10) The Duke of Burgundy
Peter Strickland should be a way bigger deal than he is. The man is an innovative and original cinematic force, creating brilliant and cine-literate pieces of art that deserve a much wider viewership than they garner. Strickland’s follow up to 2012’s eerily magnificent Berberian Sound Studio is equal parts sensual and darkly hilarious – a bold analysis of a lesbian sub-dom relationship in a timeless and placeless patch of European picturesqueness.
Beautifully shot, oddly touching, infinitely fascinating and with nary a male speaking role in sight, The Duke of Burgundy officially cements Strickland as a man at the forefront of independent cinema. His nuanced analyses of the limitations of sexuality make for a spell-binding watch, rendering the film’s dialogue-heavy 100 minute runtime a delightful breeze, alternately swooning and swirling in a kaleidoscopic drama of private mannerisms.