Underrated foreign-language films to watch for Valentine’s Day
Upon its theatrical release, the film RRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt) grossed over $30 million in its first weekend and $100 million overall worldwide. When it came to Netflix, the film charted on the Netflix Top 10 for over 14 weeks. Most recently, RRR received a nomination for Best Non-English Language Film and won Best Song at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards, surpassing musical creations from Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga. To say that the Indian Telugu-language film is a success would be an understatement.
Miranda Halfyard, a student at the University of Guelph, sat down to watch the movie with her father and was immediately captivated. “My heart was beating really fast,” she told CBC News. “I was on the edge of my seat.” In Los Angeles at the TCL Chinese Theatre, filmmaker Ryan Cultrera and his friend attended a screening earlier this month where audiences jumped in front of the screen and danced under the screen as the movie’s hit song “Naatu Naatu” played. In Florida, Instagrammer Alyssa Forman and her brother posted Instagram stories of the two dancing to the song in the car after a positive viewing experience of the film. The reception of the movie, its songs, and its dances is a testament to how film can resonate with people across geographic, cultural, and linguistic borders.
At their core, films are about feelings—realistically depicting the emotions of characters and connecting with those of audiences. With the approach of Valentine’s Day comes a time of immense cultural emotion and collective catharsis. Films have historically been central to this process of sentimentalising romance and idealising love; quintessentially, people have turned to movies like 10 Things I Hate About You and How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days for girls nights and date nights. However, it’s time to expand the repertoire and enjoy films outside of the English language Hollywood bubble.
The following is a curated list of diverse and underrated movies that explore an idea that is fundamental to all people irrespective of language: love.
Une histoire d’amour et de désir / A Tale of Love and Desire (2021)
Language: French
At 18 years old, Ahmed knows little about Algeria. It’s the country where his parents are from, but Ahmed has lived his whole life just outside of Paris, France. In university, he meets Farah, an extroverted woman with bold, curly hair who just moved to Paris from Tunisia. He finds himself falling for her and experiencing desires he’s never felt before, all against the backdrop of a class on erotic Arabic literature. Une histoire d’amour et de désir is a powerful exploration of identity, masculinity, and how they coincide with first love.
Todos Queremos a Alguien / Everybody Loves Somebody (2017)
Language: Spanish
Karla Souza—a.k.a Laurel from How to Get Away with Murder—plays a young OB-GYN in this sweet, romantic comedy. Clara Barron oscillates between doling out romantic advice in LA on the weekdays and partying/visiting her family in Baja, California on the weekends. Romance is a complication and has been since her devastating breakup with the love of her life. Everything changes when she decides to bring her co-worker, Asher, to her parents’ wedding. Asher is sweet, unexpectedly funny, and speaks Spanish too. However, it all gets messy when her ex makes an appearance at the wedding, resurfacing after ten years. Todos Queremos a Alguien is a rom-com with nuance, a lot of heart, and breathtaking scenery.
O Kadhal Kanman / OK Kanmani (transl. O love, apple of my eye) (2015)
Language: Tamil
Stream on: Netflix
An Indian Tamil-language film from the acclaimed director Mani Ratnam about two young twenty-somethings that meet at a wedding and whimsically fall in love. Both actively reject traditional notions of marriage and family that their culture pushes them towards. Both are also leaving the country in six months. They spontaneously decide to move in together and enjoy their time left as a couple, however fleeting; as the end approaches, however, it becomes more difficult to face.
Atlantique / Atlantics (2019)
Language: French
Stream on: Netflix
Set in Dakar, this film follows Ada and Souleiman, a young Senegalese couple. Souleiman has not been paid in months at his job as a construction worker for a large-scale foreign company. One night, he and his coworkers depart for Spain in search of a better life. At home, Ada learns that Souleiman and the other workers have been killed at sea. In the midst of her distress, her family arranges for her to marry Omar, a local rich boy. However, the night before her betrothal, Omar’s bed mysteriously catches on fire. Ada quickly realises that Souleiman might not completely be lost to her. With insightful commentary on pertinent global issues, Atlantique is a powerful, paranormal love story.
Wildhood (2021)
Language: English and Mi’kmaw
Stream on: Criterion on Demand through UofT Access
Link and Travis are half-brothers who live with their abusive father. One night, Link finds a recent birthday card from the mother he thought was dead in the dashboard of his father’s car. With his brother in tow, Link runs away from home to the Mi’kma’ki territory in Nova Scotia to find his mother. On the journey, he meets Pasmay, a charming Mi’kmaw dancer who offers to help him find his dad. Together, they embark on a deeper exploration of what it means to be two-spirit, Mi’kmaw, and a teenager in a chaotic world.
Attache la tuque! Hold on tight! With these movies, the season of love is about to be one heck of a wonderfully emotional ride.
