Category Archives: Foreign Language

1985, Conspiracy, Could Be Sad, Docudrama, Drama, Latino Culture, Not Feel Good, Spanish, Torture, Violent

The Official Story (1985)

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From NetFlix:

Argentinean schoolteacher Alicia (Norma Aleandro) is forced to question her government’s official story of the “Dirty War” of the 1970s when she suspects that her adopted daughter, Gaby, may be the child of a murdered political prisoner. But her quest for truth takes a heavy toll on her relationship with her conservative husband (Héctor Alterio). This wrenching historical drama won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1986.

To appreciate this film it might help to read the Economist’s obituary of Emilio Massera.

Nothing brings history to life more than a film that puts us in contact with that period of history. Spain and consequently Latin America have a long history of bloody conflicts between liberals and conservatives. As a horrific example we have the “Dirty War” of the 1970s in Argentina. Massera was convicted of murder and torture in 1985, the same year in which this film was made. So making this film in 1985 must have taken some courage. In part of the film you see the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo marching. They started to march in 1977. The founder of the Mothers was put in a concentration camp. She and two others were “disappeared”.

Both husband and wife characters are excellent actors. She represents the comfortable upper class women who prefer to understand nothing of politics. He represents the conservatives who hated liberals and thought nothing of murdering supposedly liberal mothers (many were innocent bystanders) and then adopting their orphans. Their marriage and the sadness that ensues is a metaphor for the division in Argentina.

There is no actual rape or torture shown. Rather the wife’s lifelong girl friend relates how she was tortured and raped by the conservative Argentinian Naval officers.

The scene in which Alicia goes to (Catholic) confession shows the hypocritical complicity of the Catholic hierarchy who were for the most part conservative supporters of the “Dirty War”. You can read about the role of the Argentinian Catholic hierarchy in the “Dirty War”.

Spanish with subtitles. Note the absence of “s” in the Argentinian accent.

2009, Could Be Sad, Drama, Gay theme, Hebrew, Nudity, Religious Theme, Sex Scenes

Eyes Wide Open (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Married Jerusalem butcher Aaron (Zohar Strauss) takes pity on homeless student Ezri (Ran Danker) and hires him to work in his shop. But when romantic sparks fly between the unlikely pair, Aaron’s wife, Rivkeh (Tinkerbell), becomes increasingly suspicious. The stern Orthodox community disapproves, and a menacing group of “modesty guards” monitors Aaron’s every move in this tragic drama, an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Who knew that Israel had “Thought Police” ? Let us assume that this quiet, sad, well-acted Israeli film truthfully portrays life among the conservative Jews. What we see, besides an obsessive religious observance, is neighbor spying on neighbor with often violent results. There are two parallel developments. On the one hand a young woman, betrothed by arrangement, is having an affair with a different young man. Eventually the neighbor Vigilantes of Righteousness confront and threaten the young man. The butcher ironically is part of this gang at the same time as in the second parallel stream he is having a homosexual affair with his assistant in his butcher shop, which affair has come under the Thought Police radar. Eventually the affair catches up with the pair. I will spoil no further.

In Hebrew with subtitles.

Sad revelation about conservative Israeli life.

2009, Cooking and food, Drama, Fashion, Gay theme, Italian, Love Story, Nudity, Sex Scenes

I Am Love (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Oscar winner Tilda Swinton shows off her multilingual skills in this Italian melodrama, in which family dissension, unbidden desire and other tensions bubble to the surface during the patriarch’s birthday party. When the seemingly picture-perfect Recchi family gathers at the family manse to celebrate the great old man, the veneer of civility falls quickly away in director Luca Guadagnino’s lush, atmospheric film.

To really enjoy this Italian eye candy set in Milan, you should see this film on a big screen. Admittedly I have a prejudice, I am an Italophile. Except for 5 minutes in English and brief shouting in Russian, the film is spoken in an easy Italian accompanied by subtitles just for the Italian. You may also choose subtitles for the hard-of-hearing.

Cooking and food are central to the film, especially since Swinton falls in love with a young cook who is her son’s friend. Some of the film’s plot might strike you as unlikely. Just suspend disbelief and enjoy the parade of beautiful scenery, beautiful homes and furnishings, beautiful food, beautiful clothing, and many beautiful (but always very “skinny”) women. And yes, there are some prolonged nude sex scenes set in the lush Italian countryside.

Viva l’Italia !

2009, Could Be Hard To Watch, Drama, Gangs, Grim, Latino Culture, Rape, Revenge, Spanish, Violent

Sin Nombre (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Fleeing retaliation from the violent Central American street gang he has deserted, young hood Casper (Édgar Flores) boards a northbound train, where he takes refuge on top of the moving freight cars and hopes for a fresh start in a new country. Dodging authorities and other dangers, he finds a new friend in Sayra (Paulina Gaitan), a Honduran girl also making a run for the American border. Cary Fukunaga directs this foreign-language thriller.

