Martial Arts, Italian History, Sex in Mexico and a Hippie Commune

Posted by Jason Ihle | 2 Comments

Here I am inching closer to the end of my favorite movies of the decade. The final list turned out to include 70 films. In this list I take a look at 6 foreign language films that made the cut, not counting the two I have already highlighted (Caché and L’auberge espagnole) in that original post. After this listing there remain 17 films I have not written about. I will likely break them down into 3 separate posts over the next few weeks.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) dir. Ang Lee – One of the most thrilling martial arts films with a firm grounding in mystical Chinese traditions. The first chase sequence over village rooftops, with its balletic grace and beauty was breathtaking ten years ago and still is today. It’s easy to forget while looking through the prism of wonderful action sequences, swordplay and choreography, that the core of the film is that of forbidden love and missed opportunities. Without a powerful story to support it, this would only be a throwaway action film.

La meglio gioventú [The Best of Youth] (2005) dir. Marco Tullio Giordana – This was originally a television miniseries in Italy that got a theatrical release later on down the road. It runs 6 hours, but breezes by on an incredibly well-told story that follows two brothers through four decades of modern Italian history. You can watch it on DVD and split it up over the two days of a rainy weekend without diminishing its impact. After all, it was shown theatrically with a dinner break in some places.

Y tu mamá también (2002) dir. Alfonso Cuarón – Two young friends, inexperienced in the world and in sex set out on a trip to find a mythical paradise of a beach. They take the journey with an older married woman who has her own secret reasons for joining them. Really funny, very well-written and acted and of course it’s quite titillating.

Italiensk for begyndere [Italian for Beginners] (2002) dir. Lone Scherfig – The director of this little Danish Dogme 95 production became better known last year with the Best Picture nominee An Education. But once upon a time she made a simple little romance about people in the young adult – middle age range finding love in a beginner’s Italian course.

No Man’s Land (2001) dir. Danis Tanovic – Here was a really entertaining and interesting war film set in the Bosnian war in 1993. Two men from opposing sides are caught in the no man’s land area between the two armies while a third man lies immobile on top of a landmine. The UN is called in to assist, but are basically (surprise!) ineffectual. This is the film that beat out India’s Lagaan, France’s Amelie and Argentina’s Son of the Bride for the Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Tillsammans [Together] (2001) dir. Lukas Moodysson – Considering Moodysson’s follow-up film, Lilya 4-Ever, was one of the bleakest movies I’ve ever seen, I’m even more surprised by this one. It centers on a woman who, along with two children, leaves her husband to live in a commune in the 1970s. Most of the action focuses on the various characters living under the same roof together. Although it has its dramatic moments, I found it overall to be such a joyous celebration of people, family, friendship and life. It’s much more ABBA than Ingmar Bergman, but in a good way.

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