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Best Foreign Language Film

Force Majeure, one of the best, darkest dramas of the year to deal with the insanity of the human condition, was snubbed here, so there goes my favorite. And, I unfortunately could not get my hands on Estonia’s Tangerines, so, again, I’m only informed with respect to four of the five nominees.

With the Force Majeure snub, the race boils down to a fight between Poland’s Ida and Russia’s Leviathan. A word on the others: Mauritania’s Timbuktu is one of the most haunting films of the year. It tells the story of a group of families and individuals coping with the radical Islamist takeover of Mali and their communities. Some mayor somewhere (I think Paris after the tragic events there) tried to ban this movie, I read, as being an apologist piece towards radical Islam. If one story could sum up the stupidity to which our polity has stooped today, that would be it. If this film is anything, it is an unambiguous, scathing, truthful, and unapologetic indictment of the horrible things that are perpetuated in the name of religious fanaticism, and radical Islam in particular. The most effective narrative tool is the hypocrisy of the self-anointed leaders, none of which live up to the expectations they set for others. The movie shows the human tragedy that the extremists in that religion inflict upon others, and would be a worthy winner if it weren’t for others way ahead of it (but, for what it’s worth, it was rewarded at Cannes with some prizes). It is a beautiful, heartfelt story by a filmmaker whose own country has been devastated by the takeover of extremists. It is highly recommended.

Wild Tales, Argentina’s latest triumph into the final five, is another contender that definitely fits right into the Academy’s modern Foreign Language wheelhouse. The story is told as six vignettes united by similar themes. The most recognizable actor also spearheaded Argentina’s latest triumph here, 2009’s The Secret in Their Eyes, and the score is by the past Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla. The film would be more compelling except the short format, in my opinion, hurts it, and I have trouble seeing this one pulling off an upset. That said, one of the stories is mired in controversy (of course it is, it’s the Oscar) - given the recent political events relating to the assassination of a public prosecutor in Argentina. The appearance of a similar story here in Wild Tales is surely coincidental but nonetheless disturbing. If you think the controversies over Selma and American Sniper are something, you should see what’s going on in Argentina over Wild Tales.

And speaking of controversy, there is plenty to go around in this race this year around the two frontrunners, both of which have their fair share. Ida, my favorite of the two, has been attacked by individuals in Poland claiming the movie does not accurately explain the situation that Poles were facing under Nazi rule at the time of the events in the film. They argue this because (minor spoiler alert) the fictional characters in the movie commit heinous acts against an innocent Jewish family under fear of Nazi retaliation should they have failed to act. Thus, the contrarians say, the Poles are unfairly portrayed as savages without the proper context. Rubbish, I say, having seen the film. The movie does no such thing. There are no bad guys - all are clear victims of the Nazis, even those that pull the proverbial trigger. But I guess it’s refreshing (?) to see that not only in the United States are we making it a habit of finding controversy over movies. I guess that means the medium is alive and well.

Leviathan, meanwhile, has a price on its head, as authorities in Russia ask that it be banned for its supposedly unfair portrayal of the currently Russian regime. The Academy will pay little attention to these tiffs, and neither should you. Leviathan, yes, is critical, but most of the criticism of authoritarianism is, in my view, warranted.

It’s hard for me to pick a winner objectively here, because I’m so partial to the beautiful, haunting, and emotionally muted but powerful Ida (which also has a Best Cinematography nod). The story, as I have covered, is of a young girl about to become a nun, and of the last hurdle she has to encounter to do so. The past she discovers - she is Jewish and the survivor of Nazi-occupied Poland - is chilling to the bone, and the experiences of hatred, bitterness, and redemption and lust that she finds along the way, as a way to deal, are beautiful. Nor should you make much of Ida’s additional nomination outside of Foreign Language. That helped neither The White Ribbon nor Pan’s Labyrinth win in past years.

Moreover, Leviathan is timely – it is about the corruption and authoritarianism and Russia and feels almost like a documentary. Poland is currently tied with Israel for most nominations (10) with no wins, and I’m hopeful Ida will end that streak. Ida won at BAFTA but Leviathan scored the Golden Globe. I’m going with Leviathan, but this one still feels in flux, to be honest. When there is no clear front-runner here, the Academy always surprises. This one may change.

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