An extra day in February means an extra February foreign film. You’ll have to just trust that I watched this one in February even though I’m posting it on the first of March.

And we’re ending things with the Korean film Burning, which based on a Japanese short story by Haruki Murakami called “Barn Burning.” I’m a pretty big Murakami fan, and his short story collection The Elephant Vanishes (which includes this short story) is one of my favorite of his books. So of course I was intrigued by this film and excited to round out the first ever February Foreign Films series with this one.

But right before I started the movie, I noticed the run time, which is around two and a half hours. Two and a half hours for a short story that is only a few pages long. How were they going to expand the materials to make it take up so much time?

Well… some minor spoilers to follow.

When I chose the Netflix film Girl as my next entry in February Foreign Films, I was unaware of the controversy behind this movie.

I watched Girl, a story of a young transexual teenage girl who is pursuing a career as a ballerina, before reading about the film, which is always how I prefer to watch movies. I chose it because I love movies about dancers, and I’m also interested in stories that explore gender issues. My initial reaction to the content of the film is that it was well-acted, evoked emotions in me, and was, yes, at times disturbing.

I read about the film afterwards, and I think I have to acknowledge the controversies surrounding Girl in order to discuss this movie responsibly.

When I chose the Netflix film Girl as my next entry in February Foreign Films, I was unaware of the controversy behind this movie.

I watched Girl, a story of a young transexual teenage girl who is pursuing a career as a ballerina, before reading about the film, which is always how I prefer to watch movies. I chose it because I love movies about dancers, and I’m also interested in stories that explore gender issues. My initial reaction to the content of the film is that it was well-acted, evoked emotions in me, and was, yes, at times disturbing.

I read about the film afterwards, and I think I have to acknowledge the controversies surrounding Girl in order to discuss this movie responsibly.

Clearly, I love challenging myself to a good film series.

In the fall, it was 10 Weeks of Spooktober. Then I did 12 Days of Christmas Movies throughout the month of December. Now, I’m back just in time for the tail end of awards season with a new series called February Foreign Films. And with the way February is going, it’s going to be Five February Foreign Films. That’s a lot of F’s.

This is exactly what it sounds like. I will be watching and reviewing buzzy foreign films in the month of February. They must, however, be completely new to me. So, sorry, no Parasite, which I already named my #1 thing of 2019. And no Atlantics, although that is a really good movie, and it’s available on Netflix… so you should watch it right away.

So with all of that out of the way, let’s get into our very first February Foreign Film: Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain & Glory, starring Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, who is nominated for an Oscar for this role.