Golden Globe Musings: Best Foreign Language Film

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced very soon, 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:
The Brand New Testament (Belgium)
The Club (Chile)
The Fencer (Finland)
Mustang (France)
Son of Saul (Hungary)

Last year, I predicted just one of the nominees, the eventual Globe and Oscar winner, “Son of Saul.” I’ve seen a few of the films submitted here, from a list that differs slightly from the Oscar list of possibilities. From what I’ve read, I think the frontrunners are Elle (France), Toni Erdmann (Germany), and Neruda (Chile). Other likely vote-getters include Afterimage (Poland), Aquarius (Brazil), The Handmaiden (Korea), Julieta (Spain), The Salesman (Iran), Sand Storm (Israel), Things to Come (France), and Tonio (The Netherlands). And I’m sure there will be one or two I’m not even considering that show up here too.

Current predictions:
Aquarius (Brazil)
Elle (France)
Julieta (Spain)
Neruda (Chile)
Toni Erdmann (Germany)