Foreign Language Submissions

[ITALIANO]

One thing about Ida is that it actually has done surprisingly well at the box office - nearly 4 million dollars. Which for an austere Polish film with no stars is exceptional (it's more than The Great Beauty, for example).

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Yes, I know, but you see, I'm one of those few left who still stubbornly refuse to think that "good box office" means "good movie" - or, in this case, "great movie" even. I admit it, I am old...

I don't think okri was arguing that. He appeared to be simply saying that, considering how austere/sometimes deadpan Ida is, the US gross suggests audiences respond to it more than one might imagine. (The similarly deadpan Man Without a Past, for instance, with great critical/Cannes backing, couldn't crack a million)

For the record, I agree with your overall take on Ida: I too view it as good-not-great, and wouldn't be surprised to see some other film swoop in and become the favorite. But, for now, it's the only foreign-language effort making any noise at all. (And I do wonder if it might be one of those films the cinematographers' branch singles out -- they love them some black-and-white, and, even viewed at home, the images are quite striking)

Ida isn't a bad movie, of course. The portrayal of Poland in the 60s is so... "real", so accurate (I was there - not in the 60s of course, but I was there, as a teenager, when the Communist regime was still in power and I recognized the silences, the alcohol, the grey buildings, the old Italian songs tiresomely sung by blond singers in bars. The country, needless to say, is completely different today). If it's nominated for Best Foreign Film nobody will complain, I think. Still, it tries a bit too much be "art", and the Academy sometimes sees through that - even the black and white cinematography, while certainly very good, seems to be there just remind us of those masterpieces of the past - Dreyer, Rossellini especially, I'd say - and when you evoke even just formally that kind of cinema, you must be on that level even in other ways, and Ida obviously isn't. Those great movies were elusive, but you felt a whole world - of meanings, of symbols - behind that; Ida sometimes seems to be elusive just for elusiveness's sake.

[Mister Tee]

One thing about Ida is that it actually has done surprisingly well at the box office - nearly 4 million dollars. Which for an austere Polish film with no stars is exceptional (it's more than The Great Beauty, for example).

.

Yes, I know, but you see, I'm one of those few left who still stubbornly refuse to think that "good box office" means "good movie" - or, in this case, "great movie" even. I admit it, I am old...

I don't think okri was arguing that. He appeared to be simply saying that, considering how austere/sometimes deadpan Ida is, the US gross suggests audiences respond to it more than one might imagine. (The similarly deadpan Man Without a Past, for instance, with great critical/Cannes backing, couldn't crack a million)

For the record, I agree with your overall take on Ida: I too view it as good-not-great, and wouldn't be surprised to see some other film swoop in and become the favorite. But, for now, it's the only foreign-language effort making any noise at all. (And I do wonder if it might be one of those films the cinematographers' branch singles out -- they love them some black-and-white, and, even viewed at home, the images are quite striking)

[ITALIANO]

One thing about Ida is that it actually has done surprisingly well at the box office - nearly 4 million dollars. Which for an austere Polish film with no stars is exceptional (it's more than The Great Beauty, for example).

.

Yes, I know, but you see, I'm one of those few left who still stubbornly refuse to think that "good box office" means "good movie" - or, in this case, "great movie" even. I admit it, I am old...

[Okri]

I have just read the list quickly, so i could be wrong - but for the moment there doesn't seem to be a "standout" movie here. Let's face it - A Separation and Amour were already quite celebrated by this time of the year; it would have been dangerous to declare them winners so early, of course, especially considering how unpredictable this category is, but they were certainly two movies to watch. A Great Beauty became the frontrunner later, but at least The Hunt was, even in October, a movie many would have bet on (we know that it didn't win, but it definitely came close).

Now, I'm sure that there are masterpieces in this list, and certainly many movies which - like the Italian entry - are good and well-made though not exactly works of art - but there's no movie that makes me instinctively feel: ok, this is the one. The two which are most famous right now are probably those from Turkey and Poland. I haven't seen Winter Sleep yet, but I have seen Ida. And, while one could say that A Separation, Amour and The Great Beauty were more artistic than commercial efforts, really, Ida is probably a bit TOO austere, too bleak - I mean, Amour was even darker in many ways, but it had big stars, it was about issues that anyone could easily relate to, it was in French... I can imagine that the great reviews and the very good reputation will get a nomination to this little, black and while, mostly silent movie about a Polish nun (and it IS a good movie, though, I think, not as great as some say), but the winner will maybe be a more accessible film.

