Pick-up Takes: Recent International Films on a Streamer Near You

A vast, digital movie library at your immediate disposal for a (somewhat) modest monthly rate. What might’ve seemed like an utopian science-fiction idea not too long ago quickly became the standard way of watching cinema all around the globe. The monkey’s paw curls, of course, as tech-media juggernauts like Netflix and Amazon have long overachieved on their initial ambitions of rivaling brick and mortar video stores.

Call Me Chihiro (2023)

Not sure what to see today? Instead of someone behind a counter taking a guess on what you might enjoy, all your media history data – and beyond – is run through algorithms that spit out personalized recommendations that know what you’re in the mood for better than yourself. The whole process is incredibly convenient, but it’s also clever misdirection. On any given night, simply picking whatever stands out from the top row will likely leave you satisfied, yet doing it frequently means the machine receives feedback to keep pushing titles from a diminishing subset of genres, periods, filmmakers, budgets and countries. For instance, only 5% of the near six thousand films currently available on Netflix US were made prior to 2010. Adding that to the role the company plays as its own studio, it’s unlikely that a watch of Enola Holmes 2 leads to any classic mystery on the top of the front page (unless you count the $320 million price tag on the Russos’ involvement as a classic Hollywood mystery).

There is, however, a constant influx of recently released international titles onto these services that goes largely unnoticed. Keeping track of all the entries to filter everything of interest can be quite laborious even with the help of apps like JustWatch and Letterboxd, but manually sorting a watchlist is one of the only two ways to make the most out of a common streaming subscription without too much algorithmic input. The second one is to rely on, or at least consider, the curation from others.

So, here are a few standout projects available on Netflix and Prime Video that you may have missed.

Karnan (2021)

India

Coming from Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India, Karnan takes inspiration from real events to tell a tale of resistance. In the film, remote community rallies around a fed up young villager protesting the right to exist with dignity against tools of oppression. Although I wish director Mari Selvaraj could hold the numerous great shots for longer, the rhythmic montage in which faith, ancestrality and the necessity for social disruption are conveyed is the star of the show here. What could be seen as excessive straightforwardness is eclipsed by remarkable urgency. 

Streaming on Prime Video

Falling in Love Like in Movies (2023) 

Indonesia

Tired of only working on telenovela adaptations, a frustrated screenwriter goes to a film producer to pitch an original story: a black-and-white romance about a lonely screenwriter falling for his old high school crush, now a recent widow. Reality and fiction intertwine as almost the same thing happens in real life, except the characters are only platonically bonding over the process of creating a cinematic love story. What ensues in Yandy Laurens' Falling in Love Like in Movies is a delightful deconstruction of the tropes typical of the romance genre, all while dealing with the moral implications of projecting someone into a role they might not be willing to play.

Streaming on Netflix

Mars One (2022)

Brazil

Set against the backdrop of the 2018 Brazilian presidential election won by far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro, Mars One is a portrayal of how shifting political tides can affect everyday life in even the smallest of ways. The movie follows into the routine of a struggling working-class black family living on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, one of the country’s biggest cities. As each member of the household navigates their own dilemmas (the young son dreams of becoming an astrophysicist instead of a footballer like his father desires;the daughter explores her sexuality while dealing with class divides at a prestigious law school), they all circle back to one another. Instead of shallow ideological finger-wagging, the film prefers to convey the complicated yet beautiful practical ways people can go about expressing their unconditional affection in the face of trouble. 

Full review by Pedro Pires

Streaming on Netflix

Rise (2022)

France

Have you ever wished that Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan was more of a wholesome dramedy? Well, the French have! A 26-year-old ballerina, under immense physical and psychological pressure, gets injured during a performance and is told her body may never fully recover. With a personal identity previously defined to her vocation as a dancer, she begins a journey of self-discovery while finding new ways to keep doing what she loves. This starts somber and grandiose with a stunning ballet sequence, and then starts to shift to accompany the stylistic changes in artistic expression, from classical to contemporary. While not exactly reaching for the highs of an intense psychosexual thriller, Rise's admirable attention to cinematic form puts it above your average lighthearted flick. Also, it features a great use of one of France’s biggest stars – and heartthrobs – in François Civil as a scene-stealing comic relief.

Streaming on Prime Video

Fast and Feel Love (2022)

Thailand

A silly sports movie about cup-stacking that’s also wholeheartedly sincere. Thailand’s Fast and Feel Love challenges the justified notion that contemporary comedies rely too much on references and pastiche. It’s an ecstatic Russian nesting doll of genres and not-so-subtle allusions that actually puts thought into framing, editing and color grading to surpass the meager appeal of recognizing a tidbit of pop culture. The extended Parasite gags alone are worth the watch, but the Fast & Furious homage is the true pièce de résistance.

Full review by Nicholas Onyeanakwe

Streaming on Netflix

Call Me Chihiro (2023) 

Japan

Based on a manga series, Call Me Chihiro tells the story of a former prostitute who moves to a quiet, seaside town and works at a bento shop. It’s not an accident that the premise reads somewhat vague and free of conflict. Like some of the best examples of slice-of-life storytelling, the deliberate rhythm is crucial in lending credible temporality, and therefore authenticity, to both setting and character, to the point that one feels indistinguishable from the other. Kindness has been effectively commodified into a catch-all aesthetic in which innocuous platitudes are sold as profound wisdom, often as a sneakily conservative reaction to the illusion of liberated times. What this film grasps about the complexities of human behavior that other, shallower "nice-core" titles don't is a certain unconscious detachment between practices and gestures toward others and attitude toward self. Heads up: do not watch this on an empty stomach.

Streaming on Netflix

-Raul