hi all! follow-up on THIS post.
this is another very long post giving you film and series suggestions in foreign languages - i have included my three target languages and french just to spice things up a bit.
if you’ve seen any of these or want to expand on the post please fell free to do so!! this list is obviously very subjective and contains things that i have seen and enjoyed, so i would love to see a greater variety of genres/directors featured on here.
SPANISH
wakolda - this is straight up one of my favourite films ever. 1950s argentina. a family accomodates a guest at their hotel, unaware that their guest is nazi monster josef mengele.
tiempo sin aire - colombian mum and son escape the horrors of civil war and move to the canary islands, but the mother will not rest until she has found her daughter’s rapist. contains some graphic scenes, not for the faint of heart.
la regenta - adaptation of 19th century classic, both film and miniseries (3 x 1.5 hrs) available on youtube. the film is mediocre but the miniseries stole my heart. pious wife anita torn between sexy local liberal and dark imposing priest. features an absolutely superb carmelo gomez as the cunning don fermin.
el crimen del padre amaro - another c19 classic, this time in a modern latin american setting where hot priest gael garcia b. can no longer fight his feelings for a certain young lady…
ocho apellidos vascos - SOOOOOOOO FUCKING FUNNY!!!!!
la piel que habito - almodóvar, banderas, weird, cringy, intriguing,
“a horror story without screams or frights” [wiki]
la nana - “Raquel, la amargada e introvertida nana (eufemismo chileno para denominar a las sirvientas) de la casa de los Valdés … ve peligrar su puesto cuando éstos contratan a una nueva empleada para que le ayude durante su convalecencia. Raquel se dedica a hacerle la vida imposible a las nuevas nanas. Esta mecánica se repite una y otra vez hasta la aparición de Lucy, una mujer de provincia que logrará penetrar la coraza de Raquel.” [wiki]
el secreto de sus ojos - “Using a nonlinear narrative, the film depicts a judiciary employee and a judge in 1974 … as they investigate a rape and murder case that turns into an obsession for all the people involved, while also following the characters 25 years later reminiscing over the case and unearthing the buried romance between them.”[wiki] RECOMMENDED
vacas - portrays the conflict between two basque families that lasts three generations, starting in 1875.
la princesa de francia - looks ery promising, centred around a group of actors preparing shakespeare’s “love’s labour’s lost”, in buenos aires. read review here
PORTUGUESE
ligações perigosas [BR] - recently released tv globo miniseries, NOT A NOVELA, available on yt. adaptation of laclos’ les liaisons dangereuses. set in 1920s brazil. love, sex, intrigue, DRAMA, 1920s music. great acting by selton mello and alice wegmann. i cried watching this. i love selton mello
justiça [BR] - also a globo miniseries, follows various characters in recife as each of them searches for their own private justice. RECOMMENDED
amores roubados [BR] - yet another miniseries, based on the book “a emparedada da rua nova”. leandro returns to his hometown from SP and becomes involved with three women.
3% [BR] - a dystopian thriller series, apparently available on netflix. “
The show is set in a future wherein people are given a chance to go to the “better side” of a world divided between progress and affluence in the Offshore, and devastation and poverty in the Inland, but only 3% of the candidates succeed.”[wiki] RECOMMENDED
pecado fatal [EU] - angst, drama, shy sweet love but also bitten family secrets. “a young man and woman fall in love on the night they meet, but he takes advantage of her when she gets drunk. although she doesn’t remember anything from that night, something nags at the back of her mind.” not the most accurate description - just watch it its good
o convento [EU] - a literature professor goes to a portuguese convent to confirm a conspiracy theory about shakespeare. this film is actually in english and french as well as portuguese, but i’ve included it here because it was directed by the great manoel de oliveira. stars john malkovich and catherine deneuve.
o dia de desespero [EU] - another one by oliveira, portuguese entry for 1992 oscars. the film shows the final days of the life of famed c19 writer camilo castelo branco, his blindness and eventual suicide. probably available on youtube.
ITALIAN
malena - a classic, story of how a beautiful young woman is ridiculed by her prejudiced community told through the eyes of a young boy lusting over her. very tastefully done and visually very pretty. plus it has monica belucci
la prima notte di quiete - 1972. scruffy alain delon is bitter and elopes with a mysterious student of his who keeps some dark secrets. very beautiful visually, lovely music, unexpected ending. watch this if you want to be sad and vague
lºeredità ferramonti - set in 1880s rome, cunning young woman weds into a split family and wreaks havoc. dominique sanda is brilliant in this. also very nice music by morricone.
FRENCH
des hommes et des dieux - algeria. eight monks live a secluded life in the mountains. when war breaks out, they are forced to make a choice between their faith and their lives. “a luminous tale of faith and heroism”, and also very prettily made.
venus noire - based on the true story of saartije bartman, a black woman showcased in 19th century europe because of her body. explores prejudice, otherness, fetishisation, directed by tunesian abdellatif kechiche. RECOMMENDED.
la dame aux camélias (1981) - isabelle huppert stars as the destitute and illiterate alphonsine who travels to paris and becomes a courtesan. based on alexandre dumas’ novel, of the same title.
