389 Best European Stories to Watch (Page 26)

In Europe, Brexit and similar nationalistic movements increase the need for finding what’s common in European storytelling. And abroad, European movies are often acclaimed but under-watched. This section’s goal is to guide you through the vast array of high-quality European films available on streaming services.

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376. Happy Ending, 2023

The Dutch Netflix film Happy Ending means well, but its insistence on the heterosexual relationship limits the film’s potential. Centered on the concept of the orgasm gap, it’s understandable to see the main character Luna have difficulty in expressing this to her partner Mink, however, the film doesn’t fully explore their relationship, or even the reasons behind Luna’s hesitation. Because of this, it’s hard to root for their relationship, especially when the third of their threesome Eve proves to be able to rise to the challenge of Luna’s orgasm. Without spoiling too much, the end result feels as unsatisfying as the main relationship.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Claire Bender, Gaite Jansen, Joy Delima, Martijn Lakemeier, Sidar Toksöz, Sinem Kavus

Director: Joosje Duk

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377. Paradise, 2023

For those familiar with the movie In Time, this German Netflix thriller has a similar premise, but with a few changes. Time is exchanged for money, instead of entirely replacing it. Time donation also acts more like blood donation – there needs some DNA compatibility to do so and more prominent individuals are prioritized for these exchanges. Paradise’s world also hasn’t figured out how to completely stop aging. These changes come with a side of more overt anti-capitalist commentary, so the movie could have had a more focused and critical approach to the time donation. However, like In Time, Paradise quickly devolves into the sci-fi thriller shenanigans we’re all familiar with, but without any of the spectacle.

Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Aistė Diržiūtė, Aleyna Cara, Alina Levshin, Andreas Windhuis, Clovis Kasanda, Corinna Kirchhoff, Dalila Abdallah, Eglė Lekstutytė, Gizem Emre, Haley Louise Jones, Iris Berben, Kostja Ullmann, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Lisa-Marie Koroll, Lorna Ishema, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Lukas von Horbatschewsky, Marlene Tanczik, Matthias Ziesing, Numan Acar, Simon Amberger, Tom Böttcher

Director: Boris Kunz

Rating: R

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378. Fanfic, 2023

	
Being made for free, fanfiction is free to play with controversial, less print-friendly concepts like gender-bending your favorite character. This freedom might go into strange territory, but most often than not, writers use fanfiction for escapism or for catharsis of their day-to-day lives. While the film doesn’t delve into fanfiction’s creative process, Polish drama Fanfic does recognize how the genre’s experimentation allows its writers to safely and freely explore different styles of expression, the same way teenage years hopefully do for its viewers. And as Tosiek goes through the trappings of coming-of-age self-discovery, it’s lovely and comforting and cathartic like the stories he writes.Genre: Drama
Actor: Adam Cywka, Agnieszka Rajda, Alin Szewczyk, Anna Krotoska, Anna Wojnarowska, Dobromir Dymecki, Ewelina Starejki, Helena Sujecka, Ignacy Liss, Jakub Wróblewski, Jan Cięciara, Kaya Kołodziejczyk, Krzysztof Oleksyn, Maja Szopa, Marcin Perchuć, Mateusz Górski, Natalia Łągiewczyk, Oskar Rybaczek, Radosław Krzyżowski, Stanisław Cywka, Sylwia Achu, Wiktoria Kruszczyńska
Director:  Marta Karwowska
Rating: NC-17

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379. Einstein and the Bomb, 2024

	
With the rise of fascism globally, and concerns about an upcoming world war, depictions of World War II have become popular, with the most notable being Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Einstein and the Bomb instead takes a look at the prominent scientist, whose theory of relativity made the atomic bomb possible, who had a personal stake in ensuring the Nazis were defeated, but who also had to reckon with the horrific consequences in pursuing the West’s promises of peace. It’s a needed perspective, and director Anthony Philipson pulls from Einstein’s very words, his own ideas about the society at the time eerily echoing the concerns about today’s society. However, there’s something off about the way these ideas are presented, as it feels like the film was less interested in Einstein as a man, and more interested in using him as a spokesperson, using his image to cry over today’s conflicts.Genre: Documentary, Drama
Actor: Adolf Hitler, Aidan McArdle, Albert Einstein, Andrew Havill, Gethin Alderman, Helena Westerman, James Musgrave, Jonathan Rhodes, Leo Ashizawa, Rachel Barry, Simon Markey, Toby Longworth
Director: Anthony Philipson

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380. Boxer (2024)

