I'm going to go a little outside of my own box and say Jasmine Women. Netflix doesn't even know it exists, which is surprising because it stars Zhang Ziyi alongside Joan Chen, who alternate playing the same characters at different ages through several generations of mothers and daughters. It's a fairly insightful perspective on the experience of women through many different cultural environments that have risen and fallen over the last century of Chinese history (the only common thread seems to be that all the male characters are jerks).
I think that "Ponette" is one that should be seen but, just a warning, it's a crier. Also, "Pan's Labrynth" another crier. And "The Promise". Damn, I think that's another crier too! But the visuals are so insanely beautiful.
So many great recommendations here. Thank you. My queue is once more alive! Alive, i tell you!
i liked very much Children of Heaven. Please forgive if this movie has been mentioned. The movie is about an Iranian family. The young brother inadvertantly looses his sisters most prized possession, her shoes. The two search and find the lost shoes. Some say the ending was no good. I loved the ending. I think of this movie often.
One of my favorite foreign films is L'auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment). I love that sense of isolation and adventure when you're in a foreign country by yourself and friendships forged in such a way that you'll never forget them even if you may never see each other in person again.
And if we're counting Non-US English movies, I love British films - Love Actually is one of my very favorites and I like all Jane Austen adaptations.