The coronavirus lockdown has given us all the opportunity to catch up on books, films and TV that we might not otherwise have time for. As of this week, I saw over two-thirds of last year's 93 +1 official entries (64 to be exact) by seeing "Incitement" from Israel and "La odisea de los giles" from Argentina. In my opinion, only three of the 10 films on last year's Oscar shortlist deserved to be there, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to take a look at last year's contenders. It's hard to rank 64 films since they are all so different (it's difficult to compare an extremely entertaining but silly action film with a dull, plodding but well-acted, expensive period piece) but let's give it a try. UPDATE: Now up to 78.
1. 
KOREA- "Parasite"- I think this may be the first time I've ever agreed with the winner of the Best Foreign Language Film category, but Cannes Palme d'Or winner "Parasite" lived up to all the expectations. It's a funny, memorable genre-bender, perfectly cast, and everyone should see it. I've been a fan of Bong Joon-ho and Korean Oscar entries for years. Oscar finally got it right. (Available on Amazon/Hulu)
MY NOMINEES:
2. 
BOLIVIA- "I Miss You"(Tu me manques)- One of the most memorable LGBT films I've ever seen, this film is a masterful adaptation of a play about a homophobic Bolivian father who goes to New York to find out how his gay son died. Controversial in its native Bolivia, the film attracted protesters and the country was brave to select it. The audience I saw it with was laughing and crying throughout the film, particularly for the on-stage climax, which was the most memorable finale of any of the films on this list. Among the highlights are a cinematically unique triple-casting (the closest was probably "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", though that was for a very different reason). Set in New York City, perhaps the film lost points for the rather wooden performances by some of the English-speaking, American actors?
3. 
MONGOLIA- "The Steed"- A beautifully filmed, exotic Mongolian "Candide". "The Steed" follows a nomadic young boy and his beloved horse circa 1910 in the borderlands of what is now Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan. The two are forced to search for each other after being separated by a sinister horse-thief. Though the plot makes it sounds like a Disney movie, this movie skillfully tells two separate stories as the boy and the horse meet a fascinating array of characters on their journeys home. It also literally features the best acting performance by any animal in film history.
4. 
FRANCE- "Les Misérables"- France hasn't won this award in thirty years, but they would have won if "Parasite" wasn't here (yes, yes.....even over Almodovar). The brilliance of Ladj Ly's crime thriller "Les Miserables" lies in the film's ability to convince its audience that this is a story of heroes vs. villains....but that two viewers would likely disagree as to who were the heroes and who were the villains. For me, it was a film about dedicated but flawed French police trying to survive amid gangs and uncooperative citizens in the banlieux of Paris. Others will clearly see it very differently, and it works on both levels. It boasts strong, well-written characters and a horrific, thrilling finale. (Amazon)
5. 
MACEDONIA- "Honeyland"- One of the competition's most pleasant surprises was this Macedonian documentary about a rural woman beekeeper who lives in harmony with nature, but who is faced with the environmental degradation wrought by her new migrant neighbors. Filmed in a Turkish dialect, the directors have said they didn't quite understand what an amazing story they had until they translated the footage. "Honeyland" is the rare documentary that works as a drama even more than a doc. It also has important messages about the importance of cultural and environmental preservation. (Hulu)
MY SHORTLIST:
![Review] 'And Then We Danced' will dance its way into your heart ...](https://talesfromthepaulsidehome.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/and-then-we-danced.jpg?w=1120&h=630&crop=1)
6. 
SWEDEN- "And Then We Danced"- Representing Sweden but filmed entirely in Georgia, this superb LGBT drama is about a traditional dancer who begins a sexual relationship with one of his rivals. It's a no-frills drama that relies on a wonderful screenplay, strong actors and beautiful Georgian music, dance and food to tell its story. Despite its LGBT premise, this is good old-fashioned, quality filmmaking. Sadly, its premiere in Georgia was greeted by violence and protests. (Coming to Amazon in June)
7. 
GEORGIA- "Shindisi" A last-minute addition to my list.....First of all, I hate war movies. However, this is a really good war movie. "Shindisi" is based on a real battle of Georgian soldiers who were (mostly) massacred in the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia. The battle is the most realistic and most terrifying I have ever seen captured on film...simply heartbreaking....But then the battle ends, and the film morphs into an unexpected human drama focusing on a survivor who is taken in by a local family who risks revenge by Russian soldiers if found. Though some may confused by the Caucasus politics (which I know all too well), this is a hidden gem that deserves to be widely seen.
8. 
MEXICO- "The Chambermaid" (La camarista)- The second Mexican submission in a row about a proud Mexican maid, I felt "La camarista" was a lot better than Oscar winner "Roma" or the Dardennes films that a lot of people are comparing it to. This character study of Eve is heartbreaking in its simplicity and while most films I saw in 2019 are blurry, I can still feel a gut-punch thinking of some of the small tragedies she endures. (Amazon)
9. 
COLOMBIA- "Monos"- "Monos" is not an easy film to watch or to like, but it's probably the greatest technical achievement of any film on the list this year. Set (at first) in the Colombian mountains and (later) in the jungle, it follows a female American engineer being held hostage by an army of savage child soldiers. Cinematography, editing, and directing are Oscar-worthy.... Sometimes you can't even understand how the director shot certain scenes. It's also brutal, with frighteningly soulless kids as the protagonists, and a blurry ending. (Amazon)
10.
BULGARIA- "Ága"- One of several films on the list with little connection to its host country, "Ága" is a charming tale about an elderly Yakut couple living a traditional life alone in the wilds of Siberia. It's a simple story that skillfully blends National Geographic-type cultural exoticism with a beautiful, sad story of this proud, hard-working couple who know that they are the last of their kind. The plight of the elderly wife, who must hide the fact that she is ill from her husband, is memorable and heartbreaking. Sadly, the 31-year actress who plays the title role (a rather small part) died shortly after the film was completed. (Vudu)
HONORABLE MENTION:
11. 
SAUDI ARABIA- "The Perfect Candidate" Though it got mixed reviews, I really enjoyed "The Perfect Candidate", a window on the life of a professional, educated woman doctor in Saudi Arabia. Director Haifaa al-Mansour shows us the enormous challenges women face, the discrimination and the unfairness that gets in their way, but also the way Saudi society is opening up incrementally for them every day. "Candidate" has got humor and passion and gets extra points of course, for being an unabashedly feminist film from Saudi Arabia. I really liked it. (Curzon Home Cinema)
12. 
IRAN- "Finding Farideh"- Overshadowed this year by "Honeyland", this excellent documentary about a Dutch woman who goes in search of her birth parents in Iran would have made my shortlist if you judged the film on the final hour. The first 30 minutes, set in the Netherlands as Eline/Farideh prepares for her trip, would benefit from some judicious editing. However, once the documentary arrives in Iran, it's an absolute master-class masterpiece documentary, combining the finest elements of fairy tales and psychological thrillers. Three Iranian families have responded to Farideh's online ad, each absolutely certain that they are the family of the foundling baby left at a holy shrine forty years before. What happens next is one of the finest dramas of the year. (Amazon)
13. 
KYRGYZSTAN- "Aurora"- A quirky and utterly charming drama about a series of oddball characters spending the wintry off-season at the famous Aurora sanitarium resort near Lake Issyk-kul (I stayed here in summer 2009!). The film is very funny, but also goes to some surprisingly dark places. Think "Northern Exposure" meets "Twin Peaks" in Central Asia. (Youtube)
14. 
GERMANY- "System Crasher"- Perhaps the most surprising absence from the Oscar shortlist. I'm really surprised this film didn't resonate with the Academy , as it's very well-made and well-acted and seemed far more likely to appeal to mainstream voters than almost any of the other films. "System Crasher" is about an 8-year old German girl named Benny who has been rejected by her birth mother (and seemingly every orphanage, care home and foster family in Germany) due to her violent and anti-social behavior. She finally meets a care worker who can deal with her, but this is not a heartwarming Hollywood film with cute kids, and Benny's problems cannot be solved in 90 minutes.....saying any more would spoil things. Screenplay is a highlight. (Netflix)
17. 
SPAIN- "Pain and Glory" (Dolor y gloria)- I thought Almodovar's semi-autobiographical "Pain and Glory" was very good....but I didn't find it as memorable or special as most other critics did. I didn't recall very much of it the next day (usually my test of whether a film is "good" or "great"). I think this meditation on growing old will likely mean more to me if I watch it again in ten years. For me, the acting was a highlight (especially Asier Etxeandia, who often fails to get mentioned since he's not as famous as Banderas, Cruz or Roth) but some of the plotlines are more interesting than others. (Amazon)
18. 
CANADA- "Antigone"- An intriguing "moral dilemma" drama transplanting the famous Greek tragedy to Montreal, amidst an Algerian immigrant family in Canada. Antigone is now a 17-year old straight-A student with a bright future, who fled Algeria with her grandmother and three siblings, after her parents were murdered when she was 3. When one of her two gangbanger brothers is killed in a police shootout, she commits a criminal act to help the other (lowlife) brother escape. The director and I probably wouldn't agree on much, but she does portray both sides of the dilemma and does it very well. I sided with Antigone's sister far more than Antigone herself. The music video-style cuts are a bit jarring and don't necessarily fit with the rest of the film. (Vimeo On Demand, Canada)
![Let There Be Light - Trailer [sk st en] - Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/Files/2019/06/15/1560560488101.jpg?1573335660110)
19. 
