Patrick Bauchau

Reclaiming kink for the United States of America, indie It-girl Maggie Gyllenhaal squared off against James Spader (Sex, Lies, and Videotape) in this brilliantly provocative, now cult romance about a strange sexual understanding. The film won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance—“for its originality”.

Lars von Trier has never been shy to burnish his reputation as the malevolent puppet master of his protagonists’ misfortune, but never quite so literally as in this playful documentary. One of the great films about filmmaking, The Five Obstructions is a reflexive marvel of cinematic problem solving.