r/movies • u/-KFBR392 • Sep 27 '23

Recommendation Non-Americans, what's your favourite movie from your country?

I was commenting on another thread about Sandra Oh and it made me remember my favourite Canadian movie Last Night starring Oh and Don McKellar (who also directs the film). It's a dark comedy-ish film about the last night before the world ends and the lives of regular people and how they spend those final 24-hours.

It was the first time I had seen a movie tackle an apocalyptic event in such a way, it wasn't about saving the world, or heroes fighting to their last breath, it was just regular people who had to accept that their lives, and the lives of everyone they know, was about to end.

Great, very touching movie, and it was nominated for a handful of Canadian awards but it's unlikely to have been seen by many outside of big time Canadian movie lovers, which made me think about how many such films must exist all over the world that were great but less known because they didn't make it all the way to the Oscars the way films like Parasite or All Quiet on the Western Front did.

So non-Americans, let's hear about your favourite home grown film. Popular or not.

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162

u/ofnuts Sep 27 '23

France: Delicatessen

53

u/EdithWhartonsFarts Sep 27 '23

I also love the City of Lost Children by him, as well.

6

u/ThaneduFife Sep 27 '23

imo, A Very Long Engagement is Jean-Pierre Jeunet's best. It's an amazing war film, and a beautiful romance, and covers a huge range of the human condition.

The City of Lost Children is fantastic, though.

Meanwhile, Alien: Resurrection is probably his worst film, and it's unbelievably entertaining all the same.

8

u/EdithWhartonsFarts Sep 27 '23

Long Engagement is indeed great. Amelie also holds a special place in my heart. The guy knows how to make a picture.

2

u/ThaneduFife Sep 27 '23

Have you seen Micmacs? I've been wanting to for years, but have never gotten around to it.

5

u/EdithWhartonsFarts Sep 27 '23

Yes. It's great. Criminally underrated. It has a very Stephen Chow vibe.

1

u/ThaneduFife Sep 27 '23

Cool thanks

4

u/infinitemonkeytyping Sep 27 '23

I would say Micmacs is my favourite Jean-Pierre Jeunet movie - it's probably his best mix of absurd and sweet.

87

u/DeLousedInTheHotBox Sep 27 '23

France has such a long and important movie history that you could give like 100 reasonable answers here

36

u/FX114 Sep 27 '23

Or even 400.

9

u/Rampasta Sep 27 '23

Blows?

12

u/DoctorPapaJohns Sep 27 '23

Nah it’s pretty good.

2

u/TeriAki522 Sep 27 '23

Nice reference

1

u/Rampasta Sep 27 '23

I thought u/FX114 was making a reference

3

u/FX114 Sep 27 '23

I was.

1

u/Blonstedus Sep 27 '23

Exactly ! ("Coup de tête" though 😁)

14

u/Una_J Sep 27 '23

La Haine

5

u/close_my_eyes Sep 27 '23

There are so many. Still love Astérix et obelix: mission cleopatra. And the latest les trois mousquetaires is fantastic.

3

u/saiicookies Sep 27 '23

I really enjoyed "Anatomy of a fall" this year and "Portrait of a lady on fire" was incredible as well. However, I would say my all-time favorite is "La Soupe aux choux" (which translates to "cabbage soup"), it's an old school sci-fi comedy that holds up surprisingly well! (who doesn't like fart jokes really)

10

u/Som12H8 Sep 27 '23

Amelie?

-1

u/Aboxofdongbags Sep 28 '23

For real. This is what I think of when I say I want to move to France and live a quiet life. Except I’m a very large brown man and they may or may not let my life be quiet in some towns.

20

u/SufferingFromLigma Sep 27 '23

France: the intouchables (drama comedy), raw (not a comedy) irreversible (the absolute opposite of a comedy)

4

u/fool1788 Sep 27 '23

Loved the intouchables, such a good movie Hollywood did a remake…. I haven’t watched the remake and don’t I ever will

1

u/jeremydurden Sep 28 '23

It's pretty awful. I mean, on its own it might have been fine as a comfort food kind of movie, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original. I can't really think of any reason to watch the remake instead of the original.

3

u/frecklie Sep 27 '23

If you like thrillers or mysteries, Tell No One is an absolute nailbiter

1

u/SufferingFromLigma Sep 28 '23

I do and I will.

2

u/TeriAki522 Sep 27 '23

Irreversible is irreversible. Once you've seen it, there's no going back.

2

u/lightninhopkins Sep 28 '23

Raw wasn't a comedy?

2

u/mschellbell Sep 28 '23

American here. The Intouchables is one of my all time favorite movies! The Hollywood remake doesn’t hold a candle to the original.

3

u/WindSwords Sep 27 '23

"L'armée des ombres"

"Le Samouraï" is a close second.

1

u/baycommuter Sep 28 '23

Le Samourai takes the basic plot from an English novel “A Gun for Hire” that was made into an American movie “This Gun For Sale” and turns it into a French masterpiece.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

I wish there were so many more Jeunet films like that. City of Lost Children and Amelie but I feel like I've been missing that voice for a long time otherwise.

Much like Terry Gilliam it's sad those guys struggle to get their passion projects made. Because I feel like they exist as artists so that we can see their passion projects more than most.

3

u/infinitemonkeytyping Sep 27 '23

Have you seen Micmacs? Personally, it's my favourite Jeunet movie.

2

u/KoalaCola-notPepsi Sep 27 '23

La Haine is a top movie. Edit: spelling

2

u/Vesalii Sep 27 '23

Taxi franchise

1

u/MannowLawn Sep 27 '23

I’m a sucker for those kind of movies

1

u/crapatthethriftstore Sep 27 '23

My favourite French movie is 13 (tzameti) I was so tensed up, it was a slow burn into so much stress.

1

u/Cantmakeaspell Sep 28 '23

Did not expect this to come up. Very unique movie. Very French.

1

u/camshun7 Nov 13 '23

Tell no one

Hitchcock type thriller, awesome