I am defining “foreign film” as any film (1) set in a thoroughly non-American culture and (2) in which the spoken language is not English. Using this criteria, The Passion of the Christ definitely qualifies as a “foreign film”.
The Passion of the Christ ranks number 5 for me, not as an obligatory nod because it is faith-based, but because I found it to be a deeply thought provoking film. Like so many others, I was moved by the sheer violence and barbarianism of the Roman guards, but I was also moved by the loving portrayal of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and challenged by the representation of Satan as a beautiful, androgynous man.
The movie stops short of the resurrection of Christ—which isn’t surprising given the title. It isn’t about his rising, but his suffering. For that reason, it is a hard movie to watch. I’ve only seen it once, in the theater, and I shuffled silently to my car after that viewing. Hardly anyone spoke as we left.
If you haven’t taken the time to watch The Passion of the Christ, I would recommend it with this caution: it’s brutal and it’s far from light-hearted. But, Christian or not, one can hardly argue that it’s not moving.
