The 30 Best Foreign Language Movies of 2023

While the vast majority of audiences in the United States are only accustomed to watching the major American and Canadian releases in a given year, there are always many amazing and groundbreaking films released worldwide. Worldwide cinema continues year after year to create varied and creative stories that are completely different from the style and tone of films made and released for U.S. markets.

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30 Ballerina (발레리나)

Grieving the loss of a best friend she couldn’t protect, an ex-bodyguard sets out to fulfill her dear friend’s last wish: sweet revenge.

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29 Nowhere

Set in a dystopian future, Spain has been turned into a dictatorship, where its government plans to eradicate children, pregnant women, and the elderly to deal with the lack of resources. The plot follows a pregnant woman separated from her husband while trying to flee the country to Ireland. She then finds herself trying to survive inside a shipping container in the heart of the sea.

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28 Sisu

During the last desperate days of WWII, a solitary prospector crosses paths with Germans on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the Germans steal his gold, they quickly discover that they have just tangled with no ordinary miner. While there is no direct translation for the Finnish word “sisu”, this legendary ex-commando will embody what sisu means: a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds. And no matter what the Germans throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back – even if it means killing every last German in his path.

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27 Alcarràs

The life of a family of peach farmers in a small village in Catalonia changes when the owner of their large estate dies and his lifetime heir decides to sell the land, suddenly threatening their livelihood.

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26 When Evil Lurks (Cuando acecha la maldad)

Inhabitants of a quaint countryside town uncover chilling news: a demon is on the verge of being born in their midst. In a race against time, they attempt to flee before the malevolent force comes to life, but escaping may already be out of reach.

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25 Life for Real (La vie pour de vrai)

Tridan Lagache has spent his life at Club Med, changing friends every 8 days. At 50, he resigned from the Mexican holiday club where he was born, determined to find, 42 years later, his great childhood love, Violette. He arrives in Paris, naive and lost but happy to be staying with Louis, a half-brother he did not know existed. To get rid of a cumbersome Tridan, Louis begs one of his conquests, Roxane, to pretend to be Violette, whom Tridan thinks he recognizes at first sight.

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24 The Wandering Earth II (流浪地球2 | Liu lang di qiu 2)

Humans built huge engines on the surface of the earth to find a new home. But the road to the universe is perilous. In order to save earth, young people once again have to step forward to start a race against time for life and death.

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23 The Crime Is Mine (Mon crime)

Paris, France, 1935, and a young actress has just been acquitted of murdering a famous French Producer. However, this is where the story just begins. Is she really innocent?, or has she gotten away with Murder?

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22 Afire (Roter Himmel)

A group of friends are in a holiday home by the Baltic Sea where emotions run high as the parched forest around them catches fire.

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21 Mixed by Erry

The rise and fall of the pirate mixtape empire of three brothers from Naples and their “Mixed by Erry”-trademarked cassettes that brought pop music to 1980s Italian youth.

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20 Pathaan

Indian RAW agent “Pathaan” gets to know of a major impending attack against India, mounted by a mercenary group led by the ruthless enigma Jim, who has a history of his own. With the doomsday clock ticking away and an agent Rubai his only possible ally, Pathaan must fight countless betrayals and deal with destruction as he takes on Jim.

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19 My Fault (Culpa mía)

Noah has to leave her town, boyfriend and friends behind and move into the mansion of her mother’s new rich husband. There she meets Nick, her new stepbrother. They fall madly in love in secret.

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18 Forgotten Love (Znachor)

A once-respected surgeon professor Rafal Wilczur who’s lost his family and his memory gets a chance at redemption when he reconnects with someone from his forgotten past who can help him find the answers he needs.

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17 All Your Faces (Je verrai toujours vos visages)

Since 2014, in France, Restorative Justice has offered victims and perpetrators of offences the opportunity to dialogue through secure systems, supervised by professionals and volunteers such as Judith, Fanny or Michel. Nassim, Issa, and Thomas, sentenced for theft with violence, Gregoire, Nawelle and Sabine, victims of home jacking, robbery and purse snatching. Also Chloe, victim of incestuous rape, all engage in measures of Restorative Justice. On their journey, there is anger and hope, silence and words, alliances and heartbreaks, awareness and regained confidence. And at the end of the road, sometimes, reparation.

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16 Jawan

Driven by a desire to rectify societal wrongs, Vikram embarks on a mission to obliterate Kalee and presents the government with a set of demands, setting the stage for an electrifying and high-stakes showdown. The film delivers a strong social message about issues like the corrupt political system, challenges faced by farmers, and flaws in the healthcare system. It emphasizes the power of the index finger during elections as a means for citizens to actively participate in shaping the destiny of their country.

