After wrapping up Haneke and Bresson, I make the next obvious choice: Russia’s most cryptically poetic, exhaustive, metaphysical, Malick-esque filmmaker. Yes, I am a glutton for punishment. Few directors are more fascinating, frustrating, and fulfilling—all at the same time. He’s the anti-Eisenstein of Russia. Slow, but with purpose. A master of mood, space, and time. Lets you breathe, think, and reassess. Challenging, but never forgettable.