One thing about Ida is that it actually has done surprisingly well at the box office - nearly 4 million dollars. Which for an austere Polish film with no stars is exceptional (it's more than The Great Beauty, for example).

Force Majeure did get raves at TIFF and is the one I'd watch out for.

[Precious Doll]

I agree with you on Ida. A nomination yes, a win no.

I have read nothing but praise for Beloved Sisters (Germany) and Force Majeure (Sweden) but who knows. White God (Hungary) is also apparently brilliant but does not seem like the type of film the Academy would embrace.

Of the 8 films that I have seen I really can't see the Academy anointing any of them as the winner.

Also last year with likes of Gloria (Chile) and Wajda (Saudi Arabia) widely seen as locks for nominations, and the fact that neither of them even made the short list anything is possible.

[ITALIANO]

I have just read the list quickly, so i could be wrong - but for the moment there doesn't seem to be a "standout" movie here. Let's face it - A Separation and Amour were already quite celebrated by this time of the year; it would have been dangerous to declare them winners so early, of course, especially considering how unpredictable this category is, but they were certainly two movies to watch. A Great Beauty became the frontrunner later, but at least The Hunt was, even in October, a movie many would have bet on (we know that it didn't win, but it definitely came close).

Now, I'm sure that there are masterpieces in this list, and certainly many movies which - like the Italian entry - are good and well-made though not exactly works of art - but there's no movie that makes me instinctively feel: ok, this is the one. The two which are most famous right now are probably those from Turkey and Poland. I haven't seen Winter Sleep yet, but I have seen Ida. And, while one could say that A Separation, Amour and The Great Beauty were more artistic than commercial efforts, really, Ida is probably a bit TOO austere, too bleak - I mean, Amour was even darker in many ways, but it had big stars, it was about issues that anyone could easily relate to, it was in French... I can imagine that the great reviews and the very good reputation will get a nomination to this little, black and while, mostly silent movie about a Polish nun (and it IS a good movie, though, I think, not as great as some say), but the winner will maybe be a more accessible film.

[mlrg]

With the exception of What Now, Remind Me?, which is a nearly 3 hours documentary where the director turns the camera on himself and his struggle with the double whammy of dealing with the implications and treatments of Hepatitis C and HIV, any of the others could easily make the final nine, or five for that matter. Though Mommy is something of a long shot as the film is so damn abrasive, that it make turn some voters off.

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This has no chance in hell. Portugal will keep it's record for most non nominated submissions

mlg,

Did Portugal have something more 'Academy' friendly?

Probably "Os Maias", by João Botelho.

[Precious Doll]

With the exception of What Now, Remind Me?, which is a nearly 3 hours documentary where the director turns the camera on himself and his struggle with the double whammy of dealing with the implications and treatments of Hepatitis C and HIV, any of the others could easily make the final nine, or five for that matter. Though Mommy is something of a long shot as the film is so damn abrasive, that it make turn some voters off.

.

This has no chance in hell. Portugal will keep it's record for most non nominated submissions

mlg,

Did Portugal have something more 'Academy' friendly?

[mlrg]

With the exception of What Now, Remind Me?, which is a nearly 3 hours documentary where the director turns the camera on himself and his struggle with the double whammy of dealing with the implications and treatments of Hepatitis C and HIV, any of the others could easily make the final nine, or five for that matter. Though Mommy is something of a long shot as the film is so damn abrasive, that it make turn some voters off.

.

This has no chance in hell. Portugal will keep it's record for most non nominated submissions

[Greg]

I'm surprised there is no entry from China.

[Precious Doll]

Can't be bothered to try and guess what 9 films will be short listed.

Ida is probably as near as one can get as it has been both a commercial and critical success in the U.S. and that will help.

Of the films that I have seen, I rank them in terms of quality as follows:

1. Ida
2. Timbuktu
3. Winter Sleep
4. Human Capital
5. Mommy
6. What Now, Remind Me?
7. Charlie's County
8. Two Days, One Night

With the exception of What Now, Remind Me?, which is a nearly 3 hours documentary where the director turns the camera on himself and his struggle with the double whammy of dealing with the implications and treatments of Hepatitis C and HIV, any of the others could easily make the final nine, or five for that matter. Though Mommy is something of a long shot as the film is so damn abrasive, that it make turn some voters off.

A number of the other films selected are opening my way in the next 2 months or so. It's good to see non English language films getting released faster than they used to be.

