The one thing good about foreign language films (especially non-English) is that one always watches them without pre-conceived notions, prejudice or expectations. That’s because we do not carry a larger-than-life impression of the actors and have no expectations. You take it as it comes. And there lies the beauty of world cinema. The viewer just enjoys the unexpected treatment of stories – visual and the way it is told on screen. Here are some for the movie buffs.

13 Tzameti, Spanish: It is the directorial debut of Georgian filmmaker Géla Babluani and his younger brother Georges Babluani as an actor. Sebastian, a young immigrant worker, undertakes small-time construction jobs to support his family in France. Godon, an old morphine-addict French man under police surveillance hires him.

Godon passes away due to a drug overdose. His widow refuses to pay Sebastian, so he steals an envelope with some documents meant for Godon. Before the widow and the cops can locate the envelope, Sebastian is following the instructions given in the envelope. He had overheard of some task and money but ends up in an intense game of Russian roulette.

The film is shot in black and white, giving it a very spooky feel. The film won World Cinema Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. It also won two awards at the 62nd Venice Film Festival.

Song of Sparrows, Persian: Critically acclaimed Iranian director of Children of Heaven, Majid Majidi, brings this heart-touching story of Karim and his family. Karim’s daughter needs a new hearing aid before she can take her exams. His young son Hussein is hell bent on cleaning a sewer to breed his gold fishes to become a millionaire. Karim breeds ostriches in a farm and one escapes due to his mistake.

He’s fired. So he turns to Tehran, where he accidentally starts working as a driver. His new job brings new joys and sorrows in his life. But his problems keep mounting. One day, the runaway ostrich returns bringing order in chaos. The most notable aspects of the film are its cinematography and watching Reza Naji act as Karim.

1 Journée. French: French director Jacob Berger seems to have gracefully improvised the Rashomon concept by Akira Kurosawa and spun it around. The story is about one day in the life of a cheating husband, a betrayed wife and their baffled son. And it is not about women screaming and shouting and then somebody pulling the trigger. This Berger-creation is way too different from your interpretations.

The first shot shows a residential locality before dawn. Relations go for a toss in this drama flick. The husband thinks he knocked someone down while driving to office. His wife catches him with his girlfriend and decides to fly to Los Angeles, while their son ends in the bedroom of his father’s girl friend. The editing is snappy and one doesn’t have to bang one’s head to recall what happened earlier.