SLOVAKIA- "Let There Be Light"- Marko Skop's "Eva Nova" was my favorite film of the 2016 competition. His new film, "Let There Be Light", is not quite as good but you can still see the director's influence. A Slovak laborer returns to Germany for the Christmas holidays and learns that his son may or may not have been involved in a violent bullying attack on a friend, who committed suicide afterwards. The film starts slow but gets better as it goes along and more and more the story becomes clear. Recommended.
20. 
VENEZUELA- "Being Impossible" (Yo, imposible)- Grim and difficult to watch, this gritty, low-budget film is one of the most enlightening and important films on the list. After losing her virginity, a poor factory worker experiences terrible pain. Her family doctor dismisses her and tells her it's nothing to worry about while her mother warns her never to visit a different doctor. She eventually learns she was born intersex and this film forces the viewer to confront head-on the attendant emotional difficulties, and physical "impossibilities" that she goes through. (HBO Now)
21. 
AUSTRALIA- "Buoyancy"- A gritty and brutally realistic drama about human trafficking. The film follows a Cambodian teen who finds himself enslaved on a Thai fishing boat after running away from his village to seek work in Thailand. It's an impressive achievement that gets its message across without being preachy, and works as both a sad drama and am exciting thriller. Lead actor Sarm Heng is an amazing first-time actor who was discovered via an NGO that works with Cambodian street children. (MUBI)
22. 
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC- "The Projectionist" (El proyeccionista)- Jose Maria Cabral is one of my favorite Latin American directors and I absolutely loved "Jaque Mate" and "Woodpeckers" which represented the DR in 2012 and 2017. Although the film noir "Projectionist" is my least-favorite of the three, it's still a highly engaging mystery about a man obsessed with a black and white vintage film clip of a nude woman. Though the film starts off slow, it builds to a feverish and brilliantly directed finale where (most) everything becomes clear. Cabral is a master of the twist ending.
23. 
MALAWI UNITED KINGDOM- "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"- Set in Malawi but representing the UK, "The Boy" is technically strong on every level. It's well-written, it's well-acted (with a cast led by Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor) and yet it somehow feels like it's missing that je ne sais quoi that makes it a great film. But this "based-on-a-true-story" tale of a boy who helps end a famine in his village is well-made. Best scene: the heartbreaking moment when Ejiofor's wife is confronted by the food bandits. (Netflix)
24. 
NETHERLANDS- "Instinct"- A worthy companion piece to "Elle", I found this film about a prison psychiatrist to be more accessible than that film (I seem to be very much in the minority on this) and found Carice van Houten's performance on par with the Oscar-nominated Isabelle Huppert. "Instinct" is a psychological thriller about van Houten's toxic battle of wits with a sex offender serving time at the prison. It's sexy and disturbing and, unlike many European films of this nature, has a clear and dramatically satisfying ending.
25. 
ARGENTINA- "La odisea de los giles" A predictable but entertaining comedy that combines the crowdpleasing traits of a revenge comedy and a heist thriller. A group of lovable small-town characters set out to recover their life savings after an unscrupulous local official legally steals it during the 2001 Argentine financial "corralito" economic crisis. It's a crowdpleaser, although the characters are not as fully fleshed out as they should be....and that goes double for the women. (DVD w/English subtitles difficult to find, but it does exist)
27.
DENMARK- "Queen of Hearts"- A drama more memorable for the brave lead performance of an icy Trine Dyrholm than for the film itself. Anne, a bored middle-class wife and mother, seduces her emotionally damaged, criminal stepson after he moves in with the family. "Queen of Hearts" is similar in its theme to "Instinct" (see above) with both focusing on the sexual power of older women which may (depending on your point of view) be construed as abuse. The film is fine and the ending is above average. I sympathized with Anne....which I don't think the viewer is meant to do. LOL. A good film, though not as impressive as the ones that Oscar powerhouse Denmark usually sends to this competition. (Amazon)
28. 
POLAND- "Corpus Christi"- I thought this was a solid "moral dilemma" drama, though I didn't find it particularly memorable and felt it was the weakest of the eventual five Oscar nominees. Perhaps it's strongest and weakest point is that this is a very talky, intellectual and philosophical film. Still, a solid effort with great acting performances. (Film Movement Online)
29.
BELGIUM- "Nuestras Madres"- Though this film should rightfully be representing Guatemala (which didn't send a film), it was somehow selected to represent Belgium. It's a good but flawed film that is at its best when its focusing on the female victims of the Guatemalan civil war. That is the focus of the beginning of the film (the rural, indigenous victims) and the end of the film (the urban, intelligentsia victims). Unfortunately, the film gets lost a little bit in the middle as it focuses on its least developed and least interesting character- it's male lead. (Wouldn't a female investigator have been so much more compelling?) Despite its flaws, it's overall a well-made film.
30. 
LEBANON- "1982" Though the film starts off painfully slow, it gradually achieves a thriller-level of claustrophobia as the teachers and students at an elite suburban school try to figure out how to get home when Lebanon is invaded. For me, the film was at its best when dealing with the teachers (including the beautiful Nadine Labaki), parents and staff. I found the children's stories far less compelling (childhood crushes, etc.) though that may have just been me. The film really improves in the second half.
31. 
BRAZIL- "Invisible Life"- A grand soap opera based on a beloved Brazilian novel, the acting is wonderful and the attention to period detail is beautiful....However, it was all a bit too telenovela for me and goes on for far too long. In my own personal opinion, the film focuses on the less interesting of the two Gusmao sisters (though you can blame that on the novel). Although I predicted it would be shortlisted, after seeing it a few weeks ago, I certainly understood why it wasn't. (Amazon Prime)
32. 
ALBANIA- "The Delegation"- An interesting little film set in the final days of Communism in Albania, which was then sealed off from the rest of the world like North Korea is today. An academic who has been imprisoned for 15 years is given a proposition- tell a visiting delegation of Europeans that he has been living peacefully at home, and he will be released. Are they telling the truth? Should he endanger his life by telling the delegation the truth of the Albanian dictatorship? This is another film that starts off slow and improves, but while there are some very interesting ideas here, the screenplay does not make full use of the characters
33. 
ALGERIA- "Papicha"- A well-meaning but flawed feminist film from Algeria about the life of ordinary women during the brutal civil war of the 1990s. Wonderfully acted but with a screenplay that moves in fits and starts, it sometimes seems as if they made a list of the tragedies they wanted to show and built the film around them. Relationships between characters are sometimes unclear, the term "Papicha" was never explained (apparently, it means "hot girl") and characters seem to change midway the film (though during a polarizing civil war, maybe this really happens to people). (Available on DVD in France with English subtitles, or via Lincoln Center's Virtual Cinema in the USA)
34. 
IRELAND- "Gaza"- An interesting documentary made by a pair of Irish directors in the Gaza Strip. The film focuses on the hardships of ordinary people living in Gaza, governed (poorly) by the Hamas terrorist group and blockaded by Israel. Some of the stories and characters really resonate, others less so. Best viewed as a "slice of life" doc...those looking for political insights may be disappointed. (Amazon Prime)
35. 
ETHIOPIA- "Running Against the Wind" This is another one that's really hard to rank. The production values are really impressive. Beautiful rural vistas, dark urban slums, a really well-done car crash, Addis Ababa's hi-so modern neighborhoods....the film shoots all of these beautifully, with a slick Hollywood style. The film clearly has some very talented people behind the camera. However, like several other African films on the list (Algeria, Ghana etc.), it's the screenplay that needs tightening up. In the film, best friends Abdi and Solomon live in a dusty village and become "brothers" when Solomon's father dies. At age 12, Solomon, who dreams of becoming a photographer, steals a camera and runs away to the capital city, while Abdi, a talented runner, is sent to the capital seven years later to compete for a spot on Ethiopia's Olympic team. Some parts of the film are truly great, while others- including an ending that rewards an unsympathetic secondary character for no reason- are not. The message- which I'm sure the director did not intend- seems to be that rural people should not dream big.
36.
PERU- "Retablo"- A sad, LGBT-themed drama set in the Quechua-speaking mountains of Peru. This is a small and intimate film about how a rural family's existence is shattered by one character's forbidden sexual liaisons. This is a film I suspect will mostly resonate with audiences interested in the LGBT aspects of the story. Despite its exotic locale, things would probably play out much the same in Europe or America a few short decades ago. (Amazon)
37. 
LATVIA- "The Mover"- Another "solid but unmemorable" drama, this time a biopic about a Latvian smuggler in Nazi-occupied Latvia who saves dozens of his Jewish neighbors. There are some standout moments but neither the lead family nor the Jewish fugitives are really fleshed out as characters and though it's "based on a true story", the most fascinating part of the story (how Jews were transported from the concentration camps to the farm) is confusing. (UK Jewish Film Online)
38. 
VIETNAM- "Furie"- This gonzo martial arts revenge film is certainly not a "great" film and it's definitely out of place in the Oscar race....but it's a highly entertaining action film with some incredible action sequences and stunt work. I'm not usually a fan of this genre but the film is highly entertaining. (Netflix)
39. 
