The Most Successful Foreign Films in America

Director Christophe Gans blends multiple genre tropes to deliver this French-language historical thriller, which draws loose inspiration from real-life events. The story takes place in 18th-century rural France and follows two men as they hunt for a murderous beast. “Its heart is in the horror-monster-sex-fantasy-special effects tradition,” wrote Roger Ebert in his 3-star review.

Pedro Almodóvar re-teamed with frequent collaborator Penélope Cruz for this award-winning Spanish dramedy. It follows a woman (Cruz) back to the small town of her upbringing, where she confronts her tragic past. The story draws loose inspiration from a fictional character’s rejected novel in the previous Almodovar film “The Flowers of My Secret.”

A married accountant Shohei Sugiyama (Kôji Yakusho) exits his comfort zone and enters the world of ballroom dancing in this Japanese dramedy. With his newfound passion comes a renewed sense of purpose. It was the second-highest grossing film of the year in Japan and also a respectable box office performer in the USA.

This Swedish coming-of-age dramedy, which takes place in the 1950s, is an adaptation of a semi-autobiographical book series. It sends a young boy (Anton Glanzelius) to a small town, where he’s exposed to a different side of life. Director Hallström would go on to helm a number of North American films, including 1993’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” and 2009’s “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale.”

Abridged from a much-longer mini-series, Bergman’s Swedish autobiographical drama tells the story of two privileged siblings and their eccentric family. A hit in the director’s native country, it was also one of the era’s highest-grossing foreign-language films in the U.S. It went on to win four Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film.