List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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anonymous1980
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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I'm No Longer Here, Mexico (Fernando Frias de la Parra) 8/10 - A gang of teenagers who are dedicated to following the counter-culture of Kolombia, a lifestyle of listening and dancing to the cumbia get mixed up with some serious real violent gang stuff which causes one of them to have to flee for their lives as an undocumented illegal in the U.S. This reminds me of a far darker and far more substantive version of like a Step Up movie. It explores this counter-culture and how poor kids can easily be affected and corrupted by violence and crime. It is both eye-opening and sad. It makes for a compelling drama. It's well-acted by a cast of apparently non-professional actors. This is Mexico's entry to the International Feature Oscar race this year. It's a pretty solid drama that's well worth your time and it's on Netflix.

Can it get in? I would say, yes. Lots of the themes here will resonate.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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The submission from India is the Malayalam film Jallikattu about a bull that escapes from a slaughterhouse in a hilly remote village and the entire village men gathering to hunt down the animal.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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True Mothers, Japan (Naomi Kawase) 9/10 - A married couple unable to have children of their own adopts a baby boy. Years later, the biological mother shows up wanting her son back. This is my first foray into the films of Naomi Kawase who I've been hearing good things about and based on this, it will certainly not be the last. The film treads familiar ground since we have seen these adoption-related dramas in form or another before. But the film plays all the notes beautifully, fully humanizing every character and even delivering some narrative twists here and there. It's a little too long, at two and a half hours, but the pay off is emotional in the best sense of the word. This is Japan's International Feature Oscar entry and it's a worth contender.

Can it get in? I would say yes but only if enough members see it. I could see it going either way.

Roh (Soul), Malaysia (Emir Ezwan) 6.5/10 - A young girl covered in clay is found by two young children who live with their mother in the woods. The girl predicts every one in their family will die by the full moon. Then strange and horrific things start to happen. This film comes from Malaysia and I believe this may be the first Malaysian film I've seen (I could be wrong). It's their entry to the International Feature Oscar film race. It's a horror film. As a horror film, I found myself a bit lost and puzzled about the mythology and what was going on exactly, not being familiar with Malaysian supernatural beliefs and all. Though there are a few genuinely creepy moments and some decent scary imagery, it's ultimately just an okay entry in the demonic possession horror sub-genre.

Can it get in? No. It's a horror film and it had to be transcendent in order to even have a shot.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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Song Without a Name, Peru (Melina Leon) 8.5/10 - A young mother gives birth in a free clinic then has her newborn daughter stolen from her. She enlists the help of a journalist to get into the bottom of a child-selling ring. This is the International Feature Film Oscar entry from Peru. It's the fifth of the International Feature Film candidates I've seen and the first one who actually has an actual shot at making it based on merit. This is a beautifully made, heart-wrenching piece of work that will surely resonate with you. The film is strongest when it focuses on the young mother rather than the journalist but the film still works overall and is a completely gripping drama. It features strong performance by the cast and the ending is gonna inspire a few tears. Yes, this is a contender.

Can it get in? Yes. This is definitely a film that will resonate with a lot of voters. It should make at least to the semi-finals.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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The Philippines has made its pick:

Mindanao, The Philippines (Brillante Mendoza) 5.5/10 - A Muslim woman cares for her young daughter who is stricken with cancer while her husband is off fighting Islamic militants as a soldier. This was an entry in the Metro Manila Film Festival and as such, this film feels like a compromise in order to placate the masses. Director Brillante Mendoza's aesthetic here feels quite more mainstream than his previous films even though he's still tackling similar themes. There are also fantasy animated sequences peppered in all throughout the film in the form of a bedtime story being to the dying child but it honestly feels almost shoe-horned because someone said, "We have to make this entertaining for the kids!" I'm willing to bet that's exactly what happened. But it's not a bad film. It's watchable and it has its moments but it's not Mendoza's best work.

