I like this post because I KNOW you guys will not watch the International Films; the Academy doesn't even watch films in this category. That is a problem that the Academy is attempting to fix with the recent name change to this category. No longer will a film made from another country be considered "foreign", but simply international. That has been the only change to this category, which still remains very flawed. To get a better understanding of everything that is wrong with the way the Academy decides on nominees, read this extremely informative article by Vox. One problem is that each country gets to offer one film to be viewed by the Academy for this award. Most international films will not have a chance to be viewed in the US film market without a nomination. So, when a politically charged nation gets to choose who moves on to be seen by the voters, it can cause problems. International films are wonderful, and I love having the opportunity to view the nominees every year. I am always pleasantly surprised by what I see.
Another Round
First off, I have to mention how relaxed I was watching this film. For Christmas, my fiance (am I starting to sound like that girl from Seinfeld who keeps going "wheres my feeeonsaayy?" If so, I'm sorry) got me this bath tray and I have used the crap out of it. For this film, I made myself a smoothie, popped popcorn, threw in some bath bombs, and propped up my tablet on the tray. I also got to wear my favorite outfit... my birthday suit!
I loved the premise of Another Round, from Denmark. It deals with four men, who are best friends, who are embarking on a study which tests the theory that everyone is living with alcohol deficiency. It states that to be your true authentic self you must have an alcohol level of .05. It may sound bad, but it made sense to me. When I have a drink I am more likely to engage in conversation, have less nerves, and my inhibition is lowered just enough to have fun without embarrassment. It starts off well for the four men as well. Our main character, Martin, starts to find joy in his teaching career, and he becomes a better father and husband. Another friend, Tommy, find success with the soccer team he coaches. With the success, they decide to up the amount of alcohol. Again, they find their lives improving. They end up upping the alcohol, some of them even turning to cocaine. This has started to cause issues with their families. The friend who leads the study stumbles home one day and urinates in his bed, next to his child and wife. She takes her children and leaves to stay with family. Martin also stumbles home after a night of binge drinking and wakes up in his neighbors yard. His teen son has to help him walk home. This causes an argument with his wife who admits she has been unfaithful to him for a long time. Worst of all, Tommy ends up becoming an alcoholic which leads to depression which leads to his suicide. This, of course, leads all the men to end the experiment.
Even with the sad ending, the film does wrap up well. I enjoyed it very much. It was not just a good international film, but a good film all together. It is definitely a film that would do well with American audiences, if they gave it a chance. The lead actor, Mads Mikkelsen, did an amazing job, and he is quite handsome, too. I had no idea who he was before I saw this film, and had no idea he was a successful actor here in the states already (Rogue One, Hannibal, Doctor Strange). There are other good films in this category, but I take this one for the winner. It was also nominated for Best Director, which was cool, but it will not win that award.
Quo Vadis, Aida?
If you want to cry during a film, this is the one for you. The film, from Bosnia, starts off with a scene between the mayor of Srebrenica and the UN Colonel. Aida, our main character, translates a conversation in which the UN promises to protect them from the Serbian military attack that was predicted. In the next scene, the mayor is being taken by the Serbian military and shot in front of its citizens. It's a tough start, but shows how unreliable the UN is in this fight. The citizens who were not gunned down, march their way to the UN safe zone, where they only allow a minimal amount of people. Aida, who is employed by the UN, begs the colonel to allow her two sons and her husband to come inside the safe zone. She only manages to get them inside when she volunteers her husband to join a negotiation meeting between the Serbians and the UN. During the negotiation, the Serbian military agrees to allow the citizens to be transported to safety. The military starts to separate the men from the women and children. Rumors start to come back to the safe zone that they are bringing the men to a separate location and shooting them all. Aida panics, and attempts to get her family on the same transportation as the other UN employees. She is unsuccessful due to them not being employees themselves. In the end, the men are put on a bus and then they find out the rumors are true. They are brought into a room, and then the men stick their guns through holes in the walls and slaughter them all. It's haunting.
It was a good film that taught me a lot. It had great pacing, filming and acting. It was a close second to Another Round.
Better Days
This film, from Hong Kong, is not a favorite to win, but I know I will be watching this again. As someone who loves a unique romance film, this was right up my alley. It involves a girl, Chen Nian, whose friend commits suicide due to bullying from a group of girls. With the friend out of the way, Chen Nian, becomes their next target. They even go as far as following her home to attempt to fight her there. With her unreliable mother being away, Chen Nian walks home in an unsafe area and runs into a young man being jumped. She tries to call the cops, but the gang sees her, breaks her phone, and forces her to kiss the badly beaten man. Grateful for her interjection, the young man, Xiao Bei, follows Chen Nian to help her with her phone. The rest of the film deals with the two falling in love while he protects her from her bullies. One day, Xiao Bei is mistaken for a criminal and is arrested, leaving Chen Nian vulnerable. The girl bullies catch her after school, beat her, cut her hair, rip her clothes off, and film the entire thing. After the school expels the main bully, she comes to Chen Nian and admits that her parents will kill her if she is not able to take her final exams. She asks for her forgiveness. Chen Nian, instead, pushes her down stairs, where she hits her head and dies. Xiao Bei hides the body, but it is recovered. The rest of the film deals with the interrogation between the cops and the couple.
It's a unique film, but a great love story. It also has great crime elements to it as well. In China, this film was the biggest hit of 2019, and the lead actors are very famous in their country. It wont win the award, but I really liked it.
The Other Two Films
We have already talked about Collective, which was the documentary about the bacteria in hospitals. I, also, did not watch The Man Who Sold His Skin because it was nearly impossible to find a streamable version. I know that Another Round is going to win, due to it also being nominated for best director, so missing this one was not the end of the world for me. If you really want to start getting into films from other countries, there are some great options this year. There is something there for everyone: a comedy, a documentary, a war film, and a romance with a crime drama twist. This was a great year for this category. Happy Watching!
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