Foreign-language films?

[Vlad!]

So some friends and I are doing an activity. We each need to watch a film in a language we don't understand and then try to guess what the plot was about given what we garnered just from the action. As an added twist, each of us has to pick the film for another group member.

So I'm looking for a foreign-language film which someone could get something out of without understanding any of the dialog. I was thinking about possibly Das Experiment or Grave of the Fireflies, but I haven't seen a whole lot of foreign-language stuff that's not so popular that the person I'm picking for has already seen it, or that the action isn't so caught up in the verbal characterizations that it would just be a snoozefest (I'm looking at you, French films). I also don't want to make it drag on for too long (since a movie where you don't know the language can be pretty interminable), so no freaking Seven Samurai or Solaris.

Any thoughts?

[enemy anemone]

if you want something funny, the Cheburashka cartoons. there are four, but they only run a little over an hour total. they are for children but are quite random and (I think) hilarious. it looks like youtube has them with and without English subtitles. I watched part one and part two of the first one without subtitles just now. there's plenty of action to keep one's interest, and why the action is happening is amusingly baffling. (even with subtitles, it's all rather baffling.)

[RavishingJohnny23]

Volver, with Penelope Cruz is fantastic. It's one that I highly recommend if you enjoy foreign flicks.

[enemy anemone]

any update on this?

[Vlad!]

I gave him Das Experiment, and he really liked it. He managed to figure out most of the plot.

The film I got was Children of Heaven, in Farsi. It was actually a really interesting movie, and apparently I did a pretty good job figuring it out as well (I have attached my plot summary to this post).

We all were really surprised at how we were able to get a lot out of our films even though we couldn't understand the dialog. It was very much an interesting experiment in the language of film and how the actors' body language and expression and the cinematography really convey so much meaning even without words.

[enemy anemone]

xD I was really confused for a bit, because I was thinking of City of God and also Children of Men. (I haven't seen any of these movies.)

[Vlad!]

xD I was really confused for a bit, because I was thinking of City of God and also Children of Men. (I haven't seen any of these movies.)

Haha, at first she really wanted me to watch this other movie (Once), which is in English.

Her: You can just watch a foreign-language dub, though, right?
Me: I don't think that's really in the spirit of the event.
Her: But it takes place in Ireland!
J: Isn't that a musical? Even if they dub it they probably leave the songs in English.
Her: It's not a musical. They're not dancing in trees and stuff.
J: ...I'm pretty sure it has musical numbers in it.
Her: But that's just singing. It's not a musical.
Me: Yes, because to be a musical it would need to have dancing in trees, apparently.
Her: OK, OK, I'll find you another movie.

[enemy anemone]

I watched Once once and thought it was one time too many.

hey, Lord of the Rings takes place in Middle Earth and features several foreign, er, non-English languages! while there is no dancing in trees, there are trees that move! and the viewer can sing along with Gandalf and/or the hobbits and do the Nomming On Orcs dance!  *waves arms like branches*

please don't shun me; I will shut up now.