CHINA- "Ne Zha"- So, this is obviously an animated film for children and should not have been selected to represent China, which produces some really amazing and more deserving films. However, I have to say that the animation is absolutely beautiful and original, and the good vs. evil story (based on Chinese mythology) is engaging even for an adult viewer. Although I have little interest in children's anime, it is very good for what it is. (Amazon)
40. 
FINLAND- "Stupid Young Heart"- A fairly average social drama about two irresponsible teenagers who get pregnant. The film is clearly meant to shine a light on economic and social issues - poverty, racism, nationalism, etc that most people think are absent in Nordic countries like Finland. It's difficult to feel sympathy for the "stupid young" characters and their poor decisions but (other than the disappointing ending) it's probably a fairly realistic portrayal of the various social issues. Kudos to Finland for casting age-appropriate teenage actors. In the USA, they'd probably be played by 25-year olds.
41. 
GHANA- "Azali"- A young girl from rural Ghana is trafficked to the big city by her mother to earn money in the big city. Immediately, things (predictably) go terribly wrong. The film is at its best when it shows the realities of life in rural and urban Ghana, but the screenplay frequently veers off into "morality play" territory. But this is the first film ever submitted by Ghana and "Azali" is definitely a strong first effort worth watching. (Netflix)
42. 
TUNISIA- "Dear Son"- A quiet introspective drama about how the marriage of a moderate, middle-class Tunisian couple comes under strain after their aimless son runs away to fight with ISIS. The father wants to go after him, while the mother wants him to stay. Sadly, this is a very serious problem in Tunisia in 2020. Produced by the Brothers Dardenne, you can definitely see their influence in some of the long camera shots of nothing, and some (purposefully) confusing plot elements that led to a lot of discussion between me and my friend after the film. I think the film would have done better to focus on both parents equally, instead of featuring the father as protagonist and the mother as long-suffering observer....but perhaps that's how marital relationships are in Tunisia.
AVERAGE, FLAWED AND/OR NOT MY CUP OF TEA:
43. 
RUSSIA- "Beanpole"- The best film on the list that nobody likes.....Post WWII-drama "Beanpole" has some of the best acting performances of the year and of course it's very well-made....But it's a hard and painful slog to get through and I'm fairly certain nobody "enjoys" it. But then, that was never the director's intention when he made the film. Although I wouldn't have picked it, I cannot say it didn't deserve it's place on the shortlist.
44. 
NEPAL- "Bulbul"- "Bulbul" is a pleasant low-budget Nepali film about a woman driver struggling to make ends meet in modern-day Kathmandu. Her husband is working abroad, but sends her no money to take her of their daughter and his handicapped father. Though the production values and acting can't compete with some of the films from more developed countries, it's a sadly relevant and surprisingly universal commentary on how women are poorly treated and taken advantage of all over the world. I certainly liked it a lot more than "Beanpole".
45. 
ECUADOR- "The Longest Night" (La mala noche)- A maudlin soap opera about an aging prostitute trying to earn enough money to support her daughter's medical treatment. It's a flawed but passable thriller that builds to a satisfying conclusion. (YouTube)
46.
CUBA- "A Translator" (Un traductor)- Very little to say about this one. This is a fairly "paint-by-numbers" film about a Cuban professor ordered to work as a translator at a Cuban hospital for cancer patients evacuated from Chernobyl. Competently made and mostly predictable, the strained marital relationship between the professor and his wife is far more interesting than the cliched scenes with sick kids at the hospital. Interestingly enough, the film is based on the life of the two directors' parents.
47. 
HUNGARY- "Those Who Remained"- Set in post-WWII Hungary, this odd little film focuses on the friendship between a middle-aged Jewish man who survived the Nazi concentration camps and a sad Jewish teenager in denial about her family's fate, after they all went missing during the War. This is a small, intimate little film that explores a little-known time in European history (the early days of Communism in post-WWII Central Europe). It some ways, this is an uncomfortable watch where it feels as if you are a psychiatrist listening to two troubled patients. There are some heartbreaking moments, but I'm surprised this got noticed enough to make the shortlist. (UK Jewish Film)
48. 
SWITZERLAND- "The Awakening of Matti Wolkenbruch"- This is a fairly standard cross-cultural romantic comedy focusing a traditional Orthodox Jewish college students who falls for a beautiful, modern Swiss shiksa bartender. It's harmless and entertaining, particularly Matti's (incredibly stereotypical) Jewish family....but nothing more than that. (Netflix)
49. 
KOSOVO- "Zana"- This odd little drama from Kosovo is about a woman whose family is pressuring her to have a baby, years after her first child died during the war. I usually love horror-dramas (e.g. "Dearest Sister" from Laos a few years back) and there are a few cool nightmares and interesting folk traditions in the film. But the slow-moving story proceeds in fits and starts and I just couldn't get into it. Average.
50/51. 
AUSTRIA- "Joy"/
NIGERIA- "Lionheart"- So these two films about Nigerian women aren't bad. "Lionheart" is an entertaining comedy about a bright, young woman seeking to break the glass ceiling at her family business, while "Joy" is a bleak, cinema vérité drama about a Nigerian prostitute in Austria required to "groom" a young, new arrival. "Joy" is the superior film, while "Lionheart" is easier to watch. I've ranked them low because both films were clearly mostly in English and don't belong in this category. "Joy" director Sudabeh Mortezai wrote an impassioned piece about why "Joy" ought to be included because so much of the dialogue is in Pidgin English (some of it is....but not 50%.....) that almost convinced me the film should be kept. "Lionheart" director Genevieve Nnaji and Oscar nominee Ava duVernay (though notably not the Nigerian Oscar Committee) whined about colonialism and racism and made me lose respect for them. (Netflix; both)
52. 
JAPAN- "Weathering with You" I love Japanese cinema and of course the animation is beautiful, but there's not much else to recommend this dull Japanese film seemingly geared toward adolescents. A teenage boy who has run away from home (why?? it's not mentioned) meets a beautiful teenage girl who has the power to stop temporarily stop the rainstorms that are plaguing Japan. 
53. 
URUGUAY- "The Moneychanger" A harmless, confusing and mostly forgettable light thriller (it's not really a comedy as it is advertised) about a man trying to get rich via currency manipulation during the 1970s when Uruguay and Argentina were run by military dictatorships. There are a few interesting moments but I barely remembered seeing it the following day.
54. 
ESTONIA- "Truth and Justice"- You have to admire the passionate attention to detail in the production design of this historical recreation of an early 20th century farming community in Estonia. However, this nearly three-hour rural soap opera about three decades in the life of rival neighbors sometimes feels twice as long, and with characters I found difficult to like or relate to. I'm surprised it made the shortlist, but perhaps the older voters had more patience than I did. Technically, this is a strong and well-acted film. I just didn't like it.
55. 
CHILE- "Arana" (Spider)- This Chilean film begins with a bang and a very intriguing premise. A group of three political activists in the 1970s are involved in a love triangle and a political plot that separates and then reunites them decades later. There are so many good ideas at the beginning...but it then things get confusing and it all gradually falls apart and wastes everything that was so carefully set up.
56. 
EGYPT- "Poisonous Roses"- Although billed as a story about urban poverty in Cairo, this is really more a film about the uncomfortable obsession of a sister for her brother. It's a spare, low-budget film and the lead character's motivations are sometimes difficult to understand, but the film is fine, albeit grim.
57.
BANGLADESH- "Alpha"- There are some beautiful visual moments in this quiet drama about a struggling artist haunted by a corpse that won't go away, but the screenplay jumps around too much and eventually goes a bit off the rails. (Youtube)
58.
GREECE- "When Tomatoes Met Wagner"- Another film that is difficult to rank....."Tomatoes" is a pleasant-enough documentary about a bunch of extremely charming elderly Greek ladies who live in a depopulated rural village, on a quixotic quest to source their local products on the global market. The film has some important things to say about globalization, but in this spare 72-minute effort, the women are often more interesting than the subject matter.
59. 
CROATIA- "Mali"- A macho group of Croatian friends drink, drug, shoot off guns and swear for 90 minutes on a country retreat, while the ex-con lead actor tries to figure out a way to keep custody of his 13-year old son. This is one of those films where a lot is probably lost in translation but the loud, brashness soon grates on the viewer. It does start and finish strong.
60. 
NORWAY- "Out Stealing Horses"- This plodding Scandinavian drama probably would have been easily nominated in the 1980s when films like this were voted in by geriatric voters. There's some beautiful filmmaking here and a few interesting plot twists, but for the most part it's an uninteresting look at uninteresting (and mostly undeveloped) characters whose lives intersect in the 1950s and again in the 1990s. Female characters are virtually ignored and the film ends randomly. Although the film was considered an early frontrunner, its low IMDB score (third-to-last in Western Europe) is evidence that many didn't like it.
61. 
KENYA- "Subira"- A simple but mostly forgettable drama about a Muslim island girl's arranged marriage into an Indo-Kenyan family in Nairobi. It's pleasant enough but felt a lot like an after-school special.
63.
