Thanks to those who have suggested films for use in this foreign film series. I started with 4 films in mind that I wanted to show for certain, and about a dozen other likely candidates. So far we've seen 2 of the 4 plus 2 films recommended by Jo. In April we'll make another attempt at Zelary (Czech Republic - 2003), the film that was cancelled in October because the floor of the fellowship fall was waxed, and cancelled again in November because of the death of Jo's sister.
Watching this movie several times about 3 years ago (twice in one week) was what provided my primary motivation to lead this foreign film series. I had never heard of this film prior to seeing it the first time, and I came to realize that nobody else had either. So I roped some other folks (including John and Joan Little) into coming over to my house for a viewing. A few days later John commented to Joan, "We should see more foreign films." Joan responded that the problem with foreign films is that you have to read subtitles. John pointed out that the subtitles in Zelary didn't seem to prevent Joan from enjoying the movie. "Oh, but that movie was in English," Joan replied, indicating that within a few days of viewing this Czech film, Joan had forgotten it was a foreign language film.
Here's the storyline as provided by Netflix:
This gorgeously shot World War II drama tells the story of a clash between two different worlds and two different people. Eliska, a nurse in a city hospital, donates her blood to save the life of injured mountain-dweller Joza, and the two form a strong bond. When the resistance group Eliska belongs to is discovered by the Gestapo, she's forced to seek refuge with Joza, leaving her urban life behind and starting anew in the remote mountains.
This film is "R" rated and is (like our first film, The Lives of Others) a bit gut-wrenching. But this film, like the first, is also a very uplifting film that illustrates how unexpected blessings can arise from apparent tragedy.