Subtitles are Sexy

March Madness is all about brackets. They start by placing college basketball teams against each other until the brackets narrow down to one single winner. Films and TV can have brackets too. But this bracket...is reverse! We are starting with one tv show and showing how it can span into a multitude of viewing. Let's play ball? Let the show begin!

The HookUp Plan is a French television show. This show can be found on Netflix currently in America. It's been out in France since 2018. Sabrina Ouazani has been posting recent pictures of the cast filming season three on Instagram, which is exciting the fans to no end. Her Instagram pictures are used in this article as the cover.

The HookUp Plan starts off with Elsa, a Parisian who is in desperate need of a date, in order to stop pining over her ex. Her friends want to help her solve this single life equation so bad, they will stop at nothing. The show expands into the lives of all six friends over the two seasons. There are plot twists involving love interests, mysteries to unfold, and themes of friendship, family: siblings, marriage, parenting, and career to explore.

There's more to watching international films than just the plot. The subtitles in The HookUp Plan help the audience hear the beautiful French language and hopefully, the audience can learn a few words and phrases. The fashion is incredible. French men know how to dress and the women do too! As an American audience, you are also able to see how their homes are decorated, the cars they drive, views of the city as they shoot location scenes, and when the characters travel outside of Paris, we the audience learn more about the French countryside.

If that wasn't enough to fall in love with this television show, then this is the cherry on top, the soundtrack. Close to Me created by Frédéric Magnon is such a contagious song! Not only is this song amazing, but it's part of the plot within The HookUp Plan, incroyable!

If you enjoy The HookUp Plan for the love story, then your bracket is moving onto Home for Christmas a Norwiegen t.v. show currently found on Netflix. Johanne is 30 years old. When she goes home for Christmas she is placed near the kid's corner, while any conversation directed at her has to do with getting married. Wow...unfortunately ladies some themes are global. Johanne goes on a journey of love in the first two seasons. The audience will also explore more themes through not only Johanne, but her family, friends, and town, such as: ageism, family, friendship, career choice, and marriage. Who gave Johanne the flowers? Oh you just wait...it's utrolig!

If you enjoyed the mystery, sex, fashion and fun of The HookUp Plan your new bracket is Toy Boy. This television show has one season under its stripper belt and is based in Spain. Four men who have grown up together run their own strip club, where they are the performers. A murder mystery has hindered the plans for one of the main characters Hugo (played by actor Jesús Mosquera). Once out of jail Hugo and his friends must crack the case. This plotline becomes a telenovela of all sorts. The dance scenes are fewer in number than the fans want, but they are still worth it. The boxing ring dance scene and costumes are increíble!

If you enjoy the crime and mystery of ToyBoy, then Run Lola Run is your next bracket film! This German film is from 1998 and still takes the cake! Lola's flaming red hair and 90's fashion is unglaublich and worth the watch in and of itself. This film is about a bank heist. Run Lola!!!

The Home for Christmas bracket isn't interested in any blood, guts or crime...unless it's crime of the heart. They also enjoy a good mystery. Their next bracket is Amelie this French film from 2001 is timeless! Romantic love isn't the only bloom in this garden, the gnome almost steals the show.

If your heart hasn't stopped racing from Run Lola Run why bring it back down (when we are only going to pump you back up)? Your next bracket film is Parasite. Korea is not the only country that thinks this film is 놀랄 만한, it won an Oscar in 2019. This film has gore, but it's not a slasher film. Parasite is layered in social commentary based on class warfare which, unfortunately, every society can relate to. When will the day come when we no longer can? When thinking globally, purchasing films from around the world helps not only grow the economy but give all of us a sense of each place and a space for all stories to be told. The arts, (creation), help the world root each other on, while locally creating jobs. This future is bright, lit up with thousands of star lights!

After Parasite the final bracket on this branch is Pan's Labyrinth a Spanish film from 2006. This magic realism film takes place in 1944. Ofelia, played by actress Ivana Baquero, creates art on the screen. Ofelia is trying to navigate the strange new land of a stepfather... who might be wicket after all. The mystery doesn't end there, as Ofelia enters a chalked drawn door that takes her to another world. The creativity in costume and set design are also out of this world.

The Amelie bracket is closing down to its final winner as well. If you enjoyed the community outreach in Amelie you will love The Intouchables. There is an American remake of this film, but trust me, this is the version you want to watch. Two men find a way to connect outside of the plights the world has set upon them. This story is about humanity, forgiveness, and love of course!

*Thank you for reading this article. I had fun writing this and recalling my love for each of these films and t.v. shows. Click the heart to let me know if I should write more reviews. If you like to support artists, tips are appreciated.