While it feels like eons since “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho, in accepting his Golden Globe in January 2020, encouraged American audiences to “overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles,” the strides made in the last two years have only underlined the filmmaker’s message: film and television is well and truly international now, so get on board. This year’s crop of best international TV shows — selected by Variety‘s team of global correspondents — have a few English-language entries, but the vast majority are a testament to the rich storytelling coming out of markets like Spain, India and Korea. This holiday season, if you’re not already tuned in, why not take in an international offering? As Bong wisely said, you’ll be introduced to so many more amazing stories. And let’s face it, subtitles are here to stay.
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Fragrance of the First Flower
Image Credit: GagaOOLala Taiwan’s legalization of same sex marriage in 2019 has cracked open the Asian media industry’s ability to tackle LGBT subject matter. And “Fragrance” hails from a pair of Taiwanese companies, Portico Media and GagaOOLala, which focus on serving the LGBT community. But that doesn’t mean that gay and lesbian relationships have lost their stigma in mainstream society. “Fragrance” portrays a queer woman stuck in a humdrum hetero marriage who didn’t dare come out when she was younger. When she rekindles something with an old flame, she’s forced to ask questions about not only herself and her family, but also to what extent wider society might be willing to accept her in a lesbian relationship. The show’s sensitivity has earned it an international career that spans Series Mania, the Tokyo International Film Festival’s series section and Munich’s Seriencamp. — Patrick Frater
Distributor: Portico Media
U.S. Home: Not yet -
Anna
Image Credit: Sky Italian writer-director Niccolò Ammaniti’s dystopian drama “Anna” is centered on a 13-year-old girl who must contend with a viral contagion that kills off all adults on the island of Sicily. Conceived and largely shot before the pandemic, it’s powerful because it portrays adolescence in a way that’s never been done before on screen and does so against a sensual, apocalyptic backdrop of scorched fields, ruins of shopping centers and abandoned Sicilian cities. “Let’s imagine a world that has never existed in the history of humanity: a world in which there are only children. What is their survival strategy? What do they do?” says Ammaniti of his concept. Originally broadcast on Sky Italy, the show will play on Disney Plus in 30 European territories, including the U.K., France and Germany. — Nick Vivarelli
Distributor: Fremantle
U.S. Home: AMC Plus -
Lords of Scam
Image Credit: Netflix “Lords of Scam” is a Netflix original documentary written by journalist Olivier Bouchara and directed by French auteur Guillaume Nicloux (“Valley of Love”). Based on Bouchara’s investigative story published in Vanity Fair, the comedy-filled documentary tracks the rise and fall of conmen who cheated the EU carbon quota system and pocketed millions before turning on each other. The epic story behind the multi-million-dollar scam worthy of “Goodfellas” is told through the eyes of Mardoché “Marco” Mouly, fresh from a nine-year prison sentence. The documentary was produced by Benjamin Elalouf and Sarah Prot at Moonshaker with Gaumont and Netflix. “Lords of Scam” launched on the streamer on Nov. 3 and has ranked among the top 10 most-watched international films. — Elsa Keslassy
Distributor: Netflix
U.S. Home: Netflix -
Amongst Men
Image Credit: WarnerMedia From Buenos Aires-based Pol-Ka (“The Bronze Garden”), Pablo Fendrik’s Argentina drama “Amongst Men” (“Entre Hombres” in Spanish) was the first-ever Argentine series to be screened in the Berlinale Series section. It premiered on HBO Max Latin America on Sept. 26, though it’s not available in the U.S. just yet. Based on Germán Maggiori’s eponymous novel, the series plunges into the crime world of 1990s Buenos Aires, a world of moral decay where only the most violent survive. A kinetic, genre-mixing thrill ride, “Amongst Men” kicks off after a deadly high-society party where a VHS tape of the night’s events proves more misleading than helpful. The series features a cast of despicable characters whose disparate narratives all point toward a calamitous collision. — Jamie Lang
Distributor: WarnerMedia
U.S. Home: Not yet -
Al Rawabi School for Girls
Image Credit: Netflix This groundbreaking Netflix Arabic Original follows a group of high school girls in Jordan as they plot their revenge on a trio of bullies at their school. It portrays violence, including sexual violence, against women and patriarchy in Arab society. More importantly, it’s a young adult drama that unfolds in a universal high school setting, but with a distinctly Jordanian flavor. These elements, combined with smart writing, which takes the plot in unexpected directions, and powerful performances make it a standout show that’s breaking out internationally. — Nick Vivarelli
Distributor: Netflix
U.S. Home: Netflix -
Countrymen
Image Credit: Credit: Mohamed Chakiri “Countrymen” is a Norwegian crime comedy series created and written by Izer Aliu (“Hunting Flies”) and Anne Bjørnstad (“Lilyhammer,” “Beforeigners”). The series follows four men with dubious plans who move to a farm in the countryside and become the founders of Norway’s first halal cheesemaking business, more or less against their will. Sold by Banijay Rights, the show was produced by Banijay’s Norwegian label Rubicon for the broadcaster NRK and co-produced by ARTE France. The eight-part series, which won the high school prize at Canneseries festival, is headlined by Nader Khademi (“Ninjababy”), Ayaz Hussain (“Kasim Bæder”), Jonas Strand Gravli (“Ragnarok”) Arben Bala (“Lilyhammer”) and Erika Strand Mamelund. — Elsa Keslassy
Distributor: Banijay Rights
U.S. Home: Viaplay -
Spice Girls: How Girl Power Changed Britain
