100 Best Foreign Movies of All Time (and Where to Watch Them Online)

Updated on

Countries all around the world have movie industries that touch upon the local talents and cultures, and it’s hard to quantitatively say which are the best foreign movies of all time. Use this beginner's guide to discover must-watch foreign movies from all around the world that will give you a taste of the different styles and a springboard to exploring more of the movies that you love. We also provide you with all the information needed on where to stream the best foreign movies using platforms like Disney+, Max, Netflix, Prime Video and many more!

For the purposes of this list, a foreign movie is classed as any movie that is not produced in English. Movies on the list such as Godzilla (Japanese) and Funny Games (German, Italian, French) have also been remade in English, but be sure to check out the originals as they offer something different to their English-language counterparts. Many of the directors whose movies feature on the list later went on to have careers in Hollywood, like Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain), Milos Forman (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest) and Cary Fukunaga (True Detective).

During his acceptance speech at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language film, Parasite director Bong Joon-ho stated, "once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." This idea is truly highlighted in the following list featuring some of the absolute best foreign movies of all time.

Where to watch the best foreign movies online right now

To get you started on your journey into watching non-English language movies, here are 100 of the best foreign language movies from around the world and a complete guide on where to watch them.

Netflix
Disney Plus
Amazon Prime Video
Apple TV Plus
Apple TV
Hulu
Crunchyroll
fuboTV
Max
Max Amazon Channel
Epix Amazon Channel
Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Peacock Premium
Kocowa
Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ with Showtime
Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
Starz Apple TV Channel
AMC Plus Apple TV Channel
Britbox Apple TV Channel
Paramount+ Amazon Channel
Discovery+ Amazon Channel
AMC+ Amazon Channel
The Roku Channel
Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
Starz Roku Premium Channel
AMC+ Roku Premium Channel
AMC+
MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel
YouTube Premium
YouTube Free
Hoopla
The CW
Fandango At Home
Starz
VUDU Free
Criterion Channel
PBS
FXNow
JustWatchTV
Tubi TV
Kanopy
Microsoft Store
Sun Nxt
Crackle
AMC
AMC Theatres
Fandor
Curiosity Stream
NBC
MGM Plus
Freeform
History
A&E
Lifetime
Shudder
Screambox
Acorn TV
Sundance Now
GuideDoc
BritBox
MUBI
Netflix Kids
ALLBLK
History Vault
Yupp TV
MyOutdoorTV
WWE Network
Pure Flix
Lifetime Movie Club
PBS Kids Amazon Channel
Cinemax Amazon Channel
Hallmark Movies Now Amazon Channel
PBS Masterpiece Amazon Channel
MZ Choice Amazon Channel
Spamflix
Pluto TV
BYUtv
HiDive
VIX
Night Flight Plus
Retrocrush
Dekkoo
Shout! Factory TV
Chai Flicks
OVID
Mhz Choice
Shudder Amazon Channel
Vice TV
MUBI Amazon Channel
AcornTV Amazon Channel
BritBox Amazon Channel
Fandor Amazon Channel
Screambox Amazon Channel
Sundance Now Amazon Channel
Adult Swim
USA Network
Fox
Bet+ Amazon Channel
FlixFling
Rakuten Viki
TCM
Bravo TV
TNT
Food Network
BBC America
IndieFlix
AHCTV
TLC
DIY Network
HGTV
Investigation Discovery
Science Channel
Destination America
Discovery Life
Animal Planet
Discovery
Travel Channel
Cooking Channel
Here TV
VH1
DreamWorksTV Amazon Channel
Flix Premiere
TBS
AsianCrush
Revry
DOCSVILLE
Spectrum On Demand
OXYGEN
Hi-YAH
tru TV
DisneyNOW
WeTV
ARROW
Plex
Plex Live TV
Plex Player
WOW Presents Plus
Magellan TV
BroadwayHD
The Oprah Winfrey Network
Filmzie
MovieSaints
True Story
Martha Stewart TV
DocAlliance Films
OnDemandKorea
FlixHouse
Hoichoi
iQIYI
Metrograph
Freevee
Public Domain Movies
Eventive
Cultpix
FilmBox+
aha
ShortsTV Amazon Channel
Bet+
Takflix
Klassiki
Starz Amazon Channel
Netflix basic with Ads
Cohen Media Amazon Channel
Popflick
ViX Premium Amazon Channel
Runtime
Fandango
Telemundo
Discovery +
Reveel
Ovation TV
Angel Studios
Cineverse
AD tv
Midnight Pulp
FYI Network
Xumo Play
National Geographic
Atom Tickets
Shahid VIP
DistroTV
myfilmfriend
Cinemark
Outside Watch
Cinepolis Cinemas
Full Moon Amazon Channel
Citytv
Univer Video
GlewedTV
Toon Goggles
A&E Crime Central Apple TV Channel
Acorn TV Apple TV
ALLBLK Apple TV channel
UP Faith & Family Apple TV Channel
Tastemade Apple TV Channel
Sundance Now Apple TV Channel
Shudder Apple TV Channel
ScreenPix Apple TV Channel
OUTtv Apple TV Channel
Lifetime Movie Club Apple TV Channel
Hallmark Movies Now Apple TV Channel
Eros Now Select Apple TV Channel
CuriosityStream Apple TV Channel
Cinemax Apple TV Channel
BBC Select Apple Tv channel
BET+  Apple TV channel
Carnegie Hall+ Apple TV Channel
IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel
HISTORY Vault Apple TV Channel
HISTORY Vault Amazon Channel
Carnegie Hall+ Amazon Channel
Lifetime Movie Club Amazon Channel
Film Movement Plus
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Troma NOW
Regal Cinemas
Harkins Theatres
B&B Theatres
Marcus Theatres
Kino Film Collection
Tubi TV Live
Pluto TV Live
Cineverse LiveTV
Strand Releasing Amazon Channel
Peacock Premium Plus
ALLBLK Amazon channel
Apple TV Plus Amazon Channel
Motorvision TV Amazon Channel
Stingray Classica Amazon Channel
Stingray Djazz Amazon Channel
Stingray Karaoke Amazon Channel
TV1000 Russian Kino Amazon Channel
RetroCrush Amazon Channel
Filters
  1. In the Mood for Love

