Top Foreign Films

Like an increasing number of American movie goers, I'm falling in love with the best foreign films. Some of these movies have are relatively new foreign movies, while others are classic foreign films that have been around for decades. My list of the top five international movies has a wide variety of both, and since I have more than five personal favorites that are worthy of being on a "best of" list, I'm going to share more than just my five favorite foreign films.

Foreign films are stronger than other, and some are tied to genre. For example, there are several fantastic Asian horror films that are taking American fans of the genre by storm. Movies like "The Grudge," "The Eye," and "The Ring" are becoming very popular in American theatres, and have spawned some unfortunate "Americanized" remakes. These are great films, and Asian horror is a genre with a lot of great movies for horror fans.

Many different nations have some really incredible foreign films coming out, and my favorites cover a wide variety of genres and time periods. If you've never learned the joys of good foreign films, I highly recommend it as a fantastic habit to get into.

So now's the time to announce my list of my top five foreign films. What you will actually see is my top five along with four honorable mentions. This list has a very good variety of films, and includes some of my all time favorites. Some of these films not only rank as the best foreign films (in my opinion), but several of these are on my top twenty list of movies, period.

My Top 5 Foreign Movies:

#1 Aguirre, the Wrath of God. How do you even begin to describe this movie? Strange, surreal, and incredibly unique. This intense film is one of my personal favorite movies, and is stunning. No matter how many unusual movies you've seen, this one will bowl you over with how weird and unique this film is.

#2 Love Me if You Dare. A friend whose taste in movies I usually find questionable raved about this one. And so did another. And another. That made it easy. I watched the movie, and it is one of the very few films that I have ever given a "perfect" 10 to. This story of love, connection, dark comedy, and inability to live in a "normal" world. I believe this is a French foreign movie, and this one is a stunning roller coaster ride of a film.

#3 City of God. A terrifying and dark film based in Rio de Jinero, Brazil. If you want to get a sense of Brazilian slums and shanty towns, this is your film. This movie is a real eye opener about the state of life for many in the Third World.

#4 M. This is a 1931 film that was decades ahead of its time, and features an incredibly dark theme about a child serial killer who is absolutely self-loathing of himself. Move over Hannibal Lecter, this guy beat you by decades.

#5 Babette's Feast. This is an absolutely fantastic movie. It doesn't need action, swearing, nudity, or obvious moments of heavy action. This movie keeps moving with an interesting plot, interesting characters, and great dialogue. This is a wonderful story, and a movie you should see.

Honorable Mentions: Yojimbo, Pan's Labyrinth, Nosferatu, & Princess Mononoke.