64. THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA
 
United States
dir. Tommy Lee Jones
world premiere 2005
U.S. release 2005
 

 
Because Arriaga's möbius scripts passed from sensation to cliché over the decade, but here he was at his most rigorous and resonant. Jones, in his helming debut, built more than an ideal performance venue; he took a starker, wittier, smarter look at his country than many veteran filmmakers even attempted.