Image Credit: Everett Collection Viva forever! In this hard-hitting three-part documentary from “The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty” producers 72 Films, U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 served up a fantastic reminder of the massive cultural impact wielded by the Spice Girls. What’s most powerful, however, is the doc’s insightful — and sometimes jaw-dropping — examination of the inherent sexism and racism leveled at the band members throughout the course of their careers, particularly by British media. Packed with old interviews and clips (can you spot BBC director general Tim Davie circa his Pepsi years?), audiences will no doubt come away with a deeper appreciation for the group. While the doc hasn’t yet sold into the U.S. — most likely due to costly rights clearances for all that archive — it’s hopefully just a matter of time before this gem gets more traction across the pond. — Manori Ravindran
Distributor: BBC Studios
U.S. Home: Not yet -
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
Image Credit: tvN The tvN series is one of 2021’s feel-good K-dramas. A hit in and out of South Korea, it was one of the highest rated series on cable television and a Top 10 (non-English) TV series on Netflix in 20 countries for 15 weeks. A remake of the 2004 Korean film “Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong,” the rom-com is about a big-city dentist with a strong work ethic setting up a clinic in a small beach town where she meets her polar opposite: a charming jack-of-all-trades. The story’s simplicity and lightheartedness has a refreshing vibe amid the doom and gloom of the pandemic. Main leads Shin Min-Ah and Kim Seon Ho were praised for their natural onscreen chemistry, making fans swoon over the “Dimple Couple.” The diversity and bond shared between the extended cast also made the series much more endearing. — Rebecca Souw
Distributor: Netflix
U.S. Home: Netflix -
Tabbar
Image Credit: SonyLIV While attention in India is usually focused on the big three of Disney Plus Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, streamer SonyLIV has been consistently hitting it out of the park with shows like “Scam 1992,” “Maharani” and “Gullak.” “Tabbar,” created by Harman Wadala, is set in contemporary Punjab, the northern Indian state devastated by drug abuse among its youth. It follows two weeks in the lives of the close-knit Singh family, led by ex-cop Omkar (a career-redefining performance from Pawan Malhotra), who is now a grocer. A stray incident pitchforks the family into a maelstrom of drugs, politics and murder. Director Ajitpal Singh, whose debut feature “Fire in the Mountains” debuted in competition at Sundance earlier this year, keeps the tension mounting. — Naman Ramachandran
Distributor: SonyLIV
U.S. Home: SonyLIV via SlingTV. -
The Newsreader
Image Credit: ABC Australian film and TV has a bulging back catalog of awkward and uncompromising characters who just need the right relationship to bring out their emotional intelligence. Set in the mid-1980s era of big hair and even bigger egos, ABC Australia’s six-part series “The Newsreader” deploys the ever-reliable Anna Torv (“Mindhunter,” “Secret City”) as a TV presenter with a reputation for being difficult to work with. She finds herself paired up with an ambitious younger reporter, and as they work on stories ranging from the Challenger Disaster to Halley’s Comet and the AIDS crisis, their personal and professional lives become intertwined. The Werner Films-produced show was nominated in an astonishing 16 categories at the AACTA awards and won five, including best drama series, best direction, best lead actress in a drama (Torv) and best supporting actor (William McInnes). — Patrick Frater
Distributor: Entertainment One
U.S. Home: Not yet -
Cardo
Image Credit: Suma Content Co-created by Claudia Costafreda, a script writer on “Veneno” — one of Variety’s 2020 best international series — and lead actor Ana Rujas (“Toc Toc”), “Cardo” made waves when it was teased at San Sebastian in September, a bellwether of quality for Spanish series, before proving a critical and social media hit for local streamer Atresplayer. Rujas stars as a woman about to hit 30 whose life is a late-night, drug-fueled mess. After an accident, she takes a long, hard look at herself and begins the difficult process of turning things around. Produced by “Veneno” creators Los Javis at Suma Content and Buendía Estudios, a second season was recently announced by Atresplayer. — Jamie Lang
Distributor: Atresmedia
U.S. Home: Not yet -
Time
Image Credit: BBC Jimmy McGovern’s three-part BBC prison drama “Time” didn’t have the sexiest title, but those who saw past its generic label were treated to masterful storytelling with superb performances by Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. The former plays a former teacher newly imprisoned for accidentally killing an innocent man, while Graham is a hardened but sympathetic warden facing an impossible situation in his personal life. Just when you think you’ve seen every permutation of a prison drama from broadcasters, cablers and streamers combined, something like “Time” comes along to remind that fully realized, human characters from one of the U.K.’s best screenwriters, in a story that feels both uniquely British but undeniably universal, go a long way in resonating with audiences who think they’ve seen it all. — Manori Ravindran
Distributor: BBC Studios
U.S. Home: BritBox -
Squid Game
Image Credit: Everett Collection There was a period of time this fall when you couldn’t attend any kind of social event without having watched at least one episode of “Squid Game.” Such was the intensity of the Korean series’ smash debut, and for good reason. Centered on a deadly game in which down-on-their-luck contestants played with their lives in order to secure an eye-watering jackpot, the show was super visual and totally uncompromising in its vision. Quite frankly, “Squid Game” went there, and pandemic audiences — who were supposed to be turned off by violence and only tuned into uplifting, life-affirming fare — were up for the ride. Although creator Hwang Dong-hyuk sounded exhausted by the prospect of Season 2 in Variety’s exclusive interview back in September, it seems he’s come around in recent months, and that more deadly hijinks await in the near future. — Manori Ravindran
Distributor: Netflix
U.S. Home: Netflix