Friday Foreign Films: The Sea Inside

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In the absence of new film reviews for a given week, I’d like to take the opportunity to spotlight a foreign from the past decade or so that might have gone unnoticed or unremembered by most. Theatres in New York City show foreign films almost as often as they show American films, and, as a result, I’d had the chance to see a number of excellent international movies in my six years here. Please add your thoughts on the film and suggestions for future inclusions in the comments section below!

The Sea Inside
Directed by Alejandro Amenabar
Released December 17, 2004

This Oscar-winning 2004 film from the writer-director of “The Others” is a mesmerizing onscreen realization of the story of Ramon Sampedro, a quadriplegic man who fought for his right to die for thirty years. Javier Bardem delivers what may just be his finest performance – counting “No Country for Old Men” – as the subdued, sincere man determined to die a dignified death. The image of him bedridden and balding is contrasted with flashbacks to a younger man with flowing hair diving into the ocean right before a fateful and tragic accident. In addition to its trophy for Best Foreign Film, the film also earned a well-deserved Best Makeup nomination. The film, like “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” after it, is prone to dreamlike sequences, which help to give it a magnetic and captivating feel. Amenabar handles this serious, moving story with delicacy and grace, making it among the most memorable foreign imports from the 2000s. The trailer embedded above perfectly and beautifully captures the film's tone.

Friday Foreign Films: Beyond the Walls

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In the absence of new film reviews for a given week, I’d like to take the opportunity to spotlight a foreign from the past decade or so that might have gone unnoticed or unremembered by most. Theatres in New York City show foreign films almost as often as they show American films, and, as a result, I’d had the chance to see a number of excellent international movies in my six years here. Please add your thoughts on the film and suggestions for future inclusions in the comments section below!

Beyond the Walls
Directed by Uri Barbash
Released February 15, 1985

I had the privilege to host a screening of this film with guest speaker Professor Miri Kubovy as part of Temple Israel of the City of New York’s Reel Judaism summer film series. This 1984 nominee for Best Foreign Film from Israel is a profoundly engaging, extensively disturbing depiction of life within an Israeli prison. Its depiction of the Israeli criminals and Palestinian terrorists doesn’t favor either group, but definitely does dig deep into the complex relationships the two parties have as they find themselves united in hatred against the guards. What’s most intriguing about this film is that, though it feels dated in many respects, these characters and these sentiments could well exist today. Like a number of films coming out of Israel today, it’s not easy to digest, nor does it portray Israel or Israelis in the most positive light, and it’s that very complexity that makes it most compelling as a portrait of one segment of Israeli society. This film is not easy to find in the United States, but if it sounds worthwhile, try an Israeli version with English subtitles.

Friday Foreign Films: Avenue Montaigne

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In the absence of new film reviews for a given week, I’d like to take the opportunity to spotlight a foreign from the past decade or so that might have gone unnoticed or unremembered by most. Theatres in New York City show foreign films almost as often as they show American films, and, as a result, I’d had the chance to see a number of excellent international movies in my six years here. Please add your thoughts on the film and suggestions for future inclusions in the comments section below!

Avenue Montaigne
Directed by Danièle Thompson
Released February 16, 2007

I saw this film at the Angelika Film Center just weeks before I first started Movies With Abe, and wrote in my second-ever post that the film was “a fabulously entertaining story filled with great characters and a simultaneously amusing and dramatic storyline.” Released as “Fauteils d’orchestre,” or “Orchestra Seats,” in France, England, and Australia, this movie features a whimsical ensemble with tales of music, marriage, cinema, work, and love all along one street in Paris. At its heart is the lovely Cécile De France, who will be most recognizable to American audiences for her role in Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter.” Valérie Lemercier, Albert Dupontel, and American Sydney Pollack also stand out in a superb cast. This is a purely delightful film with a decent amount of depth, and it’s a shame that it didn’t make it into the final five after being included in the nine-wide shortlist for Best Foreign Film for the 2006 Oscars (“The Lives of Others” ultimately took home the prize).