OVP: Best Foreign Language Film (2016)
The Nominees Were...
Land of Mine, Denmark
A Man Called Ove, Sweden
The Salesman, Iran
Tanna, Australia
Toni Erdmann, Germany
A Man Called Ove, Sweden
The Salesman, Iran
Tanna, Australia
Toni Erdmann, Germany
My Thoughts: Wait, what is this? An OVP Ballot on a Monday, you ask? For those of you who have been following along with the series (bless you), you'll know that every Wednesday we have had a new OVP ballot, focusing on the 2016 Oscar races. However, this week we're going to start double-dipping. I have been making it a point to move a bit faster with the OVP (I've been making a point in general in my personal life of trying to accomplish more and be a bit more methodical), and we are now entering a champagne problem-not only do I have all of 2016's films watched, but I've also got another year on-deck that's totally complete (I'll keep you in suspense over which year it is). As a result, so as not to stockpile these, I'll be doing two of these a week going forward unless I don't have any years on-deck, which at the rate I'm going through OVP movies, may be a long time. Thus, you get double the posts! We will continue doing one year at a time, so the next Oscar year we'll be profiling won't be until after we hit 2016's Best Picture race on April 3rd. With that bit of housekeeping out-of-the-way, let's dive into Best Foreign Language Film of 2016, shall we?
It's a good reminder after the dominance of Parasite, Pain & Glory, Roma, and Cold War in recent years that there have been contests where this category is virtually standing on its own. Only one of these movies was nominated for an Oscar in another category, and that's A Man Called Ove, which we also took a peak at for Best Makeup. The film itself is less than impressive. The plot is cloying, and occasionally veers into racist (unlikely friendship stories frequently run this trouble if they aren't written well), and it's way-too-sugary. The film feels more like an excuse to show off the skill of the makeup artists, but that's not a reason to cite something for Best Picture.
I would take Ove ten times over before I'd sit through another ten minutes of Toni Erdmann, though. Man did I hate this movie, in a way I don't recall hating a movie in a while. Dull, listless, endless (it's three hours long and a comedy!), its focus on a deadbeat dad trying to reconnect with his daughter, but only on his terms is beyond sexist, and problematic. The way that the film basically watches one woman's life & career disintegrate without every acknowledging what a monster her father is was gross. That it is also a comedy that never actually makes you laugh is the least of its problem.
Tanna was at least gorgeous to look at, though it like Ove and Toni is not a movie that I'd recommend. The cinematography on Vanuatu is stunning, you can practically feel the steam and heat from the trees, and the movie indulges this scenery in its best moments. The problem is that the plot meanders (it's essentially a real-life Romeo & Juliet, and it's the rare film that actually gains from being based on a real story as you understand more the urgency of the characters). But the movie fetishizes the tribes, and I left kind of thinking this was being nominated more because it is acknowledging an ambitious first-time film-making opportunity (it's the first film shot entirely on Vanuatu), than a truly important film.
The final two pictures are the movies that I, well, actually liked, though neither were loved. The Salesman is a story that probably plays better if you haven't seen A Separation, as the director borrows liberally from his own filmography for the film's most shocking and dynamic moments, but that doesn't mean it's a carbon copy, nor that it isn't good on its own. The mood of the film is fantastic-Farhadi does a great job of creating a thriller out of an unlikely subject (in this case, a crumbling marriage that occurs after a sexual assault), and I loved the strange juxtaposition of our main character Emad trying to decide whether his wife's honor or his own marriage is worth more to him. I just wish it hadn't spent so much time trying to shove parallels of Death of a Salesman clumsily into the script.
The final nomination is probably for the least-well known movie of the bunch, Land of Mine. Land of Mine is well-trod territory for this category (we're back in World War II), but it's at least a chapter of the war we know little about (the eventual disarming of the land mines after the war by German prisoners, hence the title). The film is one of the more compelling versions of prejudice I've seen in quite a while, and has some terrific performances. It's pretty conventional, but the cinematography is also gorgeous, and the growing frustration/admiration that grows between the commander and his troops is fascinating to watch at such a close vantage.
