Streaming: Netflix is still a mini-haven for foreign films
Monday, January 16, 2017 at 4:00PM 
The Wailling was the 3rd most popular South Korean movie in the US last year after Train to Busan and The Handmaidenby Brian Zitzelman
The accepted mindset is that Netflix Instant is no longer a paradise for cinephiles. There are countless things to binge, sure, but large swaths of those are the service's original series and TV series from other networks. For moviegoers interested in material beyond the recent blockbusters or Hollywood fare, the pickings are much much slimmer than they once were. For example, those spurred to view the work of Meryl Streep after her powerful speech at Sunday's Golden Globes have only five streaming options, two of them being documentaries. A Hepburn fanatic, be it for Katharine or Audrey, has but two pictures to choose from.
Yet there remains one avenue where Netflix secretly and continually excels; foreign cinema...
Though they still suffer when it comes to older titles, Instant has been a real boon to those aching to catch up with recent international releases. Recently three of 2016's most high profile foreign films hit the platform; Babak Anvari's Under the Shadow, Kleber Mendonça Filho's Aquarius, and Na Jong-jin's The Wailing. Those aren't the only notable or acclaimed 2016 choices, with Cemetery of Splendor, The Wave, The Treasure and Rams all being ready at your fingertips. This isn't new for Netflix Instant either. The latest movies from noted master filmmakers like the Dardennes, Jafar Panahi and Hou Hsiao-Hsien all made their way to the platform not long after theatrical runs. We still live in a time where non-English language pics, even in major metropolitan cities, tend to play briefly and often at a single location.
the magnificent Sonia Braga in AQUARIUS (2016)
There are a host of sites for foreign fixes, with the recently launched FilmStruck featuring an astounding array to view at your leisure. Those seeking to widen their knowledge of Kurosawa, Tarkovsky or Bergman ought to consider these venues. If you're dropping the $10 or so on Netflix already to watch "Stranger Things" or "Mad Men" a second time, tilt those eyes towards the "International" section. You can finally see Oscar nominees like Mustang, Globe nominees like Force Majeure and a surprisingly large number of films that you meant to make time for before they vanished from your local arthouse not too long ago.
What's on your queue currently?
Reader Comments (7)
I just watched Aquarius this weekend - SO glad I did.
The foreign films almost kept me subscribing, but eventually I decided it just wasn't worth it. As much as I appreciate this type of cinema, I find I have to be a certain mood. So many times this past month, I played Cemetery of Splendor, only to stop it after twenty minutes because I just wasn't in the mood. This is just one example but the same applies to Rams, Neon Bull, Valley of Love, etc.
I wonder if others feel the same way. Netflix is great for kicking back after a long day at work and watching something before bed when I have no plans, or if it's a rainy weekend, I'll stream a couple of films or a short TV show. But whenever I do this, I find I'm not in the right state of mind to give my attention to these foreign films, especially the longer ones like The Wailing and Aquarius.
How do other people grapple with this, or are they just able to concentrate on a foreign film at the drop of a hat?
Joseph: I'm watching Aquarius right now/trying to. Sonia Braga is trying, but this doesn't quite work, especially in regards to pacing. I could EASILY imagine 1/2 an hour being shaved off and nothing too important being lost.
Joseph: it's why I still prefer to watch my movies at a cinema generally. You have to give yourself over to the movie, there's no stopping if you're bored (only walking out and forfeiting your admission price), pausing it to get food or drink, or chatting with people in the middle.
But. of course, some things you just can't get to see anywhere else (like AQUARIUS).
I am finding I use it more for documentaries. It's where I have caught up with some of the ones on the Oscar shortlist, like THE 13TH and THE WITNESS
Being Norwegian, almost all films I watch are foreign. Of course, with English language I'm less reliant on subtitles, but they're there and I read them.
I watch films from all over the world. So far this year, I've pretty much kept it to USA, Norway and France, but my (very organized) watchlist contains more exotic nations.
Netflix Norway, probably having a slightly different selection, is still good when it comes to world cinema. Available from the Oscar foreign film submissions this year are Interrogation (India), Sandstorm (Israel), Very Big Shot (Lebanon) and Under the Shadow (United Kingdom). Submissions from past years are Court (India), Flowers (Spain), Sorrow and Joy (Denmark), Dukhtar (Pakistan) and a handful more that I've already seen, I guess.
Pretty timely! I literally spent all weekend "catching up" on my Netflix instant queue. And most of the films I watched? Foreign, gay, or documentaries. Netflix really does make those genres all the more accessible to people, doesn't it?
I am a fairly new subscriber to Netflix. Thanks for the information on this movie site. It sounds most interesting.