SENEGAL- "Atlantique"- Despite it's critical acclaim, I just couldn't get into this plodding fantasy-drama about ghosts coming back from the dead in modern-day Dakar. I love movies about hauntings and ghosts, but I was terribly bored. (Netflix)
DISAPPOINTING:
64.
PANAMA- "Everybody Changes" This odd film from Panama is about a married father of three who decides to have a sex change operation. While it's refreshing to see a film from Central America that so passionately pushes for LGBT rights, the weird tonal shifts and characters who seem to change motivations and personalities suddenly is jarring and off-putting. I sometimes felt like I was watching a motivational video rather than a dramatic film. I must say that the on-screen transformation by Arantxa de Juan (who I believe is transgender herself) was incredibly well-done. I believed she was a man; I believed she was a woman. I initially thought her two halves were played by two different actors. But the stock characters and preachy script tried my patience.
65. 
ITALY- "The Traitor"- A messy, overlong Mafia biopic that failed to keep my interest, despite some strong performances and good tech credentials. (Amazon)
66.
HONG KONG- "White Storm 2"- The Hong Kong Academy loves all-star gangland triad films....and I hate them. Truth be told, I actually enjoyed this film more than I expected to. On the plus side, it has some incredible action sequences (the car chase through a subway!) and the film starts off with some interesting (if cliched) stories. However, the film eventually descends into soap opera melodrama in the second half. This is a stand-alone film, and the characters have no relation to the first "White Storm" (which I didn't see). (Amazon)
67. 
THAILAND- "Inhuman Kiss"- Unlike AMPAS, I love when countries send "genre" horror films, action movies and comedies to this category...and Thailand has done it all. But "Inhuman Kiss" is a rather dull and forgettable horror-drama about a sweet village girl cursed to transform into a kraseu, a disembodied flying head, at night. I used to live in Thailand and the kraseu are part of a well-known folk tradition and common horror movie trope. But the filmmakers play the film as a soap opera rather than a horror film and it all ends up being a little clunky. VFX are not up to Western standards. (Netflix)
68. 
ICELAND- "A White, White Day"- I think "A White, White Day" would have made a great short film. 80% of the first hour could be edited out, and most of the final thirty minutes could be left intact. In the first hour, almost nothing happens. Tension does not build. Characters are not developed. I wouldn't have known what was going on without reading the synopsis. And despite a brilliant showdown between the two male leads around the 70-minute mark, it was all a bit too late for me. I had high hopes for this one and I know that I'm in the minority on this one....but I didn't like it. (Film Movement Online)
NOT GOOD
69. 
TAIWAN- "Dear Ex"- My favorite films are usually ones that succeed at the difficult task of mixing comedy and drama. Despite an intriguing and original plot full of potential, "Dear Ex" does not succeed as a comedy, a drama or as a LGBT film. After a closeted gay man dies, the lives of his bitter ex-wife, his 18-year old son and his former lover intertwine over his will. Unfortunately, the wife and son are two of the most irritating and annoying film characters of the year and you soon care little for what happens to either of them. (Netflix)
70.
SINGAPORE- "A Land Imagined"- David Lynch goes to Singapore in this confusing, moody mystery without a solution. If you want to watch people play video games in an Internet cafe or watch a naked Singaporean cop run on a treadmill for no plot-related reason, this is the film for you. Some intriguing ideas here but not fleshed out enough to make a film. (Netflix)
71.
SLOVENIA- "History of Love"- This story of a hearing-impaired girl dealing with the loss of her mother probably has the most creative and innovative Sound Design work of the year. However, when the audience is stopping to notice the Sound Design, it's a sign that other aspects of the film aren't working. Despite a good performance by Norwegian actor Kristoffer Joner ("The Wave", "The Revenant"), I was extremely bored.
72. 
INDIA- "Gully Boy"- A box-office hit at home in India, this is an overlong rap drama only of interest to those who enjoy spoken word and/or hip-hop. So, I guess I'm not the target audience. Some say it's a direct ripoff of "8 Mile", but I didn't see that so I can't comment. Although the rappers are clearly talented, I did not find the film or characters engaging. Bright spot: whoever did the English subtitles worked incredibly hard to translate the complicated Hindi-language raps into English and they did an incredible job! (Amazon)
73. 
ROMANIA- "The Whistlers"- Billed as a black comedy (my favorite genre), this Romanian caper thriller about a gang of Romanian criminals using a Spanish whistling language makes absolutely no sense. (Amazon)
74. 
COSTA RICA- "Awakening of the Ants" (El despertar de las hormigas)- A drama about a housewife pressured to have another child, the screenplay lacks the necessary dramatic conflict to make the story interesting. It does, however, boast some icky, unexplained scenes of the female protagonist covered in ants.
75. 
MALAYSIA- "M for Malaysia"- A political rally disguised as a documentary.....I think this was really an inappropriate choice for the Oscars. Mahathir bin Mohamed served as the Machiavellian Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981-2003. While Mahathir was a brilliant politician who improved Malaysia's standard of living, he also condemned human rights and LGBT issues as Western intrusions, had his anointed successor beaten, humiliated and thrown in prison, and stayed in power by promoting a system whereby Malaysia's ethnic majority legally discriminated against Chinese and Indian minorities. In 2018, when his former party had become unbearably corrupt, Mahathir joined the opposition he had previously disdained and became the first "opposition" Prime Minister of Malaysia at age 92. Directed by his granddaughter Ineza Roussille, this film documents that campaign. Roussille has a visual flair and, to her credit, does touch upon some of the negative things done under his rule. I'm familiar with Malaysian politics. For those who aren't, this documentary will be inscrutable. (Amazon)
76. 
TURKEY- "Commitment: Asli"- Another film that could have used a better editor, "Commitment: Asli" is about a wealthy career woman who hires a 19-year old to take her of her baby after she returns to work. The woman becomes obsessed with watching the girl through nanny-cams set up around the apartment. While doing this, she is shocked to learn.....well, nothing really....the sweet young girl is a good nanny. With so little happening, the two-hour-plus running time seems to be much, much longer. It's the one film where I'll admit to actually falling asleep. Like Iceland, this may have worked better as a short.
77. 
PALESTINE- "It Must Be Heaven"- I have never been a fan of Elia Suleiman's cloying, plotless observations on everyday life (nor Roy Andersson, whose films are much the same) and "It Must Be Heaven" is more of the same....Endless shots of Suleiman watching people walking down the street, watching a cleaning lady, watching people in the subway, mixed with some absurd imagery and, only very occasionally, some humor. Gael Garcia Bernal, a CGI (?) sparrow and a Japanese woman with one line relieve some of the monotony, but their combined screen time is under two minutes. (Maison 4:3 streaming for purchase)
78.
LITHUANIA- "Bridges of Time"- A terrible documentary in which we revisit the cast and filming locations of a bunch of Soviet documentaries, filmed decades before. There is virtually no context provided so it's like attending a junior-high school reunion of people you don't know. It's not even close...this was definitely my least favorite of all the films.
Unseen:
Afghanistan- "Hava, Maryam, Ayesha" (DQ)
Armenia- "Lengthy Night"
Belarus- "Debut"
Bosnia-Herzegovina- "The Son"
Cambodia- "In the Life of Music"
Czech Republic- "The Painted Bird"
Honduras- "Café con Sabor a mi Tierra"
Kazakhstan- "Kazakh Khanate: Golden Throne" (Does this one even exist? It doesn''t seem to have been screened anywhere....It may be a repackaged TV show?)
Montenegro- "Neverending Past"
Morocco- "Adam"
Pakistan- "Laal Kabootar"
Philippines- "Verdict"
Portugal- "The Domain"
Serbia- "King Petar I"
South Africa- "Knuckle City"
Ukraine- "Homeward"
Full disclosure: I saw almost all the major contenders, but I missed the shortlisted "Painted Bird" (it was playing near my house, but I didn't want to see it), as well as dark horse "Adam" from Morocco (there was one screening in Washington, DC but I was overseas).
SPECIAL THANKS TO ILIA! Thanks to you I managed to see about half a dozen of the films I couldn't find.....
