Ari Zhu//The Hoya
“Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” – Bong Joon-ho
In recent months, the United States’ relationship with the rest of the globe has become increasingly tense. Donald Trump’s administration has removed the United States from the World Health Organization, threatened to halt aid to allies in Ukraine and attempted to impose tariffs on our closest neighbors, Mexico and Canada. These acts have communicated one central message: the United States should be alone. The government’s general belief seems to be that U.S. citizens should not need — nor want — any influence, money, commerce or cultural exchange from across its borders.
In this special issue of The Guide, we hope to encourage our readers to look beyond what is currently occurring in America, to see past the fear-mongering of foreignness that has become so prevalent in our country’s politics and expand their personal perspectives. To do this, we have chosen to explore and highlight the artistry of foreign films, a category that covers any movie made outside the United States.
From a romance set in colonial Korea to an award-winning tragedy from Iran to an iconic drama from Brazil, along with so much more, our writers have spotlighted stories, perspectives and experiences from across the globe. These films all touch on human experiences that are not only inherently tied to their country of origin but also our common humanity. These small glimpses into other nations act as windows into different lives and cultures, windows that we at The Guide feel can foster understanding and connection. In our current zeitgeist of political, cultural and social division and strife, a sense of understanding and connection beyond borders is not only an ideal to aim for but, indeed, a need.
Through this edition, we want to not only promote the global interconnectedness that foreign films foster but also highlight global cinema within the movie industry. As a medium, foreign film is frequently ignored in American culture. Besides the singular “Best Foreign Film” category at the Academy Awards — which narrows every single film made outside the United States into a neat, succinct and all-too-short list of five — the Academy Awards rarely appreciate these movies: it took 92 years for a non-English language movie, Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite,” to win Best Picture. Commercially, movies from other countries often struggle to achieve widespread theatrical distribution in America and require full English translations and dubs to be considered ‘approachable.’ Culturally, as a common stereotype, foreign movies are often lauded as pretentious and thus unnecessary to the average audience. In our opinion, it feels both brash and limiting to discount any film purely based on the fact that it was not made in America. By expanding the realm of storytelling we are willing to witness, we open ourselves to entirely new, exciting and even life-altering artistic experiences.
We want to acknowledge that film is not a fix-all. Watching a movie won’t change foreign policy, stop international conflict or fix the economy. Still, on a personal level, there is something to be said about intimately witnessing the lives of others, lives that are often so different from our own, to expand our individual horizons. Movies are not only meant to entertain their audiences but inspire them. Truly taking the time to absorb the art of film, a medium that requires such love, care and craftsmanship to produce in the first place, can inspire deep, moving emotions — love, compassion and, hopefully, empathy for even the farthest away stranger.
So, sit down with some popcorn, turn on those subtitles and see a little more of the world.