In this taut 1957 drama from Sidney Lumet, 12 jurors determine the fate of a suspected murderer. What starts as an open-and-shut case becomes something far more complex, as a lone holdout convinces the others that the defendant might not be guilty after all. As the debate unfolds, each juror's own respective prejudices bubble to the surface, with all the action taking place inside the jury room. In 2007, the film was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Based on the 1853 memoir by (film article link)Solomon Northup, this 2013 drama tells the true story of a free Black man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) from the North who's abducted and sold into slavery down South. Over the following 12 years, Northup and his peers suffer unspeakable torment and abuse at the hands of a sadistic enslaver (Michael Fassbender). The gripping film won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Lupita Nyong'o also had her breakthrough performance in the period drama, winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Directed by French filmmaker Claire Denis, "35 Shots of Rum" was inspired by the Japanese film "Late Spring." Originally called "35 Rhums," the movie follows the relationship between a father-daughter duo and their neighbor.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days propelled Romanian director Cristian Mungiu to international prominence, as his movie won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film takes place in 1987, as roommates Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Găbița (Laura Vasiliu) attempt to secure an illegal abortion for Găbița under a restrictive Romanian dictatorship. Although it was (film article link)shut out of the Academy Awards, Mungiu's film remains an unfortunately timely portrayal of women fighting for bodily autonomy against the backdrop of fascism.

True to its name, this 2015 drama centers on a couple who have been married for 45 years. As they plan to celebrate their upcoming anniversary, the husband (Tom Courtenay) gets word his first love—who disappeared decades ago—has been found dead in a melting glacier. The news has a discernible effect on the husband and causes him to act strangely, which consequently prompts his wife (Charlotte Rampling) to re-examine the man she thought she knew so well.

At the height of his career, an Italian filmmaker finds himself in a creative slump while trying to make a new movie, and he decides to get away at a luxurious resort. There, he seeks refuge in his fantastical thoughts of past loves and childhood but finds that the troubles of his reality are not far behind him. A co-production between Italy and France, the avant-garde comedy-drama was nominated for five Academy Awards in 1964, taking home Best Foreign Language Film and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.

Edward Yang is a quintessential director of the Taiwanese New Wave cinema movement known for its stylistic innovations and political content specific to Tawainese identity and history. "A Brighter Summer Day," set in 1960s Taiwan and based on a true event, follows a teenage boy caught up in gang life who murders his girlfriend. Yang's captivating realist style uses long takes to create a mesmerizing and affective tragedy.

The Beatles made their film debut in this 1964 musical comedy. The audience gets a feel for Beatle-mania as we follow the band through a fictional day in the life of the musicians.

This co-production between France and Italy takes the familiar prison drama and its intrigue to new heights. A young French Algerian, Malik (Tahar Rahim), who can neither read nor write, gets a six-year sentence and finds himself embroiled between rival convict factions. Malik is soon pulled into the Corsican mob in charge and rises in their ranks.

In "A Separation," moral quandaries and family strife arise when a middle-class Iranian couple separates, but husband Nader (Payman Moaadi) refuses to leave Tehran on account of his father, who has Alzheimer's disease. Meanwhile, his wife Simin (Leila Hatami) sues for divorce in hopes of taking their young daughter abroad, and an incident involving the father's caretaker places the whole family's delicate balance in jeopardy. "A Separation" became the first Iranian film to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

A renowned play by Tennessee Williams leaped onto the big screen in 1951, with Elia Kazan helming, and Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh tackling the respective lead roles. In the film, a troubled woman named Blanche DuBois (Leigh) moves in with her sister Stella (Kim Hunter), only to find herself at odds with Stella's brutish husband, Stanley (Brando). This is one of only two films in history to win three Academy Awards for acting. Additionally, the blockbuster, which banked an estimated $4.25 million at the box office, also garnered Brando his fourth consecutive Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

A man who has recently graduated from university heads to the beaches in Bretagne for a three-week vacation. After his girlfriend declines his invitation, he meets another woman who sparks his interest. He must decide between his new love interest and his former flame. (film article link)Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turansaid the movie was "unhurried and gently amusing." Originally released in the U.S. in 1996, the newly restored film made its American debut in the summer of 2014.

Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) experiences an absurd night as he makes his way through SoHo after meeting Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) in a New York cafe. Martin Scorsese directed this black comedy that (film article link)critics liked but wasn't an instant audience favorite.

Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda's sublime, mystical film centers on the afterlife, exploring the experiences of 22 newly arrived people who are asked to choose their most precious memory so it can be filmed before they move into the next realm. The film is a meditation on both the power of memory and the cinematic possibilities for capturing its essence.

The sparring between warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the Alien spawned a franchise that included three sequels, two crossover films, and three prequels. (film article link)"Alien: Awakening" is a long-gestating follow-up prequel. The otherworldly genesis tale—and all its associated hijinks—has all the ingredients for a riveting, sci-fi action saga. In 2002, the movie was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

In this 1950 drama, an obsessive actress (Anne Baxter) climbs her way to the top of a theater company by ruthlessly manipulating her supposed idol (Bette Davis). Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, "All About Eve" cynically—albeit accurately—portrays show business as a cruel and unforgiving industry, especially to actresses of a certain age. The film was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six of them, which ties it with "Titanic" and "La La Land" for the most Oscar nominations in Hollywood history. "All About Eve" became one of the first 50 movies chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Almost Famous is based on the true story of director Cameron Crowe's experience working as aarticle link)teenage writer for Rolling Stone. This coming-of-age film is set in the 1970s as a young journalist goes on tour with a famous rock band.

The performance of Aretha Franklin recording a gospel album was shot over two days in 1972 at the New Bethel Baptist Church in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Because (film article link)director Sydney Pollack failed to use clapper boards to synchronize the film's video and audio, the footage originally could not be used. It was not until many years later that Alan Elliott found a way to sync the film and the sound. Appearing briefly are Rolling Stones' musicians Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts who stopped by to hear Franklin sing.

Set during the summer in the early '60s, four teenagers experience their last night before heading to college. The film features a young Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, and Suzanne Somers. Directed and co-written by George Lucas and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, this 1973 classic was voted one of the American Film Institute's (film article link)top 100 films of all time.

American Hustle follows the story of con artists who take part in an FBI sting operation. Starring powerhouse actors Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jennifer Lawrence, this film became known for its flashy, late-1970s style and brilliant moments of comedy. Interestingly,article link)its plot is loosely based on a true story.

This biographical comedy-drama is about Harvey Pekar, the author of the "American Splendor" comic book series for which the film is named. Paul Giamatti plays Pekar, who chronicled his life as a hospital file clerk in Ohio in his comic books. The film mixes scenes that show the real-life Pekar, who died in 2010.

Controversial director Michael Haneke puts a couple's decades-long marriage to the test in this slow-moving, intricate work. Specifically, the movie centers on a pair of retired school teachers, whose loving marriage is manifested by a series of daily rituals. After the wife suffers a massive stroke, her condition deteriorates to the point that she's no longer recognizable as the person she once was. Consequently, the husband must struggle with a range of emotions while acting as her loyal caretaker.

In Tokyo, a newly widowed husband and father must balance his relationships with his three children: his eldest, who is married; his middle child, who feels obligated to care for him; and a younger son. Ultimately, the father feels his middle child should not need to spend her life caring for him, and he sets out to arrange a marriage for her. "An Autumn Afternoon" was director Yasujirô Ozu's last film, and he died the following year on his 60th birthday.

Otto Preminger's epic courtroom drama follows lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) as he tries to clear Army Lt. Manion (Ben Gazzara) for the murder of an innkeeper Manion's wife (Lee Remick) said raped her. In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The film is based on the 1958 book by the same name, written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker (pen name: Robert Traver), which is a fictionalized account of the real-life trial.

This film follows neurotic New Yorker Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) as he falls in love and navigates a relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). Written and directed by Allen, the film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor.

Charlie Kaufman uses puppets and stop-motion animation to portray an aging motivational speaker as he tries to connect with others. He finally makes a friend when he meets Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The film taps into "an existential loneliness most films can only hint at," according to (film article link)NPR's Bob Mondello.

