If you and your Valentine are opting for a cozy night in rather than a night out this Saturday, here are some great suggestions for romantic foreign films. Why not watch one in the language you’re learning and impress your date by discussing the linguistic nuances of the translations in the subtitles. Or just pick one for shear romance.
JAPAN
We’ll start with a recommendation from Japan. The film is called “Hanamizuki” and the subtitle in English is “May Your Love Bloom a Hundred Years.” It came out in 2010 and was based on a 2004 pop song of the same name by You Hitoto. It’s directed by Nobuhiro Doi; starring Yui Aragaki and Touma Ikuta.
Sae is a high school student hoping to go to college in Tokyo. She meets Kouhei, who goes to a specialized high school teaching fishery.
The two meet and have a long distance relationship, which soon ends.
Sae and Kouhei decide to go their separate ways, but they can’t forget each other. Will they be reunited? You have to watch to find out.
Note on the Japanese title: “Hanamizuki” is a woody plant with white flowers. In English it is known as “cornus” or “dogwood”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanamizuki
DUTCH
Now on to the Netherlands, and a film called Alles is Liefde “Love is all.” Released in 2007 and directed by the Dutch film and television director Joram Lursen, this exceptional film has won over the hearts of over a million Dutch viewers, which is quite a feat given that the Dutch are known for being quite skeptical about their own film industry. It has in fact attracted more visitors than any other Dutch movie in the past 15 years. Some say it’s one of the few Dutch movies that isn’t about the Second World War nor has extreme sex scenes in it (some actually say that with slight disappointment in their voice). Alles is Liefde is a romantic comedy in the style of (and inspired by) the British movie “Love Actually” (2003).
The movie takes place in Amsterdam around the day that Sinterklaas, a traditional winter holiday figure in the Netherlands, is celebrated (December 5th). The movie is a so-called mosaic movie where many different romantic storylines cross paths and draws a parallel between the need for children to believe in Sinterklaas in order for him to exist and for adults to believe in love in order for it to exist. It also offers some stunning views of the city of Amsterdam.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468644/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alles_is_Liefde
SPAIN
Now, heading down to Spain, we have a recommendation from our Spanish e-Tutor Carmen. Los amantes del círculo polar (Lovers of the Arctic Circle) is directed by Julio Medem (1998) and tells the story of Otto and Ana, who meet by chance when they are 8 years old and again when they are in their twenties in the Arctic Circle. The theme of circle and cycles is present in their names (palindromes) as well as the structure of the plot. The film has won critical praise and was nominated for four Goya Awards.
BRAZIL
Next we’ll move to Brazil for a movie in Portuguese. Chega de Saudade, literally no more nostalgia, is the title of one of Tom Jobim’s best known songs and also of this movie that takes place during a single evening at a gafieira, a traditional dance hall with samba, tango and bolero style songs. The characters, played by an all-star cast, dance, drink, flirt, rekindle old romances, break-up and have fun. It’s a romantic comedy with a little bit of drama in which Brazilian music and dance play the most important role.
According to Dulce, our Portuguese e-Tutor, this is the perfect Valentine’s film as it mixes three great ingredients for the occasion: dance, music and romance.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977642/
GREECE
Back to Europe, for a film created in Greece: “What if…” directed by Christoforos Papakaliatis. The story focuses on the lives of two young people (Dimitris and Christina) who meet in two parallel universes under different circumstances. In the first story their love is fierce and undeniable, yet they experience problems because of the economic crisis and these have an impact on them. But what *IF* they met under different circumstances? The stories take place in the oldest neighborhood of Athens, Plaka, under the Acropolis.
FRANCE
Finally, what better language to conjure up romance than French. The choice was difficult for our e-Tutor Sev, as there are just so many French romantic films! But he chose Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise) because it “is such a masterpiece, with some unforgettable lines.”
Les Enfants du Paradis
And if you’d like to try out some français on your Valentine, here are some romantic lines from the movie:
“Paris est tout petit pour ceux qui s’aiment d’un aussi grand amour. “ (Paris is very small for those like us who love each other with such a great love.).
“C’est tellement simple l’amour” (Love is so simple.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Paradise