Global Cinema Rejuvenated

Mexico, Taiwan, Iran, Argentina, Korea and Bosnia are among the countries producing vital and diverse movies, ranging from supernatural thrillers to dramas to edgy comedies. Here is a look at some of the most talked-about films and their directors:

Argentina

“La Cienaga” (2001). Director: Lucrecia Martel. A drama about a group of self-absorbed upper-middle-class youngsters who pass the time doing nothing and getting into trouble.

“Nine Queens” (2001). Director: Fabian Bielinsky. A drama about two friends and a life-changing experience that occurs during a 24-hour period.

“Son of the Bride”* (2001). Director: Juan Jose Campanella. A dramatic comedy about a man’s relationships with his family, friends and acquaintances.

Bosnia

“No Man’s Land”* (2001). Director: Danis Tanovic. A satire about the absurdity of the Bosnian war.

Iran

“Baran” (2001). Director: Majid Majidi. A drama about a young man’s unrequited and unconditional love for a young, impoverished girl.

“The Circle” (2000). Director: Jafar Panahi. A drama about women struggling to function in the oppressively sexist society of contemporary Iran.

“Kandahar” (2001). Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf. A fiction-documentary hybrid, charting a woman’s perilous journey through Afghanistan to find her sister.

“Shrapnels in Peace” (2001). Director: Ali Shah-Hatami. An antiwar drama about the Holy Defense (the Islamic government’s designation for the Iran-Iraq war) and its aftermath.

“A Time for Drunken Horses” (2000). Director: Bahman Ghobadi. A drama about two young Iranian Kurd orphans who try to scrape together some money to save their younger brother from a devastating illness.

“Under the Skin of the City” (2001). Director: Rakhshan Bani-Etemad. A drama about a working-class family struggling to get ahead in Tehran.

Korea

“Bad Guy” (2001). Director: Kim Ki-Duk. A drama about a tortured love affair between a gangster and a young woman he forces into prostitution.

“Flower Island” (2001). Director: Song Il-Gon. A drama about a 16-year-old girl who aborts her baby in a public toilet and a singer diagnosed with terminal throat cancer.

“My Wife the Gangster” (2001). Director: Jo Jin-Gyu. A story about a young, orphaned woman who becomes a female mob boss.

“One Fine Spring Day” (2001). Director: Hur Jin-Ho. A drama about a romance between a sound engineer who lives in a big city and a radio announcer from the provinces.

“Shiri” (2001). Director: Kang Je-Gyu. A thriller about a renegade group of North Korean commandos infiltrating South Korea.

“Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors” (2000). Director: Hong Sang Soo. A bittersweet comedy that goes into the dysfunctional relationship involving a female video producer and a gallery owner.

Mexico

“Amores Perros” (2001). Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. A drama about the intersecting lives of several characters trying to find love and to survive in modern Mexico City.

“The Devil’s Backbone” (2001). Director: Guillermo del Toro. A supernatural thriller set during the Spanish Civil War.

“The Other Conquest” (2000). Director: Salvador Carrasco. An epic drama about the Spanish conquest of Mexico as seen through the eyes of an Aztec.

“Otilia Rauda” (2002). Director: Dana Rotberg. A quirky drama about a young woman who, out of spite for her evil husband, takes revenge against all men.

“Sexo, Pudor y Lagrimas” (1999). Director: Antonio Serrano. A comedy-drama about two middle-class couples and their sexual escapades.

Taiwan

“Betelnut Beauty” (2000). Director: Lin Cheng Sheng. A drama about a teenage girl who leaves home to sell betelnuts on the streets of Taipei.

“The Personals” (2000). Director: Chen Kuo Fu. A witty look at a thirtysomething Taipei ophthalmologist who takes out a personal ad in search of a husband.

“What Time Is It There?” (2001). Director: Tsai Ming-Liang. A fast-paced drama about a young street vendor with a grim home life who meets a girl who’s on her way to Paris and who changes the course of his life.

*Films have been nominated for this year’s foreign-language Oscar.