Some of us who teach movies within a language department use Italian films or Chinese films to explore issues of language and culture. Our students get to watch native speakers interacting on the screen in real-life scenarios or re-enacting historical events. What other advantages do they enjoy?
For others, though, foreign languages and unfamiliar cultures are impediments to understanding the characters and their stories. What are the impediments to understanding of a "foreign" film? What gets lost in translation? How can we overcome the distractions of subtitle, misinterpretations of body language, and confusions about cultural contexts?