Vagabond

1985

In the south of France one winter, a young woman, Mona (Sandrine Bonnaire), is found frozen to death in a ditch. Through flashbacks and interviews, writer-director Agnes Varda paints a fractured portrait of Mona's final weeks as she camps alone and falls in with various men and women, many of whom try to give her life direction. Others do not have her best interests at heart, as they project their own needs and problems onto her.

3.4 Average Rating

Encounter Point

2006

As violence continues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, some of those touched by the bloodshed become advocates for peace. This documentary introduces citizens on both sides for whom an end to conflict has become a personal crusade. Family members of slain Palestinians and Israelis, both military and civilian, share their stories and how they've turned their grief into a force for change in the region.

3.4 Average Rating

Unveiled

2005

After the Iranian authorities threaten to prosecute her for loving a woman, Fariba (Jasmin Tabatabai) assumes a dead man's identity in order to survive. Denied asylum in Germany, Fariba is locked in a detainment center, where her male cellmate commits suicide -- and she spies a window of opportunity. Assuming his identity, she takes a job in a small country village, where she struggles to keep her secret from a well-meaning female friend.

3.4 Average Rating

Black Butterflies

2011

This passionate biopic profiles South African poet Ingrid Jonker, whose exuberant nature is destroyed by her repeated betrayals of her supportive lover and her complex relationship with her disapproving father, the minister of censorship.

3.4 Average Rating

Le Bonheur

1965

When François (Jean-Claude Drouot) falls for a beautiful young telephone operator (Marie-France Boyer) despite remaining deeply in love with his wife, Therese (Claire Drouot), he attempts to buck convention by openly committing to both women. Directed by cinematic pioneer Agnès Varda, this thought-provoking film challenges the nature of monogamy and examines the limits of love and commitment.

3.4 Average Rating

Caramel

2007

A Lebanese beauty salon is the setting for this romantic comedy about five women and the various troubles they face, with director Nadine Labaki leading the cast as the shop's owner, Layale, who's heartbroken from a foundering affair.

3.4 Average Rating

Avenue Montaigne

2007

Spirited young Jessica (Cécile De France), newly arrived in Paris from the provinces, lands a job as a waitress at a café, where the eccentric customers need her for counsel more than coffee in this charming French comedy. Among the regulars, art collector Jacques (Claude Brasseur) anguishes over his collection; TV star Catherine (Valérie Lemercier) longs to be in movies; and pianist Jean François (Albert Dupontel) wants to be left alone.

3.4 Average Rating

In the Mirror of Maya Deren

2002

Director Martina Kudlacek gives motion picture pioneer Maya Deren her just due in this fascinating documentary, establishing her superlative contributions to film editing, cinematography and art. In the 1940s, dancer-writer Deren made her mark in the film world with her groundbreaking avant-garde movies. This biographical portrait is a must-see for film buffs looking to expand their cinematic knowledge.

3.4 Average Rating

Olympia

1938

On the heels of her propaganda film, Triumph of the Will, German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl chronicled the 1936 Olympics with this stellar, poetic sports documentary which captures the games in Berlin, including Jesse Owens's history-making victory. The thrill of the games, the beauty and power of the athletes, Riefenstahl's groundbreaking camera techniques and an evocative soundtrack make this one of the best sports documentaries ever made.

3.4 Average Rating

The Ascent

1977

Acclaimed Soviet film director Larisa Shepitko offers the rigorous and surprisingly spiritual story of two Russian World War II partisans isolated from their comrades deep in the woods, trying desperately to avoid capture by Nazi forces. The tense drama also explores the landscape of the human soul and its capacity for loyalty and betrayal, themes masterfully culminated in the film's final scenes. Boris Plotnikov and Vladimir Gostyukhin star.

3.4 Average Rating

Of Love and Other Demons

2009

Sierva María (Eliza Triana), the 13-year old daughter of nobles, finds her life turned upside down when she's bitten by a rabid dog, and afterward is believed to be under the spell of demons, in this tale of forbidden love during the Spanish Inquisition. When it's decided that Sierva must submit to an exorcism, young priest Cayetano Delaura (Pablo Derqui) is assigned the task, but ultimately he finds himself possessed by Sierva's stirring sexuality.

3.4 Average Rating

Peepli Live

2010

When indigent farmers Natha (Omkar Das) and Budhia (Raghuvir Yadav) stand to lose their land over a loan they can't repay, a government official comes up with a modest proposal: Commit suicide and collect a subsidy that's paid to the relatives of deceased farmers. As Natha weighs his options, a journalist learns of his predicament and the media circus begins. Anusha Rizvi directs this satirical take on a real-life crisis afflicting India's underclass.

3.4 Average Rating

Night and Fog

2009

In the wake of a brutal murder-suicide of a family in the projects of outer Hong Kong, police interviews gradually reveal the story of battered wife Wong Hiu-ling (Jingchu Zhang) and her explosive but charismatic husband, Lee Sam (Simon Yam). The accounts of a shy neighbor, a women's shelter resident and others paint a gripping portrait of the abusive relationship in director Ann Hui's low-budget social drama.

3.3 Average Rating

María la del Barrio

1995

Mexican-American singing and acting sensation Thalía stars in this popular telenovela as the titular María, a 15-year-old orphan whose luck is forever changed when she's taken in by the wealthy Don Fernando de la Vega (Ricardo Blume). But her journey from rags to riches is hardly an easy ride given the icy reception she receives from Don Fernando's wife (Irán Eory) and jealous niece (Itatí Cantoral).

3.3 Average Rating

The Anarchist's Wife

2008

With her young anarchist husband, Justo Calderón (Juan Diego Botto), gone for long stretches of time, first resisting the fascists in the Spanish Civil War and then in a concentration camp during World War II, devoted wife Manuela (María Valverde) struggles to keep their love alive. Her determined efforts to reunite with her husband give Manuela purpose, but their long-distance love comes at a price. Marie Noelle and Peter Sehr direct this drama.

3.3 Average Rating

The Betrayal

2008

During the Vietnam War, the United States performed secret operations in Laos, which led to much destruction in that country. After the war, the fallout of U.S. foreign policy remained, forcing Thavisouk Phrasavath and his family to flee the country. This documentary -- more than 20 years in the making -- follows Phrasavath's journey from war-torn Laos to his painful reunion with his family in Brooklyn years later, and netted an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary.

3.3 Average Rating