Exquisitely hand-painted frame by frame, this French-language arthouse animation is bleak yet hopeful, about two young siblings who are forced to leave their home in order to flee from war and persecution in Eastern Europe.
Purportedly the first-ever documentary made (or more accurately, staged) in the history of the medium, Flaherty’s eye-opening and intimate look at an Inuit family living in a harsh and cold environment poses age-old questions of authenticity and truth.
Becker’s swansong is one of the most underrated based-on-a-true-story prison escape movies in world cinema—its simple, efficient storytelling style hides a highly-detailed narrative that propels the story forwards through plot and action.
One of Bergman’s quietest films, but therein lies a powerful and existential meditation on religion, vengeance and guilt.
This Chadian film, about the taboos of teenage pregnancy and abortion in a restrictive patriarchal society, is an important story to be told, even though it feels too straightforwardly familiar a tale to resonate deeply.
Tarkovsky’s penultimate feature (stunningly shot in rural Italy during a self-imposed exile) might be his most ponderous work, yet it could also be his sharpest take on faith.
A rare ‘Zatoichi’ entry with not one but two ruthless villains hogging the spotlight, which is a double-edged sword for character development, though it delivers in terms of action.
It’s more of the same from Kore-eda, but transplanted into a Korean setting, in this heartening mid-tier drama about characters trying to remain human despite not always being on the good side of the law.
One of Gremillon’s best-known works, this part sea action, part romance drama strikes a strong emotional chord with its performances and melodramatic flair.
A fascinating feature debut by Dumont, who captures the tedium of French countryside life by finding beauty in the mundane and the horrific in the nonchalant, working with non-professional actors with aplomb.
Eternality Tan 