DESERVED WINNER:
KOREA- "Parasite"- I think this may be the first time I've ever agreed with the winner of the Best Foreign Language Film category, but Cannes Palme d'Or winner "Parasite" lived up to all the expectations. It's a funny, memorable genre-bender, perfectly cast, and everyone should see it. I've been a fan of Bong Joon-ho and Korean Oscar entries for years. Oscar finally got it right. (Available on Amazon/Hulu)MY NOMINEES:
2. BOLIVIA- "I Miss You"(Tu me manques)- One of the most memorable LGBT films I've ever seen, this film is a masterful adaptation of a play about a homophobic Bolivian father who goes to New York to find out how his gay son died. Controversial in its native Bolivia, the film attracted protesters and the country was brave to select it. The audience I saw it with was laughing and crying throughout the film, particularly for the on-stage climax, which was the most memorable finale of any of the films on this list. Among the highlights are a cinematically unique triple-casting (the closest was probably "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", though that was for a very different reason). Set in New York City, perhaps the film lost points for the rather wooden performances by some of the English-speaking, American actors?3. MONGOLIA- "The Steed"- A beautifully filmed, exotic Mongolian "Candide". "The Steed" follows a nomadic young boy and his beloved horse circa 1910 in the borderlands of what is now Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan. The two are forced to search for each other after being separated by a sinister horse-thief. Though the plot makes it sounds like a Disney movie, this movie skillfully tells two separate stories as the boy and the horse meet a fascinating array of characters on their journeys home. It also literally features the best acting performance by any animal in film history.4. FRANCE- "Les Misérables"- France hasn't won this award in thirty years, but they would have won if "Parasite" wasn't here (yes, yes.....even over Almodovar). The brilliance of Ladj Ly's crime thriller "Les Miserables" lies in the film's ability to convince its audience that this is a story of heroes vs. villains....but that two viewers would likely disagree as to who were the heroes and who were the villains. For me, it was a film about dedicated but flawed French police trying to survive amid gangs and uncooperative citizens in the banlieux of Paris. Others will clearly see it very differently, and it works on both levels. It boasts strong, well-written characters and a horrific, thrilling finale. (Amazon)5. MACEDONIA- "Honeyland"- One of the competition's most pleasant surprises was this Macedonian documentary about a rural woman beekeeper who lives in harmony with nature, but who is faced with the environmental degradation wrought by her new migrant neighbors. Filmed in a Turkish dialect, the directors have said they didn't quite understand what an amazing story they had until they translated the footage. "Honeyland" is the rare documentary that works as a drama even more than a doc. It also has important messages about the importance of cultural and environmental preservation. (Hulu)6. SWEDEN- "And Then We Danced"- Representing Sweden but filmed entirely in Georgia, this superb LGBT drama is about a traditional dancer who begins a sexual relationship with one of his rivals. It's a no-frills drama that relies on a wonderful screenplay, strong actors and beautiful Georgian music, dance and food to tell its story. Despite its LGBT premise, this is good old-fashioned, quality filmmaking. Sadly, its premiere in Georgia was greeted by violence and protests. (Coming to Amazon in June) GEORGIA- "Shindisi" A last-minute addition to my list.....First of all, I hate war movies. However, this is a really good war movie. "Shindisi" is based on a real battle of Georgian soldiers who were (mostly) massacred in the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia. The battle is the most realistic and most terrifying I have ever seen captured on film...simply heartbreaking....But then the battle ends, and the film morphs into an unexpected human drama focusing on a survivor who is taken in by a local family who risks revenge by Russian soldiers if found. Though some may confused by the Caucasus politics (which I know all too well), this is a hidden gem that deserves to be widely seen. 8. MEXICO- "The Chambermaid" (La camarista)- The second Mexican submission in a row about a proud Mexican maid, I felt "La camarista" was a lot better than Oscar winner "Roma" or the Dardennes films that a lot of people are comparing it to. This character study of Eve is heartbreaking in its simplicity and while most films I saw in 2019 are blurry, I can still feel a gut-punch thinking of some of the small tragedies she endures. (Amazon)9. COLOMBIA- "Monos"- "Monos" is not an easy film to watch or to like, but it's probably the greatest technical achievement of any film on the list this year. Set (at first) in the Colombian mountains and (later) in the jungle, it follows a female American engineer being held hostage by an army of savage child soldiers. Cinematography, editing, and directing are Oscar-worthy.... Sometimes you can't even understand how the director shot certain scenes. It's also brutal, with frighteningly soulless kids as the protagonists, and a blurry ending. (Amazon)10.
BULGARIA- "Ága"- One of several films on the list with little connection to its host country, "Ága" is a charming tale about an elderly Yakut couple living a traditional life alone in the wilds of Siberia. It's a simple story that skillfully blends National Geographic-type cultural exoticism with a beautiful, sad story of this proud, hard-working couple who know that they are the last of their kind. The plight of the elderly wife, who must hide the fact that she is ill from her husband, is memorable and heartbreaking. Sadly, the 31-year actress who plays the title role (a rather small part) died shortly after the film was completed. (Vudu)HONORABLE MENTION:
11. SAUDI ARABIA- "The Perfect Candidate" Though it got mixed reviews, I really enjoyed "The Perfect Candidate", a window on the life of a professional, educated woman doctor in Saudi Arabia. Director Haifaa al-Mansour shows us the enormous challenges women face, the discrimination and the unfairness that gets in their way, but also the way Saudi society is opening up incrementally for them every day. "Candidate" has got humor and passion and gets extra points of course, for being an unabashedly feminist film from Saudi Arabia. I really liked it. (Curzon Home Cinema)12. IRAN- "Finding Farideh"- Overshadowed this year by "Honeyland", this excellent documentary about a Dutch woman who goes in search of her birth parents in Iran would have made my shortlist if you judged the film on the final hour. The first 30 minutes, set in the Netherlands as Eline/Farideh prepares for her trip, would benefit from some judicious editing. However, once the documentary arrives in Iran, it's an absolute master-class masterpiece documentary, combining the finest elements of fairy tales and psychological thrillers. Three Iranian families have responded to Farideh's online ad, each absolutely certain that they are the family of the foundling baby left at a holy shrine forty years before. What happens next is one of the finest dramas of the year. (Amazon)13. KYRGYZSTAN- "Aurora"- A quirky and utterly charming drama about a series of oddball characters spending the wintry off-season at the famous Aurora sanitarium resort near Lake Issyk-kul (I stayed here in summer 2009!). The film is very funny, but also goes to some surprisingly dark places. Think "Northern Exposure" meets "Twin Peaks" in Central Asia. (Youtube)14. GERMANY- "System Crasher"- Perhaps the most surprising absence from the Oscar shortlist. I'm really surprised this film didn't resonate with the Academy , as it's very well-made and well-acted and seemed far more likely to appeal to mainstream voters than almost any of the other films. "System Crasher" is about an 8-year old German girl named Benny who has been rejected by her birth mother (and seemingly every orphanage, care home and foster family in Germany) due to her violent and anti-social behavior. She finally meets a care worker who can deal with her, but this is not a heartwarming Hollywood film with cute kids, and Benny's problems cannot be solved in 90 minutes.....saying any more would spoil things. Screenplay is a highlight. (Netflix)
15. 
LUXEMBOURG- "Tel Aviv on Fire"- This screwball comedy from Israel Luxembourg (?!) is "Soapdish" set amidst the Israel-Palestinian conflict. It's sometimes silly but always a lot of fun to watch and has some serious messages hidden not far beneath the surface. Directed by an Israeli-Arab director with the dialogue mostly in Arabic, it was expected to represent Israel but Luxembourg (which funded the film) picked it up when Israeli choose "Incitement" (also good) instead. I'm surprised AMPAS allowed it, but happy it got a chance to compete. (Amazon)
16.
INDONESIA- "Memories of My Body"- Another brave choice by a national selection committee, this queer film about the life of a traditional male dancer who plays female roles was kicked out of most national cinemas by religious fundamentalist protesters. "Memories of My Body" is almost a series of short vignettes, as we see different stages in the life of the dancer, from childhood to adolescence and middle-age. The characters are rich and the dancing is beautiful, though I could have done without the odd narrator interludes (the narrator is played by Rianto, the dancer on whose life the film is based)
LUXEMBOURG- "Tel Aviv on Fire"- This screwball comedy from 16.
