You've probably spent most of your life watching Hollywood films, maybe sometimes you'll watch a British film. Maybe you're watching a British film thinking it's a Hollywood film (you'd be surprised).
Have you branched out into foreign films? If not, why not? You need a break from Hollywood to find awe in cinema again. It's no secret that most of the time, Hollywood films are peddled by studios looking for a quick cash grab; whether that be recycling the same plots and characters or making a second film or maybe a thirteenth film in a series that, really... should just be left alone. It's usually not that great and even if it is, that's nothing to do with the studio's motivation. Sure, they want their films to be good but it doesn't matter if it isn't, because they know they've got the cash flow on lock. That's the key factor.
That being said, it isn't all doom and gloom in Hollywood. There are so many filmmakers out there who want to make the best film they can - they just need to find the right studio or the right deal. Francis Ford Coppola had to make two Godfather films before being allowed to tell the story he actually wanted to tell in Godfather 3.
We all need a break. This isn't a novelty, it's serious filmmaking. Excellent filmmaking. Watching foreign films should never be seen as strange, because it isn't. English language films made in Hollywood are not the be all or end all. Hollywood is glamour: no soul, just smiles.
I am going to make five recommendations for you. All from Asian cinema, as that part of the world is very dear to me when it comes to filmmaking.
The List
This list will not include Netflix Original Asian films, nor will I include obvious flicks such as 올드보이 (Oldboy), バトル・ロワイアル (Battle Royale) or Gisaengchung (Parasite). The Ip Man and Serbuan Maut (The Raid: Redemption) series are also well known films from the East. My goal is to recommend films I think are less likely for people to have come across - so I will also be excluding Studio Ghibli productions.
In no particular order: the top 5 Asian films I will be spotlighting in this article, will begin now...
告白 (Confessions - 2010) | Japan
DesperaDo, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Licri, Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Nippan) K.K., Sony Music Entertainment, Toho Company, Yahoo Japan
Middle school teacher Yoko Moriguchi is devastated after the murder of her 4 year old daughter, Manami. Yoko suspects that some of her own students might be responsible for her daughter's death as she used to bring Manami to work with her, due to her father's illness. An elaborate plan for revenge then ensues.
악마를 보았다 (I Saw The Devil - 2010) | South Korea
Softbank Ventures, Showbox/Mediaplex, Peppermint & Company, Siz Entertainment
On a dark road, taxi driver Kyung-chul comes across a scared motorist stranded in a broken down vehicle. He pulls over - but not to help her. When the woman's head is discovered in a local river, her devastated fiancé, Kim Soo-hyeon, a trained secret agent, becomes obsessed with hunting down her deranged psychopathic killer.
기묘한 가족 (Zombie for Sale - 2019) | South Korea
Cinezoo, Oscar 10 Studio
When the illegal human experiments of Korea's biggest pharmaceutical company go wrong, one of their "undead" test subjects escapes and ends up in a shabby gas station owned by the strange Park family (a band of misfits spanning three generations who hustle passersby to make ends meet). When he bites the head of their household, the fraudsters somehow see an opportunity to profit from the result.
* family friendly (practise mild caution) *
オーディション (Audition - 1999) | Japan & South Korea
Basara Pictures, Creators Company Connection, Omega Project
A widowed TV producer is encouraged by his teenage son to remarry before he gets too old. Unable to find anyone suitable, he decides to hold auditions for a false movie in order to test out potential wives. He thinks he may have found the one he is looking for when he auditions a former ballerina, but she seems too good to be true.
Jui kuen (Drunken Master - 1978) | China
Golden Harvest Company, Seasonal Film Corporation
Unable to see eye to eye with his father, completely broke and with nowhere else to turn, young Wong Fei-Hung grudgingly accepts the tutelage of Su Hua Chi, a notoriously intoxicated martial arts master. He is then forced to put his new skills to the test when his father is targeted by deadly assassin, Thunderleg, who has never lost a fight.
* family friendly *
終わり
(The End)
Hopefully I achieved my goal in recommending five Asian films you had not heard of before. I hope you will watch them. It's good to experience different cultures and different country's entertainment. You learn about the country; what they like watching, what styles they tend to use the most and how different films are in specific genres compared to what you are used to. You will notice from the list that South Korea make great thrillers and psychological thrillers, but they also make unique comedies.
Another instance of a unique comedy from the East is 美人鱼 (The Mermaid), which I didn't include in the list because I don't feel that just anyone would enjoy this parody-type comedy. The Mermaid is from 2016, originating out of China and directed by Stephen Chow. He is also behind another comedy I have the same reservation about, called 少林足球 (Shaolin Soccer), which also originates out of China and Hong Kong from 2001. If you're looking for something to keep you up at night, then the unsettling 2003 South Korean horror Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters) might be your flavour. Written and directed by Jee-woon Kim who previously went by Kim Jee-woon - you may remember that name from the second film from the list, I Saw The Devil.
Keep in mind that whichever you choose to watch, make sure to be fair: don't dismiss something because you're unfamiliar.
Test the waters with the movies I've spotlighted in this article and set out a plan to discover different Asian motion pictures using the internet as a tool. Once you're comfortable, try another country. Experience the imaginative minds of Bollywood (Indian film industry) and the unique filmmaking of Nollywood (Nigerian film industry).
Don't be afraid of things so far out of your comfort zone when it comes to cinema.
Because it's all just cinema.
International Mosa