llmmt: memo and write 500 words paper

84 Charing Cross Road A Year in Provence Babel Bend it Like Beckham Black Rain

Children of a Lesser God Crash Dances with Wolves Das Boot

Fire Gran Torino Gung Ho The Interpreter Joy Luck Club Lost in Translation Milk Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears Mr Baseball Once were Warriors Rapa Nui Rising Sun Slum Dog Millionaire The Piano Water Whale Rider

Some Additional Films that I have more detail for

Baran (Iran, 2001)

Young Lateef works on a construction site in Tehran with some Kurds and a few illegal Afghan workers. When Lateef is given heavier tasks to compensate for new Afghan worker Rahmat, he resents his displacement and treats Rahmat cruelly. After one of his pranks, however, Lateef discovers Rahmat's secret--he is a girl named Baran. Latif's heart softens towards Baran and he shows his new affection for her by doing what he can to ease the hardships she suffers at work. When government inspectors force all Afghans to be fired from the site, Lateef discovers he cannot bear to be without her. Jeopardizing social standing and his own well being, Lateef stops at nothing to help his love.

Eat Drink Man Woman (Taiwan, 1994) Every Sunday, venerable chef Chu prepares an elaborate dinner for his three lovely daughters. Despite Chu's exotic dishes, the family barely nibbles at the food. The listless mealtime ritual mirrors the foursome's general lack of appetite for life: Chu has lost his sense of taste, and his daughters just want to go on with their separate, lonely lives. But something new is cooking that is about to spice up everyone's existence, and three marriages and a funeral later, the Chu family will learn to embrace life's unpredictability.

Fear and Trembling (Japan, 2003)

Amélie, a dreamy and romantic young Belgian woman, arrives in Japan to begin work as a translator for the giant Yumimoto Corporation. For Amélie, who spent her childhood in Japan, this is a dream come true. It is her chance to become a ''real Japanese.'' Eager to please her bosses and co-workers, Amélie diligently accomplishes her daily tasks with invention and enthusiasm. But unfamiliar with the customs of the Japanese workplace, she commits a series of cultural missteps and is singled out as a deviant within the company hierarchy, suffering a string of demotions. The harder she tries, the more wrathful her superiors seem to become, the more unreasonable and humiliating their demands. Unable to stop her downfall, Amélie suddenly stumbles upon her own extraordinary means of liberation.

Fearless (China, 2006)

"Fearless" is based on the life of Chinese martial arts master Huo Yuanjia (1869-1910), the founder and spiritual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation. The son of a great fighter who did not wish for his child to follow in his footsteps, the bullied Huo Yuanjia resolves to teach himself how to fight--and win. Years of training enable him to ace match after match in his home region of Tianjin. But as his fame as a martial arts master grows, so does his pride. This leads to tragic events, causing Huo to leave society, but to eventually return as a changed man.

The Middle of the World (Brazil, 2003)

The Middle of the World is a road movie on bicycles. It is freely adapted from the true story of an unemployed truck driver who, with his wife and five children, pedals from Paraíba, in the poverty-stricken Northeast of Brazil, all the way to Rio de Janeiro looking for a job. Romão (the father) feels destined to earn 1000 reals (about 300 US$) a month – a vast sum for Brazilian standards. On four bikes, the family goes through five states, knows solidarity and indifference, aggressiveness and cordiality. A 2000-mile odyssey through the hinterlands of Brazil all the way to Rio de Janeiro, The Middle of the World shows the quest for the dream of a decent life – a story of dreams and hope.

Monsoon Wedding (India, 2001)

As the monsoon rains loom, Lalit Verma and his extended family reunite for the last-minute arranged marriage of his daughter Aiditi in New Delhi. As wedding preparations proceed, long-guarded secrets that emerge threaten to tear the family apart.

The Scent of Green Papaya (Vietnam, 2003)

A notably peaceful and curious young girl, Mùi, becomes a servant for a rich family. The family consists of a frequently absent husband, a wife, an older son, two younger sons, and the husband's mother. The mother still mourns the death of her daughter, who would have been Mùi’s age. In her mind, she treats Mùi as her daughter. Ten years later, the family falls on hard times and Mùi (now a young woman) is sent to another home. She becomes a servant for a pianist who was a friend of the older son. That man is engaged to be married, but he prefers playing the piano to spending time with his fiancé.

The Sea Inside (Spain, 2004)

In Spain, the former sailor Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem) has been quadriplegic for twenty-eight years and is fighting in court for his right of practicing euthanasia through an association that defends the freedom of choice and leaded by his friend Géne (Clara Segura). Ramón is introduced to the lawyer that is defending his cause, Julia (Belén Rueda), who has a degenerative fatal disease; and meets Rosa (Lola Dueñas), a lonely worker that has been abused by men. Their relationship changes the behavior and viewpoint of life of Rosa and Julia.

Shall We Dance? (Japan, 1996)

From his seat on a commuter train, a respected but downtrodden Tokyo office worker spies a beautiful woman in the window of a dance studio. Mesmerized, he secretly signs up for ballroom dance instruction at the school. He soon discovers that he has a natural aptitude – and a natural love – for dancing, much to the dismay of his perplexed wife and daughter.

The Story of Qiu Ju (China, 1992)

Set in a remote Chinese province, the film follows pregnant peasant Qui Ju on her resolute quest for justice after the village elder kicks her husband in the groin. Merely seeking an apology from the stubborn chief, Qui Ju soon gets caught in the cogs of an exasperating legal system.

Together (China, 2003)

Xiaochun has been playing the violin ever since was able to hold it. Now, a prodigy at 13, with several awards to his name, he is the pride and joy of his father, a chef who has put all of his hopes on his son's success. Father and son set out for Beijing, where the boy will further his studies. There, Xiaochun meets Lili, his first love, his first amorous let-down and his first real friend. His father, on the other hand, never falters in his quest to find a teacher for Xiaochun capable of putting the boy on the road to international fame. However, finally having found the teacher he was looking for, the teacher pits the boy's skill against his other favorite student, Lin Yu. On the eve of an extremely important performance before a jury, professor Yu tells Xiaochun a secret which will change his life forever.

Turtles Can Fly (Iran, 2004)

"Turtles Can Fly" is set in Kurdistan on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq. Thirteen-year-old Soran is known as “Satellite,” for his installation of dishes and antennae for local villages looking for news of Saddam. He is the dynamic leader of the children, organizing the dangerous but necessary sweeping and clearing of the minefields. He then arranges trade-ins for the unexploded mines. The industrious Satellite falls for an unlikely orphan, a sad-faced girl traveling with her brother Henkov, who appears to have the gift of clairvoyance. The siblings are care-taking a three-year-old, whose connection to the pair is discovered as harsh truths are unveiled.