INDONESIA- "Memories of My Body"- Another brave choice by a national selection committee, this queer film about the life of a traditional male dancer who plays female roles was kicked out of most national cinemas by religious fundamentalist protesters. "Memories of My Body" is almost a series of short vignettes, as we see different stages in the life of the dancer, from childhood to adolescence and middle-age. The characters are rich and the dancing is beautiful, though I could have done without the odd narrator interludes (the narrator is played by Rianto, the dancer on whose life the film is based)17. SPAIN- "Pain and Glory" (Dolor y gloria)- I thought Almodovar's semi-autobiographical "Pain and Glory" was very good....but I didn't find it as memorable or special as most other critics did. I didn't recall very much of it the next day (usually my test of whether a film is "good" or "great"). I think this meditation on growing old will likely mean more to me if I watch it again in ten years. For me, the acting was a highlight (especially Asier Etxeandia, who often fails to get mentioned since he's not as famous as Banderas, Cruz or Roth) but some of the plotlines are more interesting than others. (Amazon)18. CANADA- "Antigone"- An intriguing "moral dilemma" drama transplanting the famous Greek tragedy to Montreal, amidst an Algerian immigrant family in Canada. Antigone is now a 17-year old straight-A student with a bright future, who fled Algeria with her grandmother and three siblings, after her parents were murdered when she was 3. When one of her two gangbanger brothers is killed in a police shootout, she commits a criminal act to help the other (lowlife) brother escape. The director and I probably wouldn't agree on much, but she does portray both sides of the dilemma and does it very well. I sided with Antigone's sister far more than Antigone herself. The music video-style cuts are a bit jarring and don't necessarily fit with the rest of the film. (Vimeo On Demand, Canada)19. SLOVAKIA- "Let There Be Light"- Marko Skop's "Eva Nova" was my favorite film of the 2016 competition. His new film, "Let There Be Light", is not quite as good but you can still see the director's influence. A Slovak laborer returns to Germany for the Christmas holidays and learns that his son may or may not have been involved in a violent bullying attack on a friend, who committed suicide afterwards. The film starts slow but gets better as it goes along and more and more the story becomes clear. Recommended. VENEZUELA- "Being Impossible" (Yo, imposible)- Grim and difficult to watch, this gritty, low-budget film is one of the most enlightening and important films on the list. After losing her virginity, a poor factory worker experiences terrible pain. Her family doctor dismisses her and tells her it's nothing to worry about while her mother warns her never to visit a different doctor. She eventually learns she was born intersex and this film forces the viewer to confront head-on the attendant emotional difficulties, and physical "impossibilities" that she goes through. (HBO Now)21. AUSTRALIA- "Buoyancy"- A gritty and brutally realistic drama about human trafficking. The film follows a Cambodian teen who finds himself enslaved on a Thai fishing boat after running away from his village to seek work in Thailand. It's an impressive achievement that gets its message across without being preachy, and works as both a sad drama and am exciting thriller. Lead actor Sarm Heng is an amazing first-time actor who was discovered via an NGO that works with Cambodian street children. (MUBI) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC- "The Projectionist" (El proyeccionista)- Jose Maria Cabral is one of my favorite Latin American directors and I absolutely loved "Jaque Mate" and "Woodpeckers" which represented the DR in 2012 and 2017. Although the film noir "Projectionist" is my least-favorite of the three, it's still a highly engaging mystery about a man obsessed with a black and white vintage film clip of a nude woman. Though the film starts off slow, it builds to a feverish and brilliantly directed finale where (most) everything becomes clear. Cabral is a master of the twist ending. NETHERLANDS- "Instinct"- A worthy companion piece to "Elle", I found this film about a prison psychiatrist to be more accessible than that film (I seem to be very much in the minority on this) and found Carice van Houten's performance on par with the Oscar-nominated Isabelle Huppert. "Instinct" is a psychological thriller about van Houten's toxic battle of wits with a sex offender serving time at the prison. It's sexy and disturbing and, unlike many European films of this nature, has a clear and dramatically satisfying ending.25. ARGENTINA- "La odisea de los giles" A predictable but entertaining comedy that combines the crowdpleasing traits of a revenge comedy and a heist thriller. A group of lovable small-town characters set out to recover their life savings after an unscrupulous local official legally steals it during the 2001 Argentine financial "corralito" economic crisis. It's a crowdpleaser, although the characters are not as fully fleshed out as they should be....and that goes double for the women. (DVD w/English subtitles difficult to find, but it does exist)
AVERAGE:
26.
ISRAEL- "Incitement"- While watching Ophir winner "Incitement", I had flashbacks to "Paradise Now", "Downfall", "Helter Skelter" and Fox News coverage of Donald Trump rallies. It's an uncomfortable look at how the assassin of Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin conceived and plotted his murder in 1995. Speaking as a non-Israeli, it was chilling and shocking to me how assassin Yigal Amir justified the murder of PM Rabin in the same religious language usually associated with Islamic terrorist groups, and how similar Israeli nationalist mobs resembled the Trump supporters of today. The film spends a lot of time going over Jewish theological arguments that are more likely to resonate with Israelis than foreign audiences. Still, this is a thought-provoking and challenging film..... (UK Jewish Film Online)
26.
ISRAEL- "Incitement"- While watching Ophir winner "Incitement", I had flashbacks to "Paradise Now", "Downfall", "Helter Skelter" and Fox News coverage of Donald Trump rallies. It's an uncomfortable look at how the assassin of Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin conceived and plotted his murder in 1995. Speaking as a non-Israeli, it was chilling and shocking to me how assassin Yigal Amir justified the murder of PM Rabin in the same religious language usually associated with Islamic terrorist groups, and how similar Israeli nationalist mobs resembled the Trump supporters of today. The film spends a lot of time going over Jewish theological arguments that are more likely to resonate with Israelis than foreign audiences. Still, this is a thought-provoking and challenging film..... (UK Jewish Film Online)27.
DENMARK- "Queen of Hearts"- A drama more memorable for the brave lead performance of an icy Trine Dyrholm than for the film itself. Anne, a bored middle-class wife and mother, seduces her emotionally damaged, criminal stepson after he moves in with the family. "Queen of Hearts" is similar in its theme to "Instinct" (see above) with both focusing on the sexual power of older women which may (depending on your point of view) be construed as abuse. The film is fine and the ending is above average. I sympathized with Anne....which I don't think the viewer is meant to do. LOL. A good film, though not as impressive as the ones that Oscar powerhouse Denmark usually sends to this competition. (Amazon)28. POLAND- "Corpus Christi"- I thought this was a solid "moral dilemma" drama, though I didn't find it particularly memorable and felt it was the weakest of the eventual five Oscar nominees. Perhaps it's strongest and weakest point is that this is a very talky, intellectual and philosophical film. Still, a solid effort with great acting performances. (Film Movement Online)29.
BELGIUM- "Nuestras Madres"- Though this film should rightfully be representing Guatemala (which didn't send a film), it was somehow selected to represent Belgium. It's a good but flawed film that is at its best when its focusing on the female victims of the Guatemalan civil war. That is the focus of the beginning of the film (the rural, indigenous victims) and the end of the film (the urban, intelligentsia victims). Unfortunately, the film gets lost a little bit in the middle as it focuses on its least developed and least interesting character- it's male lead. (Wouldn't a female investigator have been so much more compelling?) Despite its flaws, it's overall a well-made film. LEBANON- "1982" Though the film starts off painfully slow, it gradually achieves a thriller-level of claustrophobia as the teachers and students at an elite suburban school try to figure out how to get home when Lebanon is invaded. For me, the film was at its best when dealing with the teachers (including the beautiful Nadine Labaki), parents and staff. I found the children's stories far less compelling (childhood crushes, etc.) though that may have just been me. The film really improves in the second half. 31. BRAZIL- "Invisible Life"- A grand soap opera based on a beloved Brazilian novel, the acting is wonderful and the attention to period detail is beautiful....However, it was all a bit too telenovela for me and goes on for far too long. In my own personal opinion, the film focuses on the less interesting of the two Gusmao sisters (though you can blame that on the novel). Although I predicted it would be shortlisted, after seeing it a few weeks ago, I certainly understood why it wasn't. (Amazon Prime) ALBANIA- "The Delegation"- An interesting little film set in the final days of Communism in Albania, which was then sealed off from the rest of the world like North Korea is today. An academic who has been imprisoned for 15 years is given a proposition- tell a visiting delegation of Europeans that he has been living peacefully at home, and he will be released. Are they telling the truth? Should he endanger his life by telling the delegation the truth of the Albanian dictatorship? This is another film that starts off slow and improves, but while there are some very interesting ideas here, the screenplay does not make full use of the characters ALGERIA- "Papicha"- A well-meaning but flawed feminist film from Algeria about the life of ordinary women during the brutal civil war of the 1990s. Wonderfully acted but with a screenplay that moves in fits and starts, it sometimes seems as if they made a list of the tragedies they wanted to show and built the film around them. Relationships between characters are sometimes unclear, the term "Papicha" was never explained (apparently, it means "hot girl") and characters seem to change midway the film (though during a polarizing civil war, maybe this really happens to people). (Available on DVD in France with English subtitles, or via Lincoln Center's Virtual Cinema in the USA)34. IRELAND- "Gaza"- An interesting documentary made by a pair of Irish directors in the Gaza Strip. The film focuses on the hardships of ordinary people living in Gaza, governed (poorly) by the Hamas terrorist group and blockaded by Israel. Some of the stories and characters really resonate, others less so. Best viewed as a "slice of life" doc...those looking for political insights may be disappointed. (Amazon Prime) ETHIOPIA- "Running Against the Wind" This is another one that's really hard to rank. The production values are really impressive. Beautiful rural vistas, dark urban slums, a really well-done car crash, Addis Ababa's hi-so modern neighborhoods....the film shoots all of these beautifully, with a slick Hollywood style. The film clearly has some very talented people behind the camera. However, like several other African films on the list (Algeria, Ghana etc.), it's the screenplay that needs tightening up. In the film, best friends Abdi and Solomon live in a dusty village and become "brothers" when Solomon's father dies. At age 12, Solomon, who dreams of becoming a photographer, steals a camera and runs away to the capital city, while Abdi, a talented runner, is sent to the capital seven years later to compete for a spot on Ethiopia's Olympic team. Some parts of the film are truly great, while others- including an ending that rewards an unsympathetic secondary character for no reason- are not. The message- which I'm sure the director did not intend- seems to be that rural people should not dream big. 36.
