I remember watching Mattie Do’s The Long Walk at the tail end of the pandemic, which might have been partly why I was able to watch it. The other part is knowing that it might be lost beyond the streamo-sphere, which would have been unfortunate given Do’s status as Thailand’s first female director. But this sort of limited access is not unusual for international films. In the city of Boston, you might find that there are theaters that play to certain audiences; a keen eye may note that Apple Cinema near Alewife has quite a selection of South Asian releases while the South Bay AMC may have a Vietnamese movie in its rotation.

Granted, the Oscars provide a window of opportunity. The International Feature Film category (changed from “Foreign Language” back in 2020 due to its outdated, alienating terminology) selects the best non-American film out of the five nominated. A win in this category is supposed to be considered a win for all involved, even though the name of the director and the country is just engraved on the statue. It’s wonderful that films like Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent have contenders in acting categories, but after the dust settles, do you ever wonder about all of the submitting countries?

I won’t pretend to know the ins and outs of international distribution or the social/political barriers that might push one movie to the country’s forefront over the other (unsurprisingly, Iran did not back It Was Just an Accident). But after seeing a whole bunch of different countries’ Oscar submissions, trying to get a grasp on them, and then feeling deflated when only five names move forward, I can’t help but want to talk about the movies that I saw.

Is there any change for the future? Maybe one day, some brave streaming service will host a Eurovision-style marathon of international submissions, or the Academy will widen the nomination to 10 to match the Best Picture slots (if we can dream). For now, let me share some neat films that I’ve seen that didn’t make it to the shortlist.

MY SHORTLIST

2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA (dir. Mstyselav Chernov — Ukraine)
After winning for Best Documentary for 20 Days in Mariupol, Chernov returns with an even more haunting depiction of the Russian-Ukranian war. Attaching a POV camera to a soldier who was part of a 2023 mission to reclaim an Ukranian village, a documentary could not get any more ground-level than it does here. Everything about this film is very shocking and disturbing in its own merit and also in the possibility of normalizing access to such brutality on screen. I hope that we will always be horrified. – Available on PBS for free

DEAD TO RIGHTS (dir. Shen Ao — China)
Man, this film. Based off the Nanjing Massacre, in which Japanese soldiers tortured and maimed the city’s residents during WWII, the film certainly does not shy away from such events. The story uses the character of a Chinese mailman who pretends to be a photographer in order to help develop a Japanese photographer’s propaganda. It’s the kind of movie that deserves to exist, even for the simple fact that a lot of WWII is depicted from the Euro-American perspective. Maybe because I have heard Nuremberg mentioned so often without great ROI from convos, I’m surprised that this film didn’t circulate as much. As it is with war, Dead to Rights is cruel and depressing, which is more or less how war crimes should be depicted. I wish I had a palate cleanser to offer; instead, I keep falling into the rabbit hole of Hello Kitty’s post-war soft power domination. – Available soon on VOD

I’M NOT EVERYTHING I WANT TO BE (dir. Klára Tasovská — Czech Republic)
When truly committed, photo-diaries are truly a beautiful and ambitious project to pursue. It could also seem like a vanity project, but when looking at Czech photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková’s photos, set with her narration of her life in ’70s Prague, Tokyo, and West Berlin, this is actually really cool. Jarcovjáková is vulnerable in this film as she explores rejection and wandering despondence as she looks for some sort of roots, whether it is in her work or the people she encounters. I recommend it for anyone who’s felt lost looking for purpose. Even if it feels like it’s not worth it today, keep trying for tomorrow. – Not available yet

MAGELLAN (dir. Laz Diaz — Philippines)
Named after the Portuguese explorer who heads to the Philippines to spread the word of God, the film has scenes that you would most likely never see in any modern film. Without saying much, it completes my personal trifecta of anti-colonization films, along with Bacarau and Godland. – Now playing @ Brattle

A POET (dir. Simon Mesa Soto — Colombia)
Nothing seems worse than being an unemployed, middle-aged poet asking you to “borrow” money you will never see again. Yet, here is Oscar, such the provocation in A Poet. Luckily, he realizes early in the film that he needs to get his shit together when his distant daughter shares that she wants to attend an expensive university. Reluctantly, Oscar becomes a schoolteacher despite needing the time to pursue his creativity. He meets Yurlady, a student who writes poem as a form of self-expression. Feeling that she is talent, Oscar encourages her to apply for a poetry scholarship, even though Yurlady really isn’t that interested. Let me share that this is not The Freedom Writers or The Kindergarten Teacher. This is a blithely hilarious take on redemption, survival, and human interests, with a touch of Oscar’s demise (played with rightful corrosion and delightful sweaty screaming by Ubeimar Rios). Maybe Arrested Development in arts and culture? – Now playing @ AMC Boston Common

STRANGER EYES (dir. Yeo Siew Hua — Singapore)
I had a review for this a while ago, thinking that it would come around to Boston at some point. I’m disappointed it hadn’t picked up distribution even after being selected for the country’s Oscar submission, because it’s the kind of film that I think the city (albeit a select few) would enjoy, particularly for the performance of Lee Kang-sheng. The film is about a young couple whose child is kidnapped. However, their response is somewhat muted, and somewhat elevated to weird when surveillance tapes are dropped off at their apartment. A tragic event becomes the curtain opener to some really lonely people. Best not to peek through, but when given the chance, it might as well be this film. – Available VOD

THE TALE OF SILYAN (dir. Tamara Kotevska — Macedonia)
I’m happy to present The Tale of Silyan, a National Geographic documentary about a man who takes care of a stork. After his wife joins their daughter in Germany to take care of their newborn, Nikola feels justifiably lonely on his farm. There is more to this film than human-animal connection, but I’d like to think that this movie is the result of loving and missing your wife so much that you need to place your feelings somewhere, and we do not have enough of that in this life. – Available on Hulu

HOW TO WATCH THE FILMS IN THE U.S.

Now, listen: in a lot of ways, my own shortlist is flawed. I had not watched all the films, and not all of them are available. There are some that have picked up distribution in the U.S. but do not have a planned date. Others, as my fear has been, seem distant in access.

I did try to keep a list to keep track, so I thought I could share along.