12 Santa-Free International Features to Stream Over the Holidays
For those of you tired of the usual holiday movie diet of sleigh bells, snowflakes, and sugarplum fairies, The Hollywood Reporter‘s international team has whipped up a menu of new foreign films, currently available to screen in the U.S., that offer something for a more refined cinema palate.
Whether your taste runs to Irish hip-hop or Mexican musicals, Austrian horror or Danish romance, family-friend Thai comedy, or adult-only Aussie animation, we’ve got you covered for those long winter nights.
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Banel & Adama (Stream/Rent On: Apple, Amazon, Fandango)
French-Senegalese director Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s bold debut illuminates the complexities of love and identity in a Romeo and Juliet-style story set in rural Senegal. Featuring captivating performances by Khady Mane and Mamadou Diallo as the titular couple, Banel & Adama combines rich, humanistic storytelling with stunning visuals to conjure a deeply imagined world. While the director’s meandering style might not be to everyone’s taste, this film still has plenty to say about community, gender roles, and the climate crisis. And does so beautifully.
Crossing (Stream/Rent On: Mubi, Apple, Amazon, Fandango)
An intimate tale of queer identity and trans acceptance set against the backdrop of Istanbul’s dynamic streets, Levan Akin’s Georgian/Turkish drama Crossing won over audiences at its Berlin Film Festival debut with its tender story of a Georgian woman (played by the superb Georgian actor Mzia Arabuli) who travels to Turkey to track down her errant trans niece, teaming up with the brother of one of her former pupils. Eloquent and effecting, Akin’s understated storytelling delivers emotional depth with an open-ended conclusion that resonates with universal themes of family and transformation.
The Devil’s Bath (Stream/Rent On: Shudder, AMC+, Apple TV+, Amazon, Fandango)
The Devil’s Bath is an intense historical psychological drama by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the directing team behind such atmospheric horror tales as Goodnight Mommy and The Lodge. Inspired by true tales of women driven to extremes in 18th-century Austria, this is more psychological horror than gory slasher (though things get plenty bloody in the final reel).
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (Stream/Rent On: Mubi, Apple)
Radu Jude’s provocative Romanian film is a cinematic firecracker — explosive, funny, and furious in equal measure. Blending biting satire with social commentary, it explores work, capitalism, and misogyny through the lens of an overworked production assistant (a hilariously laconic Ilinca Manolache), whose life and struggles Jude links to those of another exploited working woman, the lead character in a forgotten, 1981 Romanian drama Angela Moves On. Winner of the Locarno Jury Prize, this daring essay-film is radical and often bleak but, even at its nearly 3-hour run time, never boring.
Fallen Leaves (Stream/Rent On: Mubi, Apple)
Aki Kaurism?ki’s melancholic yet hopeful Finnish gem tells a tender story of love found amidst loneliness. With nods to cinematic greats like Ozu and Bresson (and plenty of references to his own impressive cinematic canon), Fallen Leaves is a charmingly minimalistic, deeply human tale of two lonely souls: A middle-aged alcoholic — “I’m depressed because I drink and I drink because I’m depressed” — played by Jussi Vatanen, and a put-upon supermarket worker (Alma P?ysti) who, despite all the obstacles, come together. A pure slice of deadpan joy for true cinephiles.
Emilia Pérez (Stream/Rent On: Netflix)
Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, an Oscar frontrunner, is an undefinable genre mash-up — a Mexican transgender crime musical directed by a Frenchman — that boldly explores themes of gender identity and trans liberation. Featuring a transformative performance by Spanish trans actress Karla Sofia Gascón, and revelatory turns by Zo? Salda?a and Selena Gomez, the all-singing, all-dancing extravagance is best experienced on the big screen, but Audiard’s audacious storytelling shines through on any platform.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Stream/Rent On: Netflix)
The only truly family-friendly film on this list, this blockbuster comedy from Thailand is proper holiday fare: A funny, ultimately heartwarming and tear-jerky tale of family, ambition, and redemption. A scheming young man — played by pop singer-turned-actor Putthipong Assaratanakul, aka Billkin — quits his job (as a failed video game streamer) to care for his dying grandmother, hoping to get named in her will and inherit her fortune. From that predictable set-up, Pat Boonnitipat spins a delicate and funny story of mortality, personal growth, and learning to accept your loved ones with all their imperfections.
Kneecap (Stream/Rent On: Apple TV+, Fandango, Microsoft, Spectrum)
This Irish-language comedy is far less family-friendly (the f- and c-bombs alone rule it one out for under-aged viewing), but Rich Peppiatt’s fictional take on the real-life origin story of Irish hip-hop band Kneecap, is a must-watch for the grown-ups. A heart-warming tale of two working-class drug dealers who team up with a local schoolteacher to form an Irish-language hip-hop band, Kneecap is your typical feel-good, rags-to-riches story, just with a lot more ketamine.
La Chimera (Stream/Rent On: Apple, Hulu, Fandango, Microsoft, Spectrum, Amazon)
Alice Rohrwacher’s visually stunning La Chimera delves into the world of Italian tomb robbers, blending folklore, realism, and mysticism. Starring Challengers heartthrob Josh O’Connor as a melancholic tomb raider with a divining skill for finding hidden treasures, the film examines themes of love, loss, and the ethics of history. A lyrical and thought-provoking addition to Rohrwacher’s extraordinary body of work.
Memoir of a Snail (Stream/Rent On: Apple TV+, Fandango, Amazon)
An Australian claymation wonder, Memoir of a Snail is an odd yet captivating tale of memory, loss, and the peculiarities of human (and snail) behavior. Directed by Adam Elliot (Mary and Max) and featuring voice performances from Sarah Snook and Jacki Weaver, this grown-up story of grief, loneliness and longing follows a gastropod-obsessed misfit and her lost twin pyromaniac brother. By turns tragic, hilarious, and surreal, this is also not one for the kids, but fans of hand-crafted animation — there’s not a single frame of CG imagery in the film — are in for a feast.
Perfect Days (Stream/Rent On: Hulu, AppleTV+)
Anyone wondering what to feel thankful for this holiday season should check out this tender Japanese drama by German master Wim Wenders. Koji Yakusho shines as a middle-aged Tokyo man who finds solace in routine and small pleasures. The film unfolds as a poetic meditation on the quiet beauty of everyday life, gradually accumulating tenderly observed fragments of a life that piece together to form a deeply moving account of one man’s struggle to find peace and contentment.
The Promised Land (Stream/Rent On: Apple, Hulu, Hoopla, Amazon, Fandango, Microsoft)
Nikolaj Arcel’s “Nordic Western” features Mads Mikkelsen as a low-born military man in 18th-century Denmark determined to cultivate the wild Jutland heath against daunting odds, battling the elements, class prejudices, and brutal landowners. As grand and stirring as a John Ford saga, this is a historical epic to gather around on those cold winter nights.
The Taste of Things (Stream/Rent On: Apple, Hulu)
This 19th-century foodie romance, France’s official Oscar submission last year, was overshadowed by Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, but Tran Anh Hùng’s story of Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), the right-hand woman, and long-time lover, of top chef Dodin (Beno?t Magimel), is still a visual and gastronomic delight. A sumptuous feel-good treat for the holidays. Just don’t watch on an empty stomach.
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