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When the Korean film “Parasite” won Best Picture at the previous Academy Awards ceremony, many had hoped that its success would lead to a greater presence of international features among the various categories. While this doesn’t appear to be the case with this year’s nominees for the most part (although one American film spoken mainly in Korean, Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari”, has received a decent number of nominations), this year’s selection of films nominated for Best International Feature Film still proves to be quite a solid lineup, and with many of them getting less attention than the American-made films, the time has come to give them the spotlight and make themselves more known. So without further ado, here’s a quick summary of this year’s nominees for Best International Feature Film:
“Another Round” (Denmark) – seen by many as the frontrunner of the category (in no small part due to its director Thomas Vinterberg receiving a Best Director nomination), this comedy-drama revolving around the efforts of a group of teachers trying to regain control of their drinking habits has a lot to offer for even those not familiar with the Danish language. The plot details subject matter that is relatable to just about everyone to some degree or another, and with renowned actor Mads Mikkelsen playing the lead role, the film has more than enough to generate appeal on a much larger scale than the average foreign film.
“Better Days” (Hong Kong) – based on the Chinese novel “In His Youth, In Her Beauty”, this is the third film produced in Hong Kong to receive an Oscar nomination in this category, and it’s proven itself to be more than worthy of this honor. A great critical and commercial success when first released in China, this romantic crime drama centered around a high school girl getting inadvertently involved with a local street gang is nothing short of intense and engaging, and its nomination proves that it’s just as capable of captivating audiences outside of China as it is with those inside the Middle Kingdom.
“Collective” (Romania) – nominated in both the Best International Feature Film and the Best Documentary Feature categories, this film, Romania’s first to receive acknowledgement from the Academy in its ninety-three year history, is the perfect demonstration of the nation’s unsung talents as a filmmaking nation. Detailing the efforts of Romanian journalists to expose the corruption within the nation’s healthcare system, the film paints a harrowing picture of a story not as well known as similar situations in other countries, possessing a universal relevance that makes it every bit as important as any other film discussing similar issues.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” (Tunisia) – a film of this particular title might sound absurd at first glance, but as it turns out, it’s anything but. Following a man separated from his wife by war and having to sacrifice his own body to earn the money needed to get back to her, the film paints a dark and depressing picture of the Syrian Civil War and the alarming effects it has had on those who have gotten caught in the middle. It’s far from pleasant, but still deserving of recognition, if only to bring awareness to what is currently happening in the nation of Syria.
“Quo Vadis, Aida?” (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – although there were a handful of European nations involved with this war drama, this is above all else a film that the nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina can claim for their own, and it’s not hard to see why the nation would be proud of this particular feature. Through its depiction of a UN translator caught in the middle of the Srebrenica massacre and its after effects, there is hardly a moment when the film doesn’t make for a powerful and disturbing portrayal of war, one that brings to light the genocidal actions that still haunt the nations to this day.
