One of the few things that seem to be universal for the general public is we like to watch movies. Between theaters, DVDs and On Demand viewing, we have thousands of movies to choose from every time we sit down.
Because movies in general are so popular, it’s always surprising to hear someone say they don’t like foreign language films. Those who don’t prefer foreign language films always have a lot of reasons as to why they don’t watch them.
The main problem people seem to have with foreign language films are subtitles. While the argument they distract from the actual watching of the film makes some sense, subtitles often have the opposite effect. They force viewers to pay more attention — with subtitles, there’s no looking down at your phone unless you want to miss some great dialogue, and daydreaming while you should be watching could lead to missing a major plot point. Instead of hampering the viewing, viewers can often find that subtitles lead to a more immersive experience.
More and more, foreign directors are making their way into American markets and meeting with great success. Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro andAng Lee are just a few examples of foreign directors who have taken Hollywood by storm. It’s not because they are foreign; it’s because they’re all incredible artists whose immense talent is just now being rightfully recognized.
The Oscars are a great example of people discriminating against foreign language films. Last year’s Best Foreign Language Film winner “The Great Beauty” was a universally loved film by critics and could have easily competed with any of the American films in the Best Picture category. “Amour” is the only foreign language film to receive a nomination in the past several years, and though it’s an incredible film, for some reason, it stands alone as a foreign language film getting major American recognition. On the other hand, British films are frequently nominated and frequently win the Best Picture award, showing that it’s non-English films that receive discrimination.
Honestly, a savvy film fan could keep exploring American cinema for the rest of his or her life. American cinema is incredibly varied and has as much depth as any other nation’s film history. I also would never say that just because a film is in a different language does it mean that the film is inherently good. There are a lot of really horrible movies being made all over the world. But the fact remains that there are an entire world of movies out there, and so many incredible films are lost on those who would not experience them just because they are somewhat outside of their comfort zone.
Many people will read this article and find it hard to believe that there are many people out there who either will not or prefer not to watch foreign language films. My hope is that those people will test my theory by suggesting a foreign film next time they sit to watch a movie with friends. Ideally, they all agree, and the group gets to experience a great movie that they normally would not see otherwise.
Will Kallenborn is a 21-year-old English senior from Metairie, Louisiana.