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2016 Foreign Film Oscar Analysis

2016 was a pretty strong year for foreign films, but the Academy themselves did not choose the best films of the year unfortunately. Still, most of the picks in their slate are actually quite commendable. The line-up is diverse conceptually and the right movie ended up winning the award.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

5. Toni Erdmann

One of the most overrated films of the year unfortunately got an Oscar nomination, but it deservedly gets this last place from me. Yes, Toni Erdmann is such an annoying movie that had good intentions, but the execution is just painfully bad. The humor is horrendous in its over-the-top approach while many scenes are downright ridiculous. Thus, it was very difficult watching this movie, and I could personally never get into it at any point. I know that I am in the minority here, but I really disliked this one.

4. A Man Called Ove

As for A Man Called Ove, it’s a disappointing Swedish dramedy that could have been much greater had they landed the second half, but unfortunately they did not. The familiarity of the plot is inescapable while the flashback scenes are overly abundant. However, the first half is excellent with the attempted suicide scenes being quite funny and memorable. The main performance from Rolf Lassgard is terrific, and although the direction is weak, the dialogue is excellent throughout.

3. Tanna

Tanna is definitely predictable and formulaic in its storytelling as it is basically a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but the film is still a success as it deals with people we rarely see on film and having in mind that it was filmed on set brought a lot of realism and authenticity to the picture. I loved its score which was excellent, the film is wonderful often and its imagery is at times quite artistic and memorable. It’s rare seeing an Australian film get a nomination by the Academy, but they slided this one right in due to its non-English language status.

2. Land of Mine

Land of Mine is a Danish war movie that deals with the aftermath of World War II in Denmark. It portrays just how horribly the Danish treated young German boys by making them look for old bombs on the field. The movie is undone by a very cliched and unrealistic sergeant character, but otherwise it’s great and important in its lesser-known WWII subject matter. The highlight is the intense tone to it. Many scenes here are unbearably thrilling, and some are simply heartbreaking.

1. The Salesman

The Salesman is very difficult and even unpleasant to watch at times, but it is worth it as it is such a powerful, deep and richly layered picture that fascinated me and engaged me emotionally. The performances from Shahab Hosseini and Taraneh Alidoosti are absolutely fantastic and the direction from Asghar Farhadi is simply brilliant. He is definitely one of the best and most talented directors working today. This film is so well written with great dialogue, but with the last, prolonged sequence being the highlight; it is complex and thought-provoking in its difficult situation. It is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2016 and the best nominee for this year.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Graduation – Hyper-realistic is the word that best describes Cristian Mungiu’s work, and Graduation is certainly immaculately scripted and featuring amazing dialogue. It’s a film that is so relatable to anyone coming from Romania or similar problematic countries, and some scenes are full of despair and regret that it was quite a difficult, but necessary watch. It was shamelessly snubbed by the Academy.

A Silent Voice – This great anime feature offers a difficult, but necessary look into school bullying which offers some harsh truths, many heartwarming moments, phenomenal, realistic characters and their interactions as well as a lot of agonizingly distressing sequences. It’s a heartbreaking flick.

My Life as a Zucchini – Both childlike and mature, light and dark, comedic and dramatic, this stop-motion animated gem from Switzerland is one of the best animated films of this year, and unfortunately it did not get into this Oscar race. It’s a great showcase for how powerful a shorter, tightly edited feature can be.

You can get The Salesman on Amazon.