The Best Foreign-Language Films

Perhaps, all of us love those lazy days when we just lie in our beds, eat snacks, and watch movies or TV shows. And while some would agree that this kind of leisure is not very productive, to say the least, it can benefit you if you approach it appropriately. You can learn a lot from movies, and not only from the philosophical standpoint. By watching great classic films in foreign languages, you can seriously develop your language skills without even noticing it.

Useful Leisure

There are many ways to spend your spare time effectively, just as there are many ways that you can learn and have fun at the same time. One of the best and most popular ways of doing exactly that is watching foreign movies with the original voice soundtrack and subtitles. And if there are no subtitles available, you can always learn how to become a translator in the film industry and create them yourself. Another important aspect is selecting a film.

It’s really much better to start off watching the films without a dub or audio translation from the older and classic movies. Aside from being very well done, such movies usually use somewhat simpler language compared to the one we use today, thus, being easier to perceive. On top of all that, the subtitle experts at TheWordPoint provide that the subtitles in your language will be more likely available for older movies, an obvious but somehow overlooked factor. So, here are some of the best movies for you to start your fun linguistic journey.

5 Best Foreign-Language Films

• La vita e bella by Roberto Benigni, 1997. A film directed by the Italian genius of drama Roberto Benigni can only be characterized as a comedy-tragedy. Depicting a story of love, devotion, and positivity during the time of the Holocaust, the movie Life is Beautiful strongly contrasts between funny and tragic moments, somewhat even confusing the viewer regarding the emotion. This only makes the movie more interesting to watch, especially in its original Italian.
• Amelie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001. A beautiful, funny, and very warm-hearted French romantic comedy about the eccentric girl who likes changing other people’s lives for the better is, perhaps, very well-known worldwide. Since its release, the film has achieved a cult following. Still, watching it in its original French is something not frequently done by non-French speaking viewers. Don’t miss your chance and watch this beautiful movie in beautiful French next.
• Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972. Despite having been filmed in a relatively isolated Soviet Union in 1972, Solaris managed to make Tarkovsky a worldwide acclaimed director. This sci-fi drama is so intense and philosophical, the original Star Wars will seem like a movie for toddlers in comparison. Seriously though, Solaris is worth a watch on its own. And if you’d like to experience it deeper, watch it in its original Russian, you won’t regret it.
• Otto e mezzo by Federico Fellini, 1963. Another great classic Italian movie by the genius of surrealism – Federico Fellini. Exploring the themes of creativity, the absurdness of our lives, and the contemporary movie industry, Fellini’s 8 ½ (Eight and a Half) is part comedy and part tragedy. At the same time, it’s very fun to watch, especially in its original Italian, which makes the movie even more expressive.
• Love Letter by Shunji Iwai, 1995. A fascinating Japanese romantic drama explores the themes of cycles in our lives and life’s finiteness. Filmed in Japanese, the film is worth watching in the original language for it depicts the manners of speech of people of different age groups, which is more than just interesting to watch and listen to.

There are, of course, many more movies in other languages that you can watch. Many of them are pretty accessible, along with subtitles. And those that aren’t, can, in fact, be translated. Just click here to learn about the best translation service online that can do that for you individually. There are always ways to solve any issue, and if you really want it, you can get it.

Popcorn and Notes

A conscious watching of the movies in their original languages can be, perhaps, characterized by the rapid eating of popcorn and note-taking. If you’re really interested in watching a movie in its original dub to learn something new, then you’ll simply have to keep the notebook by your side. If it’s not the words or grammatical structures you’ll learn, it could be the experiences you’ll have and denote for yourself. This will help you understand how you react to another language so that you could learn it better. So, make sure you spend your leisure effectively and never stop watching movies.