Shame on me, it’s been forever since I took part in Wandering Through the Shelves’ Thursday Movie Picks. I got into the swing of it, came across a week where I had nothing to contribute, and then fell off the wagon, hard. Typically now I’m back off holiday this week’s theme is a real struggle for me, but I do (just about) have 3 movies to bring to the table this week.
The theme, of course, is Non-English Language Movies. I’ve largely avoided these movies for the majority of my life because…well. I’m from England where we rarely learn any other language at a high level, and the thought of reading a movie was offputting. I’ve widened my horizons in recent years though, and I’ll happily watch any movie that other bloggers are raving about, no matter the language!
Here are my 3 favourites that I’ve seen so far…
Incendies (2010)
If you’ve seen any of Denis Villenueve’s other movies (Prisoners, Sicario, Enemy, to name a few) then you know you’re in for a wild, often brutal ride. There are no happy endings here. Incendies is the story of a set of twins traveling to the Middle East to discover their family history, and it was one of those endings that has haunted me ever since. 100% a must watch!
Memories of Murder (2003)
Speaking of no happy endings…Joon-ho Bong’s Memories of Murder was an exhausting (but worth it!) watch. It deals with three detectives desperately trying to solve the case of multiple murders. If you’ve watched Wind River (2017) and found it a good watch, then this should definitely be next on your list.
Roma (2018)
A weird choice, considering I wasn’t exactly singing it’s praises when I reviewed it last year, but despite Roma not being the most exciting movie I’ve ever seen, it’s stuck with me ever since. On the surface, it’s a quiet story of a housemaid and the life she leads, but there are some really powerful moments in there.
Often Off Topic 
Ah we match even though Roma wasn’t my favourite either. It also didn’t stick with me. 😀
LikeLike
I’ve warmed to it as time has gone by but I’ll never understand the hype!
LikeLike
Memories of Murder is wonderful. I liked Incendies too but ugh that twist was brutal. I hated Roma. lol
LikeLike
I remember your feelings on Roma, ha!
LikeLike
Love all 3 films and yes, Roma is a slow burn as once I thought about it more. I ended up loving that film much more than I realized.
LikeLike
Isn’t it strange how that happens! I tried to tell my work colleagues that it was kind of dull but ended up only talking about the positives.
LikeLike
The only aspect of Roma that stuck with me is the cinematography. Everything else was so forgettable.
LikeLike
There’s just a few key scenes for me I’ll never forget, but there’s so much emptiness surrounding them.
LikeLike
I have to see Incendies which I have heard about and I will watch Roma although not sure I will care for it. I never heard of your second pick
LikeLike
Roma is a really tough watch, I’m not gonna lie. I think I watched it in 2 halves, it’s long enough as it is but it’s slow going, too.
LikeLike