexpected turn when he receives an anonymous e-mail showing his wife alive — and eight years older — instructing him to “tell no one.” Kristin Scott Thomas co-stars.

Second Review – August 2021

NetFlix no longer offers this film. Instead you can stream this 2 hour 11 minute film from Kanopy (free from your local library).

Harlan Coben always writes wonderful suspense mystery stories. Many of his stories, including this one, have been made into films. In this particular adaptation it seemed to me that the final and very satisfying conclusion came a little too easily.

Somehow I have the impression that for the most part American films are noisy and French films are quiet. At least in this case, this excellent French intrigue film is fairly quiet, with the exception of some foot pursuit escape sequences and a highway pile-up.

What starts out as a simple murder mystery gets more and more complicated. Eventually one character especially tells us all the details in a way we can understand. But if you need a recap you could read the Wikipedia summary.

French with subtitles. Well worth the time spent watching.

2008, Comedy, Drama, Feel Good Not For Children, Gay theme, Love Story, Sex Scenes, Swedish

Patrik Age 1.5 (2008)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

After moving from the city to a small town, gay couple Sven (Torkel Petersson) and Goran (Gustaf Skarsgård) adopt a child. But when Patrik (Thomas Ljungman) arrives in their lives, it turns out he’s not 1.5 years old as they were told by the adoption agency — he’s a rebellious, homophobic 15-year-old. While the couple houses the angry boy until the mix-up is resolved, his presence causes them to reassess their lives.

Gay-themed films have come a long way from being centered on the AIDS epidemic to a more realistic involvement with society in general. After watching this film, I would like to know if you thought the story portrayed was realistic, that is to say, could happen.

So what do you expect from a “straight” film: sex, violence, comedy, mystery, romance, sports, war ? Ignoring the gay theme, this film offers romance, non-explicit sex, some rough stuff that could hardly be called violence, comedy, social issues, an orphan needing a home, etc. Sound familiar ?

Although I did not expect much at first, I was pleased to find that this sane and warm film tells a story which is finally a feel-good. Each character is well-cast and well-acted, including their well-honed facial expressions. Look for a variety of neighbors, for better or worse.

Swedish with optional English sub-titles.

Is Sweden any different from the US&A ?

2009, Child Molestation, Conspiracy, Crime, Detective, Drama, Rape, Revenge, Suspense, Swedish, Violent

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest (2009)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Third in a trio of films inspired by Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Trilogy,” this thriller follows feisty computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) as she finds herself hospitalized, suspected of murder and targeted for death by thugs. Meanwhile, Lisbeth’s journalist pal, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), crusades to prove her innocence. Daniel Alfredson directs this film that also stars Lena Endre and Jacob Ericksson

My NetFlix version offered not only English subtitles but also English dubbing.

Although the third book in Larsson’s trilogy seemed procedural and not as exciting as the first two books, the third film was not boring. Probably for me what kept the tension going was the need to see Salander vindicated. In a certain sense it all seemed to work out too easily. At the very least, seeing Dr. Teleborian get his comeuppance was very satisfying.

For the most part the film was faithful to the book while omitting certain unimportant details. For example, her wounded father, Zalachenko, does not roam the hospital hall trying to get at Salander. Nor could the treatment of her clandestine use of technology in her hospital room be so elaborate.

Only in one instance do I object: without giving anything away, in the last part of the film Niedermann is given a different solution from that planned by Larsson in order to continue the series.

If you’ve seen the first two installments, how can you not watch the conclusion ?

2009, Crime, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drugs, Italian, Mafia, Redemption, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suspense, True Story, Violent

The Sicilian Girl (2009)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

In this taut drama based on a true story, 17-year-old Rita (Veronica D’Agostino) is leading a privileged life when her father and brother are slain by rival Mafiosi. Bent on revenge, she turns to a sympathetic magistrate (Gérard Jugnot) and breaks the code of silence. In her journey from self-centered teenager to fearless advocate for justice, Rita enrages Sicily’s most powerful men, putting her life in jeopardy.

Probably the biggest impression I got from this amazing enactment of a true story was how all-encompassing and soul-destroying is the Mafia cult. For Rita the real stumbling block was accepting the fact that her adored father was no less a brutal and cruel assassin than all the other animals. Her own mother did her best to convince Rita to not testify even though the Mafia had killed Rita’s father and brother.

Also awe inspiring was the bravery of Rita and the prosecutor and all the other law enforcement staff. Human life means nothing to the Mafia.

Be prepared for a surprise (and true) ending.

2010, Australian, Car Chase, Crime, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drugs, Grim, Lawyers, Police Story, Revenge, Slow, Suspense, Violent

Animal Kingdom (2010)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

When his mother dies suddenly, a 17-year-old boy (James Frecheville) finds himself drawn into the clutches of a diabolical criminal family, until a good-hearted detective (Guy Pearce) makes a concerted effort to change the boy’s fate. Australian writer-director David Michôd’s first feature-length drama won the World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival

How lucky I was to stumble on this gem of a film! Confirming my excited impressions are all the rave reviews in the Wikipedia article.

Instead of Joshua, the boy is called simply ‘J’. For this entire Australian film, the character J is practically mute. We can only assume that some awful battle is taking place inside. When he speaks it is usually some terse (i.e. one word) answer such as ‘yeah’, spoken with a strong Australian accent. Not all the characters are terse, especially if they are hopped up on cocaine.

Suspense is palpable, especially because J is trapped in a herd of unbalanced and unrestrained uncles who are guided, encouraged, and protected by a menacingly evil grandmother Smurf. Understand: this is a very controlled film atmosphere. There are violence, drug use, and insanity in a film that is mostly quiet, SLOW, and threatening.

Expect two surprising plot twists. Do NOT read the Wikipedia summary first because it will spoil these surprises.

