Recap 2023: The 10 Best Foreign Films Of The Year - An Alternative List

Recap 2023: These films may not command instant recall. But they deserve to

In 2023, several established masters articulated or responded to the anxieties and strife that relentlessly stalked the world. Loach, Kaurismaki, Scorsese, Nolan, Wenders and Ceylan delivered films that ranged from the stunningly masterly to the unerringly essential. The real surprises, however, came from less-fancied directors, a few of them first-timers. Marked departures from norm, daring formal experiments and striking thematic sleights informed these small but sparkling gems. Barring Hong Sang-soo and Denis Cote, the directors in this 'best of 2023' selection (in no particular order) may not command instant recall. But they deserve to. For the reasons, read on...

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In a fractured world, Belgian director Bas Devos revels in mining the minutiae of life in quest of connections and inspirations that sustain humanity. Here, his fourth film, extends his concerns. It depicts a mingling of two worlds - one represented by Stefan, a Romanian construction worker in Brussels, the other by Shuxiu, a Chinese-Belgian bryologist working on a doctoral thesis on mosses. Stefan is about to return home. He makes a pot of soup with vegetables left in his fridge and distributes it among his friends. He defers his departure after a chance encounter with Shuxiu in a restaurant. Her attention to the tiniest of things and her innate ability to feel the warmth of Nature capture Stefan's fancy. A beautiful, delicate bond evolves between the two. Devos, working with the 4:3 format, captures the blossoming through pure images that speak louder than words. Here is cinema that soothes and heals.

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