PERU- "Retablo"- A sad, LGBT-themed drama set in the Quechua-speaking mountains of Peru. This is a small and intimate film about how a rural family's existence is shattered by one character's forbidden sexual liaisons. This is a film I suspect will mostly resonate with audiences interested in the LGBT aspects of the story. Despite its exotic locale, things would probably play out much the same in Europe or America a few short decades ago. (Amazon) LATVIA- "The Mover"- Another "solid but unmemorable" drama, this time a biopic about a Latvian smuggler in Nazi-occupied Latvia who saves dozens of his Jewish neighbors. There are some standout moments but neither the lead family nor the Jewish fugitives are really fleshed out as characters and though it's "based on a true story", the most fascinating part of the story (how Jews were transported from the concentration camps to the farm) is confusing. (UK Jewish Film Online)38. VIETNAM- "Furie"- This gonzo martial arts revenge film is certainly not a "great" film and it's definitely out of place in the Oscar race....but it's a highly entertaining action film with some incredible action sequences and stunt work. I'm not usually a fan of this genre but the film is highly entertaining. (Netflix)39. CHINA- "Ne Zha"- So, this is obviously an animated film for children and should not have been selected to represent China, which produces some really amazing and more deserving films. However, I have to say that the animation is absolutely beautiful and original, and the good vs. evil story (based on Chinese mythology) is engaging even for an adult viewer. Although I have little interest in children's anime, it is very good for what it is. (Amazon)40. FINLAND- "Stupid Young Heart"- A fairly average social drama about two irresponsible teenagers who get pregnant. The film is clearly meant to shine a light on economic and social issues - poverty, racism, nationalism, etc that most people think are absent in Nordic countries like Finland. It's difficult to feel sympathy for the "stupid young" characters and their poor decisions but (other than the disappointing ending) it's probably a fairly realistic portrayal of the various social issues. Kudos to Finland for casting age-appropriate teenage actors. In the USA, they'd probably be played by 25-year olds.41. GHANA- "Azali"- A young girl from rural Ghana is trafficked to the big city by her mother to earn money in the big city. Immediately, things (predictably) go terribly wrong. The film is at its best when it shows the realities of life in rural and urban Ghana, but the screenplay frequently veers off into "morality play" territory. But this is the first film ever submitted by Ghana and "Azali" is definitely a strong first effort worth watching. (Netflix)42. TUNISIA- "Dear Son"- A quiet introspective drama about how the marriage of a moderate, middle-class Tunisian couple comes under strain after their aimless son runs away to fight with ISIS. The father wants to go after him, while the mother wants him to stay. Sadly, this is a very serious problem in Tunisia in 2020. Produced by the Brothers Dardenne, you can definitely see their influence in some of the long camera shots of nothing, and some (purposefully) confusing plot elements that led to a lot of discussion between me and my friend after the film. I think the film would have done better to focus on both parents equally, instead of featuring the father as protagonist and the mother as long-suffering observer....but perhaps that's how marital relationships are in Tunisia. 43. RUSSIA- "Beanpole"- The best film on the list that nobody likes.....Post WWII-drama "Beanpole" has some of the best acting performances of the year and of course it's very well-made....But it's a hard and painful slog to get through and I'm fairly certain nobody "enjoys" it. But then, that was never the director's intention when he made the film. Although I wouldn't have picked it, I cannot say it didn't deserve it's place on the shortlist.44. NEPAL- "Bulbul"- "Bulbul" is a pleasant low-budget Nepali film about a woman driver struggling to make ends meet in modern-day Kathmandu. Her husband is working abroad, but sends her no money to take her of their daughter and his handicapped father. Though the production values and acting can't compete with some of the films from more developed countries, it's a sadly relevant and surprisingly universal commentary on how women are poorly treated and taken advantage of all over the world. I certainly liked it a lot more than "Beanpole". ECUADOR- "The Longest Night" (La mala noche)- A maudlin soap opera about an aging prostitute trying to earn enough money to support her daughter's medical treatment. It's a flawed but passable thriller that builds to a satisfying conclusion. (YouTube)46.
CUBA- "A Translator" (Un traductor)- Very little to say about this one. This is a fairly "paint-by-numbers" film about a Cuban professor ordered to work as a translator at a Cuban hospital for cancer patients evacuated from Chernobyl. Competently made and mostly predictable, the strained marital relationship between the professor and his wife is far more interesting than the cliched scenes with sick kids at the hospital. Interestingly enough, the film is based on the life of the two directors' parents.47. HUNGARY- "Those Who Remained"- Set in post-WWII Hungary, this odd little film focuses on the friendship between a middle-aged Jewish man who survived the Nazi concentration camps and a sad Jewish teenager in denial about her family's fate, after they all went missing during the War. This is a small, intimate little film that explores a little-known time in European history (the early days of Communism in post-WWII Central Europe). It some ways, this is an uncomfortable watch where it feels as if you are a psychiatrist listening to two troubled patients. There are some heartbreaking moments, but I'm surprised this got noticed enough to make the shortlist. (UK Jewish Film)48. SWITZERLAND- "The Awakening of Matti Wolkenbruch"- This is a fairly standard cross-cultural romantic comedy focusing a traditional Orthodox Jewish college students who falls for a beautiful, modern Swiss shiksa bartender. It's harmless and entertaining, particularly Matti's (incredibly stereotypical) Jewish family....but nothing more than that. (Netflix)49. KOSOVO- "Zana"- This odd little drama from Kosovo is about a woman whose family is pressuring her to have a baby, years after her first child died during the war. I usually love horror-dramas (e.g. "Dearest Sister" from Laos a few years back) and there are a few cool nightmares and interesting folk traditions in the film. But the slow-moving story proceeds in fits and starts and I just couldn't get into it. Average. AVERAGE
50/51. AUSTRIA- "Joy"/ NIGERIA- "Lionheart"- So these two films about Nigerian women aren't bad. "Lionheart" is an entertaining comedy about a bright, young woman seeking to break the glass ceiling at her family business, while "Joy" is a bleak, cinema vérité drama about a Nigerian prostitute in Austria required to "groom" a young, new arrival. "Joy" is the superior film, while "Lionheart" is easier to watch. I've ranked them low because both films were clearly mostly in English and don't belong in this category. "Joy" director Sudabeh Mortezai wrote an impassioned piece about why "Joy" ought to be included because so much of the dialogue is in Pidgin English (some of it is....but not 50%.....) that almost convinced me the film should be kept. "Lionheart" director Genevieve Nnaji and Oscar nominee Ava duVernay (though notably not the Nigerian Oscar Committee) whined about colonialism and racism and made me lose respect for them. (Netflix; both) JAPAN- "Weathering with You" I love Japanese cinema and of course the animation is beautiful, but there's not much else to recommend this dull Japanese film seemingly geared toward adolescents. A teenage boy who has run away from home (why?? it's not mentioned) meets a beautiful teenage girl who has the power to stop temporarily stop the rainstorms that are plaguing Japan. URUGUAY- "The Moneychanger" A harmless, confusing and mostly forgettable light thriller (it's not really a comedy as it is advertised) about a man trying to get rich via currency manipulation during the 1970s when Uruguay and Argentina were run by military dictatorships. There are a few interesting moments but I barely remembered seeing it the following day. 54. ESTONIA- "Truth and Justice"- You have to admire the passionate attention to detail in the production design of this historical recreation of an early 20th century farming community in Estonia. However, this nearly three-hour rural soap opera about three decades in the life of rival neighbors sometimes feels twice as long, and with characters I found difficult to like or relate to. I'm surprised it made the shortlist, but perhaps the older voters had more patience than I did. Technically, this is a strong and well-acted film. I just didn't like it. CHILE- "Arana" (Spider)- This Chilean film begins with a bang and a very intriguing premise. A group of three political activists in the 1970s are involved in a love triangle and a political plot that separates and then reunites them decades later. There are so many good ideas at the beginning...but it then things get confusing and it all gradually falls apart and wastes everything that was so carefully set up. 56. EGYPT- "Poisonous Roses"- Although billed as a story about urban poverty in Cairo, this is really more a film about the uncomfortable obsession of a sister for her brother. It's a spare, low-budget film and the lead character's motivations are sometimes difficult to understand, but the film is fine, albeit grim.57.
BANGLADESH- "Alpha"- There are some beautiful visual moments in this quiet drama about a struggling artist haunted by a corpse that won't go away, but the screenplay jumps around too much and eventually goes a bit off the rails. (Youtube)58.
GREECE- "When Tomatoes Met Wagner"- Another film that is difficult to rank....."Tomatoes" is a pleasant-enough documentary about a bunch of extremely charming elderly Greek ladies who live in a depopulated rural village, on a quixotic quest to source their local products on the global market. The film has some important things to say about globalization, but in this spare 72-minute effort, the women are often more interesting than the subject matter. CROATIA- "Mali"- A macho group of Croatian friends drink, drug, shoot off guns and swear for 90 minutes on a country retreat, while the ex-con lead actor tries to figure out a way to keep custody of his 13-year old son. This is one of those films where a lot is probably lost in translation but the loud, brashness soon grates on the viewer. It does start and finish strong. NORWAY- "Out Stealing Horses"- This plodding Scandinavian drama probably would have been easily nominated in the 1980s when films like this were voted in by geriatric voters. There's some beautiful filmmaking here and a few interesting plot twists, but for the most part it's an uninteresting look at uninteresting (and mostly undeveloped) characters whose lives intersect in the 1950s and again in the 1990s. Female characters are virtually ignored and the film ends randomly. Although the film was considered an early frontrunner, its low IMDB score (third-to-last in Western Europe) is evidence that many didn't like it. 61. KENYA- "Subira"- A simple but mostly forgettable drama about a Muslim island girl's arranged marriage into an Indo-Kenyan family in Nairobi. It's pleasant enough but felt a lot like an after-school special.62. 
