Thing is, usually the best films from obscure countries don't get international distributions so it's a bit hard to find subtitles, and when you do, an awful lot is lost in traslation.
So i sat down and made a list of Obscure Movies From Obscure Countries (but with international distribution).
"Recent" films (90s and 00's)
Austria:
Hundstage (Dog days)
Fat neurotic middle age middle class assholes in Suburbia. And a retarded girl. Like, clinically retarded, not like the other ones. I don't know what the hell is wrong with Austria, but if you like depressing movies, it doesn't get any more depressive than that.
Denmark:
Hvordan vi slipper af med de andre (How to get rid of the others)
Future military coup in Denmark opens concentration camps for everyone who lives off welfare. Amazing film.
France/ Greece:
Le Couperet (The hatchet)
Couldn't remember any good greek films that one can find with english subs, so here's a French production (with french actors, filmed in Paris) by my favorite greek director, Costa Gavras.
It's about the devious plan of a middle age man who loses his job and tries to eliminate his competition in the labor market. He throws the bodies in the river.
Germany/Turkey:
Crossing the bridge
Bassist of
Einsturzende Neubauten Alexander Hacke travels to Istanbul to find out about the local sound. Then he jams a lot with the local punks, rockers, rappers, breakdancers, bellydancers, dubsters, clubsters, street bums, gypsys etc.
It's the most fun and colourful music documentary i've ever seen.
Germany/ Cuba:
Buena Vista Social Club
Another music documentary, this time it's
Ry Cooder who jams with cuban elderly folks
BVSC. Great film and a lot of neat cuban music in there.
Mexico:
Matando Cabos
Hilarious, just hilarious comedy.
Serbia:
Underground
A surreal and sad point of view on the (then) recent history of Yugoslavia. A very touching film with
awesome soundtrack.
Spain:
Lunes al Sol (Mondays in the sun)
Some harbour workers get fired and how they deal with the law, poverty, drunkenness etc. It's way more optimist than what i make it sound.
Also, i was going to post
C'est arrive pres de chez vous and
Cidade de Deus bu the others beat me to it. those films own.
Older films
@Zaij: I'm not going to post any Pasolinis and Bunuels and Godards and Bergmanns and Tarkovskys because, even though there's a shitload of their films worth watching, they're not really obscure; they're considered classics, there's tons of info on them and you're better off googling them than reading my lame comments.
So here's some other old films.
Yugoslavia:
Sweet movie
Mexico:
Salt of the earth
Cuba:
Death of a bureaucrat
Finnland:
Leningrad cowboys go america