Can it get in? I highly, highly doubt it. Frankly, I hope it doesn't because Brillante Mendoza is a Duterte supporter so I'm actually actively rooting against this film because of that.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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What We Wanted, Austria (Ulrike Kofler) 6/10 - A couple having trouble with conceiving their own child go on vacation and next door, a family with children moves in and they become acquainted. This is Austria's entry to the International Feature Film category at the Oscars this year. It's a quiet, well-acted, well-made but all in all kind of unremarkable drama on parenthood. The film does get better in the third act (like I wished the film was more like this) but getting there was a bit of a chore. The film ends up not saying anything completely new on its subject matter in any profound ways whatsoever. Despite its well-intentions and the fine performances, it is overall forgettable.

Can it get in? Doubtful.

RE: Directors who were submitted by more than one country.

Don't forget Akira Kurosawa who won an Honorary Oscar for Rashomon representing Japan but also won a competitive Foreign Language Film Oscar representing the USSR for Dersu Uzala.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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FilmFan720 wrote:Charlatan, from Czech Republic, is by Agnesizka Holland and has some good buzz. A lot of the major countries haven't released their submissions yet.
If it gets nominated, I wonder if she would be the first filmmaker to have films nominated representing three different countries--West Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Unfortunately her English-language film that was released earlier this year in the US, Mr. Jones, which deals with a journalist who uncovers the truth of Soviet atrocities in 1930's Ukraine, was another dud.

I know some have had films nominated representing two different countries--Michael Haneke, Moshe Mizrahi, and Maximilian Schell (I think people tend to forget that he directed some Foreign Film nominees) all did--and Bunuel had films nominated from two countries (Spain and France) and one submitted from a third (Mexico), which is the position Holland is in right now.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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The Endless Trench, Spain (Jon Garaño/Aitor Arregi/Jose Mari Goenaga) 7/10 - A man goes into hiding during the Spanish Civil War and with the help of his wife and eventually his son, remains in hiding for the next thirty years. Loosely based on true stories of so-called "mole people", political dissidents who fear reprisal from the government who actually did what the guy in this movie did for decades. The film is very well-made and very well-acted with a lot of great moments. But it never really quite come together as it should have. This is Spain's entry to the 93rd International Feature Oscar race. I have to say the theme of being cooped up in place would be resonant these days. This is a solid drama but far from the pantheon of great cinema.

Can it get in? I would say if it was the '90s, it's a lock. But who knows? It's a crazy year.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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Sabin wrote:What are everybody’s predictions in this category? I apologize. I have my contest in a few hours and I have to make my bets :oops:

The Sophia Loren film?
The Sophia Loren seems a safe bet, and is probably in contention for Best Actress nomination too.

Charlatan, from Czech Republic, is by Agnesizka Holland and has some good buzz. A lot of the major countries haven't released their submissions yet.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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What are everybody’s predictions in this category? I apologize. I have my contest in a few hours and I have to make my bets :oops:

The Sophia Loren film?
"How's the despair?"
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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I was disappointed in A Sun. I thought is started out so well, and yes Edward Yang crossed my mind as well but it took too many turns into ever increasing tragedy and melodrama. Worth noting for prospective viewers is that the film clock in at just over 2.5 hours.

It's beautifully photographed and an added bonus for me is that I have for a long time now been seduced by the otherness of Taiwan and Taipei itself - the country/city play such important roles in most of the films from Taiwan. I striking uniqueness not found anywhere else - would love it visit it one day.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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A Sun, Taiwan (Chung Mong-hung) 7.5/10 - A family of four (mother, father, two older teenage sons) is tested and nearly fractured through a series of tragedies that befall on them. As I was watching this film, two words seem to recur in my head: Edward Yang. Yeah, this actually kind of, sort of feels very Edward Yang-esque though it's more conventional in their approach to the material. It skirts but generally avoids the trap of being too miserable-ist which is the danger of this type of family dramas. It still manages to build the entire thing up to a very potent and emotionally resonant ending which ties the entire thing together. This is the first official Best International Feature Film submission I've seen this year. It's Taiwan's submission. It's currently streaming on Netflix and it's worth your while.

Can it get in? It's possible, depending on the competition.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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Taiwan has selected A Sun, which can be viewed on Netflix.
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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Here is a link to the submissions on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_s ... ature_Film

Ukraine's submission of Atlantis is a well intentioned but ultimately unsatisfying film. To be honest I can't really remember very much about it :oops:
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Re: List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

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I can describe My Little Sister in one word.........YAWN.
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