    #1

    In Hong Kong of 1962, Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow, a journalist, move into neighbouring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are formal and polite—until a discovery about their respective spouses creates an intimate bond between them.

  2. Cinema Paradiso

    Cinema Paradiso

    1988

    #2

    A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.

  3. M

    M

    1931

    #3

    In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.

  4. The Intouchables

    The Intouchables

    2011

    #4

    A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.

  5. City of God

    City of God

    2002

    #5

    In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

  6. The Seventh Seal

    The Seventh Seal

    1957

    #6

    When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.

  7. Parasite

    Parasite

    2019

    #7

    All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

  8. Pather Panchali

    Pather Panchali

    1955

    #8

    Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1996.

  9. The Spirit of the Beehive

    #9

    In 1940, in the immediate aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, a young girl living on the Castilian plain is haunted after attending a screening of James Whale's 1931 film Frankenstein and hearing from her sister that the monster is not dead, instead existing as a spirit inhabiting a nearby barn.

  10. Rashomon

    Rashomon

    1950

    #10

    Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, "Rashomon" is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

  11. Sin Nombre

    Sin Nombre

    2009

    #11

    Sayra, a Honduran teen, hungers for a better life. Her chance for one comes when she is reunited with her long-estranged father, who intends to emigrate to Mexico and then enter the United States. Sayra's life collides with a pair of Mexican gangmembers who have boarded the same American-bound train.

  12. Loves of a Blonde

    #12

    Andula, an innocent Czech girl from a factory town, is desperately in search of love. She believes she's found it when she beds Milda, a charming young musician visiting from Prague. Milda, however, is only looking for a casual encounter, and leaves town assuming he'll never see Andula again. But when Andula doesn't hear from him, she packs up and heads to Prague, to the surprise of Milda and his parents.

  13. Y Tu Mamá También

    Y Tu Mamá También

    2001

    #13

    In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.

    Watch Now

    Hulu
    Subs HD

    Bundle 4k

    Bundle 4k

    Bundle 4k

    Bundle 4k

  14. Seven Samurai

    Seven Samurai

    1954

    #14

    A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

  15. L'Avventura

    L'Avventura

    1960

    #15

    Claudia and Anna join Anna's lover, Sandro, on a boat trip to a remote volcanic island. When Anna goes missing, a search is launched. In the meantime, Sandro and Claudia become involved in a romance despite Anna's disappearance, though the relationship suffers from guilt and tension.

  16. The Visitors

    The Visitors

    1993

    #16

    After a wizard's spell goes awry, 12th-century Gallic knight Godefroy de Papincourt, Count of Montmirail finds himself transported to 1993, along with his dimwitted servant, Jacquouille la Fripouille. Startled and perplexed by modern technology, the duo run amok, destroying cars and causing chaos until they meet Beatrice de Montmirail, an aristocratic descendant of the nobleman, who may be able to help them get back to 1123.

  17. Vivre Sa Vie

    Vivre Sa Vie

    1962

    #17

    Twelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution.

  18. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

    #18

    Emmi Kurowski, a cleaning lady, is lonely in her old age. Her husband died years ago, and her grown children offer little companionship. One night she goes to a bar frequented by Arab immigrants and strikes up a friendship with middle-aged mechanic Ali. Their relationship soon develops into something more, and Emmi's family and neighbors criticize their spontaneous marriage. Soon Emmi and Ali are forced to confront their own insecurities about their future.

  19. Funny Games

    Funny Games

    1997

    #19

    Two psychotic young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.

  20. Tokyo Story

    Tokyo Story

    1953

    #20

    The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.