The 15 best films by Asian filmmakers that cinephiles will love
There’s amultitude of streaming servicesthat drown us in mainstream television shows and movies. This cacophony is so enthralling that we don’t often get to discover some of the greatest filmmakers from the other side of the planet. WhileAsian filmmakers like Bong Joon-hohave made it into the limelight, there are scores of talented directors from the Far East, Southern Asia, and the Middle East whose films have yet to get their fair due in the West.
Whether you’re a fan of foreign cinema or want to expand your horizons after watching romantic comedy flicks likeCrazy Rich Asians, you only need aTV and a streamerto spend the night at home and catch up on some of our favorite films by Asian filmmakers. If you have deep roots in China or Taiwan or are an Asian American, you’ll find a few watch-worthly options from the list below.
Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon-ho’sParasiteis a gorgeous dark comedy and his best picture. The first Korean filmmaker to take home theCanne’s Palme d’Or awardin 2019, Bong’sParasitetells the story of Ki-Taek (Song Kang-Ho), an unemployed man who lives with his wife and two children in a basement apartment in Seoul.
After Taek’s son, Ki-Woo (Choli Woo-Sik), learns of a job opportunity from a friend, he becomes a private tutor to the wealthy Park family. As Woo and his family find themselves more entangled in the Park family’s life, both families find their worlds in tragic disarray. It’s undoubtedly one of the best Asian films out there.
Pushing Hands (1991)
Ang Lee is perhaps among the most well-known faces when it comes to Taiwanese film directors. He’s best known for films likeLife of Pie(2012) andBrokeback Mountain(2005), which were global box-office successes. But Ang’s directorial debut film,Pushing Hands, is where his upward journey began. The film is about an elderly Tai Chi master who emigrated from Beijing and is trying to find his place in New York City, living with his son.
The martial art teacher Chu (Sihung Lung) doesn’t know a word of English but has to manage his life with his daughter-in-law (Deb Snyder), who can’t speak Mandarin. This clash of cultures leads to a series of comical moments between the two, but not without Chu feeling alienated by the day. His son Alex (Bo Z. Wang) is culturally expected to care for his father, but he is in two minds.
Pushing Hands also marks the first installment of what would later turn into a trilogy, withThe Wedding Banquet(1993) andEat Drink Man Woman(1994), dealing with the conflict between two generations.
Google PlayiTunes
About Elly (2009)
About Ellyis an acclaimed psychological thriller written and directed by Iranian auteur Asgard Farhadi. It follows Sepideh as its protagonist, played by the brilliant Golshifteh Farahani, who is on a fun vacation to a deserted beach house with her family. She brings her daughter’s kindergarten teacher Elly (Taraneh Alidoosti) to set her up with Ahmad (Shahab Hosseini).
To do that, Sepideh tells a bunch of lies that make things difficult from the start. But the situation gets much more complicated when Elly goes missing from that desolate place. Tangled up in her own web of lies, Sepideh must tell more lies to keep the situation under control when the police are involved. But things don’t necessarily turn out as she hoped.
The Namesake (2006)
The Namesakeis based on theJhumpa Lahiri’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel. The film is about Nikhil “Gogol” Ganguli (Kal Penn), a second-generation immigrant born and raised in the States. His parents left their hometown, the beautiful east-Indian city of Calcutta, for a better life in New York. That contrast meant a childhood of chaos for Gogol, leading him to distance himself from his culture. While he has adjusted to American life as an adult, some events about his father push him back to his roots and learn who he was named after.
Written by Sooni Taraporevala and directed by Mira Nair, the duo is also known for another widely acclaimed filmSalaam Bombay!(1988),The Namesakehas a fine lead cast, including Kal Penn, who makes the film all the more worthwhile. Gogol’s parents are played by two of the most supremely talented Indian actors, Tabu and the late Irrfan Khan.
Happy Together (1997)
Regarded as one of the brightest filmmakers of modern times, Hongkonger director Wong Kar-wai is credited for a ton of movies that have consistently received universal acclaim. He may have a peculiar way of developing the final script, which he writes on the day of the shoot, but that has only made his films more engaging. One such movie isHappy Together, which is among the most prominentLGBTQ filmsto come out of the region, and it even won Kar-wai the best director’s title at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.