It's a good reminder after the dominance of Parasite, Pain & Glory, Roma, and Cold War in recent years that there have been contests where this category is virtually standing on its own. Only one of these movies was nominated for an Oscar in another category, and that's A Man Called Ove, which we also took a peak at for Best Makeup. The film itself is less than impressive. The plot is cloying, and occasionally veers into racist (unlikely friendship stories frequently run this trouble if they aren't written well), and it's way-too-sugary. The film feels more like an excuse to show off the skill of the makeup artists, but that's not a reason to cite something for Best Picture.
I would take Ove ten times over before I'd sit through another ten minutes of Toni Erdmann, though. Man did I hate this movie, in a way I don't recall hating a movie in a while. Dull, listless, endless (it's three hours long and a comedy!), its focus on a deadbeat dad trying to reconnect with his daughter, but only on his terms is beyond sexist, and problematic. The way that the film basically watches one woman's life & career disintegrate without every acknowledging what a monster her father is was gross. That it is also a comedy that never actually makes you laugh is the least of its problem.
Tanna was at least gorgeous to look at, though it like Ove and Toni is not a movie that I'd recommend. The cinematography on Vanuatu is stunning, you can practically feel the steam and heat from the trees, and the movie indulges this scenery in its best moments. The problem is that the plot meanders (it's essentially a real-life Romeo & Juliet, and it's the rare film that actually gains from being based on a real story as you understand more the urgency of the characters). But the movie fetishizes the tribes, and I left kind of thinking this was being nominated more because it is acknowledging an ambitious first-time film-making opportunity (it's the first film shot entirely on Vanuatu), than a truly important film.
The final two pictures are the movies that I, well, actually liked, though neither were loved. The Salesman is a story that probably plays better if you haven't seen A Separation, as the director borrows liberally from his own filmography for the film's most shocking and dynamic moments, but that doesn't mean it's a carbon copy, nor that it isn't good on its own. The mood of the film is fantastic-Farhadi does a great job of creating a thriller out of an unlikely subject (in this case, a crumbling marriage that occurs after a sexual assault), and I loved the strange juxtaposition of our main character Emad trying to decide whether his wife's honor or his own marriage is worth more to him. I just wish it hadn't spent so much time trying to shove parallels of Death of a Salesman clumsily into the script.
The final nomination is probably for the least-well known movie of the bunch, Land of Mine. Land of Mine is well-trod territory for this category (we're back in World War II), but it's at least a chapter of the war we know little about (the eventual disarming of the land mines after the war by German prisoners, hence the title). The film is one of the more compelling versions of prejudice I've seen in quite a while, and has some terrific performances. It's pretty conventional, but the cinematography is also gorgeous, and the growing frustration/admiration that grows between the commander and his troops is fascinating to watch at such a close vantage.
Other Precursor Contenders: Awards ceremonies like the Goyas and the Cesars aren't good representatives here since it's typically honoring the main films of a specific country, so I usually only count the Globes among the awards bodies we check-in with for Foreign Language film. The Globes went with Elle as their winner, besting both Oscar nominees (The Salesman, Toni Erdmann) and films Oscar ignored (Neruda, Divines) alike. It's worth noting that Oscar released a nine-wide list of finalists that ignored Elle, Neruda, and Pedro Almodovar's Julieta in favor of It's Only the End of the World, The King's Choice, Paradise, and My Life as a Zucchini.
Films I Would Have Nominated: I didn't see most of the films that were also-rans, but there is no universe where Elle doesn't deserve to be included in a list like this.
Oscar’s Choice: At the time, Asghar Farhadi had been forbidden from attending the ceremony due to a travel ban from President Trump. Salesman had been something of a threat beforehand, but especially in the early days of the Trump administration, it was impossible for the Academy to deny itself a chance to reward Salesman if it meant a middle finger to Trump. Toni Erdmann probably suffered most as a result, as it was a threat for the trophy initially.
My Choice: I'm torn. I honestly think I could go with The Salesman as well, which has the most "director-ly" aspects to it, but after reconsidering these films while writing them, I can't help but feel that Land of Mine is the superior film. Follow that with Tanna, Ove, and Toni in the back.
Those are my thoughts-what about you? Are you with me that Land of Mineis the finest of the bunch, or are you more siding with AMPAS and The Salesman? Where does Julieta stand in terms of Pedro (is it must see, or only must see if you're a Pedro fanatic)? And how is it that Elle didn't make this list? Share your thoughts below!
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