89. KINGS AND QUEEN
 
France
dir. Arnaud Desplechin
world premiere 2004
U.S. release 2005
 

 
Because Desplechin persists in stretching character, incident, backstory, and velocity until his movies feel like eight-course novels, but the swooning soundtracks, nimble performances, and heightened style make clear that he doesn't want cinema to be literature, he wants it to be cinema.