7 international films I’ve watched in 2022

I have previously written about international films, including films nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film before 2020), my favourite Oscar, and films I’ve watched in film festivals. As another year is coming to an end, I have been reflecting on the films I’ve watched in the last 12 months. Of those, 7 were international. Before I further discuss those, I would like to note that I have borrowed the terminology used by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (best known around the world for its annual Academy Awards, a.k.a. “The Oscars”). So, ‘international’ refers to films in a language other than English.

A reason why I love cinema is that it gives me a better insight into the lives of others (it is the psychiatrist talking). It also takes me to faraway places or even to different times (it is now the travelling psychiatrist talking). This year, I followed Tilda Swinton in Colombia (‘Memoria‘), travelled on a ‘Bullet Train‘ in Japan, and holidayed with Julia and George in Bali (‘Ticket to Paradise‘). I then went on a luxury cruise in Greece (‘Triangle of Sadness‘) and on another one in Egypt (‘Death on the Nile‘) followed by an all-inclusive holiday in Turkey (‘Aftersun‘). I also met ‘Elvis‘, dined with Ralph Fiennes (‘The Menu‘) and came of age in a North Carolina marshland (‘Where the Crawdads Sing‘). And, a few days ago, I went back to Greece, to the island of Spetses (‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery‘).

The 7 international films I watched in 2022

The reason why I am such a big fan of international films is that they can help acquaint me with their countries of origin, countries often very different and lesser-known than the US or the UK. In 2022, I travelled to Norway, Spain (twice), South Korea (three times) and France.

The Worst Person in the World (Verdens verste menneske)

Directed by Danish-born Norwegian film director Joachim Trier, this Norwegian film was nominated at the 94th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay. It stars Renate Reinsve, who won the award for Best Actress at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Reinsve plays a young woman, struggling to navigate through her personal and professional life. Despite having a soft spot for Norway (including Norwegian films, TV series and books) and really enjoying this film, I think that Japan’s ‘Drive My Car’ deserved to win the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.

Parallel Mothers (Madres paralelas)

This is the latest film written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar and the first of the two Spanish films (both starring Penélope Cruz) I watched this year. Cruz plays a 40-year-old woman who gives birth on the same date as a teenager only to later find out that the babies were swapped in the hospital. ‘Parallel Mothers’ earned two nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including for Best Actress.

Official Competition (Competencia oficial)

This is the second Spanish film I watched in 2022 (also starring Penélope Cruz, as well as Antonio Banderas). Cruz plays an eccentric director hired by a wealthy businessman to make a film adapted from a Nobel Prize-winning novel. ‘Official Competition’ was written and directed by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn.

Decision to Leave

Selected as the South Korean entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, ‘Decision to Leave’ is one of the 3 South Korean films I watched in 2022 (and my least favourite). It was directed by Park Chan-wook, who won the Best Director Award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival (and had also directed ‘Oldboy’ and ‘The Handmaiden’. It stars Park Hae-il, who plays a detective suspecting a young woman (played by Tang Wei) for her husband’s murder.

The Anchor

I watched ‘The Anchor’ at the London Korean Film Festival, which took place in November this year. The film was directed by Jung Ji-yeon, who came to the screening for a very interesting Q&A session. It stars Chun Woo-hee, who plays a TV news anchor who gets a phone call from a woman telling her that she would soon be murdered, and Shin Ha-kyun, who plays the latter’s psychiatrist.

Confession

This was the third South Korean film I watched this year, at the Leeds International Film Festival, also in November (followed by Charlotte Wells’s ‘Aftersun’). Directed by Yoon Jong-seok, ‘Confession’ is based on the Spanish film ‘The Invisible Guest (Contratiempo)’ (directed by Oriol Paulo). It stars So Ji-sub, who plays a young man accused of his lover’s murder, and Kim Yunjin, who plays his defence attorney. Despite having watched ‘The Invisible Guest’ a few years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Confession’ and I still cannot decide which of the two films I liked the most.

Both Sides of the Blade (Avec amour et acharnement)

This is the only French film I’ve watched in 2022. It stars Juliette Binoche, one of my favourite actresses. It was directed by Claire Denis, who received the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival. Binoche plays a middle-aged woman who accidentally runs into her former lover, who used to be friends with her current partner. I have to admit I did not enjoy this film as much as other films with Binoche (or the other films I watched this year).

Further reading (and watching)

To read more about international films, check out my posts:

From ‘No Time to Die’ to 5 films about grief

Best International Feature Film goes to…

A cinematic journey to South Korea

Happy New Year!!!

Alex

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)