# Best foreign language sci-fi films



## Divisive Cotton (Mar 9, 2012)

I'm looking for something to watch on the weekend

Of course, everybody knows Solaris but I was wondering what else there is out there


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## Reno (Mar 9, 2012)

Fassbinder's World on a Wire.



..and there is a Spanish post apocalyptic flick called La Hora Fria/ The Dark Hour which I quite like:


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## FridgeMagnet (Mar 9, 2012)

Tokyo Gore Police.

Maybe.


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## ViolentPanda (Mar 9, 2012)

Solaris.
Stalker.
Alphaville.
The City of Lost Children


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## Divisive Cotton (Mar 9, 2012)

I was thinking of something more modern. I don't think I'm in a mood for a moog soundtrack


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## Orang Utan (Mar 9, 2012)

Low Flying Aircraft?


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## BigTom (Mar 9, 2012)

Timecrimes (Los Chronos Crimeres? I can't be bothered to go and look up the spelling of the spanish words).


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## Greebo (Mar 10, 2012)

Banlieue 13 - not the american remake (district 9), though.  Paris ghetto of the future (even worse than the current banlieues), Romeo & Juliet situation (natch), bomb to cleanse the area, race to stop it going off, race to stop it being stopped...


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## smmudge (Mar 10, 2012)

Fantastic Planet / Maitres du Temps / Gandahar etc

ghost in the shell / akira etc


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## Orangesanlemons (Mar 10, 2012)

BigTom said:


> Timecrimes (Los Chronos Crimeres? I can't be bothered to go and look up the spelling of the spanish words).


 
Seconded. Great film.


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## DJ Squelch (Mar 10, 2012)

not new but it is good - Ikarus XB1 (Voyage To The End Of The Universe)


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## ginger_syn (Mar 10, 2012)

I'll second the city of lost children, although I would avoid the english dubbed version as it seems to lose something in the change of language. I will also second district 13, the sequel is quite enjoyable as well.


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## ska invita (Mar 10, 2012)

Another great far out Russian one is Kin Dza Dza - if you like early Terry Gilliam and you like Solaris you'll love this


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## ska invita (Mar 10, 2012)

Technically Sci-Fi is polish comedy Seksmisja - Sexmission. In Poland its a classic - translates well I think as its pretty funny in English


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## sumimasen (Mar 10, 2012)

There's that Korean monster movie that was made before Cloverfield. That's pretty good, can't remember the name though.


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## yardbird (Mar 10, 2012)

La Jette as a little warm up.


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## Gramsci (Mar 10, 2012)

sumimasen said:


> There's that Korean monster movie that was made before Cloverfield. That's pretty good, can't remember the name though.


 
"The Host"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/

Very good satire on modern Korea.


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## Gramsci (Mar 10, 2012)

DJ Squelch said:


> not new but it is good - Ikarus XB1 (Voyage To The End Of The Universe)




Ive seen this Czech sci fi. It is not well known. Here is article by Alex Cox where he talks about it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jun/30/russian-science-fiction-sci-fi-films-bfi

"Immaculately filmed in black-and-white Cinemascope, it is beautiful and austere. The effects are second to none: Kubrick and his visual effects genius Wally Veevers must have seen it and analysed its models and matte shots before making 2001. But there is far more to Icarus than special effects. Adapted from another Lem novel, The Magellanic Cloud, the film is packed with sublime moments unlike those of any film preceding it"


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Mar 10, 2012)

Gramsci said:


> "The Host"
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/
> 
> Very good satire on modern Korea.


 
Not a super great film though.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Mar 10, 2012)

smmudge said:


> Fantastic Planet / Maitres du Temps / Gandahar etc
> 
> ghost in the shell / akira etc


 
No no no no no no no no no and no.


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## Gramsci (Mar 10, 2012)

Children of Men- dystopia based on novel

Pitch Black       - low budget escape from Planet film.

Code 46           -Director Winterbottom low budget underrated sci fi

Daywatch       - trilogy of mad Russian films based on bestselling modern day vampire novels. 

District 9        - South African sci fi satire on race

All above are recent


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Mar 10, 2012)

Gramsci said:


> Children of Men- dystopia based on novel
> 
> Pitch Black - low budget escape from Planet film.
> 
> ...


 
A - Only one of these is in a foreign language.
B - None of them are very good.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2012)

ska invita has already snuck in with the films I was going to suggest.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2012)




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## Reno (Mar 10, 2012)

The recent German scifi film Transfer has been getting great notices at film festivals, but still hasn't been released. It's about a future where old people keep young by using the bodies of people from poorer countries as hosts:



The BFI had a season of Russian scifi films on last year and I saw the beautiful looking but didactic Toward Meeting a Dream. It was cannibalised for the US B-movie Queen of Blood, which took all the special effects and wide shots to refashion the film into something less high minded, but arguably more entertaining.



