For one lifelong movie fan, foreign films have always been challenging to enjoy. As a visually impaired viewer, they found subtitles hard to follow, and dubbing often distracting. But with Godzilla: Minus One, the latest in the beloved Godzilla franchise, this viewer found a renewed love for foreign cinema and a breakthrough in their own ability to experience films from other cultures.
A Common Barrier: Foreign Films and Visual Impairment
Since Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite won Best Picture at the Oscars, there’s been a growing conversation around overcoming the barrier of subtitles. However, this viewer’s challenge with foreign films goes beyond just language. As someone who is visually impaired, subtitles are especially tough because of the constant reading demands and often rapid pace.
Simple things like poor contrast or fast-scrolling text can make it impossible to keep up with the story. While some streaming services like Netflix are designed to be more accessible, this viewer has still faced limits. They could watch shows like Narcos, which mixes English and Spanish, but many other series and movies remained beyond reach.
For years, they faced a choice between watching films dubbed, which they usually found unbearable, or struggling with subtitles that were difficult to read. Since dubbed and subtitled foreign films are rarely shown in theaters, watching them with ideal accessibility has been almost impossible. These limitations made it hard to fully experience foreign films, even when they were available.
A Love for Godzilla That Defied Boundaries
Growing up, the one foreign film series they could always enjoy was Godzilla. Unlike anime, which never held much interest for them, Godzilla movies were captivating and accessible. The familiar, entertaining action and the relatively tolerable dubbing made these films enjoyable. From the Heisei and Millennium eras to the 2014 American Godzilla, they remained a devoted fan. When Shin Godzilla came out in 2016, it brought a darker, more serious edge to the series, deepening their appreciation for the franchise, despite the challenges in finding accessible ways to watch it.
Often, they resorted to watching bootleg versions without subtitles or dubbing, sometimes only able to follow the story through internet summaries. But when the original 1954 Godzilla made it to Netflix, it opened the door to a more profound side of the franchise one they could access more fully for the first time.
A Game-Changer Godzilla: Minus One
When news broke that Godzilla: Minus One would get a U.S. theater release, the viewer was intrigued. Originally, they planned to wait until it came to streaming, but positive buzz inspired them to take a chance and see it on the big screen. It was a bold move, as they weren’t sure if it would be accessible enough, but the movie quickly shattered their expectations.
More than just a thrilling Godzilla movie, Minus One turned out to be deeply emotional and had exceptional storytelling and characters. Seeing it in a theater allowed the viewer to engage in a way that felt both comfortable and inspiring. For the first time, they felt as if the world of foreign cinema was within reach, and the experience renewed their desire to explore films from other cultures. With a fresh perspective on accessibility and a new story from the same creators on the way, they’re eager to continue this journey with foreign films.
Godzilla: Minus One is currently available for streaming on Netflix U.S.