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15 One and Only (熱烈 | Re lie)

Ding Lei, a street dance veteran, invites a young entertainer to join his club. However, they are faced with a series of challenges.

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14 Soulmate (소울메이트 | Soulmeiteu)

Coming-of-age story where two friends first meet at 11 years old and spend the course of 14 years remaining close and sharing experiences in both friendship and romance.

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13 Waiting for Dali (Esperando a Dalí)

Fernando, a talented chef, arrives to the village of Cadaqués during the 70s, residence of the internationally renowned Salvador Dalí. The paths of the chef and the artist will cross and cause the birth of a new culinary genius.

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12 Under Therapy (Bajo terapia)

Three couples are summoned by their psychologist for group therapy which pushes them to wash increasingly dirty linen in public.

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11 The Roundup: No Way Out (범죄도시3 | Beomjoe dosi 3)

Seven years after the roundup in Vietnam, Ma Seok-do joins a new squad to investigate a murder case. He soon starts to dig deeper when he finds out the case involves a synthetic drug and a gang of thugs.

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10 My Heart Puppy (멍뭉이 | Meongmongi)

Min-soo’s fiancee suddenly admits that she is allergic to dogs. Now the guy’s best friend, the golden retriever Rooney, needs a new family. With the help of his cousin and social media, Min-soo starts looking for a new home for Rooney.

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9 The Book of Wonders (La chambre des merveilles)

A mother finds the diary of her sons which has “10 things to do before the end of the world” after he has fallen into a coma. She started doing one by one in a hope that her son will see how beautiful life is and that he must come back.

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8 Princes of the Desert (Zodi & Tehu, frères du désert)

Zodi, a young nomad of 12, discovers an orphaned baby camel in the desert. He takes it in, feeds it, names it Tehu and becomes its best friend. Zodi learns from a veterinarian, Julia, that Tehu is an exceptional runner and can bring in a lot of money for his tribe. But the qualities of his young camel make Tarek, the local poacher, envious. To avoid Tehu being sold, Zodi decides to run away and cross the Sahara. On this journey, Zodi confronts Tarek, survives a sandstorm and crosses the salt sea with the ultimate goal of entering Tehu in the world’s largest camel race in Abu Dhabi. With Julia’s help, Zodi will strive to make his dream come true, make Tehu a champion and save his tribe.

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7 The Three Musketeers – Part I: D’Artagnan (Les trois mousquetaires: D’Artagnan)

D’Artagnan, a spirited young boy, is left for dead after trying to save a young woman from being kidnapped. When he arrives in Paris, he tries by all means to find his attackers. He is unaware that his quest will lead him to the heart of a real war where the future of France is at stake. Allied with Athos, Porthos and Aramis, three musketeers of the King with a dangerous temerity, D’Artagnan faces the dark machinations of the Cardinal of Richelieu. But it is when he falls madly in love with Constance Bonacieux, the Queen’s confidante, that d’Artagnan truly puts himself in danger. For it is this passion that leads him into the wake of the one who becomes his mortal enemy: Milady de Winter.

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6 Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d’une chute)

The story begins when Samuel is found dead in the snow outside the isolated chalet where he lived with his wife Sandra, a German writer, and their partially-sighted 11-year-old son Daniel. An investigation leads to a conclusion of “suspicious death”: it’s impossible to know for sure whether he took his own life or was killed. Sandra is indicted, and we follow her trial which pulls the couple’s relationship apart. Daniel is caught in the middle: between the trial and their home life, doubts take their toll on the mother-son relationship.

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5 Godzilla Minus One (ゴジラマイナスワン | Gojira Mainasu Wan)

Feeling as if he unfairly cheated death too many times, Shikishima, a surviving Kamikaze pilot, is attacked on Odo Island along with many war plane engineers by a gargantuan monster. After the engineers die because of Shikishima failing to distract the monster, an overwhelming amount of guilt weighs on him, especially after a homeless woman and a baby move into his home when he returns. Shikishima, now on a personal mission, teams up with a large group of veterans to finally take down the monster known as Godzilla.

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4 Sugar and Stars (À la belle étoile)

Since he was a kid, Yazid has one big passion, pastry making. Raised between foster homes and group homes, the young man will try to make his dream come true: to work with the greatest pastry chefs and become the best.

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3 The First Day of My Life (Il primo giorno della mia vita)

The movie tells the story of four people with different life experiences who all fall into a low point in their lives. And at this moment, a mysterious person appeared and told them: in the next week, they will have the opportunity to be reborn, and the story of how their lives will change after being reborn.

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2 Hachiko (忠犬八公 | Zhong quan ba gong)

The touching story about a loyal dog who waited for the return of his owner in front of a train station for ten years, even after his owner’s death.

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1 The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか | Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka)

After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

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