20 Foreign Language Movies You Must See Before You Die
13. Stalker
Country: USSR.
Plot: A guide takes two men into a mysterious post-apocalyptic area known as The Zone in order to find a room with the power to grant wishes.
This philosophical, dream-like art-house science-fiction film from Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky is very much a slow-burn that requires patience, but if you are patient with it you'll be rewarded enormously.
Layered and complex, this is easily one of the smartest science-fiction movies of them all and it'll provoke a ton of debate and discussion, as well as numerous differing interpretations; that's always a mark of a great film.
Stalker is also full of stunning cinematography and emotionally satisfying character moments, so it's brilliant on many different levels. If you're a little unsure about it at first, the chances are you'll have fallen in love with it by the time it concludes.