Thursday Movie Picks: Non-English Language Movies

So you sit down at a restaurant, the server pours you a glass of water and hands you a menu as thick as the Bible. The descriptions of each item sounds great and every picture looks like the best thing ever cooked. About five minutes pass, the server comes back to take your order, but you're overwhelmed with choices and tell him/her you need more time - like an hour. They smile, say "Take your time," and you dive back in and try to pick something. That's where I am with this week's topic for Thursday Movie Picks hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. It's non-English language movies. I've seen enough that it's tough to narrow it down. I also want to pick something you haven't seen. Let's see how I do.

H

(2002)

Language: Korean

Yup, just H. Serial killer Shin Hyun has been behind bars for nearly a year when a copycat becomes active. Detectives Kang and Kim are put on the case, and of course, enlist the help of Hyun in an attempt to crack it. The story goes down some very dark corridors. That the victims are pregnant women is not the least of the reasons it does. The DVD cover, yes I own this, says it's "Se7en meets Silence of the Lambs." It's every bit as disturbing as that sentence implies, too.

Dumplings

(2004)

Language: Chinese

We meet Mrs. Li as she is pouring her soul out to local chef Aunt Mei. She used to be a well-known actress, but as it tends to happen to starlets of a certain age, her looks have started to go and so have the jobs. Matters are exacerbated by the fact that her husband hasn't touched her in quite some time and is having an affair with a much younger woman. The reason Mrs. Li is telling all this to a chef is because Aunt Mei is known to make some rather special dumplings said to have the power of rejuvenation. They do, thanks to a rather peculiar ingredient. That's all I'll say about that. Bai Ling plays Aunt Mei and gives Americans a familiar face, since she has an extensive English language filmography. (full review)

The Neighbor No. Thirteen

(2005)

Language: Japanese

Things are looking up for Juzo. However, when he starts his first day on his brand new job as a construction worker, things take a turn for the worse. His supervisor is Akai, the guy that used to bully him as a kid. Luckily for Juzo, Akai doesn't recognize him. Things really get weird when Juzo goes home. He must have taken a detour through the Twilight Zone because when he gets there, he discovers that Akai is actually living with Juzo's wife and kid while he has another apartment. Obviously, Akai begins bullying Juzo all over again. Then a strange man with a severely scarred face and calling himself "Number 13" starts popping up all over the place. That's when things really get weird.

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