12 Movies In The IMDB Top 250 You've Probably Never Seen

12. City Of God

The IMDB Top 250 features a surprising number of foreign-language films, with the Brazilian City Of God sitting comfortably in the initial 25.

After receiving four Academy Award nominations at the 2004 ceremony (best director, best adapted screenplay, best cinematography, best editing - no wins) the film became a cult favourite, but has never really broken wider past that barrier.

It's always going to be difficult to watch a film that isn't in your native language, and while City Of God does fall into this category, it's also easy to enjoy visually.

Set in Rio de Janeiro, every frame bursts with vibrancy - the coloured clothes worn by the characters pop against the contrasting grey-brown slums, and the beaches burn in the golden sunlight. The movie looks stunning.

And because most of the cast actually lived in the real-life favelas in and around which the film was shot, every performance feels convincingly real and the emotions clear and raw. At times, you'll forget that the subtitles are even onscreen.

It won't be for everyone, but City Of God is well worth checking out - give it a chance and you might be surprised just how much you like it.