Tough Times and Foreign Films
Our Concerns and Current Events.
Let’s be honest, whether you’re employed or not, the topic of unemployment and job related struggles have come up a lot lately.
One way we can all relate to each other, whether rich or poor, is that at some point you’ve probably worried about your job. Maybe it was a fear that your social status would be hurt. Maybe you were suddenly “let go” and forced to start all over again.
The way you handled it or would handle it might range from becoming an advocate for what you see as injustices, to continuing that daily grind, charging forward on the same career path.
My point is, our jobs are a huge part of our lives. We spend a huge part of our lives worrying about money and it often becomes who we are. Our label. Our identity.
Learning that We’re All Struggling Together. Foreign Films.
I’ve got some great non-English language films below that hover around the topic of unemployment, career, regrets and money. They all have an uplifting element to them though.
A note about my setup: I have a Netflix streaming account and a Roku box that I use to watch media on my modest television. I use the website Clicker as a guide to all things media on the internet. I highly recommend this setup, but if you don’t have access to these films, they are all from Film Movement which is a great resource for these and other independent and non-English language films.
This is a very nice Italian film. The husband is doing really well in his career when one day he discovers that he is out of a job. He struggles with his anger towards his business partners and tries to hide this embarrassing secret from his wife. The couple also struggle with their daughter and the disapproval they feel over her career path.
It’s a story about career, passions and family.
All of it is really well done and points out how society creates this pride in all of us that can be debilitating at times. Find out more her on Clicker.
This is an endearing story set in Uruguay. It’s about a small town and one man’s dream of making money for his family when he hears that Pope John Paul II is going to come bless their village.
The father (main character) comes up with a plan to build facilities that everyone will need to use for this big event. It’s a dirty job but somebody has to do it. The poverty stricken family has little money to work with, so the father uses money saved for his daughter’s education to fund his crazy business idea.
It’s all about community and a family’s struggle to make it in an economy that really just isn’t working for them.
Find out where you can watch it here on Clicker.
The Grocer’s Son (Le Fils de l’épicier) 2007
I wasn’t sure I would like this one.
It is a really well done film. The style, aesthetically, almost feels like a made for television move in the UK (don’t ask, I can’t explain why), but it is very good and the story-line moves at a great pace.
A son who moves to Paris after growing up a really small town in France, works to make something of his life. He goes through odd jobs in the service industry built a reputation as someone who has little patience and drive. He doesn’t have a great relationship with his father, but he tries to follow his gut and make the best of the few opportunities that are out there.
When father falls ill he must return home to help take care of the family business. He brings along his female friend who is also struggling to make ends meet and get an education to better her life. It’s another one that has a very uplifting feel despite the main topic.
There are actually some really funny moments in the film. It’s a great one to watch.
Find more here on Clicker.
11/07/2011