Two weeks from now, I plan on leaving work early. I’ll head to a theater no more than ten minutes from my home. I may change first; I may not. When I get there, I’ll buy a bowl of popcorn and head to my seat - preferably in the front row - and I’ll sit there as long as my backside will allow. I’ll take in a movie or two, maybe three. And the best part of it all? It’s free. The European Film Festival in San Antonio always is.

I’m not sure why it’s free. As I sit there, I’ll feel as if I’m ripping off the directors of these remarkable films. I pay 8-10 dollars to see an American film, why am I not paying a dime to see these? Sure, the majority of American films work off a higher budget. They include things like explosions and car chases. There are sweet little love-stories that try to pass off as comedies and admittedly successful attempts at making a movie look like a comic book. But the majority of American films lack one important element - an element nearly all foreign films seem to capture with ease: Emotion - the simple feelings of passion, sentiment, and love in all its variety of forms.

Before I get ransacked with expressions of disagreement, I must admit that, yes, there are American films that come with emotion, especially if we consider humor and excitement as true emotions – which they are. But any honest viewer must admit, in general, the emotion is lacking. Look at the some of the top American films of this summer alone: Tropic Thunder – funny, perhaps, but no real emotion. The Dark Knight – exciting, incredible acting, but no real emotion. Get Smart, Hellboy, Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda, Hancock, Wanted, The Pineapple Express – need I say more? Most American films simply lack passion. They lack sentiment. They lack love.

Watch The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - a French film about a man who must communicate with his left eyelid - and you’ll see passion, you’ll see sentiment. Better yet, watch Once, an Irish film that proves budget is meaningless. Watch Paris Je Te’aime or City of God. Watch The Motorcycle Diaries, Amores Perros, Amelie, El Crimen Del Padre Amaro, Life is Beautiful, Hero – need I say more? Just head to Blockbuster and pick up any movie with a title you can’t read. Sit down, watch it, you’ll know what I mean; you’ll feel as I feel; you’ll see what I see. Where American films aim for a hoo-rah, foreign films aim for a simple ah, or better yet: aaaaaahhhh, and they usually get it.

Perhaps that’s why we as Americans call them, “Foreign Films.” Not because they are made in a foreign country or because the dialogue is in a foreign language, but because the concept of filmmaking is unfamiliar to us. It’s foreign. We just don’t understand. And I’m not so sure we ever will. Our track record of learning from foreign worlds speaks for itself. It all reminds me of a joke I heard once; one that continues to crack me up, only because it is sadly true:

Q: What do you call a person who speaks three languages?
A: Trilingual

Q: What do you call a person who speaks two languages?
A: Bilingual

Q: What do you call a person who speaks one language?
A: American

Need I say more?

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