Top 10 Best French Movies with Subtitles
An Overview of French Cinema
For more than one hundred years, French cinema have been an important part of the country's culture. France may be the only country outside of the U.S. with such a long, rich, and varied film history. In the late 1800s, August and Louis Lumière created a motion picture technology. Alice Guy-Blaché and others were early leaders in the field.
France has had a very strong film industry, in part because the French government has looked out for it. After the US, France was the second biggest exporter of movies in the world in 2013. And a study from 2014 found that, after the US, French movies were the most popular around the world.
Since then, French film exports have done worse. In 2019, France was the seventh biggest exporter by total box office revenue, with a 2.01% share of the global market. By 2023, it was the fifteenth biggest, with a 0.44% share. In terms of all-time box office sales, France is fourth, after the US, the UK, and China.
France has many film festivals, including the famous Cannes Film Festival that is seen all over the world.
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Top 10 Best French Movies with French Subtitles
Numerous French movies are available with French subtitles. This post presents ten exceptional French films with subtitles accessible on multiple streaming platforms.
1. “Intouchables”
Genre: Biographic Drama/Comedy
Watch it on: Amazon Prime | Apple TV | Google Play | YouTube
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| Intouchables |
The story of this amazing movie came from a true event. It has won 35 awards and been nominated for 40 more from all over the world.
Philippe is wealthy and can't walk or move. He needs a new assistant to help him with daily tasks. He hires Driss, a young French-African man from the north of Paris.
They don't seem to have anything in common, and their relationship gets off to a rough start. But then, out of the blue, they become friends, which will warm your heart, make you think, and teach you slang and casual French.
Watch this video to get a better look at the movie. It uses the FluentU program to break down the trailer:
2. “Un prophète” (“A Prophet”)
Genre: Crime Drama
Watch it on: Amazon Prime | Apple TV | Google Play
Malik El Djebena, who is 19 years old, is sentenced to six years in prison for a crime he didn't do in "Un prophète." Due to his hard and lonely life, he is both distrustful and wise. He can't read or write.
Both the Corsican and Muslim gangs have seen him in prison. It is dangerous and dishonest where Malik is, so he just wants to finish his sentence, leave prison, and live his own life.
He tries to stay away from the fights between the two groups, but in the end he has to get close to some dangerous people to stay alive.
3. “Être et Avoir” (“To Be and To Have”)
Genre: Documentary/Family
Watch it on: Amazon Prime | Kino Now
Since 2002, this movie has won 8 awards and been nominated for 8 more. The film is mostly about a school in the countryside of France. Because they live alone, children often have to travel a long way to get to school.
Twelve kids, ages 4 to 11, go to Mr. Lopez's class. They learn to read, count, cook, and even get along with each other. Mr. Lopez helps the students deal with their feelings by being a friend and a psychologist.
You can learn about life in the countryside of France from this movie, even though the words aren't too hard to understand.
4. “La vie d’Adèle” (“Blue is the Warmest Color”)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Watch it on: Amazon Prime | Apple TV
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| Blue Is the Warmest Color (La vie d’Adèle) |
The Palme d'Or, the festival de Cannes's top award, went to this 2013 movie. A lot of people have said nice things about this one-of-a-kind movie.
In the movie, Adèle, who is 15, falls in love with Emma, a young woman with blue hair. The story takes place over a number of years, during which time she falls in love, loses her heart, and changes because of it.
As a coming-of-age drama, this will show you how teens talk in casual situations while also giving you a lot of drama to keep you interested.
5. “À bout de souffle” (“Breathless”)
Genre: Crime Drama
Watch it on: Prime Video | Apple TV
In the 1960s, French people were crazy about American gangster movies, and this movie shows why. It will show you what Jean-Luc Godard means to French culture through strange jump cuts and other filmmaking tricks.
The lead actress, American Jean Seberg, speaks French slowly enough that you'll understand every word and improve your listening skills without getting lost.
So, the movie is great for people who are just starting to learn French. Try to see how many scenes you can watch without having to look at the English subtitles.
6. “La môme” (“La Vie en Rose”)
Genre: Biographic Drama/Music
Watch it on: Prime Video | Apple TV | Google Play
The novel "La Vie en Rose," which translates literally as "Life in Pink," chronicles the challenging life of Piaf, also referred to as "the Little Sparrow" or La Môme Piaf.
In 1915, Piaf was born in Paris. She was left on the street by her drunken singer mother. She was utilized in her father's shows as a circus performer.
Although chaos would always be a part of her life, she would eventually be discovered singing in the streets at the age of 19. This helped her gain notoriety and fame.
7. “Divines”
Genre: Crime Drama
Watch it on: Netflix
A Netflix original film, "Divines," is now regarded as a classic French coming-of-age story. Dounia is an impoverished girl who works as a drug dealer as her main source of extra income.
This is a movie that is best viewed with subtitles enabled because there are a few confusing parts.
In addition to speaking quickly, Dounia and her friends frequently whisper and use Parisian slang, which can be challenging to understand if you're not familiar with it.
8. “Paris je t’aime” (“Paris, I Love You”)
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Drama
Watch it on: Tubi | Apple TV
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| “Paris je t’aime” (“Paris, I Love You”) |
These short films about France were made by a lot of different filmmakers from around the world.
You can learn a lot of new French slang from the movie "Paris, je t'aime," which has a lot of characters with different feelings that you can imitate.
You can also work with this movie by watching parts of it at a time. For example, watch one every day for a week. There are also some English words in this one, which makes it great for beginners.
9. “Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis” (“Welcome to the Sticks”)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Watch it on: Tubi | Amazon Prime | Apple TV
This movie makes fun of the differences between French regions. Philippe tries to be moved to the French Riveria so that he can move there with his family and help his depressed wife get better.
Things start to go wrong, and this is much harder than I thought it would be. In the end, his bosses send him to Bergues, a small town in the north of France.
People in this area are thought to be hard-drinking and stupid because of the harsh winters. Philippe quickly realizes his biases, though, and realizes that his new life isn't so bad after all.
10. “Bande de filles” (“Girlhood”)
Genre: Drama
Watch it on: Amazon Prime | Apple TV
Bande de filles is a modern French film that is both beautiful and artistic. It's about a teen outside of Paris who joins an all-girls gang to feel free.
African-French female gangs are a part of French society that you don't always get to learn about in school. This movie is full of French slang.
The cinematography will blow you away if you like movies. You'll still get a chance to learn more about how people in France's cities really talk.
Benefits of Watching French Movies with French SubtitlesYou’ll hear native speakers talking at their natural speed—that is to say, quickly. You’ll also listen to native French speakers converse with authentic accents, so you’ll learn to understand people from across France and other French-speaking countries/regions. Learning from a textbook teaches you valuable phrases, but there are some expressions you can only learn by tuning into how Francophones really speak. And, of course, you’ll pick up those ever-hilarious French curse words! When you watch French films, you’re exposed to the culture and perspective of the people who speak the language. This can help you connect with French speakers and get to know the stories they’re familiar with. |
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