For as long as I can remember, I have always had an appreciation for film. As a young child, I would sit in front of the television for hours, re-watching movies over and over again.
There were some films, like “Beauty and the Beast,” that I watched so many times, I ended up breaking the cassette tape.
As I grew up, my interests in genre expanded beyond Disney. I found myself growing fond of romance, coming-of-age, psychological, and drama.
From “Casablanca,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Moonlight,” “Boyhood,” “Whiplash,” “Stand By Me,” and many others, I was obsessed over how screenwriters were able to create unique stories and present it to an audience through their own lens.
Sadly, after awhile, I started to notice similar trends in Hollywood films. Reboots took away creativity for original films and clichés suffocated the film industry.
Action films would have unrealistic car explosions and the love-triangle concept was in every romance film.
Foreign films restored my admiration for movies and I am telling everyone who is reading this that you should give them a chance.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “I don’t want to read words while watching a movie.” Or here’s another big excuse: “Why would anyone want to watch a movie that’s not in English?”
Foreign cinemas create bizarre and unusual films.
They may seem boring to people from the country that produces them, but to us they are eye-catching and exciting.
The directors and writers of these films have remarkable imaginations and create movies that are out of our comfort zones, which leads us to a whole new world of cinema.
Foreign cinema gives audiences the chance to watch films more intensely.
Without hearing their native tongue, people will pay more attention to other elements of the film: cultural differences, the body language of the characters, and the cinematography.
You do not always need words to watch foreign films because sometimes, it’s the visuals that tell the story.
So next time you’re scrolling through Netflix, check out the Independent and International genres. You just might find a film that interests you.
