In 2008, I quit my corporate job, sold off everything I owned and moved overseas with my husband Drew. Since then we've traveled around the world, started our careers over as creative types and nurtured our love of sleeping in late. Oh and we had a baby. Cole, our almost 2 year old has been traveling since he was four months old and probably knows more Thai than me (not that he brags).
Traveling the World, One Bag of Popcorn at a Time
Today’s guest post is by Alan Perlman from the 9 to 5 alternative. Right now Alan’s in Albania, but sometimes, even he has to go back home.
“Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.”
~Michael Palin (English comedian and prolific travel documentary producer)
If you’re like most travelers, when you find yourself back home, you’re itching for the vagabond life. Whether it’s scouring Netflix for obscure Mongolian documentaries, or indulging in whatever ethnic cuisine you can find (Indian food, anyone?), your odd behaviors may cause others to feel a little, well, weirded out.
My advice? Avoid the expensive cheese fetish and stop eating Moroccan stew with your hands. Kick back, relax, and snuggle up to a foreign film. From Japan to India, these titles are classic, guaranteed to interest even the most philistine of companions.
Don’t forget the popcorn.
Amélie
Language: French
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Year: 2001
Synopsis: Amélie, a young waitress in central Paris, devotes her life to helping a cast of quirky personalities around her.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because it’s artsy, it’s beautiful, because it epitomizes how wonderfully unique the French film industry can be. Because anyone who took French in high school has already seen it.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sECzJY07oK4
The Motorcycle Diaries / Diarios de Motocicleta
Language: Spanish
Director:Walter Salles
Year: 2004
Synopsis: The story of Ernesto Che Guevara as he takes an unforgettable motorcycle ride across Latin America.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because it’s a true story. Because of the Latin American scenery. Because of the poetic narration.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u0U3dbVMHk
Ong Bak
Language: Thai
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Year: 2003
Synopsis: Young Ting, a Thai villager, heads to Bangkok in search of his village’s missing buddha statue. Along the way, he gets mixed up with a gang. Of course…it’s a martial arts movie.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because the first tree-climbing scene is breathtaking. Because Bangkok cinematorgraphy is wild. Because Muay Thai is kickass.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtNmH1KuJaA
Billy Elliot
Language: English
Director: Stephen Daldry
Year: 2000
Synopsis: It’s 1984 in a northern England mining town, and against the wishes of brother and father, who are both on a miner’s strike, Billy stumbles out of the boxing ring and onto a ballet floor
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because of the British dialect. Because it’s hilarious. Because guys can dance ballet too!
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoiVEyCosEE
La Haine
Language: French
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Year: 1995
Synopsis: Over a 24-hour span, a Jew, an Arab, and a black boxer chance upon a stolen gun and romp around the French suburbs.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because you’ll learn about life in the banlieu (ghetto). Because it’s raw and real and intense. Because the dialog covers just about every French slang word there is.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk77VrkxL88
Pan’s Labyrinth / El laberinto del fauno
Language: Spanish
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Year: 2006
Synopsis: During the Spanish Civil War, bookish and imaginative Ophelia is sent with her mom to live with their new stepfather, a ruthless captain in the Spanish Army. Fantasy and reality blend together as Ophelia is sent on a quest to prove that she’s a princess.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because the historical setting is very well done. Because the faun’s croaking is creepy. Because it’s simply a beautiful film.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqYiSlkvRuw
Beat the Drum
Language: English/Zulu
Director: David Hickson
Year: 2003
Synopsis: A mysterious illness strikes a KwaZulu Natal village, and newly orphaned Musa sets out for Johannesberg looking for his uncle.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because you see a glimpse of both rural and urban Africa. Because of the Johannesberg city shots. Because it has a happy ending.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyVyDIZy5WI
Spirited Away / Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi
Language: Japanese
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Year: 2001
Synopsis: Chihiro and her parents stumble upon an abandoned theme park, but by the time young Haku warns Chihiro to leave before nightfall, it’s too late.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because if you’ve never seen an anime movie, this is a perfect first. Because it’s like a darker, more fantastical Disney movie. Because all of Miyazaki’s films are epic.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6az9wGfeSgM
Rang De Basanti
Language: Hindi
Director: Rakesh Omprakash Mehra
Year: 2006
Synopsis: A young UK graduate is shooting a documentary about Indian freedom fighters and enlists the help of 5 New Delhi graduates after her original crew doesn’t show up. As they become more involved in the film, the graduates become more and more like the freedom fighters themselves as materialism and self-centeredness give way to spirit and revolution.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because the graduates’ lives represent the youth of today so well. Because the songs are superb. Because it’s Bollywood baby!
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK28V4FjqMc&
City of God / Cidade de Deus
Language: Portuguese
Director: Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund
Year: 2002
Synopsis: In the dangerous slums of Rio de Janeiro, drug abuse and violent crime are common place. Two boys take two different paths, one struggling to free himself from the slum’s grasps as a professional photographer.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because it’s based on a true story. Because the story is incredibly written. Because the directors are geniuses (Yep, that good).
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioUE_5wpg_E
L’Auberge Espagnole
Language: French
Director: Cédric Klapisch
Year: 2002
Synopsis: Xavier, a straight-laced French student, moves to Barcelona to learn Spanish. His roommates are a melting pot of both cultures and personalities, and through their adventures, Xavier learns about life.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Because of the international dialog and cultural nuances. Because it’s introspective. Because it’s my favorite foreign film…
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCs6AzLeNQI
About Alan:
Alan Perlman travels the world as a cost-of-living surveyor and writes about travel, lifestyle design, and entrepreneurship on his personal blog, The 9 to 5 Alternative. You can also follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/alanperlman.