In Spanish with subtitles, this grim tale of the desperate desire to escape a hopeless life in the poor, gang-ruled parts of Mexico makes for some difficult watching. You can read about the plot in the
Wikipedia article. I had hoped that article would confirm that the film is an accurate portrayal of life in parts of Mexico. Unfortunately the only quote of note from this article was the following:

The film was shot in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico. Several of the extras used in the film were actual migrants. Fukunaga said of working with them, “I didn’t have to tell them anything – they know how to sit on top of a train.”

Someone once defined “morality” for me as “that which you must do to receive the approbation of those around you”. Keep this in mind while you watch the behavior of the gang members.

2009, Child Molestation, Could Be Hard To Watch, Dark, Detective, Explicit sex, Nudity, Occasional gore, Rape, Revenge, Sadism, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Swedish, Violent

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and rebellious computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) team up to investigate the unsolved disappearance of wealthy Henrik Vanger’s (Sven-Bertil Taube) teen niece (Ewa Fröling), only to uncover dark secrets about Vanger’s powerful family. Niels Arden Oplev directs this Swedish thriller based on the first novel from Stieg Larsson’s best-selling trilogy.

Note: This 2009 version is the Swedish version.

Currently (2010) Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy is very popular. After having read the first of the trilogy, namely The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2005), I preferred the book to the film. Although there were many moments of good acting, in general there was also an awful lot of thoughtful staring (which in today’s films seems often like a substitute for more active acting). To control length the film omits many details from the novel. While not necessary, these details connect the books of the trilogy to one another.

Lisbeth Salander is striking. What was a surprise for me that the actor playing Mikael Blomkvist is a somewhat paunchy, not at all handsome, and often hesitant man. To his credit he shows fear when he should. To say it another way, he is NOT a macho character.

Needless to say, the film does preserve in explicit detail the famous scene in which Lisbeth’s lawyer guardian rapes her, together with her ingenious revenge.

2005, Detective, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, German, Nudity, Religious Theme, Serial Killer

Antibodies (2005)

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From NetFlix:

After confessed killer Gabriel Engel (André Hennicke) is captured, small-town cop Michael Martens (Wotan Wilke Möhring) interrogates him, hoping a journey into the madman’s twisted mind will give clues to an unsolved murder committed in the same heinous manner as Gabriel’s crimes. Gabriel claims to know the killer’s identity but turns the investigation into a psychological game, leaving Michael questioning his own sanity in this German thriller.

This German film is easily one of the best serial killer films I have seen. There are two themes intimately related: On the one hand there is the usual tug of war between a jailed serial killer (think “Hannibal Lector”) and a rural policeman with whom the killer is willing to converse. On the other hand the policeman is a decent, religious man at odds with his father-in-law. In jousting with the killer the policeman struggles to remain non-cynical and to believe is the possibility of good and innocence.

Finally the plot drives toward an unexpected twist at which I will not even hint. However, I was disappointed in a part of that very ending which seemed a bit contrived. Opinions ?

Please ignore the very opening of the film. It is sensationalistic and gory and need not even be watched to enjoy the rest of the film.

2009, Black and White Film, Child Molestation, Dark, Explicit sex, German, Gloomy

The White Ribbon (2009)

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From NetFlix:

At a rural school in northern Germany in 1913, a form of ritual punishment has major consequences for students and faculty. But the practice may have bigger repercussions on the German school system — and maybe even on the growth of fascism. Celebrated Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke helms this Golden Globe-winning, sumptuously photographed black-and-white drama that stars Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Tukur and Theo Trebs.

Quite possibly the gloomiest, most depressing, hopeless, and exasperating film I have ever seen. The gloom is aided and abetted by the fact that it is filmed in black and white with an emphasis on black. In fact, the houses in this pre-electric period were probably quite dark.

If you believe this film, pre-WWI rural Germans were beasts. What a wonderful collection of men who commit incest, men who treat their sex partners like dirt, undiscovered villagers that maim horses, torture retarded children, kill house pets, burn down buildings, etc. The pastor is such a strict disciplinarian that he canes his children, forces them to wear white ribbons (which mean that they are bad people who need to reform), and ties his son’s hands each night to the bed lest the boy masturbate. Need I continue ?

If you can stand this atmosphere, then as an art film it is excellent. Assumedly you really get a feeling for life in that era. I just hope it is historically accurate.