Putting a surrealist spin on a classic Joseph Conrad novel, this 1979 film takes place during the Vietnam War and sends Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen) into the deepest regions of the Cambodian jungle. His mission? To find and assassinate a crazed colonel named Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who's become the overlord to a jungle tribe. To get the film made, director Francis Ford Coppola put up several million dollars of his own money and underwent all sorts of medical trauma during the shoot. The effort paid off, as the movie endures as a genuine masterpiece. The original was nominated for eight Academy Awards at the 52nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. What's more, decades after its initial release, Coppola rolled out an expanded version, also known as "Apocalypse Now Redux."

Army of Shadows presents a bleak, unromanticized depiction of the French Resistance during World War II. Lino Ventura stars as Resistance member Philipipe Gerbier, who finds himself in a torturous Nazi prison camp after an informant betrays him. Based on Joseph Kessel's 1943 book of the same name, "Army of Shadows" wasn't originally hailed as the great war film it is today. This is because it was released soon after the unrest of May 1968 and the French government felt it seemingly glorified controversial political figure Charles de Gaulle.

Starring Inuit actors, this film revamps an ancient legend. It follows a young man who falls in love with a woman betrothed to the tribal chief's son. The movie became known for its riveting scenes in the Arctic.

(film article link)Partially inspired by a passage from Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "The Idiot," this meditative film follows Balthazar, the beloved pet donkey of young farm girl Marie (Anne Wiazemsky). When the two are separated, their lives mirror each other in curious ways, as they endure cruelty from others and search for small moments of beauty and peace. Director Jean-Luc Godard famously described "Au hasard Balthazar" as "the world in an hour and a half," noting its empathetic, elliptical tale about the relentless cycle of life.

Director Robert Zemeckis introduced audiences to Michael J. Fox in this first installment of the "Back to the Future" series. Marty McFly is a high school student whose eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) accidentally sends him 30 years into the past through a time-traveling DeLorean. Stuck in 1955, McFly must be careful to prevent changes to his present. A (film article link)Vox critic claimed the film was "the most perfect blockbuster ever made."

Band of Outsiders follows two young men who enlist Odile (Anna Karina) in a hapless robbery. Lead actor Anna Karina was married to director Jean-Luc Godard during the production of this iconic French New Wave-style film, and it shows with multiple shots featuring his muse.

This silent Soviet film takes place during the Russian Revolution of 1905, as the crew of the battleship Potemkin rebel against their tyrannical officers. In the most recent Sight & Sound critics poll, "Battleship Potemkin" ranked #11 in its list of the top 100 films of all time. Many influential directors, such as Orson Welles and Michael Mann, have also cited it as one of their favorite movies.

The 2017 live-action (film article link)remake of "Beauty and the Beast" might have raked in a large sum at the box office, but it's the 1991 animated version that holds up as a bona fide work of art. Released by Disney amid a major comeback, the film tells a tale as old as time. It's about a young prince who's doomed to exist as a beast unless he can earn the love of his captive and thereby reverse the spell. It's a charming movie, provided one doesn't think too hard about the somewhat disturbing implications. The film made history when it became the first animated film to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards.

Richard Linklater's heralded "Before" Trilogy began in 1995 with "Before Sunrise," and culminated with this 2013 effort. After dallying with romance during their previous encounters, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) have finally tied the knot, and by the time "Before Midnight" begins, they're going on nine years of marriage. As they and their two daughters vacation in Greece, however, cracks begin to show in the relationship, forcing the couple to once again evaluate a range of emotions and ideas.

Before Sunset is part of the Before trilogy, which includes 1995's "Before Sunrise" and 2013's "Before Midnight." All three films star Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. "Before Sunset" follows an afternoon spent by lovers reuniting nine years after their first meeting in Paris.

Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is an unemployed puppeteer who takes a job as a file clerk. When Craig finds a portal that leads inside the head of actor John Malkovich, he beings to explore what it's like to be the actor. Director Spike Jonze paired up with writer Charlie Kaufman to produce this original and sometimes outlandish film.

