(Quinn Nachtrieb • The Student Life)
International films provide an incomparable transportive experience. An indescribable sense of concentration overwhelms audience members as they voraciously read subtitles while devouring the picture playing above them. The engulfing nature of such experiences is reminiscent of visiting the literary worlds contained in novels — which brings me here to recommend some foreign films and translated books.
This article will highlight some of the best foreign films of 2023 alongside a similar translated novel that will help you escape the post-movie blues.
The first notable foreign film of 2023 is “Anatomy of a Fall,” a French legal drama directed by Justine Triet. The movie begins with the death of Samuel Theis, who falls from the second story of his home. As the film unfolds, what appears to be a suicide soon becomes a murder investigation — and Samuel’s wife, Sandra, becomes the prime suspect. The scandal that unfolds makes the film absolutely addicting. Beloved across the world, the movie received international recognition at the Oscars this year, taking home five nominations and one award.
The magic of “Anatomy of a Fall” is the tension and unhinged qualities of the female protagonist. Although not a murder mystery, “The Vegetarian” by Han Kang depicts a similar woman who dangerously spirals amidst catastrophe. The book takes place in South Korea, following Yeong-hye and her ostracizing decision to follow a plant-based diet that cleaves her from a meat-eating society. Yeong-hye’s choice to become vegetarian sends her down a crippling path of no return. Similar to “Anatomy of a Fall,” both women grapple with the dilemma of whether their guilt is earned or undeserved as they face the consequences of their actions.
The second phenomenal foreign film on my list is “Society of the Snow” directed by J.A. Bayona. The movie portrays the historical event of the 1972 plane crash of a Uruguayan rugby team in the Andes Mountains. The story of survival in the cruelest conditions is harrowing and petrifying. I will not spoil the events of the film, but the culmination of catastrophes made watching “Society of the Snow” a constant source of anxiety. That being said, I deem “Society of the Snow” one of the best movies of the decade; featuring gorgeous cinematography and the resolve of the human spirit, the film is unparalleled in storytelling. “Society of the Snow” received two Oscar nominations and, much to my disappointment, no award.
“This article will highlight some of the best foreign films of 2023 alongside a similar translated novel that will help you escape the post-movie blues.”
The emotional rollercoaster that is watching this film pairs perfectly with “The Dangers of Smoking in Bed” by Mariana Enríquez and translated by Megan McDowell, which you can read to recover. “The Dangers of Smoking in Bed” is an Argentinian collection of short horror stories that range from traditional gore to psychological twists. My favorite chapter is “Meat,” which follows teenage girls who obsessively stalk a pop star beyond his death. The story collection exemplifies the dangerous nature of human desire and the extremes one will go to belong — similar to “Society of the Snow,” “The Danger of Smoking in Bed” demonstrates the will to survive.
The last film I’m recommending is “The Zone of Interest,” which took cinemas by storm worldwide. The movie was directed by Jonathan Glazer and co-produced by the United Kingdom, the United States and Poland. The film follows Rudolf Höss, a Nazi commandant, and his wife Hedwig in their manor outside of Auschwitz. The movie is immensely experimental in sound and cinematography. Uncomfortable close-ups and haunting screams serve as background music to create a disorienting, unnerving experience. An interesting aspect of the film is that Auschwitz is rarely shown and only in black-and-white. By frequently hearing — but not seeing — the atrocities happening at the concentration camp juxtaposed with the Nazi family’s lavish home life, the audience is immersed in a world of absolute terror. “The Zone of Interest” was recognized for the uniquely harrowing portrayal of the Holocaust by the Academy, receiving four nominations and two awards.
The exploration of the Nazi figures truly invokes a petrifying response. A similar sense of dread is instilled in readers of “Fatelessness” by Imre Kertész, translated by Christopher C. Wilson and Katharina M. Wilson. The book offers an alternative perspective to “The Zone of Interest” and depicts the horrors of the period with a chilling accuracy. “Fatelessness” is a semi-autobiographical novel that follows an adolescent Hungarian Jewish boy who is transported across Europe to different concentration camps. The book is devastating in its truthful portrayal of the horrors victims of the Holocaust experienced while Nazi families, like the one in “The Zone of Interest,” lived in luxury. “Fatelessness” was one of the earlier novels on the Holocaust and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2002. The simple voice of a young boy alongside the potent reality he faces makes the novel an unforgettable depiction of the human will.
The commonality between all these movies and books is the transformative ability of their storytelling. None of foreign films and translated books are fun or light in content, but they are immensely moving and powerful. In a time of tumult and turmoil, learning from history reminds us of the importance of empathy. Similarly, these creative pursuits serve as a poignant reminder of human determination and the disasters that will ensue if history and the present persist in echoing one another.
Caroline Kelly PO ’27 is from Boston, Massachusetts. Her ideal afternoon involves reading and cold brew.
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