Most memorable moment for me: Catch the interchange between Guy Pearce and the grandmother in the supermarket toward the end of the film.

Toward the end be sure to catch Guy Pierce asking J if J has “found his place in the world” and then ask yourself what that really meant when the film reaches its startling conclusion.

I highly recommend this film!

2009, Drama, French, Love Story, Sex Scenes, Slow

Mademoiselle Chambon (2009)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

When shy schoolteacher and gifted violinist Véronique Chambon (Sandrine Kiberlain) invites blue-collar construction worker Jean (Vincent Lindon) to speak to her class about his trade, she’s surprised to find herself irresistibly attracted to him — and the feeling is mutual. But the gulf in their social positions and Jean’s marital status complicate matters in this quiet drama, which snagged an Independent Spirit Award nod for Best Foreign Film.

For the patient romantic only. Not only is the pace slow and quiet, but the film shots linger on and on. In this French film (with optional subtitles) often what is NOT said speaks loud and clear.

Basically it is the story of an attraction more than an affair. Personally I was thrilled that in at least one film the characters retain their honor and do the right thing.

For those of you who watch, do you think that Jean’s brooding and fixated behavior rings true ?

2004, Docudrama, German, Military, Nudity, True Story, Violent, War

Downfall (2004)

1 Comment

From NetFlix:

After introducing audiences to Adolf Hitler’s stenographer, Traudl Junge, in the gripping documentary Blind Spot: Hitler’s Secretary, director Oliver Hirschbiegel brings Junge to life in this Oscar-nominated drama. With painstaking realism, Hirschbiegel’s Best Foreign Language Film contender adopts Junge’s (Alexandra Maria Lara) point of view to recreate Hitler’s (Bruno Ganz) final 12 days in his Berlin bunker.

Before watching this entrancing recreation of Hitler’s last days, you will benefit greatly by reading the Wikipedia article. What is important to appreciate is that after reading this Wikipedia article you can believe that what you see is very close to what actually happened. The film begins and ends with a filmed interview with the real and elderly Traudl Junge whose accounts as a witness form the basis of much of what we know. Above all else, praise is heaped upon Bruno Ganz’s painstaking and near perfect imitation of Hitler’s voice with its Austrian accent. Ganz worked for months with recordings of Hitler’s voice.

Ignore the politics and the complete horror of what happened. Instead see if you can comprehend (and I find it difficult) the extent to which those involved were blindly loyal to the end to “Der Fürher”. He was revered as a god even while he was obviously unbalanced and out of touch with reality. It is chilling to watch Frau Goebbels poison her six beautiful children after which Joseph and Magda Goebbels shoot each other.

Stay to the end to see captions telling us what happened to many of the main personalities (for example, when and how they died). For me it was difficult attaching a name to each of the many many characters. This last recap fortunately provides photos of the actors as a reference.

Two hours and 36 minutes make a long film, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from the screen.

2010, Conspiracy, Crime, Detective, Drama, Love Story, Rape, Revenge, Spanish, Suspense, Violent

The Secret in Their Eyes (2010)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

A startling discovery comes to light for retired Argentine criminal investigator Benjamín Espósito (Ricardo Darín) as he pens a biographical novel about the unsolved case of a young newlywed’s brutal rape and murder years ago. Past and present intertwine for Espósito and colleague Irene Menéndez Hastings (Soledad Villamil) in director Juan José Campanella’s Oscar-winning character study in which justice, pain and love collide.

Compare this film with The Official Story (1985). Both deal with the corruption that is Argentina. “The Secret” occurs during the time of Eva Perón and therefore in the 1940’s and 50′. “The Official Story” takes place a few years after the “Dirty War” and there in the 1980’s.

Obsession with justice and an inability to forget the past is the prevailing theme. Corruption during the era of Perón accounts for the difficulty Espósito finds in obtaining justice.

Some dialog is wonderful witty banter. Some dialog shows the ugliness inherent in the Argentinian culture. The acting is wonderful.

On one level this is a story of frustrated love. On another level it is about obsession with justice. On another level it is about official corruption.

At many points I assumed the film had ended. But wait … there’s more! Finally there is a surprise ending that you may or may not expect. Sorry, no spoilers !

2009, Bullying, Could Be Hard To Watch, Danish, Drama, Explicit sex, Gay theme, Nudity, Revenge, Suspense, Violent

Brotherhood (2009)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

After joining a neo-Nazi organization, former Danish army officer Lars (Thure Lindhardt) falls for Jimmy (David Dencik), a fellow skinhead who can’t ignore the sexual sparks flying between them — or forget the importance of keeping their relationship under wraps. Nicolo Donato makes his directorial debut with this affecting tale of violence and illicit passion that took the top prize at the Rome Film Festival.

To appreciate one theme in this film you should be aware that Danish Neo-Nazis are alive and well as we speak. In fact Steig Larsson in his Millenium trilogy refers to the Danish Neo-Nazi movement.

As opposing theme, gay male sex is supposedly “verboten” in the Nazi culture. In one amusing scene Lars explains to the Nazi group leader how pervasive the gay culture was among the German Nazis. Of course the group leader cannot accept such a notion.

Much violence occurs in the film. Suspense exists throughout because at any moment Lars and Jimmy might be discovered. Do not expect a happy ending.

As gay films go, this is one of the best I have seen because it avoids all of the usual gay cliches (for example, not a word about AIDS). There are explicit nude scenes of (unsafe) gay sex.

One interesting sub-theme is one of self-doubt: Jimmy initially is reluctant to engage in gay sex. Lars is never really certain he wants to join the Nazi group.

Hollywood looks need not apply here. In fact, Jimmy’s drug-addicted brother could easily pass for a very skinny vampire.

Danish with English subtitles.