Topping Cahiers du cinéma’s list of best films from last year, Albert Serra’s mesmerizing epic conjures up the malaise and paranoia poisoning the Edenic calm of sun-soaked Tahiti. Steeped in moral ambiguity, Benoît Magimel’s stunning performance embodies the corruptive power of the imperial state.

Accommodating both the downbeat and the surreal, Martín Rejtman’s first feature in nine years treats midlife depression with a holistic sense of humor. Comic scenarios flow into one another with the flexibility of a master yogi, and achieve a strengthened core in The Delinquents’ Esteban Bigliardi.