Keep in mind that most of the foreign films that you can find with subtitles tend to be among the best films the country has ever produced, or the ones that fit their cultural climate the best.
You're not getting the direct filmgoer experience of that culture, just the best fruits, and that's perfectly fine because if you like their best you may find more in their second-best that you will also absolutely enjoy, just like in Westernized media.
Excellent point. It can be rewarding to find someone and watch all of their films, for better or worse. And then branch off from an actor, writer or production role (editor, etc) to explore more you won’t necessarily find in a listicle.
> Keep in mind that most of the foreign films that you can find with subtitles tend to be among the best films the country has ever produced, or the ones that fit their cultural climate the best.
This is really not true from what I can see. European films are routinely subtitled for other languages. (They used to be dubbed instead).
And even cheap and cheerful Bollywood and Chinese movies find a distributor and a bad translation.
Perhaps this is more of a problem on US streaming services. You do have to want to find these things, to some extent. But almost all cinema is produced with a global audience in mind.
You're not getting the direct filmgoer experience of that culture, just the best fruits, and that's perfectly fine because if you like their best you may find more in their second-best that you will also absolutely enjoy, just like in Westernized media.