14 of the Best Recent Movies Done Outside Of Hollywood

As we all know, Hollywood dominates the global box office. Movies are still made outside of that sphere, but no matter where you’re from, the eternal constant is the Hollywood blockbuster. There are times, though, that some films escape the boundaries of their countries, and become icons of the industry on their own. What we’ve gathered here are just some recent examples of the great movies being made all over the world, offering a different perspective than what we’re used to. If you’re up for unfamiliar settings, and having to read subtitles, these are recommendations of what you should watch next. The Secret Agent Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Brazilian political thriller became one of 2025’s most decorated international films, earning Oscar nominations for Best Picture, International Feature, and Wagner Moura’s performance. Its Cannes success and numerous critics’ awards confirmed its status as a major contemporary Brazilian achievement. Sentimental Value Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama became a major international awards contender, winning the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language and multiple European Film Awards. Its emotionally complicated story about family, filmmaking, and reconciliation made it one of 2025’s critical standouts. It Was Just an Accident Jafar Panahi’s Iranian drama became an awards-season favorite after winning the Palme d’Or. It subsequently collected major critics’ prizes, including Best International Film from the National Board of Review and Best Director from the New York Film Critics Circle. Sirât Oliver Laxe’s Spanish-French-Moroccan drama follows a father and son searching for a missing daughter amid Morocco’s desert rave scene. Its Cannes success, including the Jury Prize, and later international awards established it as one of 2025’s boldest cinematic experiences. The Count of Monte Cristo France’s lavish new adaptation of Alexandre Dumas became a genuine homegrown blockbuster, selling more than nine million tickets domestically and exceeding $100 million worldwide. Strong French critical and audience reactions helped make it one of Europe’s biggest theatrical successes of 2024. Flow Latvian animator Gints Zilbalodis created an extraordinary dialogue-free adventure about a cat surviving a catastrophic flood. Flow earned a remarkable 97% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and became an international awards success, demonstrating how emotionally powerful animation can be without traditional dialogue. All We Imagine as Light Payal Kapadia’s Indian drama quietly became one of the decade’s most acclaimed films, winning the Grand Prix at Cannes and numerous critics’ awards. Its intimate story of two nurses in Mumbai offers a beautifully observed portrait of friendship, loneliness, and modern city life. The Girl with the Needle Magnus von Horn’s Danish historical drama transforms a horrifying true story into a grim black-and-white fairy tale. The film earned a 93% critics’ score, premiered at Cannes, and became Denmark’s submission for the Academy Award for International Feature Film. Vermiglio Maura Delpero’s Italian period drama won the Silver Lion at Venice and earned a 93% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score. Set in an Alpine village during World War II, it uses family life and quiet observation to create an unusually intimate historical portrait. Kneecap This anarchic Irish-language comedy-drama tells the origin story of the Belfast hip-hop group Kneecap, who play themselves. Critics gave it a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, praising its energy, originality, and irreverent approach to language, politics, music, and identity. Godzilla Minus One Takashi Yamazaki’s Japanese Godzilla movie became an international sensation by combining spectacular monster destruction with a serious postwar human story. It earned 99% from critics and made history as the first Godzilla film to win an Academy Award. Perfect Days Wim Wenders’ Japanese-set drama follows a Tokyo toilet cleaner whose carefully ordered life is disrupted by unexpected encounters. Its quiet approach earned 96% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while Kōji Yakusho’s performance became one of the film’s biggest sources of praise. Society of the Snow J.A. Bayona’s Spanish-language survival drama revisits the 1972 Andes plane crash with extraordinary technical precision and emotional restraint. The film earned 90% from critics, received an Oscar nomination, and became one of Netflix’s most successful recent international-language movies. When Evil Lurks Argentina’s When Evil Lurks proved that possession horror did not need Hollywood resources to be genuinely terrifying. Demián Rugna’s brutal supernatural thriller earned a 96% critics’ score, with reviewers praising its uncompromising violence, bleak atmosphere, and inventive approach to demonic horror. The post 14 of the Best Recent Movies Done Outside Of Hollywood appeared first on Den of Geek .

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