Foreign Films: 10 Non-English romantic movies to watch

MF editorial team

06 Apr 2015

updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:15

1/10
Il Postino (Italy)
A love story involving a postman delivering a famous poet’s work, and using it to woo a beautiful young lady. Pablo Neruda’s romantic stanzas and words of advice enable Il Postino to win the object of his affection over. A veritable masterpiece indeed.
Photo credit: dogmovies.com
2/10
A Very Long Engagement (France)
Audrey Tautou and Gaspard Ulliel (he of the Scorsese Chanel ad) play Mathilde and Manech, two teenage lovers who know they’ll be together forever. Unfortunately, World War I interferes with their plans and Manech goes missing in the trenches after trying to lose a finger so he can go home to Mathilde.

Photo credit: fanpop.com
3/10
Omar (Palestine)
Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, Omar stars Adam Bakri as the young Palestinian, who must on a daily basis scale the imposingly tall security wall that separates him from his girlfriend, Nadia. Though very much in love, they haven’t yet revealed their relationship to her brother (and Omar’s good friend) Tarek, who is planning with Omar and another close pal, Amjad, to kill an Israeli soldier.
Photo credit: youtube.com
4/10
Casa Grande: The Ballad of Poor Jean (Brazil)
Exploring the themes of love, class, race and youth is Casa Grande: The Ballad of Poor Jean. Set in Rio, the film depicts the teenage life of Jean. The story is told through beautifully shot vignettes which capture the clash between classes and forbidden young love.
Photo credit: brazilfilmfest.net
5/10
Veer Zaara (India)
This Yash Chopra classic tells the story of Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh, a pilot in the Indian air force, who rescues the stranded Zaara, a woman from Pakistan, following a bus accident, and their lives are forever bound. With all the ingredients of a classic love story, the film is a tale of love, separation, courage and sacrifice that unfolds over 22 years. A classic Bollywood love story that has stood the test of time.
Photo credit: filmibeat.com
6/10
Keinohrhasen (Germany)
A brilliantly funny romantic comedy involving a young professional taking his trade a little too far and ending up doing some community service, in a children’s day centre. Only snatch is that the woman in charge is actually an old classmate of his, who coldly recalls his teasing remarks of the old days. As the film unfolds, the characters open up and between many laughs, you realise what a charming romantic comedy this is!
7/10
Strangers (Israel)
Strangers tells the story of a Palestinian woman and an Israeli man who meet by chance on a Berlin subway train on the way to the 2006 World Cup and begin a tentative romance. The 2006 Hezbollah war breaks out and the couple are torn apart when the guy is forced to return to serve in the army.
Photo credit: kabobfest.com
8/10
The Barber of Siberia (Russia)
Told in flashbacks, the film tells the story of Jane Callahan, a go-getting, worldly wise American woman who falls in love with a proud but naive young Russian cadet she meets in Moscow in the 1880s.
Photo credit: movieboozer.com
9/10
Lust, Caution (China)
During World War II a secret agent is sent to seduce and assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai. Her mission becomes clouded when she finds herself falling in love with the man she is assigned to kill.
Photo credit: Amazon.com
10/10
Lovers of the Arctic Circle (Spain)
Nominated for four Goya Awards, the movie 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 very much obvious throughout the film.
Photo credit: quotesandmovies.com

A girl can never watch too many love stories. Watch romance unfold in another language with our pick of romantic foreign films that won’t have the run-of-the-mill Hollywood ending.

We love 50 Shades of Grey and The Notebook as much as the next girl, but really, they’re so generic and predictable. Boy meets girl, falls in love, there’s some friction, but they soon overcome all odds to be together. From the moment the two lovers meet, we already know they’re going to end up in a happily-ever-after montage, regardless of the circumstances.

If cookie-cutter Hollywood films aren’t jerking your heartstrings anymore, you’d be well advised to check out romantic films in a foreign language. Most people shun foreign-language films because of an unwillingness to read subtitles and the perception that foreign movies are heavy-going and inaccessible to a mainstream audience. But if you find the right film and get past the subtitles there’s still something for everyone.

Here are our pick of 1o foreign language movies from across the globe that every die-hard romantic should see, proof that language is no barrier to matters of the heart

Kleenex and chocolate not included.

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Foreign Films: 10 Non-English romantic movies to watch

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