The film follows a gay couple’s turbulent relationship, which results in them breaking up during a trip to Argentina. With no money to return home, they part ways and start doing low-paying jobs to fund their tickets. But when fate has them cross paths again, they find they cannot get back together. The leads inHappy Togetherare played by Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, who has appeared in many of Kar-wai’s films and was famously seen more recently in Marvel’sShang Chi.
Google PlayHBO Max
Capernaum (2018)
This gem revolves around a 12-year-old Zain El Hajj (Zain Al Rafeea), who is serving a five-year jail sentence. But that’s not something he wished for. He really wants to sue his parents for bringing him into the world. Zain’s life in the slums of Lebanon is far from easy. He has seven siblings to care for and tries to make some cash, usually not through the most moral means. His resilience towards everything and affection for his sister allows the film to be much more than just a gloomy ride, and everybody’s gripping acting further elevates the film.
Capernaumwon numerous awards and is widely admiredfor its honest depiction of the Lebanese people’s plight, and rightly so. Director Nadine Labaki has a penchant for portraying the everyday lives of Lebanese people, which shows in this film, in which she also plays a minor role.
Google PlayAmazon Prime Video
The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)
A 10-year-old Mui starts working as a housemaid for a once-wealthy family that is now sinking into poverty. After spending her entire childhood working in that house, the matriarch, unable to further support her, sends an adult Mui (Tran Nu Yên-Khê) to another house for a similar job. There, she develops a bond with her employer, an engaged pianist.
The Scent of Green Papayawon the Caméra d’Orprize at Cannes in 1993, and it was Vietnam’s official selection for the Academy Awards. Following this film’s critical appreciation, Tran Anh Hung madeCyclo(1995), which also received similar praises. His wife, Tran Nu Yên-Khê, has appeared in most of his movies, including this one, where she plays the older Mui.
My Son the Fanatic (1997)
Indian filmmaker Udayan Prasad’sMy Son the Fanaticis based on a namesake short film bycelebrated British playwright Hanif Kureishi, who also wrote this feature film. It stars the talented Om Puri playing the protagonist, along with Rachel Griffiths and Akbar Kurtha in lead roles. The story deals with some hard-hitting subjects, yet there’sa lot of warmth in the filmthat the actors have brought in with their performances.
Parvez (Om Puri) is a Pakistani taxi driver who isn’t an orthodox Muslim and has become accustomed to the western ways of life. A shocker comes when his son (Akbar Kurtha) gets drawn toward religious fundamentalists, threatening to destroy Parvez’s little life in Britain. He finds solace in his fondness for a prostitute, complicating his life further. The film maturely shows you how the young and the elders can take paths that may not necessarily be acceptable to the other or society.
Google Play
Seven Samurai (1954)
In 16th century Japan, a small farming village becomes aware of the bandits' plan to raid the village for their harvest. To shield themselves from the attack, the villagers assemble a group of samurai to fend off the ambush. A total of seven skilled samurai come together to keep the village safe, but it becomes an uphill task when several internal conflicts arise.
Seven Samuraiis directed by Akira Kurosawa, who is regarded asone of the most influential filmmakers of all time, with many critically acclaimed films under his belt. Despite being decades old,Seven Samurairemains a timeless piece often recounted as among the most remarkable productions in film history worldwide.
Agantuk (1991)
Agantuk (AKAThe Stranger), the Bengali word for guest, is an apt title for this film. Manomohan Mitra, played by veteran actor Utpal Dutt, arrives in India after 35 years to see his only relative alive, Anila Bose (Mamata Shankar). Anila and her husband start to doubt the long-lost uncle’s identity as they suspect an imposter is after a share of her grandfather’s will. While their son is convinced that Mitra isn’t deceiving anyone, the couple does all they can to uncover the truth.
This film was written and directed by Bengali auteur Satyajit Ray.Agantukis particularly notable because it is Ray’s last film before he passed away the following year. Ray is known for his rich filmmaking career, including titles like theApu Trilogy(1955-59) andCharulata(1964). His admiration for the world of cinema and his fearless attitude seeps through his incredible body of work that spans decades.
I played the opening mission of The Outer Worlds 2 and really enjoyed what I experienced
Change your network settings the easy way
Free screen and battery repairs inbound
The entry-level Pixel delivers value
Tidal is the best app for streaming music
Keep privacy a priority with the best VPNs
