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

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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.

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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 slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.

  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. Song of the Little Road

    #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.

  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.