50 Fantastic Foreign Language Films

Being a fan of foreign film can be difficult. Where do you find them? Who can you discuss them with? It can certainly be a headache. But once you've found a particularly deep well (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, wherever), bleed it dry. Foreign language flicks are fascinating - showcasing different cultures, different struggles, and different stories. Many, too, are simply essential viewing.

These are not the 50 best foreign language films - just 50 that I've seen, and think a wide, English-speaking audience might appreciate. There are plenty of amazing movies out there that are not on this list, and a few too many countries not represented here. But oh well - this list was hard enough to compile. I guess I'll save them for later. For now? Seek these out, give them a watch, and enjoy!

1920's
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920 - Germany)
- Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922 - Germany)
- The Battleship Potemkin (1925 - Soviet Union)
- A Page of Madness (1926 - Japan)
- Metropolis (1927 - Germany)
- The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928 - France)

1930's
- M (1931 - Germany)
- The Goddess (1934 - China)
- Osaka Elegy (1936 - Japan)

1940's 
- Rome Open City (1945 - Italy)
- Beauty and the Beast (1946 - France)
- Bicycle Thieves (1948 - Italy)

1950's
- Rashomon (1950 - Japan)
- Seven Samurai (1954 - Japan)
- The Red Balloon (1956 - France)
- The Seventh Seal (1957 - Sweden)

1960's
- Devi (1960 - India) 
- Eyes Without A Face (1960 - France/Italy)
- Black Sabbath (1963 - Italy/France)
- At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964 - Brazil)
- Persona (1966 - Sweden)
- Belle de Jour (1967 - France/Italy)

1970's
- The Conformist (1970 - Italy/France)
- Enter the Dragon (1973 - Hong Kong)
- Lady Snowblood (1973 - Japan)
- Operation Thunderbolt (1977 - Israel)

1980's
- Ran (1985 - Japan)
- Babette's Feast (1987 - Denmark)
- Akira (1988 - Japan)
- The Vanishing (1988 - Netherlands/France)

1990's
- Three Colors: Blue (1993 - France/Poland)
- Rumble in the Bronx (1995 - Hong Kong)
- Run Lola Run (1998 - Germany)
- Audition (1999 - Japan)

2000's
- Battle Royale (2000 - Japan)
- Oldboy (2003 - South Korea)
- Downfall (2004 - Germany/Italy)
- The Host (2006 - South Korea)
- Pan's Labyrinth (2006 - Spain/Mexico)
- Persepolis (2007 - Iran/France)
- [REC] (2007 - Spain)
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009 - Sweden)

2010's 
- I Saw the Devil (2011 - South Korea)
- The Raid: Redemption (2011 - Indonesia)
- Big Bad Wolves (2013 - Israel)
- Hard to Get (2014 - South Africa)
- Theeb (2014 - Jordan)
- A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2015 - US)
- Desierto (2015 - Mexico)
- Goodnight Mommy (2015 - Germany)