"I don't go to movies to read" is the usual response I get if I suggest a foreign language film to another person. For some reason, even literate, smart people tend to shy away from watching subtitled movies. I've never understood this, to me the act of reading the dialog and watching the movie melds into one act before the first few minutes of the film is up.

In regards to subtitles, I would say that many times it is worth the inconvenience. Although this is changing because of broader distribution, it is still accurate to say that if a foreign language film has broken into the United States market it is probably a dang good movie. This isn't because it's foreign or any other flimsy argument like that, it's because these movies have to be of higher quality than your average film in order to make that crossover. Distributors are not going to get behind product they don't think will sell. This means that a higher percentage of foreign language movies are of higher overall quality than what is released domestically. Which in turn means, often subtitles are worth the effort.

Again, does this mean simply because a film comes out of a foreign market that it is a spectacular work worthy of consideration? Nope, not unless you're a hopelessly pathetic art house loser desperate to appear thoughtful and open minded. Always refer to reviews and judge for yourself - I simply recommend not making the judgment based purely on what language is spoken.

Labels: miscellaneous, movie watching tip