85 foreign language film submissions from 85 countries. Every country is now hoping and praying to clinch the most prestigious award in the world. With official submissions for the foreign language Oscar trickling left, right and center from countries around the world, there is no doubt that there is going to be stiff competition. Countries normally pick the best films that excel on the festival circuit as their strongest Oscar contenders.
Here is a look at the top 6 films we feel stand a chance of the golden statuettes
Elle (France)
"A beautiful dark twisted French fantasy." - Hollywood Reporter
A ruthless successful business woman, Michele, heads a video game company and brings the same attitude to her love life. However, her life changes forever when she is attacked in her own home by an unknown assailant. She puts up a fight then finally tracks the man down. A game ensues that may at any point spiral out of control.
Julieta (Spain)
"A somber, ravishing study of grief, guilt and burden." - Time Out
Emman Suarez, who plays Julieta, learns that her long-lost daughter has resurfaced in Madrid. This brings up her dark past and she flashes back to moments of pain that define her current life. Another captivating piece of work from Pedro Almodovar.
The Salesman (Iran)
"Farhadi may hardly be reinventing himself, but his old tools serve him just fine." - Daily Telegraph (UK)
A young Iranian couple decide to move to the center of Tehran after being forced to move from their original apartment because of a dangerous construction project. It is in their new home that they become entangled in a life-changing situation involving a previous tenant. This masterpiece is directed by Asghar Farhadi.
Toni Erdmann (Germany)
"Like all great humanist filmmaking, Toni Erdmann keeps an eye for life at the edges, even when the lives in focus consume a whole lot of energy." – Variety
After the death of his dog, Winfried decides to visit the daughter he doesn’t see much of at home. However, the visit doesn’t go as anticipated. He annoys his daughter with mild jokes and subliminal criticism of her life.
The Age of Shadows (South Korea)
"Patriotism and self-interest clash powerfully in “The Age of Shadows,” a stylish and morally complex thriller set largely in Japanese-occupied 1920s Seoul." – Washington Post
A Korean-born Japanese police officer is thrown into a dilemma, torn between the demands of his reality and his instinct to support a greater cause. He becomes both the hunter and the hunted. Based on a real story set during the time when Japan ruled Korea.
Apprentice (Singapore)
"This [film’s] directorial flair and thematic complexity … should help further consolidate Boo’s own reputation as one of the region’s names to watch.” – Hollywood Reporter
Although the chances of Apprentice seem to be slim in this quest, we feel that it deserve to be mentioned. A young correctional officer known as Aiman is transferred to one of the country’s leading prisons. He befriends Rahim who is the institution’s long-serving executioner. Rahim tries to groom Aiman as his death row apprentice, but will Aiman be able to handle the truth that his father was once executed by his new mentor?
