The ultimate postmodern musical, von Trier’s quirky genre hybrid hinges on a ravishing performance by Icelandic pop star Björk, which makes the most of her innocent vitality. This idiosyncratic fantasy and overpowering tearjerker took home the Palme d’Or at Cannes, along with Best Actress for Björk!

A puzzlebox neo-noir, this erotic thriller from Mathieu Amalric is one where the French actor’s filmmaking is every bit as enthralling as his performance. We hand you the keys to The Blue Room, a spiral of passion, secrets & murder brilliantly adapted to the screen from Simenon’s eponymous novel.

Strumming along to the syncopated rhythms of ‘80s America, Robert Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer’s cult film reckons with scraggy countercultural myths of the road. Gathering an alternative hit parade of faces—Jim Jarmusch! Bulle Ogier!—this rough diamond of independent cinema gleams in a new restoration.