The best way to learn and pick up a language is by watching a film or web series with subtitles. And with you having ample time at home to binge-watch content at its very best, why not tap the play button and experience some of the best shows made in foreign languages. If you’re wondering which are the best ones to stream, here are five of the very best. Open your mind to world cinema with these must-watch foreign shows. DOM (Amazon Prime.
Stars: 4.5/5
In todayâs digital age of streaming and relentless bingeable content, the undeniable oversaturation of crime drama series, involving drugs, the drug trade, cartels, organized crime and everything in between is at an all-time high. Some range from serviceable to forgettable, others are good, but there are those which truly stand out among the rest. A prime example would be Vince Gilliganâs Breaking Bad, but now I witnessed another true standout in the overcrowded genre.
Derived from the insider definition for the purest form of cocaine (000), the series is simply titled ZeroZeroZero
, based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Roberto Saviano.
Propulsive, ambitious and more than a little addictive, ZeroZeroZero uses the framework of a global drug deal gone wrong to explore the motivations and betrayals of those who grease the wheels of this sprawling black market machine.
Adapted from the nonfiction book by the Italian investigative journalist and author Roberto Saviano, this eight-episode series – which was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 and is now streaming on Sky Atlantic in the UK, Amazon in the US and a wealth of platforms across multiple countries – is a show that demands its viewers pay attention as it hops around in both geography (dialogue is in six languages, with subtitles moving as quickly as the action) and chronology. But those who invest will be rewarded with intelligent, compelling drama of the highest calibre.
Episodes viewed: 3 of 8
If you’ve ever fancied changing careers to become the leader of a drug empire (long lunches, travel ops but no life insurance or holiday pay),
ZeroZeroZero provides a good handbook. Adapted from the novel by
Gomorrah author Roberto Saviano by Stefano Sollima, Leonardo Fasoli and Mauricio Katz, the Sky/Studio Canal co-production provides a helicopter view of the cocaine business from multiple perspectives, tracking numerous characters speaking in different languages across many continents. If it sounds glamorous, it isn’t.
ZeroZeroZero offers a serious, borderline nihilistic take on an overcrowded genre, finding its own space by minting its broad perspective with colourful but controlled filmmaking.
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Nonika Singh
Betrayal, revenge and bonding; if three words could sum up a drama? Of course, ZeroZeroZero, an Italian series based on Robert Saviano’s novel of the same name, streaming on Amazon Prime is all this and more. Ever since Narcos made it big, we have been deluged with web series hovering around drug trade and cartels. ZeroZeroZero joins the growing list and is a welcome addition, as it plots the link between sellers, buyers and brokers.
Connecting the dots spanning three countries, The US, Mexico and Italy, it takes us from one country to another building the drug network and from one family to another. In Italy, there is a tussle between an old grandfather Don Minu La Piana (Adriano Chiaramida), who comes out of hiding to reclaim his position, and his brash grandson Stefano (Giuseppe De Domenico), who wants to usurp him. In Mexico, we see the rise of a bunch of army soldiers turned rogue. Meant to crack open the drug world, led by Manuel, they not only sup with