I saw this growing up when I was teaching myself how to make videos, and it has had a profound effect on me ever since. It was one of those films that just came along at the right time to get made and right time in my life where I was young and impressionable and trying to understand what kind of films I like.

The film’s confidence and attitude to just say f*ck it this is what we’re doing and you’re going to go along with it is still awe-inspiring.

I came across this film while working at a video store in my first year studying film at art school. It was also a formidable time for me. Taking inspiration from paintings rather than other films, his works become living paintings. But beyond the visual acuity, there is something intensely dark and torturous under the surface of his films. The heavy shadow these pathetic characters carry is counterbalanced with just as equally heavy hitting comedy. That tonal balance is masterful.

Easily one of the best horror films in a decade known for horror films. All of Andrzej Żuławski’s films are worth watching but this film’s magnetism is the decent-into-hell performance from Isabelle Adjani. Unfortunately, like Kubrick, Zulawki used manipulative tactics to elicit the disturbed performance from Adjani which caused her psychological damage in the years after. While I believe this approach to directing is deeply flawed and f*cked up, I do believe Adjani’s performance is worth watching for everything that she had to endure.

This is not necessarily a favorite of all time but one of my favorites from last year. It’s wild that ‘Birdman’ could win best picture and this couldn’t even pick up a nomination. The story of a filmmaker caught between the two countries he’s from – both of whom reject his need to identify with them. This is like Iñárritu’s ‘Tree of Life’ and while some see it as pretentious you can’t deny the vulnerability and the deeply personal feelings he’s working through in this film. He’s a true artist.

It’s an iconic video that I return to at least once a year. Disturbingly always relevant. This is the kind of music video that really shows you what the artform can be elevated to.

Is this a music video? What the hell is this? You can’t define it and that’s why I love it so much. Completely uncanny and yet you buy into every frame of this thing… whatever the hell this Johnny is. You believe it has a story and pain with very little information to go on. Chris Cunningham come back!?

This melted my mind when I first saw it. The flawless execution of a technique that conceptually motivates a narrative really lingered with me. That approach of marrying technique with narrative has stuck with me to this day and I blame this video for part of that.

One of the best worst videos I have watched probably more than any music video.

Dumb criminals. What’s honestly more fun to watch on screen? I love the conceptual framework here. The fact that this can only function in the exact format it’s present in.