Photo: Netflix
The Wandering Earth is one of the biggest blockbuster movies of all-time, yet you’ve never probably heard of it. Netflix is hoping to change that by acquiring rights to stream the Chinese sci-fi blockbuster which wowed Eastern audiences, becoming the second highest-grossing non-English language film of all time.
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Adapted from a novella by Hugo Award-winner Liu Cixin, The Wandering Earth is hailed as the “first Chinese space epic.” Directed by Frant Gwo and starring Qu Chuxiao, Li Guangjie, Ng Man-tat, Zhao Jinmai, and Wu Jing, the popcorn film is a crowd-pleasing, CGI spectacle about humanity’s attempts to prevent the sun from destroying the earth. Think Armageddon with subtitles.
As the film business continues to extend beyond Hollywood, who only seem to want to make comic book movies, you can expect to see a lot more foreign films being exported to the U.S. through streaming sites. The good news is that the foreign film market is embracing genres like horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy, making subtitled movies fun and original. Here are some of the best ones out right now.
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Foreign Films Streaming
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'Burning'
Steven Yeun (Walking Dead) stars in this South Korean art-house thriller that scored a 2018 Oscar nod for Best Foreign Film. Now streaming on Netflix.
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'Shoplifters'
An Oscar-nominated Japanese family drama about a band of outsiders with sticky fingers. Now streaming on Hulu.
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'Cold War'
A bittersweet love story set against the background of the Cold War in 1950s Europe. Now streaming on Amazon Prime.
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'Happy as Lazzaro'
A modern-day fairy tale about an idealistic young farmer in search of happiness in bucolic central Italy. Now streaming on Netflix.
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The Breaker Upperers
A kooky New Zealand buddy comedy about a business who break up couples for cash. Now streaming on Netflix.
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'The Square'
Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, (who made one of the best foreign films of the past decade, Force Majeure) is back with a scathing, satirical look at the modern art world. Now streaming on Hulu.
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'Border'
A strange, oddball, and alluring Swedish fantasy-horror film directed by Ali Abbasi that feels like an itch you can't scratch. Now streaming on Hulu.
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'Wolf Warrior 2'
This Chinese blockbuster is a 1980s action movie throwback except now America is the bad guy. Now streaming on Hulu.
