2014 has been rich with international cinema. Here are nearly 40 movies released this year that critics in our Criticwire Network think you should see.
Adopt Films "Winter Sleep"
Throughout 2014, members of Indiewire's Criticwire Network - comprised of nearly 500 critics from around the world - have been adding their grades and reviews to our database of film pages. Below is a collection of those films released in theaters during that time that have a) received 10 or more reviews, b) maintained a grade average of "B+" or higher and c) unfold primarily in a language other than English. (A complete list of all the top-rated films can always be found here.) We'll update this list as new additions surface and as fresh waves of feedback arrive. Averages and totals are subject to change (grade totals listed in italics below have changed since the last update), but for now, these are the titles that many members of the Criticwire Network suggest you should watch.
Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan had been making films for over a decade before making a big splash in 2011 with his slow-burning crime drama "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia." Combined with the success of his "Climates" five years prior, Ceylan's "Winter Sleep" was one of the most anticipated films at this year's Cannes Film Festival, where it eventually won the Palme D'Or. The award-winning film is now playing in New York and will expand to select theaters. It premieres on this list alongside fellow 2014 Cannes entrant "The Tale of Princess Kaguya."
"Big Bad Wolves" popped up on many cinephiles' radar towards the end of last year, thanks in part to one particular supporter. But the film's theatrical release opened up the film to a fresh set of eyes. Between its theatrical run and current Netflix availability, Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado's tale of intertwining fates in the criminal underworld has gradually expanded out as a showcase for Israeli film. The film now stands at a "B+" average.
Elsewhere on the list, two films have supplanted "The Wind Rises" in the top slot. Two films recently settling in the ever-elusive "A" average range: Pawel Pawlikowski's captivating black-and-white drama "Ida" and Lav Diaz's latest theatrically-released saga "Norte, the End of History."