2000, Complicated, Conspiracy, Crime, Plot Twist, Scam Artists, Spanish, Suspense

Nine Queens (2000)

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From NetFlix:

Two small-time grifters (Ricardo Darin and Gastón Pauls) endure a series of tense negotiations when they attempt to sell a sheet of counterfeit stamps for a hefty sum, but the process is made more stressful when one of the con men’s estranged sister (Leticia Bredice) becomes involved. Fans of American writer David Mamet will appreciate the twists in this Argentinean caper from writer-director Fabián Bielinsky

Google for “Nine Queens”. You will discover that whereas all reviews praise the film as a wonderful “Who is conning whom ?” game, many reviews criticize the ending. I myself could not quite accept the surprise ending. In fact, the best review suggested that when you get to one of the final scenes in which Juan is in a subway and the screen fades to black, then stop watching immediately.

Still, it was fun watching the many clever ways thieves can con their victims. Thanks to NetFlix for suggesting this movie personally to me. Do you suppose NetFlix thinks I’m a crook ? Note, in this regard, how just about every thief in the film says he is not a crook (echoing a famous United States former president).

Spanish with subtitles.

Biographical, Drama, Italian, Not Feel Good, True Story

Vincere (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Ida Dalser (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) falls for young Benito Mussolini (Filippo Timi) in Milan and sells everything she has to help the future dictator fund his newspaper, Popolo d’Italia. But when World War I separates the newly wedded couple, Mussolini marries another woman. Ida demands to retain her rights as Mussolini’s wife and the mother of his son, but the Fascists have other plans for the dictator’s dark secret in this gripping biopic.

Start by reading the Wikipedia article on Ida Dalser because it makes certain details in the film a bit more clear. We will probably never know if Ida and Mussolini were legally married. But that is almost irrelevant in the fim which concentrates almost entirely on Ida’s obsessive view of her relationship with Mussolini. Her son and Mussolini have secondary parts. Both parts (son and father) are well-played by Filippo Timi.

See this film in a theatre if possible because it is essentially an art film that is devoted to striking scenes and images.

English subtitles accompany the Italian script which is fairly easy to understand.

I particularly enjoyed all the old film clips of WWII and especially the moronic rantings of Mussolini himself.

2008, Biographical, Documentary, Fashion, Gay theme, Italian, Love Story, True Story, Unusual

Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Tracing Valentino’s life from his 70th birthday to his final couture show, this fashionable documentary captures the spirit of the legendary designer’s influence on the style and substance of the way we look. Highlights include an intimate, behind-the-scenes peek at his relationship with longtime business partner and lover Giancarlo Giammetti, as well as an up-close and personal look at the designer’s creative process.

"Tony, I want to see 'Valentino: The Last Emperor"
"Kathy, you mean that fashion film ?"   "Yes"
"Why would anyone want to watch an hour and a half about a fashion designer ?"
"You get all those NetFlix DVDs that I don't even care about, and I really want to see this one"
"Ooooooookay, if you insist"

Had this fashion documentary not been made, we would have lost some notable moments in a part of the world’s culture that I certainly did not know even existed. It’s a bit like a tour of Machu Picchu or seeing the exquisite terracotta army of the first Qin Dynasty ruler Shihuangdi. Who knew ?

One of the dominant themes of this documentary is the 50 year relation between Valentino and his life partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Kathy’s comment is “Giancarlo must be some kind of saint”. It was fun watching the two bicker about trivia, as in “you have applied too much tan today”. But what came through loud and clear was that they truly love and need one another. Valentino is the impractical dreamer, the creative force, but without Giancarlo’s gentle guiding hand, Valentino would have gone nowhere.

In fact the minutiae involved with fashion must be daunting. There are an awful lot of unsung heroes. In a certain sense everything depends on the skill of the seamstresses. It’s a lot like computer programming: omit a semi-colon and the program stops working. Today it would be impossibly costly to sew by hand thousands of sequins on a gown. I buy my clothes at Target (pronounced “Tar-jay”).

Every now and then I see a fashion photo of some female model. Quite often they are made to look like freaks. Not so with Valentino. Of course, all his beautiful models are stick thin (dare I say anorexic ?). But his trademark was long flowing gowns that really made the models beautiful.

I copied the following paragraph from the internet:

Produced and directed by Matt Tyrnauer, Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine, Valentino: The Last Emperor provides a first-time glimpse into Valentino’s world of bygone glamour. Filmed from June 2005 to July 2007, the crew shot over 250 hours of footage with exclusive, unprecedented access to Valentino and his entourage. The resulting non-fiction film is a portrait of an extraordinary partnership, the longest running in fashion, and a dramatic story about a master confronting the final act of his celebrated career.

Indeed the film leads up to Valentino’s sensational farewell celebratory show and party in Rome. It’s fun seeing how many celebrities you can recognize (Princess Di, etc). But the circumstances are not entirely happy. Valentino’s company is purchased by a giant corporation in which only the bottom line is important (sound familiar ?). His world has changed so much that Valentino retires. Little by little his former group of loyal workers are replaced.

And don’t miss his five pugs!