30 DAYS OF CINEMA

Instincts both maternal and carnal clatter like shards of glass in a blender in this uncompromising portrait of a woman on the edge from director Lynne Ramsay. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson in a frenzied pas de deux, Die My Love inflames the exposed nerves of delirium and desire.

Iconic auteur Jim Jarmusch’s acclaimed return to anthology filmmaking abounds with wryly resonant observations on the family unit. Sketching finely detailed portraits with its starry ensemble cast (including a gloriously rumpled Tom Waits), this offbeat triptych finds universals in idiosyncrasies.

Directors Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson skewer the clout-chasing music video scene with absurd candor, casting loved ones and colleagues in an inventive doppelgänger docufiction. Depicting contemporary LA with cringe-inducing accuracy, this improvisatory industry satire hits home—literally.

Jonathan Demme’s off-kilter comedy turns the cliché of the philandering husband inside out to celebrate the thrill of broken rules and skirted responsibilities. Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith sizzle as the dynamic duo at the heart of this groovy escapade, doing their best to outrun the past.

From Dutch provocateur turned Hollywood maverick Paul Verhoeven, this glitter-blasted satire of American materialism owes as much to the melodramas of Douglas Sirk as it does the showbiz classic All About Eve. Widely misunderstood in its day, Showgirls is a luridly entertaining icon of ’90s kitsch.

With typically deadpan poise, Vitaly Mansky takes an unprecedented peek behind the curtain of North Korean totalitarianism in this breathtaking exposé. Sneaking unapproved footage past their government minders, the filmmakers capture vanishingly rare evidence of a meticulously stage-managed society.