	
Boxer starts and ends with a reminder about Communist Poland and how difficult that time was for the country. “This is dedicated to the Polish immigrants who fled in the ‘80s, this story could’ve been real,” the intro reads. So one would expect just that, a film about the grit needed to succeed under an authoritarian state and the specific struggles immigrants go through as they assimilate into a new nation. Disappointingly, however, The Boxer is simply about a boxer, one so obnoxious and unlikeable that I wondered till the end why he was characterized in such a way. Are we supposed to root for this guy? If I was a Polish immigrant in the ‘80s, I’d be offended that he—a selfish, misogynistic, racist, power-hungry, violent man—was representing me. The Boxer could’ve done itself a favor by not pretending to be a film about migrant workers because it isn’t that at all. Instead, it’s a formulaic sports drama that doesn’t even redeem its hero. To his credit, Director Mitja Okorn seems to remember sometimes what the film stands for, and so the best parts are when it displays the discrimination Jedrzej and Kasia go through as non-English speaking European immigrants. But those moments are few and far between. What Okorn should’ve done to really save the film is make Kasia the lead. She is the only one who makes sense throughout the movie, and it’s her parts that are the most compelling. Sports movies starring an egotistical athlete are a dime a dozen, but to focus on the athlete’s partner and recognize their sacrifice and input? Now that’s exciting.Genre: Drama
Actor: Adam Woronowicz, Adrianna Chlebicka, Eryk Kulm jr, Eryk Lubos, Waleria Gorobets
Director: Mitja Okorn

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381. A Day and a Half, 2023

	
With its grounded approach, A Day and a Half feels real, even if the exact events are fictional. Inspired by a couple of lines from a 2008 news article, Fares Fares crafts an intimate family drama for his first directorial debut, built in the bones of a hostage thriller. As a thriller, Fares consistently maintains its suspense, camera eyeing the gun present in most of the film. However, as the cop Lucas tries to defuse the situation with hostage-taker Artan, and the situation escalates to the National Task Force, Artan and Louise confront their broken family, lines opened by improvised hostage negotiations. While Artan’s understandable reasons shouldn’t absolve him of his actions, A Day and a Half effectively builds tension, only relieved at its slightly unrealistic but cathartic ending.Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Alexej Manvelov, Alma Pöysti, Annica Liljeblad, Annika Hallin, Daniel Guldstrand, Fares Fares, Richard Forsgren, Stina Ekblad
Director: Fares Fares

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382. Support Group Olympus, 2021

First shown in 2021 Madrid International Film Festival, Support Group Olympus made its US debut early 2023 through Prime Video. Given the wacky premise, it was easy to assume that the film would be humorous, and there are moments when its dry humor shines. However, the film takes a more contemplative approach, as the unchanging gods refuse to change, though they crave the status and power they used to have. This slow-paced approach feels appropriate, and had the film’s internal logic worked, the film could have contemplated the changes that happened not just to the gods, but to human livelihood as well. It’s definitely a unique story that needed more work on its execution.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Lina Sundén

Director: Jimmy Francis

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383. Colors of Evil: Red, 2024

It starts out easy and compelling enough, in the middle of a crime scene with a naked dead girl on the shore. But easy and compelling this refuses to be. The film seems to be a slow, painful look at the process of capturing a perpetrator, a detective’s effort to profile a killer. But it threw a lot more at the wall hoping a lot more would stick. The nonlinear storytelling spices up the action, but it just feels like the base story needed all the help it could get. If you do stick with the movie, you’ll see some gory details, some twists, and an unnecessarily complex story.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Andrzej Konopka, Andrzej Zieliński, Jakub Gierszał, Jan Wieteska, Justyna Schneider, Maja Ostaszewska, Paweł Jusiński, Przemysław Bluszcz, Wojciech Zieliński, Zbigniew Stryj, Zofia Jastrzębska

Director: Adrian Panek

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384. Inheritance, 2024

The inheritance murder mystery concept is played out, especially in recent years. You only really bother with it if you enjoy the formula, which is essentially all we’re getting here. It begins with character introductions and a heavy dose of didacticism, and the crazy family soap opera turns into a whodunnit with all the interviews and the jumping timelines and the red herrings that get no rise out of you. You know how it goes, you know where the twists come in. Some plot points do hit the mark by their sheer ridiculousness alone, but for the most part, getting from trope A to trope B is terribly corny and dragging. Ultimately nothing outstanding, nothing new.

Genre: Comedy, Mystery

Actor: Adam Ferency, Franciszek Słomiński, Gabriela Muskała, Jan Peszek, Joanna Trzepiecinska, Józefina Karnkowska, Maciej Stuhr, Mateusz Król, Piotr Pacek, Piotr Polak, Piotr Żurawski

