The Importance of International Cinema

Park So-dam and Choi Woo-shik in Parasite. Courtesy of CJ Entertainment.
At the 92nd Academy Awards on the 9th of February, Bong Joon-ho’s socio-political thriller Parasite made history by becoming the first foreign language film to be awarded the Best Picture Oscar. Bong was the biggest winner of the night, receiving Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, and Best Director on top of the prestigious Best Picture, bringing international cinema to the forefront and introducing a new audience to the many phenomenal foreign films in the world today. 
Every year, a select few international films break through the language barrier and reach a worldwide audience; in 2018 we had Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, and the year before that, Sebastian Lelio’s A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica) claimed the best foreign film Oscar. These films never become major box office hits; their success always comes with the asterisk of being in another language, and they are considered good “for a foreign film”. Indeed, even the most acclaimed foreign films, those that win an Academy Award, are not widely known- scrolling through the Wikipedia list of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best International Feature Film, I had only heard of a handful, and watched even fewer. 

Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma. Courtesy of Esperanto Filmoj.
Foreign films are often grouped together with a certain prejudice that assumes all films in another language must be pretentious art house features that are inaccessible to the general viewer, when this couldn’t be further from the truth. International films span every genre and every tone, theme and and subject matter imaginable; they are as varied, or even more so, than English language films, and should be recognised as such. The lack of appreciation for foreign films is a mystery; why are we restricting ourselves to only a small range of stories, when a whole world of cinema is out there to enjoy?
Some people claim that subtitles are an obstacle that make a film less accessible, but many people, myself included, watch Netflix or YouTube videos with subtitles on, and barely notice their presence. Additionally, screening a film with subtitles instantly makes the film more accessible to people who are hard of hearing, have sensory processing issues, or just want to make sure they catch every detail of a script. Subtitles are a tool of inclusion and do not hinder the viewing experience at all, as Parasite’s success goes to show; those who claim they ruin a cinema trip are being wilfully obtuse.
There is the separate question of why we should be watching foreign films at all. Many people would say that there are already plenty of great English language films that deserve our attention before international films, but this point of view deliberately ignores a simple and essential fact: art from another country is art from another perspective. Parasite offers an insight into the class system in South Korea which is not possible to obtain from English language films; similarly, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters critiques poverty in Japan, a subject matter that could not be effectively pulled off if made by an English or American filmmaker. Every country has a different approach to cinema, and all perspectives in art should be valued. If you only ever watch English language films, you are limiting your exposure not just to art but also to social and political commentary, and indeed you are missing out on so many talented and unique filmmakers; from Céline Sciamma to Wong Kar-wai, Park Chan-wook to Pedro Almodóvar, your new favourite film could be out there waiting for you, only to be ignored for not being in English. 
Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters critiques poverty in Japan.
Courtesy of Fuji TV.
Parasite’s achievements at the Oscars are a huge step forward in terms of recognising international film. The positive message being sent to all foreign filmmakers is essential, especially in the stratified world of today- the Oscars are saying, we have opened our ears, and we will listen to your stories. More films will now reach an international audience, and the world of cinema will be infinitely enriched by new voices, new techniques and new perspectives. So do yourself a favour, and watch a foreign film tonight; to quote Bong Joon-ho himself, “once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films”.



Written by Millie Felton.
Published 12th February 2020.

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