East Germany also made quite a few scifi films in the 60s and 70s. The most famous were The Silent Star:



and In the Dust of the Stars:


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## joevsimp (Mar 10, 2012)

Turkish Star Wars?

Actually, I don't think I've ever seen any, only the remake of Solaris, I don't suppose Trollhunter or Dead Snow count...?


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## ska invita (Mar 10, 2012)

joevsimp said:


> Turkish Star Wars?


Good call! Turkish ET - Badi (as in Buddy) too...


I looked up the director who did the Turkish Star Wars on IMDB once... he made 8 films that year 

There must be some French sci-fi non? 5th Element is almost French I guess...


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## Zabo (Mar 10, 2012)

Alex De La Iglesia's wonderful _Acción Mutante_

"Waging war against all things glamorous and beautiful, crippled terrorists Accion Mutante plot a series of attacks on society's elite, gaining a fearsome reputation before their activities are stalled with the jailing of their leader and mastermind, Ramon. Soon reunited with their newly released leader, _Accion Mutante_ plots the elaborate wedding reception kidnapping of Patricia, a wealthy socialite. Though many die in the botched kidnapping, the gang gets away with Patricia and jumps aboard their spaceship, destined for a distant planet and a healthy ransom. Celebration is short-lived as greed kicks in and Ramon plants the seeds of distrust among his fellow mutants shortly after take-off. With all of the mutants gone sans a vengeful Siamese twin (or at least half of him), Ramon takes his cash cow to the pay-off site, though a curious case of the Stockholm syndrome has thrown an unexpected wrench into Ramon's devious plan."


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## Greebo (Mar 10, 2012)

There's Hell (bright/hell) - which got rave reviews when it came out last year. Set in a much hotter future. It's in German, not sure if it's gone to dvd yet (should be able to torrent it) and I'm not sure if you'll be able to get it with English subtitles. 

Edited to add: Had a quick look and could only find the dvd in German with German subtitles.


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## ska invita (Mar 10, 2012)

> 7 Essential French Sci-Fi Films
> http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/10/7_essential_french_sci-fi_films.php


its all stuff like Jetee and Goddard - no Alien space wars at all


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## Reno (Mar 10, 2012)

ska invita said:


> There must be some French sci-fi non?


 
Not much and some have been mentioned. Godard's _Alphaville_, Chris Marker's experimental short _Le Jetee_, Laloux's animated _Fantastic Planet, Time Masters_ and _Gandahar_.

Rene Clair's silent film _Paris Asleep_, Jeunet's and Caro's steam punk _Delicatessen_ and _The City of Lost Children_, Besson's _The Last Battle_. His _The Fifth Element_ was shot in English, the Besson produced _District 13_ and its sequel, Carax's _The Night is Young_, Tavernier's _Death Watch_, Haneke's post-apocalyptic _Time of the Wolf_, Caro's _Dante 01_, comic artist Bilal's _Immortal, Eden Log,_ 'infected' flick_ Mutants._ Truffaut's one scifi flick _Farenheit 451_ was really a British film


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## Reno (Mar 10, 2012)

ska invita said:


> its all stuff like Jetee and Goddard - no Alien space wars at all


 

The Swiss _Cargo_ aspires to look like a big budget sci fi flick and looks impressive, considering it was made on a micro budget. It's watchable enough.


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## ska invita (Mar 10, 2012)

I dont really see the point of foreign sci-fi when theres this:


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## Reno (Mar 10, 2012)

yawn!


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2012)

Any takers for _Bunker Palace Hôtel_?


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## Reno (Mar 10, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> Any takers for _Bunker Palace Hôtel_?


 
Never even heard of this one. I used to love Bilal's comic strips, but his more recent film _Immortal_ was awful. Is this any good ?


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2012)

I think it starts off pretty good, but then gets a bit bogged down.

The design is great though, great visuals and foley.


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## ska invita (Mar 10, 2012)

Reno said:


> yawn!


fillystein 
I take it you didnt watch the clip, or else you would have seen Orac in action and been left blinded by the glory


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## DJ Squelch (Mar 10, 2012)

Reno said:


> The Swiss _Cargo_ aspires to look like a big budget sci fi flick and looks impressive, considering it was made on a micro budget. It's watchable enough.


 
I watched this last night, it was dreadful.


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## Gramsci (Mar 11, 2012)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> A - Only one of these is in a foreign language.
> B - None of them are very good.


Whoops forgot title of thread.


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## Reno (Mar 11, 2012)

DJ Squelch said:


> I watched this last night, it was dreadful.


 
I won't argue for it. I thought it started well but went down the pan in the second half. Technically it's an impressive example of resourceful low budget film-making though.


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## Firky (Apr 17, 2012)

I quite enjoyed Eva

http://www.evalapelicula.com/


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## Shippou-Sensei (Apr 19, 2012)

firky said:


> I quite enjoyed Eva
> 
> http://www.evalapelicula.com/


 
i prefer eva


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