Hey there!
So, I like foreign films, now, when I say foreign I am talking about films that are made and produced in a language other than English. So despite the United States technically being a foreign country for me the films I am referring to are the ones that require subtitles to understand the dialogue and despite what this lady above says I have plenty of time fo dat.
Why do I love foreign films? Well for one it makes me better than you, I would much rather watch a Swedish horror film about a child vampire than watch Chris Evans and his massive breasts CGI punch a load of villains I don't care about in a Captain America movie. I am being facetious of course, but only a tad.
To be honest I think the main reason people avoid subtitles is the view that I just jokingly adhered to above. There is a general attachment of pretension to films that use subtitles. People feel as if the filmmakers are trying to separate the less intellectual audience members by making them read instead of sitting through, oh I don't know, a Michael Bay movie about watches that explode (not the best example, but there is a watch on my desk). Anyway, this is what puts people off I am sure of it. My love for foreign cinema has seen the phrase arty farty thrown my way, always in jest, but yet I think this is what foreign cinema has to deal with in terms of a wider audience response.
Then again, maybe people feel like they cant experience the necessary escapism because they are being forced to concentrate harder than perhaps they normally would. Though my response would be that surely the heightened concentration helps you to become even more immersed because you are forced to enter into a cinematic space where there are no distractions to stop you reading the dialogue. This for me is one of the most appealing things about subtitled films. Admittedly I used to avoid them because I couldn't be bothered. Much like a puppy I can have a rather short attention span, often when watching an English language film, regardless of whether I am enjoying it or not I will drift off onto my phone and take my eyes away from the screen. I can still hear whats going on so I probably wont miss much, but at the same time I get annoyed at myself for not paying more attention.
However contrast this with foreign film and I am a totally different spectator. When there are subtitles to be read drifting off is not an option because one missed sentence can really take you out of the film and leave you wondering whats happening. By concentrating harder I feel like I get more out of the film. I can better understand the nuances and motivations of the characters and appreciate the themes and importance of the plot.
Crucially it has also led to a much better appreciation for language itself. Despite not speaking a second language, watching foreign films has really helped me see just how amazing human language is. It might not seem true, but there really is a difference between hearing something said in English and hearing it said in French. Even the stereotypically harsher languages such as Russian or German become poetic when used the right way.
Above all else, foreign cinema has given me a much better understanding of film as a whole, it has taken away some of the restrictions that I once had about the types of films that I saw and opened up a whole new cinematic world to me, and I would implore others to explore films worldwide for that very reason.
I thought here I would add a short list of foreign films that I have enjoyed that are well worth a watch:
13 Minutes AKA - Elser – Er hätte die Welt verändert - German
The Raid 1&2 - Indonesian
Let the right one In - Swedish
Ju - On AKA The Grudge - Japanese
Tsotsi - South African
City of God - Brazilian
Breathless AKA A bout de souffle - French
Oldboy - Korean
Y Tu Mama Tambien - Mexican
L'Aventura - Italian
Taxi - Jafar Panahi's Taxi - Iranian - Haven't actually seen this yet, but its supposed to be amazing.
There are more, but I think that's a good list to get you going.
Adios!