UZBEKISTAN- "Hot Bread"- This is the first film from Uzbekistan to enter the Oscar race (and the second I've seen from Uzbekistan.....The 2003 comedy "Boys in the Sky" was great) so I really wanted to rank it higher. However, it's a modest effort. Zulfiyah is a teenage girl who is thrilled to be pulled out of her boarding school so she can live with her absentee mother....However, she finds herself duped and living with her grandmother in a quiet village. Zulfiyah is quite a brat and not always easy to sympathize with despite her predicament. Still, I enjoyed seeing this "slice of life" drama that showcases a country rarely seen on screen.
UZBEKISTAN- "Hot Bread"- This is the first film from Uzbekistan to enter the Oscar race (and the second I've seen from Uzbekistan.....The 2003 comedy "Boys in the Sky" was great) so I really wanted to rank it higher. However, it's a modest effort. Zulfiyah is a teenage girl who is thrilled to be pulled out of her boarding school so she can live with her absentee mother....However, she finds herself duped and living with her grandmother in a quiet village. Zulfiyah is quite a brat and not always easy to sympathize with despite her predicament. Still, I enjoyed seeing this "slice of life" drama that showcases a country rarely seen on screen. 63.
SENEGAL- "Atlantique"- Despite it's critical acclaim, I just couldn't get into this plodding fantasy-drama about ghosts coming back from the dead in modern-day Dakar. I love movies about hauntings and ghosts, but I was terribly bored. (Netflix)64.
PANAMA- "Everybody Changes" This odd film from Panama is about a married father of three who decides to have a sex change operation. While it's refreshing to see a film from Central America that so passionately pushes for LGBT rights, the weird tonal shifts and characters who seem to change motivations and personalities suddenly is jarring and off-putting. I sometimes felt like I was watching a motivational video rather than a dramatic film. I must say that the on-screen transformation by Arantxa de Juan (who I believe is transgender herself) was incredibly well-done. I believed she was a man; I believed she was a woman. I initially thought her two halves were played by two different actors. But the stock characters and preachy script tried my patience. ITALY- "The Traitor"- A messy, overlong Mafia biopic that failed to keep my interest, despite some strong performances and good tech credentials. (Amazon)66.
HONG KONG- "White Storm 2"- The Hong Kong Academy loves all-star gangland triad films....and I hate them. Truth be told, I actually enjoyed this film more than I expected to. On the plus side, it has some incredible action sequences (the car chase through a subway!) and the film starts off with some interesting (if cliched) stories. However, the film eventually descends into soap opera melodrama in the second half. This is a stand-alone film, and the characters have no relation to the first "White Storm" (which I didn't see). (Amazon) THAILAND- "Inhuman Kiss"- Unlike AMPAS, I love when countries send "genre" horror films, action movies and comedies to this category...and Thailand has done it all. But "Inhuman Kiss" is a rather dull and forgettable horror-drama about a sweet village girl cursed to transform into a kraseu, a disembodied flying head, at night. I used to live in Thailand and the kraseu are part of a well-known folk tradition and common horror movie trope. But the filmmakers play the film as a soap opera rather than a horror film and it all ends up being a little clunky. VFX are not up to Western standards. (Netflix)68. ICELAND- "A White, White Day"- I think "A White, White Day" would have made a great short film. 80% of the first hour could be edited out, and most of the final thirty minutes could be left intact. In the first hour, almost nothing happens. Tension does not build. Characters are not developed. I wouldn't have known what was going on without reading the synopsis. And despite a brilliant showdown between the two male leads around the 70-minute mark, it was all a bit too late for me. I had high hopes for this one and I know that I'm in the minority on this one....but I didn't like it. (Film Movement Online)NOT GOOD
69. TAIWAN- "Dear Ex"- My favorite films are usually ones that succeed at the difficult task of mixing comedy and drama. Despite an intriguing and original plot full of potential, "Dear Ex" does not succeed as a comedy, a drama or as a LGBT film. After a closeted gay man dies, the lives of his bitter ex-wife, his 18-year old son and his former lover intertwine over his will. Unfortunately, the wife and son are two of the most irritating and annoying film characters of the year and you soon care little for what happens to either of them. (Netflix)70.
SINGAPORE- "A Land Imagined"- David Lynch goes to Singapore in this confusing, moody mystery without a solution. If you want to watch people play video games in an Internet cafe or watch a naked Singaporean cop run on a treadmill for no plot-related reason, this is the film for you. Some intriguing ideas here but not fleshed out enough to make a film. (Netflix)71.
SLOVENIA- "History of Love"- This story of a hearing-impaired girl dealing with the loss of her mother probably has the most creative and innovative Sound Design work of the year. However, when the audience is stopping to notice the Sound Design, it's a sign that other aspects of the film aren't working. Despite a good performance by Norwegian actor Kristoffer Joner ("The Wave", "The Revenant"), I was extremely bored.72. INDIA- "Gully Boy"- A box-office hit at home in India, this is an overlong rap drama only of interest to those who enjoy spoken word and/or hip-hop. So, I guess I'm not the target audience. Some say it's a direct ripoff of "8 Mile", but I didn't see that so I can't comment. Although the rappers are clearly talented, I did not find the film or characters engaging. Bright spot: whoever did the English subtitles worked incredibly hard to translate the complicated Hindi-language raps into English and they did an incredible job! (Amazon) ROMANIA- "The Whistlers"- Billed as a black comedy (my favorite genre), this Romanian caper thriller about a gang of Romanian criminals using a Spanish whistling language makes absolutely no sense. (Amazon)
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74. COSTA RICA- "Awakening of the Ants" (El despertar de las hormigas)- A drama about a housewife pressured to have another child, the screenplay lacks the necessary dramatic conflict to make the story interesting. It does, however, boast some icky, unexplained scenes of the female protagonist covered in ants.75. MALAYSIA- "M for Malaysia"- A political rally disguised as a documentary.....I think this was really an inappropriate choice for the Oscars. Mahathir bin Mohamed served as the Machiavellian Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981-2003. While Mahathir was a brilliant politician who improved Malaysia's standard of living, he also condemned human rights and LGBT issues as Western intrusions, had his anointed successor beaten, humiliated and thrown in prison, and stayed in power by promoting a system whereby Malaysia's ethnic majority legally discriminated against Chinese and Indian minorities. In 2018, when his former party had become unbearably corrupt, Mahathir joined the opposition he had previously disdained and became the first "opposition" Prime Minister of Malaysia at age 92. Directed by his granddaughter Ineza Roussille, this film documents that campaign. Roussille has a visual flair and, to her credit, does touch upon some of the negative things done under his rule. I'm familiar with Malaysian politics. For those who aren't, this documentary will be inscrutable. (Amazon)76. TURKEY- "Commitment: Asli"- Another film that could have used a better editor, "Commitment: Asli" is about a wealthy career woman who hires a 19-year old to take her of her baby after she returns to work. The woman becomes obsessed with watching the girl through nanny-cams set up around the apartment. While doing this, she is shocked to learn.....well, nothing really....the sweet young girl is a good nanny. With so little happening, the two-hour-plus running time seems to be much, much longer. It's the one film where I'll admit to actually falling asleep. Like Iceland, this may have worked better as a short. 77. PALESTINE- "It Must Be Heaven"- I have never been a fan of Elia Suleiman's cloying, plotless observations on everyday life (nor Roy Andersson, whose films are much the same) and "It Must Be Heaven" is more of the same....Endless shots of Suleiman watching people walking down the street, watching a cleaning lady, watching people in the subway, mixed with some absurd imagery and, only very occasionally, some humor. Gael Garcia Bernal, a CGI (?) sparrow and a Japanese woman with one line relieve some of the monotony, but their combined screen time is under two minutes. (Maison 4:3 streaming for purchase)78.
LITHUANIA- "Bridges of Time"- A terrible documentary in which we revisit the cast and filming locations of a bunch of Soviet documentaries, filmed decades before. There is virtually no context provided so it's like attending a junior-high school reunion of people you don't know. It's not even close...this was definitely my least favorite of all the films.NOT SEEN:
UPDATE APRIL 2021: The films from Armenia, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Morocco and Serbia are available on Amazon. The South African film can be watched via a paid subscription, while the Portuguese film is on (an expensive) DVD. I know I should see "The Painted Bird"....but I don't want to.
I'd be happy to know where I can find any of the other films with English subtitles. I'd be especially excited to see the obscure entries from Afghanistan and Pakistan. :)
Unseen:
Afghanistan- "Hava, Maryam, Ayesha" (DQ)
Armenia- "Lengthy Night"
Belarus- "Debut"
Bosnia-Herzegovina- "The Son"
Cambodia- "In the Life of Music"
Czech Republic- "The Painted Bird"
Honduras- "Café con Sabor a mi Tierra"
Kazakhstan- "Kazakh Khanate: Golden Throne" (Does this one even exist? It doesn''t seem to have been screened anywhere....It may be a repackaged TV show?)
Montenegro- "Neverending Past"
Morocco- "Adam"
Pakistan- "Laal Kabootar"
Philippines- "Verdict"
Portugal- "The Domain"
Serbia- "King Petar I"
South Africa- "Knuckle City"
Ukraine- "Homeward"
