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Oscar Watch: Foreign-language contenders
January 27, 2009
 | The Class France Director: Laurent Cantet Pros: A Palme d'Or win and an Indie Spirit nom give this charming French entry instant cachet, and the film's warm, sympathetic tone will go a long way with voters. Cons: Gritty subject matter and a cast of non-professionals could be a turn-off to traditionalists who long for the days of Anouk Aimee and Jean-Louis Trintignant. |
| The Class |
| The Baader Meinhof Complex Germany Director: Uli Edel Pros: Misinformed Academy members might mistake this look at Germany's infamous Red Army Faction for a Holocaust drama, which -- if history is any indication -- immediately improves its chances for a win. Cons: The title is ridiculously hard to pronounce and connotes an obscure psychological condition. Plus, that would be the fourth win this decade for a German-language film. |  |
| The Baader Meinhof Complex |
 | Departures Japan Director: Yojiro Takita Pros: This polished, good-natured look at an out-of-work cellist who takes a job as an "encoffineer" offers the kind of gentle meditation about life and death that Academy voters often find irresistible. Cons: Like the Oscar winner "The Sea Inside" (2004), "Departures" finds humanity and resilience in the face of despair. Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.  Subscribe now.
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