[Precious Doll]

We now have the final list of submitted films for this category:

Afghanista - A Few Cubic Meters of Love
Argentina - Wild Tales
Australia - Charlie's Country
Austria - The Dark Valley
Bangladesh - Glow of the Firefly
Belgium - Two Days, One Night
Bolivia- Olvidados
Bosnia and Herzegovina - With Mom
Brazil - The Way He Looks
Bulgaria - Bulgarian Rhapsody
Canada - Mommy
Chile - To Kill a Man
China - The Nightingale
Colombia- Mateo
Costa Rica - Red Princessess
Croatia- Cowboys
Cuba - Behabior
Czech Republic - Fair Play
Denmark - Sorrow and Joy
Dominican Republic - Cristo Rey
Ecuador - Silence in Dreamland
Egypt - The Factory Girl
Estonia - Tangerines
Ethiopia - Difret
Finland - Concrete Night
France - Saint Laurent
Georgia - Corn Island
Germany - Beloved Sisters
Greece - Little England
Hong Kong - The Golden Era
Hungary - White God
Iceland - Life in a Fishbowl
India - Liar's Dice
Indonesia - Soekarno
Iran - Today
Iraq - Mardan
Ireland - The Gift
Israel - Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Italy - Human Capital
Japan - The Light Shines Only There
Kosovo - Three Windows and a Hanging
Krygyzstan - Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains
Latvia - Rocks in My Pockets
Lebanon - Ghadi
Lithuania - The Gambler
Luxembourg - Never Die Young
Macedonia - To the Hilt
Malta - Simshar
Mauritania - Timbuktu
Mexico - Cantinflas
Moldova - The Unsaved
Montenegro - The Boys from Marx and Engels Street
Morocco - The Red Moon
Nepal - Jhola
Netherlands - Accused
New Zealand - The Dead Lands
Norway- 1001 Grams
Pakistan - Dukhtar
Palestine - Eyes of a Thief
Panama - Invasion
Peru - The Gospel of the Flesh
Philippines - Norte, the End of History
Poland - Ida
Portugal - What Now? Remind Me
Romania - The Japanese Dog
Russia - Leviathan
Serbia - See You in Montevideo
Singapore - My Beloved Dearest
Slovakia - A Step Into the Dark
Slovenia - Seduce Me
South Korea - Sea Fog
Spain - Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed
Sweden - Force Majeure
Switzerland - The Circle
Taiwan - Ice Poison
Thailand - Teacher's Diary
Turkey - Winter Sleep
Ukraine - The Guide
United Kingdom - Little Happiness
Uruguay - Mr. Kaplan
Venezuela - The Liberator

[ksrymy]

http://variety.com/2014/film/awards/rus ... 201315841/
Russia surprises many by picking "Leviathan" as its submission.

[ITALIANO]

In the meantime, Italy has picked its new "mediocre" Foreign Film entry - which, of course, is far from mediocre, though admittedly less artistically "successful" than last year's The Great Beauty. It is - predictably - Paolo Virzì's The Human Capital, which has been here a respectable box office hit and the winner of both the David di Donatello and the Silver Ribbon for Best Picture. It's a quasi-thriller set in a small town in what we call "the deep North" - it has a solid, intriguing plot (based on an American novel, which always helps), and is, despite the fragmented narrative structure (whole scenes are seen from different points of view), quite traditional and easy to follow. But the movie is especially successful as a grim portrayal of provincial life in Northern Italy - where the rich are very rich and the not-so-rich try desperately to at least seem very rich. The economical crisis, the more and more relevant presence of immigrants from Third World countries, the boredom - it's all quite well conveyed, though I am afraid that non-Europeans will miss these aspects, and will be left with the storyline, which while well-told isn't exactly revolutionary or "new". Plus, it's set in an area of my country which - with all its fog and all its snow - isn't what Americans instinctively associate with "sunny Italy". But again - the movie isn't bad at all. It's just not the kind of movie which win the Oscar - a nomination is possible, especially if the competition isn't too strong.

[ITALIANO]

There've been plenty of times in the past two decades when AMPAS deserved scorn for their foreign-language choices, but just after a run of A Separation, Amour and The Great Beauty seems an odd moment for it.

Exactly, but even in the past... the Fellini movies, Pontecorvo, even those by De Sica - many Italian movies which were Oscar-nominated were masterpieces. And then yes, it's also true that European movies are culturally closer to the Academy (and more generally to Americans) than, say, a movie from Sri Lanka would be. But that doesn't mean that Sri Lanka has been necessarily treated unfairly - I am sure that some great movies have been made there too, but sorry - not as many as in France or Italy, even only because Sri Lanka has a less active film industry. Just this.