One of the things I love most about teaching World Literature classes is that I have the opportunity to explore all kinds of media from around the world with my students. Teaching film as literature in high school can enhance students’ critical thinking skills by analyzing visual storytelling techniques. It can also offer a dynamic and engaging way to explore diverse cultures and perspectives, fostering a broader understanding of the world.
In this post, I am sharing 3 foreign films that your students will love! Not only are they entertaining, but they will also give your students a chance to dive into different cultures and expand their love for movies from around the world. These 3 films come from the Japanese, Irish, and Chinese cultures.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
This tale is both a blend of mythology as well as folktale from the Japanese culture. There is an old bamboo cutter and his wife who were childless and one day the bamboo cutter is in the forest harvesting bamboo. As he cuts a stalk, the most beautiful light glows from inside and the bamboo cutter finds a tiny, illuminating child. She explains that she has come from the moon to live with him for a time and falls asleep. There are also coins and jewels in the bamboo stalks.
The girl grows quickly and is so beautiful that she is known far and wide. 5 knights try to win her hand and fail. The emperor also falls in love with her. However, the story ends sadly when the moon people come to take her back home against everyone’s wishes.
In 2013, the movie The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was released in Japan. It is a historical anime adaptation of this ancient story and is still the most expensive Japanese film every made. I find some of the changes/additions to be quite interesting and wonder what it says about the shift in Japanese culture.
One change being that Princess Kaguya spends much of her early years on the planet living in poverty in simple hut out in the country. However, this turns out to be the only place she was truly happy. Once the bamboo cutter has amassed enough of the coins and jewels to build a mansion, fine clothes, and a position in society; he rips his wife and daughter away from the simple life they loved.
Princess Kaguya goes through some horrific body rituals required by her station (including staining her teeth with black ink because a lady of her station shouldn’t be speaking or laughing enough to show her teeth anyway). Only after she rejects all of these beauty rituals and returns to her simple nature does she start to become herself again.
This product is a great way to begin an analysis and comparison activity with the original tale of The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Princess with the film The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Song of the Sea
This is a highly awarded Irish animated film. Ben, a young Irish boy, and his little sister Saoirse, a girl who can turn into a seal, go on an adventure to free the fairies and save the spirit world.
This film weaves Celtic mythology and the modern world together in beautiful and heartbreaking ways. I usually use this film to close out my mini Celtic mythology study since we first learn about the Celtic culture and some of the myths highlighted in the move. Such as Mac Lir, Macha, and Selkies.
What my students love:
- the beautiful artwork
- the characters and the storyline
- how easily they can pick up on the symbolism and parallel plot
With Song of the Sea, I love that I am able to bring in deep analysis with my students through symbolism, archetypes, parallel plot and much more.
The movie is incredibly rich in Fae lore and symbolism. My students and I spent a good deal of time analyzing the multitude of symbols within the movie and how it builds the themes present.
For example, spirals are consistently present throughout the film and we discuss how a spiral in ancient times represented a personal journey and growth. Ben goes in a journey and is transformed by the end of that spiral.
Circles and fairy mounds are also present often throughout the movie. Three fairies also become instrumental guides to both Saoirse and Ben.
The names of the characters are all symbolic. For example, the name Saoirse means freedom and Saoirse‘s entire role in the movie is to free all of the fairy kind threats in the human world. Bronach means sadness. Being a mother myself, I can tell you how heartbreaking it is to watch her leave her family behind in the final scenes.
If you would like a more detailed look at the myths reflected in this story, be sure to check out this post!
If you’re ready to get started today with a study like this in your class, head on over to my store and you can buy this ready-to-go mini unit today!
Ne Zha
If your students are as into anime and Manga as mine are, this movie will quickly move to the top of your list! Ne Zha, tells the story of a young boy destined to destroy the world. He must fight to choose between good and evil in order to break the shackles of fate and become the hero he desperately wants to be.
You can check out a trailer for this film here.
In Chinese folk religion, Ne Zha is a protection deity and this film highlights many of the ancient Chinese beliefs along with a more modern twist that most can enjoy. This film is wonderful for having discussions over how many people are more willing to believe in hearsay and then look at people with colored glasses.
Nezha, is a rebellious, child superhero who honestly just wants to be accepted and loved for who he is. Despite the fact that everyone hates him, he takes on fighting demons to protect these people who hate and exclude him.
Final Thoughts
There are so many foreign films that I could continue to highlight in this post, but these are by far my top 3 as they can be worked in seamlessly to your humanities studies on a variety of topics and themes. Adding these films to your high school classes, can encourage open discussions about the rich cultural tapestry woven into each story. They can also provide the opportunity to connect with your students through the universal language of cinema, fostering a global perspective that goes beyond the classroom. Happy watching and exploring diverse worlds with your students!
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Around the World With Mrs. C 