Michael Keaton made his comeback in this dark comedy. Writer-director Alejandro González Iñárritu tells the story of an actor (Keaton) famous for playing a superhero, who is preparing for the premiere of his new Broadway play. Emma Stone, Edward Norton, and Zach Galifianakis also appear in the film. It took home four Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Motion Picture.

Before joining the Bourne franchise, British director Paul Greengrass crafted this gripping dramatization of the Bloody Sunday massacre. At the height of political unrest, British soldiersarticle link)killed or injured a reported 28 unarmed Irish protestors in 1972. It won (film article link)two prizes at the Berlin Film Festival, including the Golden Bear (in a tie with "Spirited Away").

Adapted from a graphic novel, "Blue is the Warmest Colour" explores the relationship between two French teenagers, a shy high schooler and an art student with blue hair. The film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, though it was surrounded by controversy during its release. Lead actors Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos (film article link)reported grueling and abusive set conditions, and director Abdellatif Kechiche was (film article link)criticized for objectifying female bodies and sexuality.

Largely unscripted, "Borat" follows a Kahzakhstani journalist (Sacha Baron Cohen) as he travels through the U.S., filming a documentary composed of interactions with real-life American citizens. Critics and audiences alike generally loved the film, praising its blunt humor and ingenious critiques of American culture. However, its cringy nature and the ineptitudes it revealed led some to sue the creators and many Middle Eastern countries to ban the film entirely.

A film quite unlike any other, 2014's "Boyhood" chronicles the life of its protagonist, Mason (Ellar Coltrane), over the course of 12 years. What truly distinguishes the work, however, is the fact that director Richard Linklater actually took 12 years to make it, meaning Mason's development authentically unfolds before viewers' eyes. Like so many Linklater films, this one relies on the humanistic strength of its characters to get its point across, as opposed to adhering to a strict narrative. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke co-star. The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning Best Supporting Actress for Arquette.

A group of young men adjust to life after high school. Dennis Christopher plays Dave, a cycling enthusiast who wants to become a world champion. After meeting the Italian racing team, he and his friends (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley) decide to challenge some college boys in the town's annual bike race. The film won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.

When it was first released, critics panned (film article link)this screwball comedy starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Hepburn plays a mad-cap heiress whereas Grant is an absent-minded professor who needs $1 million to finish constructing a brontosaurus skeleton. The movie is a treasure trove of gags, physical antics, and double entendres.

Unfolding at a purposefully gradual pace, this South Korean mystery centers on an aspiring novelist named Lee Jong-su. When his young female friend goes missing, Jong-su begins to suspect foul play. Entangled in the subsequent investigation are themes of psychological torment and class divide.

This lush film set over a summer in Italy dives into the story of an American teenager (Timothée Chalamet) who has a sexual awakening when his family hosts an older graduate student named Oliver (Armie Hammer). Based on a novel of the same name, the gay romance film is known for a few shocking moments, as well as a haunting final scene with music from Sufjan Stevens. A sequel is (film article link)reportedly in talks.

Melissa McCarthy plays Lee Israel, a lonely and broke writer who realizes she can make ends meet by forging handwritten letters of famous playwrights and authors and tangles up a good friend in her fraud. The film is based on the (film article link)real-life story of Israel, a New York writer who forged letters by Noel Coward, Fanny Brice, and Dorothy Parker in the early 1990s. Caught by the FBI, she was sentenced to house arrest and probation. She died in 2014.

Based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith, this quiet film from Todd Haynes stars Cate Blanchett as Carol, a gay housewife trapped in a loveless marriage. After sparks fly between her and a young woman (Rooney Mara), the two find themselves breaking free from the conventions of their time. Kyle Chandler and Sarah Paulson co-star.

This 1942 masterwork takes place in the Moroccan town of Casablanca, where jaded nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) helps refugees flee to America to evade Nazi capture. After Blaine's former flame (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband shows up seeking his help, he finds himself entering a world of trouble.

Celine and Julie Go Boating, tells the magical, mind-bending story of two young French women who find themselves unwittingly thrust into an alternate reality. Dubbed "one of the all-time great hangout comedies" by (film article link)The Criterion Collection, the topsy-turvy film is a perfect example of French New Wave cinema.