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WATCH OUR VIDEOSFor employees going abroad, being able to navigate the language and culture of their new home plays a monumental role in the overall success of their assignment. As a global mobility manager, you know it’s important to communicate this to your assignees and encourage them to soak up as much language and culture as they can before departure. And what better way to learn about the culture than curling up on the couch with a good film! That’s where Mango Premiere comes in.
Here at Mango, we love language learning. We also love movies (and the snacks that go along with them). Mango Premiere combines these two activities, along with the snacks of your choosing, to create an approach to language learning that is both fun and easy.
Want to recommend a Mango Premiere film to your assignees headed abroad? Here’s a list of our top five favorite movies on Mango Premiere.
Around a Small Mountain - French
Kate and Vittorio meet by chance when Kate’s car stalls on a winding mountain road. Vittorio offers his assistance, and is instantly attracted to her. He soon learns that she and her family are part of a small traveling circus, and that she’s come back to rejoin them after leaving under mysterious circumstances 15 years prior.
Your assignees may not run into many traveling circuses while in France, but this movie, directed by French New Wave pioneer Jacques Rivette, is a delightful introduction to modern French cinema. Assignees may recognize Jane Birkin, one of the most famous stars of the 1970s and namesake of the Hermés Birkin bag, as Kate. If they like this movie, you may want to recommend some of the great French New Wave films: L’amour fou, also by Rivette, François Truffaut’s Jules et Jim or Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard.
Corpo Celeste - Italian
Thirteen year-old Marta has just moved to the deep southern peninsula of Italy after spending the majority of her life in Switzerland. Here, she struggles to find her place amongst her mother, sisters and the ever-present Catholic church. This coming-of-age tale depicts Marta’s attempt to shape her own life in Italy and combat the troubles that adolescence brings.
This movie is a great choice for assignees heading off to Italy, especially to smaller towns. It provides an in-depth look into Italian Catholic practices, customs and even vocabulary.
Jerichow - German
After being dishonorably discharged from the German army, Thomas returns to his home village in the northeastern part of Germany. He takes a job as a driver to a local Turkish-German businessman, and soon falls in love with his employer’s young wife, creating a classic tale of a love triangle gone bad.
While this drama may not encapsulate the “norm” of German life, (it’s a bit of a thriller!) it does showcase the relations between Germany and its sizable Turkish immigrant population. The savviest assignees will soon realize as well that it’s a German version of “The Postman Always Rings Twice”—they’ll have fun spotting how the different cultural context differentiates Jerichow from its American source material.
Hospitalite - Japanese
A funny, surreal sendup of traditional Japanese family and business norms, Hospitalité offers a fun introduction to life and intercultural relations in Japan. The film focuses on Mikio Kobayashi, the owner of a print shop, as his and his family’s life is turned upside down when an old business associate requests to move into their cramped apartment. Soon, their quiet lifestyle is forgotten as Mikio’s business associate brings a host of interesting and international characters to his home.
Viva Cuba - Spanish
Malu and Jorgito are two young friends whose mothers don’t want them to play together because of their families’ different social statuses. When the children find out that Malu’s mother is planning their departure from Cuba, Malu and Jorgito run away on a cross-island journey to find her father and convince him to let her stay.
Even though the United States’s strict ban on travel to Cuba since 1960 has lifted, much of the country’s culture remains unfamiliar to Americans. This film gives viewers a better understanding of how two different classes of Cuban people, the “wealthy” middle class and old socialists, relate to each other—and presents a great vehicle through which to study Cuban Spanish, which can sound much different than other dialects.
Mango Premiere is a great way to get your assignees started with their language learning process in a fun and culturally relevant way. Which movie would you recommend to your assignees?
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