A favourite of mine in high school was ," Indochine." ( Literally translated Indo - China...in French.I loved it because it had the captivating Catherine DeNeueve in it and stud muffin Vincent Perez.
It was set in the 1930's in what is now known as Vietnam.The plot was based on a love triangle between a wealthy rubber plantation owner ( DeNeuve) her adopted daughter - an Indo Chinese princess and a dashing French navy officer ( Perez.)
It was a haunting story in faraway lands about love kindled and love lost.Also, danger,courage and defeat.Although exquisitely filmed and gorgeous sets ( as only one can expect from French cinema) it had a fair amount of premarital you- know- what as well as unabashed opiod use.
Still, the mystique of this period piece is heightened because of tradegy ; added to that the enchantment of a remote land and a foreign culture makes this film enchanting and highly memorable 20 years on.