Expat Movies Vol. 1

Previously, we featured songs that bring to mind the pursuit of happiness, and the romance that comes with living the expat lifestyle. Now that we are entering February, also known all over the world as the month of love, check out a couple of stories that can tickle your romance-loving hearts.

In this article, we give you a list of movies to see that you will definitely enjoy, with or without a partner this month.

The Other End of the Line (2008)

Not your typical rom-com. For starters, the two main characters don’t even meet in person until the last few minutes of the film. The tagline of the film is "Two countries. Two cultures. One chance at love." And it is projected beautifully in this film. This is the story of a man who fell in love with a call centre agent in India. Truly a “you and me against the world” type of story, but also includes that special something that expats can definitely relate to when it comes to intercultural relationships.

Lost in Translation (2003)

Sofia Coppola’s academy award winning film starring Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray was derived from Sofia Coppola’s own experience as an expat in Japan. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is the wife of a photographer assigned in Japan and is left on her own most of the time in their hotel room while her husband is working, while Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is an actor who is working on an advertising campaign for a local brand of whiskey. The two characters share the experience of being “lost in translation” in almost every sense of the phrase. This is a story about displacement, culture shock, loneliness and the sense of feeling alone in a foreign land all of which are the most basic things expats experience while living abroad.

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

A film about how it’s never too late to start over and live a full life, Under The Tuscan Sun tells the story of Frances (Diane Lane) who goes on a vacation to Italy and ends up staying for good and started to make a new life for herself away from all her troubles in America. This story is about new beginnings and how travelling and settling down in a different place or being exposed to different cultures can make you learn more about yourself. From tourist to resident, like expats out there who found a new fulfilling life abroad, this film is for you.

The Karate Kid (2010)

The remake of the 1984 classic film not only features new characters, but also adapts the story in a modern situation. This is the best film to depict the life experiences of an expat child. Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) finds himself whisked away to China, when his mother accepted a job offer as an expat in Beijing. Completely alienated and unfamiliar with the country’s culture, Dre must now learn how to defend and express himself in a foreign land with the help of his unconventional kung fu master Mr Han (Jackie Chan) and his new love Mei Ying. Both a puppy love story and a coming of age film, the remake of The Karate Kid is sure to win the hearts of everyone in your expat family.

Like Crazy (2011)

Long distance relationships, heart break and how far we are willing to go for our beloved. Like Crazy is a film about a British exchange student who falls in love with an American student, and how they carry out their passionate and romantic transatlantic relationship. A lot of people (especially expats) who are in a long distance relationship can relate to this film and when it comes down to it, this is about the love and the sacrifices that we make for the ones we love.

Fear and Trembling (2003)

This is a French film with the original title Stupeur et tremblement is based on a novel of the same title by Amélie Nothomb. The story is about a young Belgian woman who grew up as an expat child in Japan and decides to move back as an adult. The film depicts the disconnection when it comes to eastern and western culture and some of the more important issues in the expat lifestyle. The film delves more into the psyche of the expat experience more than most films that expats can relate to, which is why this film is so powerful and moving.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

One of the most iconic Meg Ryan-Tom Hanks collaboration film, this film is known as one of the most famous “chick flicks” of all time. The film tells a story about how a widower and a woman in an unfulfilling relationship find love despite never having to meet each other until the end of the film. If long-distance romance with a touch of love-conquers-all is your cup of tea is what you’re looking for, this is the film for you.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

This film is a complicated love story that shows how living in a foreign land can clarify and confuse you at the same time.  While being exposed to different cultures and different people can be enlightening, another effect of this is called “disillusionment” and this is what we continuously see with the characters of this film as they dance around each other’s life interweaving and untangling at the same time in a way that only Woody Allen can lay out without making a mess. This film shows how life abroad can make you happy, fall in love, confuse you and drive you crazy but ultimately, shows you all the different sides of you as a person you didn’t even think were there.