I hope this thread receives a lot of responses. Not because I am egotistical. Rather, because I love foreign films.
Heck, really, I like any sort of film.
But, I'll get it started:
City of God (Brazilian) - Cidade de Deus (2002).
Cidade de Deus (City of God) is a housing project built in the 1960's that--in the early 80's--became one of the most dangerous places in Rio de Janeiro. The tale tells the stories of many characters whose lives sometimes intersect. However, all is seen through the eyes of a singular narrator: "Rocket", a poor black youth too frail and scared to become an outlaw but also to smart to be content with underpaid, menial jobs. He grows up in a very violent environment. The odds are all against him. But "Rocket" soon discovers that he can see reality differently than others. His redemption is that he's been given an artist's point of view as a keen-eyed photographer. As "Rocket" is not the real protagonist of the film--only the narrator--he is not the one who makes the decisions that will determine the sequence of events. Nevertheless, not only his life is attached to what happens in the story, but it is also through "Rocket's" perspective of life that one can understand the complicated layers and humanity of a world, apparently condemned to endless violence.
Based on a true story, this movie is graphicly violent and filled with profanity, along with brief nudity.
After the movie ends, continue to watch the credits. You will see real photos of the people whom the characters were based on, and, you will even see an interview of the real "Knockout Ned".