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The best foreign-language movies and shows on Criterion Channel right now

Right now the best foreign-language films and series on Criterion Channel in the United States are Flow (2024), La Haine (1995) and Harakiri (1962). This is the top 28 streaming there today, ranked by how well rated each one is, how many people have rated it, and what people are watching now.

Updated November 12, 2026 · streaming in the United States

Pick three for meAllFilmsSeries

  1. 1. Flow2024

    Film · 1h 25mAdventure, Animation, Family★ 8.0

    A solitary cat, displaced by a great flood, finds refuge on a boat with various species and must navigate the challenges of adapting to a transformed world together.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  2. 2. La Haine1995

    Film · 1h 38mDrama★ 8.1

    After a chaotic night of rioting in a marginal suburb of Paris, three young friends, Vinz, Hubert and Saïd, wander around unoccupied waiting for news about the state of health of a mutual friend who has been seriously injured when…

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  3. 3. Harakiri1962

    Film · 2h 15mAction, Drama, History★ 8.5

    Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide…

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  4. 4. M1931

    Film · 1h 50mDrama, Thriller, Crime★ 8.1

    In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelIndieFlix ShortsKanopy (free)+3

  5. 5. Ikiru1952

    Film · 2h 23mDrama★ 8.3

    Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)

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  7. 6. Neon Genesis Evangelion1995

    Series · 1 seasonSci-Fi & Fantasy, Animation, Drama★ 8.6

    At the turn of the century, the Angels returned to Earth, seeking to wipe out humanity in an apocalyptic fury. Devastated, mankind's last remnants moved underground to wait for the day when the Angels would come back to finish the job.

    Stream onNetflixCriterion Channel

  8. 7. Wild Strawberries1957

    Film · 1h 31mDrama★ 8.1

    Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)

  9. 8. Infernal Affairs2002

    Film · 1h 41mDrama, Thriller, Crime★ 7.8

    Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelShout! Factory TV (free)

  10. 9. Three Colors: Red1994

    Film · 1h 40mDrama, Mystery, Romance★ 7.9

    Part-time model Valentine unexpectedly befriends a retired judge after she runs over his dog. At first, the grumpy man shows no concern about the dog, and Valentine decides to keep it.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCM

  11. 10. Il Sorpasso1962

    Film · 1h 45mDrama, Comedy, Adventure★ 8.2

    Roberto, a shy law student in Rome, meets Bruno, a forty-year-old exuberant, capricious man, who takes him for a drive through the Roman and Tuscany countries in the summer.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  12. 11. Throne of Blood1957

    Film · 1h 48mDrama, History★ 7.9

    Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the…

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  13. 12. We All Loved Each Other So Much1974

    Film · 2h 5mDrama, Comedy★ 8.3

    Three partisans bound by a strong friendship return home after the war, but the clash with everyday reality puts a strain on their bond.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  14. 13. Godzilla1954

    Film · 1h 36mThriller, Horror, Science Fiction★ 7.6

    Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the…

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelCinemaxTCM+1

  15. 14. Rome, Open City1945

    Film · 1h 44mDrama, War★ 8.0

    During the Nazi occupation of 1944 Rome, Resistance leader Giorgio Manfredi is pursued by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a means of escape.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelDarkroomArtiflix

  16. 15. The Celebration1998

    Film · 1h 41mDrama★ 7.7

    The family of a wealthy businessman gather to celebrate his 60th birthday. During the course of the party, his eldest son presents a speech that reveals a devastating secret that turns the night into a battle of truth and denial.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  17. 16. Blossoms Shanghai2023

    Series · 1 seasonDrama★ 8.6

    Set against the backdrop of massive economic growth in the 1990s, the story follows A Bao, a self-made millionaire and his journey from being a young opportunist with a troubled past to accumulating dazzling wealth in the city of Shanghai.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  18. 17. Le Trou1960

    Film · 2h 12mDrama, Thriller, Crime★ 8.2

    Four prison inmates have been hatching a plan to literally dig out of jail when another prisoner, Claude Gaspard, is moved into their cell. They take a risk and share their plan with the newcomer.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  19. 18. Big Deal on Madonna Street1958

    Film · 1h 46mComedy, Crime★ 8.1

    Best friends Peppe and Mario are thieves, but they're not very good at it. Still, Peppe thinks that he's finally devised a master heist that will make them rich.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  20. 19. Woman in the Dunes1964

    Film · 2h 27mDrama, Thriller★ 8.2

    A vacationing entomologist suffers extreme physical and psychological trauma after being taken captive by the residents of a poor seaside village and made to live with a woman whose life task is shoveling sand for them.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelDarkroom

  21. 20. Autumn Sonata1978

    Film · 1h 33mDrama★ 8.0

    After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva. The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  22. 21. Police Story1985

    Film · 1h 39mAction, Crime, Comedy★ 7.6

    Officer Chan Ka Kui manages to put a major Hong Kong drug dealer behind the bars practically alone, after a shooting and an impressive chase inside a slum.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTencent VideoShout! Factory TV (free)

  23. 22. Sanjuro1962

    Film · 1h 36mDrama, Action, Comedy★ 7.9

    In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  24. 23. Fanny and Alexander1984

    Series · 1 seasonDrama★ 8.3

    Through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander, we witness the delights and conflicts of the Ekdahl family, a sprawling bourgeois clan in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Sweden.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  25. 24. Scenes from a Marriage1973

    Series · 1 seasonDrama★ 8.1

    Johan and Marianne's marriage appears stable, but their relationship begins to unravel when Johan reveals an affair. Over several years, we follow their separation, divorce, and continued interactions as they form new relationships while…

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  26. 25. Berlin Alexanderplatz1980

    Series · 1 seasonDrama, Crime★ 7.5

    In late 1920s Berlin, Franz Biberkopf is released from prison and vows to go straight. However, he soon finds himself embroiled in the city’s criminal underworld.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  27. 26. World on a Wire1973

    Series · 1 seasonDrama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery★ 7.3

    In the future, Simulacron, a computer project simulating reality, encounters strange occurrences after its leader's death. Dr. Stiller questions the sudden disappearance of a friend and wonders if Simulacron holds the answers.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  28. 27. Carlos2010

    Series · 1 seasonDrama, Crime, War & Politics★ 7.4

    The story of the Venezuelan Ilich Ramirez Sanchez known as "Carlos", who was, for almost twenty years, one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  29. 28. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex2002

    Series · 2 seasonsAnimation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy★ 8.2

    In the future when technological enhancements and robotics are a way of life, Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 take care of the jobs that are too difficult for the police.

    Stream onYouTube TVCriterion ChannelSpectrum On Demand (free)Roku Channel (free)+3

Questions

What are the best foreign-language films and series on Criterion Channel right now?
In the United States, as of November 12, 2026: Flow (2024), rated 8.0 out of 10 on TMDB, then La Haine and Harakiri.
How is this list made?
Watchwalla asks TMDB for everything of this kind that streams in your country today, ranks it by rating (pulled toward the middle until enough people have rated a title), with a nudge for what's new and what people are watching now, and refreshes the list every day. Streaming availability comes from JustWatch, through TMDB.
Can it pick something for me?
Yes. The picker at watchwalla.com/tonight asks who's watching, how much time you have and what you're in the mood for, and gives three picks streaming where you are. Sign in and every title also gets a match score for your own taste.

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