Being based in Europe, Best Foreign Language Film always turns out to be our favorite category. To be honest, we find the nominees this year to be a little weak. Only one of them has more than 10 rankings at Criticker, the Counterfeiters, and its reviews have been lukewarm at best.
Beaufort (Israel) – Avg Tier at Criticker 8.0 (6 scores)
In the days leading up to Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, the soldiers stationed at the mountaintop outpost of Beaufort live under a barrage of constant attacks. Frustrated by the knowledge that they are risking–and often losing–their lives in defense of a fortress that will soon be abandoned, the men struggle to do their duty while grieving for their dead comrades and preparing for the evacuation. (oscar.com)The Counterfeiters (Germany) – Avg Tier at Criticker 5.67 (12 scores)
In the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, a group of prisoners with skills ranging from finance to forgery are put to work under the direction of a master counterfeiter manufacturing perfect replicas of foreign bank notes. As the Nazis plot to cause the collapse of the U.S. and British economies by flooding their markets with false bills, some of the prisoners use delaying tactics to forestall the plan. (oscar.com)Katyn (Poland) Avg Tier at Criticker ??? (0 scores)
This account of the events surrounding the 1940 massacre of captured Polish army officers in the Katyn Forest focuses on the story of a captain and his wife, who refuses to believe he is dead. A gesture of friendship within the harsh confines of the prison camp where Andrzej and his fellow officers are held will result in the mistaken identification that helps keep his wife’s hopes alive. (oscar.com)Mongol (Kazakhstan) Avg Tier at Criticker 4.0 (2 scores)
In twelfth-century Mongolia, nine-year-old Temudgin, who will grow up to become the warrior known as Genghis Khan, must flee his home shortly after choosing the spirited Borte as his bride when his father is murdered and a rival seizes power. With the help of his blood brother, tribal prince Jamukha, the adult Temudgin battles his rivals and works to unite the region’s warring clans under his authority. (oscar.com)12 (Russia) Avg Tier at Criticker ??? (0 scores)
Twelve Russian jurors deciding the fate of a young Chechen accused of murdering his adoptive Russian father go over the details of the case in the school gymnasium that is serving as their jury room. As they argue with each other while struggling to reach a verdict, illustrating their views with stories from their own lives, the case itself becomes a metaphor for the problems plaguing modern Russian society. (oscar.com)So which film do you tip to win the Oscar? Right now, we have to assume Beaufort is the favorite!
As an ex-israeli I know that Israel is very proud of it’s nomination… Israeli cinema has been rising in a phenomenal speed in 2007, people are gonna go crazy if Beaufort wins (and the israeli cinema will get even better).
Ahh, sometimes I wish I could just blow off South America and fly all the way back to the Middle East. Oh well, at least we’ve get great meat.