Golden Globe Musings: Best Foreign Language Film

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced in just a few weeks, so here’s a survey of the contenders and the most likely predictions at this time. Weigh in with your thoughts, and let me know if I’ve left off anything important. A reminder that the Globes are wildly unpredictable and that it is still a bit early to gauge the reception or awards potential of a number of the so-called “contenders” at this point.

Last year’s nominees:
Biutiful
The Concert
The Edge
I Am Love
In a Better World

There are only a few films at this point that have accrued a good amount of buzz for placement in this category. Usually, there are different finalists for the Globes than for the corresponding Oscar race, but I haven’t yet been able to find a list. The big film not on Oscar’s list is Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In (Spain), and Angelina Jolie’s In the Land of Blood and Honey (USA) may get a spot thanks to its Bosnian dialogue. I’ve seen only two other films that may contend in this category, and I’m not sure that it’ll make the cut, but I’d love to see Happy, Happy (Norway) get in. Otherwise, word is good for Le Havre (Finland), Pina (Germany), A Separation (Iran), Where Do We Go Now? (Lebanon), Miss Bala (Mexico), In Darkness (Poland), and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Turkey). There are always a few surprises here, but here are my guesses for now.

Current predictions:
Le Havre (Finland),
A Separation (Iran)
Where Do We Go Now? (Lebanon)
Miss Bala (Mexico)
The Skin I Live In (Spain)