I'm not "rather disappointed," I'm downright mad that almost an hour of my life was wasted on this mess of a movie before I finally gave up on it.
And since it was "movie night" at our house, and the night was still young, I put on "Wadjda." What a contrast. What a breath of fresh air after "Nostalghia." What better confirmation that "Nostalghia" deserves its obscurity.
FWIW, my favorite (and not so favorite) foreign films:
Loved and recommend unreservedly (year, director, country):
Ajami (2009, Copti/Shani, Israel)
Amelie (2001, Jeunet, France)
Another Year (2010, Leigh, Britain)
Battle of Algiers (1967, Pontecorvo, France)
Beaufort (2007, Cedar, Israel)
Breaker Morant (1980, Beresford, Australia)
City of Life and Death (2009, Chuan, China)
District 9 (2009, Blomkamp, South Africa)
Divided We Fall (2001, Hrebejk, Czech Republic)
Downfall (2004, Hirschbiegel, Germany)
The Fall (2006, Tarsem, India)
Fear and Trembling (2003, Corneau, France)
Four Lions (2010, Morris, Britain)
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 3-film series (2009, Oplev, Sweden)
Hero (2004, Zhang, China)
Himalaya (1999, Valli, Tibet)
In Darkness (2012, Holland, Poland)
Jean de Florrete / Manon of the Spring (2007, Berri, France)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006, Del Toro, Spain)
Ponette (1996, Doillon, France)
Salaam Bombay (Nair, 2003, India)
Son of Man (2006, Dornford-May, South Africa)
Venus in Fur (2014, Polanski, France)
A Very Long Engagement (2004, Jeunet, France)
The Well Digger's Daughter (2011, Auteiul, France)
Liked a lot and recommend with enthusiasm:
All About My Mother (1999, Almodovar, Spain)
Angels' Share (2012, Loach, Scotland)
Attenberg (2010, Tsangari, Greece)
Autumn Sonata (1978, Bergman, Sweden)
Autumn Spring (2001, Michalek, Czech Republic)
Bad Day to Go Fishing (2009, Brechner, Uruguay)
The Band's Visit (2007, Kolirin, Israel)
Belle Epoque (1992, Trueba, Spain)
Before Your Eyes (2009, Bezar, Turkish Kurdistan)
Bicycle Thieves (1948, De Sica, Italy)
Black and White in Color (1976, Annaud, France)
Blue is the Warmest Color (2013, Kechice, France)
Campfire (2004, Cedar, Israel)
Children of Men (2006, Cuaron, Britain)
Chungking Express (1995, Kar-Wai, China)
City of God (2002, Meirelles, Brazil)
Colors of the Mountain (2010, Arbelaez, Columbia)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001, Lee, China)
The Dance of Reality (2013, Jodorowsky, Chile)
Delicatessen (1991, Jeunet, France)
Dersu Uzala (1975, Kurosawa, Russia)
Diabolique (1955, Clouzot, France)
Earrings of Madame de (1953, Ophuls, France)
The Firemen's Ball (1967, Forman, Czechoslovakia)
Footnote (2011, Cedar, Israel)
Le Grand Voyage (2004, Ferroukhi, France)
A Hijacking (2012, Lindholm, Denmark)
Hobson's Choice (1954, Lean, Britain)
Hula Girls (2006, Sang-il Lee, Japan)
The Human Resources Manager (2010, Riklis, Israel)
The Intouchables (2011, Nakache/Toledano, France)
The Lives of Others (2006, von Donnersmarck, Germany)
The Long Good Friday (1980, Mackenzie, Britain)
Look Both Ways (2005, Watt, Australia)
Macbeth (1971, Polanski, Britain)
Marketa Lazarová (1967, Vlácil, Czechoslovakia)
Max Manus: Man of War (2008, Ronning/Sandberg, Norway)
Micmacs (2009, Jeunet, France)
Millions (2004, Boyle, Britain)
Monsoon Wedding (2002, Nair, India)
Oldboy (2003, Park, Korea)
Paris Je T'aime (2006, "many," France)
The Pool (2007, Smith, India)
Il Posto (1961, Olmi, Italy)
Quest for Fire (1981, Annaud, pre-history)
Run Lola Run (1998, Tykwer, Germany)
Scenes from a Marriage (1974, Bergman, Sweden)
Seven Minutes in Heaven (2008, Givon, Israel)
Something Like Happiness (2005, Slama, Czech Republic)
A Special Day (1977, Scola, Italy)
Sweet Sixteen (2002, Loach, Scotland)
Talaash (2012, Kagti, India)
Talk to Her (2002, Almodovar, Spain)
Tell No One (2009, Canet, France)
This Happy Breed (1944, Lean, Britain)
Timbuktu (2014, Sissako, Mali)
Together (2000, Moodysson, Sweden)
Tokyo! (2009, Gondry/Carax/Bong, Japan)
Tuya's Marriage (2006, Wang, Mongolia)
Untold Scandal (2004, Lee, Korea)
Up and Down (2004, Hrebejk, Czech Republic)
Vera Drake (2004, Leigh, Britain)
Volver (2006, Almodovar, Spain)
Wadjda (2013, Al-Monsour, Saudi Arabia)
Welcome (2009, Lioret, France)
Yi Yi (2000, Yang, Taiwan)
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001, Cuaron, Mexico)
Walkabout (1971, Roeg, Australia)
Zero Bridge (2008, Taba, Kashmir)
Zero Motivation (2014, Lavie, Israel)
Didn't like but couldn't stop watching and won't soon forget:
Dogtooth (2009, Kynodontas, Greece)
My Father My Lord (2007, Volach, Israel)
La Haine (1995, Kassovitz, France)
My Joy (2010, Loznitsa, Russia)
Liked in parts but not enough to recommend:
Before the Rain (1994, Manchevski, Macedonia)
Buddy (2003, Tyldum, Norway)
The City of Lost Children (1995, Jeunet, France)
Closely Watched Trains (1966, Menzel, Czechoslovakia)
A Matador's Mistress (2008, Meyjes, Spain)
Painted Fire/Chihwaseon (2002, Kwon-Taek, Korea)
The Return (2003, Zvyagintsev, Russia)
The Robber (2010, Heisenberg, Austria)
Ushpizin (2004, Dar, Israel)
Wind Journeys (2009, Guerra, Columbia)
Wonderful Town (2008, Assarat, Thailand)
Felt frustration, at times anger, some unable to finish:
Bomber (2009, Cotter, Britain)
Contempt (1963, Godard, France)
The Drummer (2007, Bi, China)
Hiroshima, Mon Amour (1959, Resnais, France) ... finally watched in 2012, as mature as I'll ever be, and think it's the worst "important" foreign film I've ever seen
A Talking Picture (2003, de Oliveira, Portugal) ... the worst modern foreign film by a renowned director I've ever seen
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2011, Weerasethakul, Thailand) ... Obscure director, but this one's close behind in the race for worst
Withnail and I (1987, Robinson, Britain)
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