One of the most-acclaimed surprises of this year was the Russian film, Sputnik. Set in the Cold War space race, the film went beyond the usual sci-fi stereotypes with its chilling premise and gripping characters, with decent visual effects. It is just another example of several other non-English films that are cementing their position in the pantheon new-age science fiction films.
These films succeed in presenting an alternative view to the audiences apart from the usual ‘aliens invade New York’ routine. Here are a few foreign picks similar to Sputnik that defined the sci-fi genre in their vernacular language.
Sputnik (2020) – Russia
Two cosmonauts crash back to Earth’s surface after a space accident. One dies while one survives with a parasitic creature inside of him. As the Soviet military forces run tests on him, an empathetic doctor attempts to understand the symbiote’s true meanings and plans to release the cosmonaut, defying Soviet propaganda and conditioning.
A biting satire on government tests and propaganda as well as a compelling slice of sci-fi horror, Sputnik shows the influences of films like Alien while adding an original take to its premise. After several tiresome clichés about Russians in Hollywood films set during the Cold War, this Russian thriller seems to be a breath of fresh air.
Timecrimes/Los Cronocrímenes (2007) – Spain
Timecrimes can almost be viewed as the Spanish equivalent of Predestination because of its mind-boggling tryst with time travel. It’ll be quite a Herculean task to summarize the plot of the film in one line.
The low-budget time loop film features several versions of the same crime in one timeline; it takes time to understand the labyrinth of a screenplay that writer/director/actor Nacho Vigalondo weaves. Timecrimes relies on dark humor and genuine thrills rather than any complicated special effects. A tight runtime of 92 minutes adds to the nail-biting experience that this movie delivers.
Akira (1988) – Japan
Based on the manga of the same name, Akira revolutionized the cyberpunk genre forever inspiring trailblazers like Blade Runner. The film blends supernatural and sci-fi elements in a crime drama that pits several bikers in helping their friend Tetsuo who becomes a part of a shady experiment by the government.
From its costumes to dystopian backgrounds to graphically detailed animation, Akira’s influence can be seen in pop culture to date. Apart from the action and violence, it also questions the morality of its protagonist, who seems to go blind with the massive powers he yields, while also delivering a scathing commentary on Japanese society and on ethics (or lack thereof) in the scientific community.
Robot/Enthiran (2010) – India
Enthiran is a Tamil-language film that serves as a thoughtful step for the Indian film industry towards science-fiction while also featuring big-budget songs and melodrama, which are typical of a standard Indian movie. It stars Tamil superstar Rajnikanth as a robotic engineer who builds an advanced humanoid robot (portrayed by Rajnikanth himself) for military purposes. However, on finding the robot is devoid of emotions, the scientist plans to go a step further.
The robot proceeds to feel such emotions that he ends up falling in love with his creator’s girlfriend while a jealous adversary plans to corrupt him for his own means. Along with its over-the-top art direction and Oscar winner AR Rahman’s music, the film drew praise for its prosthetics and visual effects.
The Host/Gwoemul (2006) – South Korea
Parasite director Bong Joon-Ho is known for adding social satire in all of his films, regardless of genre. His first foray into sci-fi seems like a clichéd monster movie on the surface, but it turns into a highly engaging tale of survival. Starring frequent collaborator Song Kang-Ho, the film documents the havoc caused by a few Godzilla-like creatures born out of radioactive decay. What follows is a realistic state of panic on the part of the civilians and the government.
Rather than fighting the creature with heroic intentions, each character tries their best to save themselves and their loved ones. The Host‘s visual effects would seem pretty dated for modern standards, but Bong Joon-Ho’s screenplay has enough emotion to keep his viewers at the edge of their seat.
Metropolis (1927) – Germany
Fritz Lang’s visionary black-and-white silent film set the precedent for the future of sci-fi. In fact, many feel that Metropolis was the first true sci-fi film, having introduced the world to concepts like an unequal class structure, a dystopian city, an evil scientist, and a robotic future.
The protagonist, Freder, belongs to the bourgeois utopian part of the titular city Metropolis. When he discovers the ground reality of the city’s workers while falling in love with their leader Maria, he decides to change the city’s fate. Meanwhile, the scientist Rotwang and his robotic creations plan to take over the city in their own way. The film’s socio-political themes can be seen even today in philosophical sci-fi films that deal with defying the system.
2046 (2004) – Hong Kong
Even though it’s a romantic drama at its core, 2046 is a melancholy look into the life of a womanizing sci-fi writer who pens stories of the future while sticking in the past (when he lost his one true love). His stories are set in the year 2046 when many significant events are supposed to happen as the film reveals later.
Like most of Wong Kar-Wai’s filmography, 2046 too explores unrequited love and loneliness balancing the narrative with meta-elements and stunning visual settings.
Man Facing Southeast/Hombre mirando al sudeste (1986) – Argentina
This film is a moving Argentine human drama in the Spanish language. At the center of Man Facing Southeast is an unknown man in an asylum who claims to be an extra-terrestrial. A doctor who has demons of his own to confront is assigned to the self-proclaimed alien, and he attempts to treat him just like any other patient. But it’s their eventual bond that leaves an impact on both of their lives while viewers are constantly made to figure out if the protagonist is actually from outer space or not.
Films with similar themes had been made but none with such elements of drama and ominousness, as it never really reveals the true nature of the apparent alien. Man Facing Southeast came to global attention in the 2000’s when the Hollywood film K-PAX was accused of ripping it off.
Solaris (1979) – Soviet Union
Western sci-fi films of the ’60s and ’70s focused more on technological grandeur rather than any moral undertones. Andrei Tarkovsky flaunted his intellectual prowess with the slow-burning scientific thriller Solaris. The film is a philosophical take on a cosmonaut sent to investigate some mysterious happenings on the planet Solaris, only to find the planet’s environment compels humans to go through their most repressed memories.
Eye-opening, spiritually awakening, and visually gorgeous, Solaris is an art film for the ages that paved the way for many other thoughtful sci-fi thrillers that seek to understand the very essence of human existence.
April & The Extraordinary World/Avril et le Monde truqué (2015)- France
An animated steampunk film from France, April and the Extraordinary World stars Marion Cotillard as a teenager who’s looking for her missing scientist parents, accompanied by her talking cat. The year in which the film is set is 1941, but the country is still stuck in the archaic 19th century under the authoritarian rule of the tyrant Napoleon V.
The film has enough adventure to keep younger viewers hooked but its political themes with arbitrary arrests of scientists and intellectuals make it good enough to rouse adults’ grey matter too. The animation style is heavily influenced by the work of legendary French illustrator Jacques Tardi.
