Film critics from around the world have chosen a single movie that they believe best represents their country's culture and cinema. From India's cricket musical to Mexico's political thriller and France's psychological drama, these works capture unique national identities.
For India, critic Anupama Chopra selects 'Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India', a 3-hour-44-minute epic blending cricket and cinema. Set in 1893, it tells of a ragtag Indian village team defeating a superior British side, with song-and-dance sequences by AR Rahman and a love triangle. The film, only the third Indian Oscar nominee, is described as 'big, brilliant, blissful entertainment'.
Mexico's representative is 'Canoa', directed by Felipe Cazals. This faux-documentary reconstructs the 1968 lynching of five university employees mistaken for communists. The film breaks with the Golden Age's idealised visions, anticipating modern Mexican cinema's focus on violence and impunity. It is considered a masterclass in suspense.
France's selection is Justine Triet's 'Age of Panic', a 2013 feature about a separated couple racing through Paris on election night. Despite only 36,000 tickets sold, it is seen as a milestone in French cinema, moving away from bourgeois dramas. Triet later won the Palme d'Or for 'Anatomy of a Fall'.
