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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.

Describe a foreign film/movie that you enjoyed so much.

You should say:

• what the film/movie was about
• who the main actors were
• where and when you watched it

and explain why you enjoyed this film/movie so much.

Model Answer 1:
I have never really been much of a fan of foreign movies, partly because I can’t completely immerse myself in them due to the language barrier. But, when I watched “Das Boot” (The Boat) about 10 years ago, I had to change my mind about watching foreign films.

“Das Boot” is a German film which I watched as a university student about 10 years ago when our university library played a series of famous foreign films there as a part of an effort to introduce foreign and popular cultures to its students. Some of my friends asked me to watch some of those foreign films, but I told them that watching them would be just a waste of time for me since I wouldn’t really enjoy them because of the language barrier. However, when they told me about “Das Boot”, a movie which was based on a true story from World War II, I decided to give it a go. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie from start to finish.

Anyway, Das Boot, originally released in 1981, is a German war movie which was written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Based on the “breath-stopping” events of the second world war, the film talks about the activities and incidents of German submarine  "U-96" and its crew, as they set out on a hazardous patrol in the Battle of the Atlantic. It depicts both the excitement of battle and the tedium of the fruitless hunt, and shows the men serving aboard U-boats as ordinary individuals with a desire to do their best for their comrades and their country. In this masterpiece movie, the main actors were Jurgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Klaus  Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch, Martin Semmelrogge and many others.

Well, I enjoyed this movie so much, mainly because it very realistically portrays the day-to-day struggles of the soldiers to maintain their motivation for war, instead of actually “shooting” and “destroying” everything on their path, which can always be seen in other war movies. Moreover, it told an excellent story and the acting was superb. So I loved it so much.

Sample Answer 2:
Well, whenever I think of a foreign film that I enjoyed so much the name ‘Life Is Beautiful’ pops in my mind. It is an Italian tragicomic comedy-drama film that was released in 1997. I watched this film in 2002 and this is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

This film was directed by Roberto Benigni who also starred this film as the protagonist.  This film was about a Jewish Italian book shop owner who used his creative imagination to shield his son from the terror of internment in a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War.

In the film, Roberto Benigni acts as Guido. He is a humorous, talented and sharp person who comes to the city to start a new life. He has a natural talent to make the best out of each situation he encounters and he falls in love with a girl. Eventually, they get married and have a son. The film depicts the changing political climate in Italy and then shows that Guido, his wife and their son were taken to the Nazi concentration camp. As a loving father, Guido hides their true situation from his son and makes him believe that the camp is a complex gaming competition and they must win. The boy is totally convinced that the camp is indeed a gaming competition because of his innocence and his father’s brilliant performance. At the end of the movie, the US force approaches the camp and rescue the captives and the boy was still convinced that he won the competition. His father is shot by a German soldier and till his death, he performs a character to reassure his son that he will be the winner and would win the prize.

As I said Roberto Benigni was the main character of this film. Among other actors and actresses, Nicoletta Braschi acted as Dora and Giorgio Cantarini was the boy, Giosuè. I saw this film three times. I first enjoyed it with my parents when I was only 17. Later on, I watched in a Cineplex in our city and recently I watched it on my computer.

This is considered as one of the best film ever produced and the plot of the story was so astounding that everybody loves it. It depicts the horrors of wars, love or a father, how we can confront our worse time and how can we become a winner even when we are forced to be losers. The storyline, acting, compelling plot and overall presentation of the movie were so great that I picked it as one of the best 10 movies I have ever seen in my life.

Sample Answer 3:
I love watching movies, especially movies with a foreign language. Recently I have enjoyed a movie named – The Return. This is a Russian movie with English subtitle and a marvel to me. Now I am going to describe the movie in brief.   

The Return is based on a mystic theme. The movie tells the story of a father and his two kids. The father left the family and returned home after around 12 years. But he did not explain his absence but it is guessed that he was in the military and went for participating in a war in another state. He takes his sons on an adventure where he wanted to guide them to be a man. But the disobedience of one of the sons created a conflict with the father. Finally, the father died by falling from the observation tower where the disobedient son climbed up and threatened to jump. The movie plot touched me greatly.  

The movie has four main casts and they are Andrei, Ivan, the mother and the father. The role of Andrei is played by Vladimir Garin, the role of Ivan is played by Ivan Dobronravov, Konstantin Lavronenko played the role of the Father while Natalia Vdovina carried the role of Mother. All of the artists have performed their bests. The movie belonged to the drama genre, and accordingly, it was able to create a complete dramatic sense among the audience. Due to the extensive performance of the artists, the movie achieved a notable number of awards by different platforms. The most notable awards for the movie include – BBC Four World Cinema Award, European Film Awards, Golden Globe Awards etc. Besides, it was the debut for the director as well and he has made a great entrance with this film.      

Usually, November is the month for me that brings a sense of complete relaxation. I take breaks from my study. Importantly the university I study in Budapest remains busy round the year but due to my course, I get some leisure weeks in the last quarter of the year. So, I utilise the moments perfectly either by visiting my relatives or by reading books and watching movies. This year I decided to enjoy some foreign-language movies and selected ‘The Return’ for watching. Usually, I watch movies with my friends, but when it is a serious movie, I like to watch it alone. So, I watched ‘The Return’ at my home. I started watching the movie late at night and continued until it ended.     

Generally, I do not watch all types of movies. I like to watch movies with a good plot. In fact, movies like action, comedy etc. have no appeal to me unless they have a special plot. So, I am a bit selective in watching movies. Before watching ‘The Return’, I read the reviews and ratings from different film reviewing sites. Then I decided to watch this movie. Though I am not familiar with the Russian language, the subtitles made it easier for me to comprehend the theme of the movie. For its plot nature and filmmaking techniques, I enjoyed the movie to the fullest extent.

If you prepare for this cue card you should be able to answer the following cue cards as well:

• Describe a movie you enjoyed a lot.
• Describe a movie you want to watch again.
• Talk about a famous movie you know about.
• Describe a movie you have never watched but would like to watch soon.
• Describe a movie you have recently watched.
• Describe your favourite movie.
• Describe a movie based on a real event or a real person.
• Describe a movie about war or history.
• Describe a movie you watched in a movie theatre.
• Describe a critically acclaimed movie you have watched.

• IELTS Cue Card
• Candidate Task Card

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