Favorite expat movies for the festive season

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Published on 2020-12-02 at 12:09 by JerryANelson
Movies can cheer you up if you're having a hard time away from your loved once during this festive season. Unable to go shopping or dine out as you would have wished to? No problem. Jerry Nelson, our expat guest blogger, has selected some of the best expat movies to cheer you up.

Okay. It's been a grim week. You lost the report which was due today, your boss had a fight with his wife and is taking it out on you, the street vendor squired mustard on your favorite blue shirt during lunch and you just found out you have to work late — again — and miss your kid's 5pm soccer match. 

Ready to throw in the towel? You wouldn't be the first and, statistically, you won't be the last. The word ‘expat' has risen in prominence over the last couple of decades, but expats have existed for centuries. 

Movies about expat have always been around, it seems, and one of the earliest notable examples is Black Narcissus, released in 1947. The nuns in the movie can best be described as expats and those of us who are expats can recognize the drama which can happen when a person moves from the familiar to the unfamiliar — culture shock.

Enjoyable films about the foibles of expat life include:

Lost in Translation

Under the Tuscan Sun

A Good Year

The Painted Veil

The Last King of Scotland

Casablanca

The King and I

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

A Passage to India

The Before — Trilogy

Les poupées russes

L'Auberge espagnol

Those are my recommendations, what are your favorite movies about being an expat? Let me know in the comments.

Deciding to live overseas in a “new” country, takes courage, determination and spirit. Career-boosting opportunities and terrific opportunities lay ahead. Some famous expats who have gone before might inspire you to make the move — today.

Freddie Mercury

Audrey Hepburn

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Mila Kunis

Leo Messi

Liam Neeson

Johnny Depp

Charlize Theron

Queen Maxima

Tina Turner