I don’t speak Japanese, French, Spanish, Korean or Hindi. But, thanks to the low-tech intervention of subtitles, I’ve been able to watch and enjoy several excellent films in these languages over the past 18 months.

Godzilla Minus One, which won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, is as engaging as it is aesthetically pleasing. Toho’s film is so much more than a giant monster melee. It’s a clever commentary on the horrors of war, nuclear weapons and the concept of family. 

Lost Ladies, the comedy-drama about two newlywed brides in rural India accidentally swapping places, is another great watch. Deliberately set in 2001, at a time when mobile phones and the internet were not so widespread, this absurd yet uplifting carry-on makes you really think about marriage.

But I might have missed out on both of these films, and others, had I not been prepared to overcome the initial one-inch barrier that keeps too many people tethered to Hollywood. 

Watching the same films or the same kind of films on repeat has become an unhealthy modern habit. Worse yet is sticking a film on “in the background” while tapping and scrolling away on your phone. 

It’s over-stimulation that puts you at the risk of under-stimulation because you don’t really take in the plot or performances. It undermines the viewing experience as it was intended.  

Reading, in general, has clear psychological benefits. It improves focus, broadens vocabulary, expands knowledge and enhances memory skills. There are also strong cultural insights to be gained from watching films based in other countries. 

Granted, watching Under Paris, Netflix’s implausible yet impressive shark horror, might not inspire you to jump in the Seine anytime soon, but a few aerial shots of the French capital could plant the seed for your next Eurostar trip.

When you watch a film, you should watch a film. Our phones should be a gateway to multimedia and connectivity but not a crutch. A film that forces you to focus, then, is surely a welcome change of pace. 

As Hollywood struggles for new ideas, Asian and European auteurs appear less preoccupied with pre-existing audiences and more inclined to be adventurous. Watching foreign films is not pretentious or “woke”, as much as it is simply having an open mind.