There are many non-English-language movies that have been successful in America, but there are also others that were even successful all over the world, both in of box office performance and critical acclaim. These movies can come from any place, and prove that any genuinely good film can be successful.
The best way to understand which of these movies are the most beloved among regular viewers is by looking at the IMDb Top 250 list. It's easy to forget that critics are not always the ones judging the movie's quality - it's also the wider audiences that can elevate even a mediocre movie.
Grave Of The Fireflies (1988) - 8.5 - Available On Hulu
Grave of the Fireflies is an animated movie from the Japanese Studio Ghibli, which could be compared to the likes of Disney and Pixar in of its influence on the history of animation. No wonder that the movie is considered one of the greatest war movies ever made, as well as animator Isao Takahata's best work.
Set during the final months of WWII, it follows two siblings trying to survive in the Japanese city of Kobe. The story begins with the two dying, and the movie skips back to show how this tragedy came to be.
Cinema Paradiso (1988) - 8.5 - Available On HBO Now, HBO Max, And DirecTV
An Italian classic from the eighties, Cinema Paradiso was a critical and commercial success at the time of its release and even won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The story is told in a flashback as the main character, who is now a grown-up filmmaker, returns to his home village and re his childhood and how he fell in love with filmmaking.
The Intouchables (2011) - 8.5 - Available On Netflix
the best, French movie of the past decade. In addition to that, it is one of the most successful French movies worldwide and was also nominated for multiple Cesar Awards, which are essentially the French equivalent of the Oscars.
The story follows a paralyzed aristocrat who hires an unruly young man as his caregiver and learns to love life all over again.
Ratsasan (2018) - 8.5 - Available On Hotstar
A critical and commercial success, Ratsasan is an Indian psychological crime thriller that was particularly praised for its expert storytelling and writing.
It follows a police officer who wanted to be a film director but decided to work in the police after his father's death, which he now investigates to find the killer.
Seven Samurai (1954) - 8.6 - Available On HBO Max And Criterion Channel
One of Seven Samurai is Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece that has been cited as one of the most influential movies of all time. In fact, filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and George Lucas have borrowed from the movie quite a bit.
Set in 1586 in a Japanese village, it follows a group of seven ronins (or samurais without masters) who are asked by local farmers to protect them from the bandits who have promised to return and take away their crops.
Harakiri (1962) - 8.6 - Available On Criterion Channel
Another outstanding samurai movie, Harakiri (also known as Seppuku) was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and even won the Special Jury Award there. Like Seven Samurai, it has been very influential in the world of cinema.
Taking place in the early 17th century, it follows the ronin Hanshiro Tsugumo who asks a local feudal lord to commit harakiri (which was a practice that gave ronins a chance to receive alms from other lords). But Hanshiro is informed that there was another ronin before him who died by suicide and whose past is connected to Hanshiro's.
Life Is Beautiful (1997) - 8.6 - Available On HBO Now And DirecTV
The Italian comedy-drama Life Is Beautiful was a massive success both critically and commercially and became the second-highest-grossing non-English-language movie in the US. At the Cannes Film Festival, it won the Grand Prix while also winning three Academy Awards (including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor).
The story follows a Jewish Italian bookshop owner living during WWII. His family is seized and placed in a Nazi concentration camp where he uses his imagination to help his son live through the horrors around them.
Spirited Away (2001) - 8.6 - Available On HBO Max
another masterpiece from the iconic Studio Ghibli. Spirited Away is considered one of the greatest animated movies ever made and was a huge success, becoming the highest-grossing movie in Japanese history at the time. To date, it is the only hand-drawn and non-English-language picture that has won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The story follows the ten-year-old Chihiro who moves with her parents into a new neighborhood. They get lost and stumble upon a strange tunnel that leads them into the spirit world. Chihiro's parents are cursed and turn into pigs while the girl herself is employed in a bathhouse owned by the evil Yubaba. Chihiro must now find a way to save herself and her parents.
City Of God (2002) - 8.6 - Available On HBO Now, HBO Max, And DirecTV
Often considered one of the best movies ever made, the Brazilian City of God was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for four Academy Awards. Interestingly, none of these nominations were in the Best Foreign Film category.
The story spans more than a decade, beginning in the late 1960s and ending in the early 1980s. Set in the Cidade de Deus (or City of God) suburb of Rio de Janeiro, the movie depicts the growth of organized crime in the area, which is partially based on reality.
Parasite (2019) - 8.6 - Available On Hulu
Parasite blew everyone away in 2019 and then went on to make history by winning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture (the first non-English-language movie to do so), Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Foreign Film. In addition to that, it is also one of the three movies that ever won both the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Best Picture Academy Award.
In the movie, a poor family decides to change their lives and makes a plan to infiltrate a wealthy family by posing as unrelated but highly qualified individuals.