Director: Sylwester Jakimow

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385. Amerikatsi, 2022

There's a powerful drama in here somewhere, where the toll of wrongful imprisonment tests the resolve of an Armenian repatriate, as he clings to traces of hope that he can see just beyond his prison cell window. Unfortunately, Amerikatsi constantly overstates itself through corny jokes and music choices, and it overestimates how compelling its mostly single-location narrative can be. This is a film that, for all its good intentions, relies far too heavily on fish-out-of-water quaintness and Rear Window-esque storytelling from a distance—downplaying the emotional and psychological toll of imprisonment and the violence inflicted upon other Armenians during this time. Amerikatsi doesn't really tell us much about the situation in the country at the time; it only ever tries too hard to make us feel something.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Hovik Keuchkerian, Jean-Pierre Nshanian, Michael A. Goorjian, Michael Goorjian, Mikhail Trukhin, Narine Grigoryan, Nelly Uvarova

Director: Michael A. Goorjian, Michael Goorjian

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386. The Abyss, 2023

	
Not to be confused with James Cameron’s 1989 film, The Abyss isn’t the worst disaster film, but it could have been so much more. Inspired by the earthquake that actually happened in the real life town of Kiruna, there’s an important story here about worker safety, responsible mining, improving emergency protocols, and preserving the environment. However, like plenty of disaster movies, the film plays out in the most predictable ways, attaching a frankly irrelevant family drama that takes time away from the terrifying, claustrophobic nightmare that could have been. It does have decent effects, and even some decent scenes, but The Abyss is more interested in using the real life earthquake to manufacture drama, rather than actually looking into the manmade disaster.Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Actor: Angela Kovács, Edvin Ryding, Felicia Truedsson, Göran Gillinger, Jakob Hultcrantz Hansson, Jakob Öhrman, Jonathan Fredriksson, Kardo Razzazi, Katarina Ewerlöf, Peter Franzén, Tintin Poggats Sarri, Tuva Novotny
Director: Richard Holm
Rating: R

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387. Still Fabulous, 2024

	
When a plot is centered around women learning about self-respect, it’s usually a cliche, but it can be a fun and harmless story that we can enjoy, if it has enough heart. Still Fabulous has this general plotline, with a raunchy twist in the form of a porn star guardian angel, but the way the film plays out just misses the mark. There are fun moments, but Maddalena doesn’t do the work to find the things about herself that she actually likes about herself, possibly because the film isn’t as interested in her as it is with Valentina Nappi. Instead, even when the message is to love and appreciate one’s body, they have a body double for the stunning Diana del Bufalo, and even when it’s pointed out to her how she depends on external validation, the film ends with a relationship to validate Maddalena. Pensati Sexy sabotages itself the same way Maddalena does.Genre: Comedy
Actor: Alessandro Tiberi, Andrea Dianetti, Angela Finocchiaro, Camilla Filippi, Diana Del Bufalo, Esther Elisha, Fabrizio Colica, Jenny De Nucci, Niccolò Senni, Raoul Bova, Valentina Nappi
Director:  Michela Andreozzi

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388. Kill Me If You Dare, 2024

	
With actual, real life married couples killing each other after lottery wins, the premise of Kill Me If You Dare had plenty of potential. The situation alone makes people wonder why that unexpected windfall kills the love between a married couple. The film instead is less interested in examining that journey, and more interested in using the premise as a way to contrive ungrounded, pointless suspicion towards each other, when they could have easily talked about things, like adults. But even with the silly suspicion, there’s no charm, comedy, or chemistry to find endearing in the couple– all we’re given is that they’re married, Piotr aggressively skimps for the mortgage, and Natalie has a dream for a café that doesn’t make sense considering we never see her make coffee. Kill Me If You Dare just feels lazily assembled, with no interest in being romantic or comedic.Genre: Comedy, Romance
Actor: Agnieszka Więdłocha, Bartłomiej Firlet, Dorota Pomykała, Małgorzata Mikołajczak, Mateusz Banasiuk, Mikołaj Roznerski, Mirosław Baka, Paulina Gałązka, Paweł Ławrynowicz, Piotr Gąsowski, Piotr Nerlewski, Piotr Nowak, Piotr Rogucki, Sebastian Perdek, Weronika Książkiewicz
Director: Filip Zylber

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389. Christmas As Usual, 2023

Christmas is a common setting for romance stories, because it’s obviously the best time to warm up… if you know what we mean. (Warm drinks, sweet treats, and snuggling with loved ones, of course.) Christmas as Usual seems to go along that vein, as Thea brings home her fiancé Jashan to meet the parents, and he tries to impress her family, as these family Christmas romances tend to go. This obviously brings about the relatable romantic troubles that anyone can empathize with, so it’s a bit of a shock when Thea’s Norwegian family treats Jashan so badly that it seems more insidious than good ol’ concern over their daughter. Had the story been approached with more sensitivity, Christmas as Usual would have been outstanding, but its current version never really questions the racism of the Norwegian family, or the passive way Thea just lets it all happen.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Erik Follestad, Ida Ursin-Holm, Jonas Strand Gravli, Kanan Gill, Mads Sjogard Pettersen, Marit Andreassen, Veslemøy Mørkrid

Director: Petter Holmsen

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