Netflix is an endless treasure-trove of movies and television shows; there is always a new movie to be watched, and it can be difficult to sift through every genre to find the perfect one to settle on. Even more difficult to sift through is the array of foreign films Netflix offers;

Amélie

Amélie is about a young, innocent, and highly imaginative girl who works as a waitress and strives to make the lives of others better while she herself is quite lonely. As a child, her parents believed her to have a heart defect and kept her at home and away from others, forcing her to create her own fantasy world in which to reside. After moving away from home, she finds a long-lost treasure under her floorboard and returns it to its original owner, which sparks her interest in helping others and, along the way, she decides it is time to find love and happiness of her own.

If you have never delved into the world of French movies before, this is a fantastic one to start with. It is very much one the "modern classics" of French movies (as far as the U.S. is concerned, anyway), and it is full of all the whimsy and wonder one usually thinks of when they think of anything French. This movie is extremely quirky and shot in a way that makes it have a kid of child-like wonder while still being sophisticated enough for a mature audience. It is not your typical girl-meets-boy coming-of-age story, and I find and always discover something different within it every time I watch it.

This film has a few of scenes that feature brief nudity (from the waist up) and there are several references to sex, but each of these scenes is relatively brief and there is no strong language to speak of.

If you are into odd-ball films about people finding love and happiness in a non-stereotypical way, then this is a film that you for-sure need to add to your watch-list.

LOL (Laughing Out Loud)

LOL is a coming-of-age movie centered around a Parisian teenager, Lola (nicknamed "lol"), who's life is balanced between her friends, boys, her divorced parents, and her diary, in which she writes every detail of her life. Like every teenager, Lola has difficulty with her parents, particularly her mother, Anne, whom she lives with and who still treats her like a child instead of a teenager (and who, like many parents in 2008, has no idea what the acronym LOL stands for). Lola also has a difficult time when her boyfriends cheats on her and she decides to retaliate by dating his best friend, which her friends enjoy making even more difficult. However, the real difficulty for Lola begins when her mother accidentally knocks her diary off the bed and not-so-accidentally decides to read it.

What I enjoy about this movie is that there aren't many French films like it; the writer of the film was frustrated at the lack of French coming-of age movies, so he wrote LOL to combat that. This movie is one that will make you both laugh and cry and that is easy for any girl who has struggled with their parents not wanting them to grow up or who had boyfriend trouble as a teen to relate to.

This film features some racy content, such as talk of sex and some on-screen drug usage, but it is certainly not explicit and is still worth the watch if you aren't bothered by more adult content.

While not the most unique film on the planet, LOL is definitely a lot of fun and is a movie I find myself wanting to watch again and again.

What's In a Name?

This comedy starts off with a soon-to-be father, Vincent, going to his sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, Pierre's apartment to have dinner with them, his wife, and a childhood friend of the family's. While waiting for his wife, who is late to the gathering, Vincent is attacked from all sides with questions about the baby, particularly what his name is going to be; when Vincent finally caves in and tells them, things quickly heat up and old skeletons are brought out of the closet.

What I love about this film is that it is hilarious from the moment you begin watching to the moment you end and that it feels like an actual argument you could be having at your own family dinner party. There are a couple of plot-twists thrown into the mix, and, while there is some language, it isn't anything so major that you feel the need to cover your ears (or eyes, if you are following the subtitles). The actors all have great chemistry, and it feels like you are watching a play rather than a movie, which makes it that much easier to become entrenched in.

This comedy goes well with popcorn and a drink (whatever your drink of choice may be), and would be fun to watch with your friends on a movie night.

Female Agents

Female Agents is a historical-drama about a group of female resistance fighters who are recruited to a special task force to rescue a British geologist who was captured by the Germans during World War II. The women are then sent back to Paris on a mission to kill a German colonel who is on the right track to figuring out the secret of D-Day. Each woman is recruited for her own specific "talent," which include being able to seduce men, being able to make explosives, and being capable of committing cold-blooded murder. The movie is based on the story of Lise de Baissac, a decorated SOE agent who was trained to set up her own circuit during the war.

For those of you who love war-time movies, especially ones that take place during the Second World War, this is a must-see film. It isn't a biopic and it isn't entirely historically accurate, but it is action-packed, gripping, and exciting to watch. Female Agents is not about a group of beautiful women running around with guns and pulling a bunch of impossible stunts to save the day; this film is gritty and thought-provoking, and there are scenes in this movie that are absolutely unbearable to watch. That being said, this movie features a good bit of blood and has some extremely toe-curling torture scenes in it, and is not for the faint of heart.

If you've never seen any French war movies, Female Agents a great one to start with.

The African Doctor

This comedy-drama tells the story of Seyolo Zantoko, a medical student from Zaire who, looking to escape the corrupt government of Congo and to obtain French citizenship, moves to the tiny village of Marly-Gomont to be the first doctor the town has ever had. However, when he gets there, he and his family are met with much skepticism and fear as the all-white town is reluctant to accept an African professional and his family. He also struggles to obtain citizenship as the village's election looms near and the current mayor is in danger of losing to a politician who dislikes Seyolo and wants to kick him out of town and hire a doctor of French descent.

What I enjoy about this film is that it remains light-hearted and funny, even in serious circumstances; Seyolo has an upbeat personality that makes him difficult not to love, and the comedic air throughout the movie keeps it from being too dramatic. It is ultimately a film about a fish-out-of-water learning to adapt to small-town life, and the small-town people learning to get over their prejudice and to accept a family that is different from what they are used to.

Of all the films on this list, this one is the "safest" and most family-oriented; there is a little bit of mild language and a couple of scenes that are slightly questionable, but it is a solid PG movie nonetheless.

If you enjoy feel-good family comedies, then this one is definitely for you.

I hope this list inspires you to branch out into the world of foreign films, as they are a great way to find out what kinds of movies other cultures enjoy and to see something different than the average made-in-Hollywood movie that we are all accustomed to.

Au revoir, et amuse-toi!