At the 2020 Golden Globes, Bong Joon-ho said something that has stayed with me ever since:
“Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
That line feels truer every year. For many viewers, subtitles seem like a small inconvenience something that takes effort or breaks immersion. But in reality, they open doors. Some of the most powerful stories in cinema are told outside Hollywood, shaped by cultures, histories, and perspectives we might otherwise never encounter.
A perfect example for me is the performance delivered by Jackson Yee. His acting carries such emotional weight that you don’t need to speak the language to understand the pain, resilience, and humanity he portrays. There are moments where the emotion is so raw and grounded that it genuinely moves you to tears. That’s the power of cinema at its best it transcends language.
Subtitles don’t distance us from a story; they invite us closer. They make us active participants. You lean in, you focus, you listen more carefully. And in return, you discover films that challenge, surprise, and stay with you long after the credits roll.
World cinema isn’t “niche” it’s essential. Whether it’s Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Iranian, Spanish, or any other language, every film culture has masterpieces waiting to be experienced.
If you’ve ever hesitated because of subtitles, take that leap. That one-inch barrier might just lead you to your next favorite film.
by Shirohigedono
14 Comments
Couldn’t agree more !
Here’s the thing, though. Bong was referring to Asian movies, specifically. Throughout the Parasite press, he bemoaned how the industry supports white and English movies over people of color movies, particularly Asian ones. Given how his good friend Park had to make No Other Choice in Korea because no one in Hollywood would make it, it’s still a fucking problem. His wish after winning BP was for Parasite to *not* be the last Asian movie to win that prize.
Me, who watches anime in JP VO with subs: “I agree”
honestly i’ve always loved subtitles even for english movies, you catch so many little details you might miss otherwise! plus my adhd brain focuses better when i can read along.
The subtitles issue is American only.
Every non english country has watched movies with subtitles since you started to read
Subs not dubs!
Subtitles are great. I even use them on films where I understand the language.
I just like to have subtitles that are perfect, white (or yellow) with black drop shadow or outline. Lost streaming don’t have those particular choices and yhd subtitles mostly are the closed captions which are distinct from the actual subtitles.
The issue isn’t reading subtitles, it’s having dialog that doesn’t mean anything to your ears.
The barrier isn’t one-inch, it’s 85-255 hz
What an American thing to say.
Couldn’t Agree More with the title.
Being from The Netherlands I always asumed the rest of the world also is used to subtitles, but apparently we are the exception to the rule. Here we don’t know any better that everything gets subtitles, from movies to series to newsprograms. When someone starts speaking a foreign language we never ever replace their voices with a Dutch voiceover. It’s so weird to us to see American actors speak German all of a sudden on German tv. I can’t magine how weird it must be to have hear the same voice over actor being used for different characters. Like Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks having the exact same voice for instance.
It made us far richer. We are used to look outside our own borders, not just looking at our own little walled off world. And you better create an understanding for other cultures along the way. We also grew up with a lot of foreing tv channels, like French, German or English channels.
Anything to keep the illiterate masses out of cinemas is fine by me!
This past year I’ve gotten into Korean cinema and I’m so thankful I did. They’ve made some absolutely incredible films.