Realistic Foreign Movies

[wiseignorant]

Italian neorealism has some good examples of what I would call realistic movies.
Umberto D. by De Sica, the story of an old man trying to live off his small pension in post war Italy who contemplates suicide.
Ladri di Biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) also by De Sica, struggling father looking for work has his bicycle stolen which he needs for his new job. Goes looking for the bike with his son, gets desperate....
Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City) by Rossellini

Not part of neorealism, but I consider quite realistic:
Il maestro di Vigevano (The Teacher from Vigevano) by Elio Petri. School teacher in newly industrialized Northern Italy has lost status and prestige among the surging middle class and is not happy with his wife wanting to start working. She starts working anyway and we can see where it might lead, the little respect she had for him will be gone forever.
Uomini Contro (Many Wars Ago) by Francesco Rosi. First World War, Italian front, positions in the Altopiano di Asiago, men are sent to be butchered in meaningless attacks against strong Austrian positions by heartless general. A captain revolts, a Second lieutenant has doubts but remains loyal to the King, but won't matter...
Un borghese piccolo piccolo (An Average Little Man) by Mario Moinicelli. A public employee at the Ministry joins a masonic order by suggestion of his boss to find his newly graduated son a position in the Ministry (comedy part), but tragedy happens and his life loses meaning, makes justice by himself ....

Brazilian movies:
Saw someone mentioning Carandiru. By the same director, Hector Babenco, an Argentinian naturalized Brazilian there is: Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco. Great movie that goes into the lives of street kids in early eighties Brazil.
Another great Brazilian movies is Bye Bye Brasil. A traveling show is faced with the advent of the television and start traveling around Brazil to find business without much success...

 

[Rush_More]

This is my favourite of all time. I Stand Alone.

 

[Hypno]

There is a great film called Kolya set in Prague shortly after the disintegration of the USSR, early 90s.

A confirmed bachelor agrees to marry a Russian woman so she can get a visa to the West. He's in his 40s or 50s but is a skirt chaser. The film shows you a lot about Czech culture, the love of music, the beauracracy of the Soviets.

The plot twist is that he is a grump and she has a 5-year old, and he ends up with the kid, Nicola, or Kolya for short, and the kid changes his life for the better.

 

[Salinger]

I saw a good Spanish movie the other day called "Mondays In The Sun."

Premise: A group of middle age men lose their job in the shipyard and spend their days and nights contemplating their future.

Javier Bardiem is great in this film playing a flirtatious man whose social life is limited by the fact that he's now out of work.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mondays_in_the_sun

 

[Pinkman]

"Brat" is an old Russian film about the post-communist state of affairs during the 90's. It was recommended to me by a russian chick. Very insightful about the living conditions, also just a good regular movie.

The second one when they travel to the US is pretty entertaining as well. I wouldn't say they are "realistic", but they're good.

"The Thief" (Vor) is another good Russian film.

I can also recommend the Swedish films "The Emigrants" (1971) and "Fanny and Alexander" (1982).