With the most successful film industry outside of the United States, France has given us everything from easy comedies to Cannes-winning oeuvres. If you want to brush up on your français, here are the best movies featuring the French language.
The Namesake (2006)
8.0
A moving, multi-generational journey of an Indian immigrant family finding their way in America
The Beast (2024)
7.4
Léa Seydoux rewrites her past and future loves with AI in this mysterious existential sci-fi mystery
Joint Security Area (2000)
7.9
Friends separate at the border in this emotionally moving whodunit
Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)
8.5
Louis Malle remembers his heartbreaking childhood in this poignant period drama
Io Capitano (2023)
8.7
A devastating portrayal of the migrant crisis, infused with wonderful magical realism
The Dead Don’t Hurt (2024)
7.5
Viggo Mortensen directs this stunning alternative Western
One Life (2023)
7.0
It’s not as compelling as it ought to be, but this inspiring tale of heroism is heartwarming a watch
The Sacrifice (1986)
8.1
In his final film, Andrei Tarkovsky contemplates the end of the world in this meditative modern twist to the Sacrifice of Isaac
The Killer (2023)
8.4
A perfectly pitched crime thriller that's David Fincher's best film in a decade
Chronicle of a Disappearance (1996)
8.4
Absurdist comedy makes for unusual but powerful framing in this wry commentary on Palestinian identity
La Belle Noiseuse (1991)
8.1
A sensual, spellbinding masterpiece depicting the creative process and its muse
Lilies (1996)
7.5
A passionate, underseen queer gem where a confession transforms into a memory play