Finnish writer-director Aki Kaurismaki may not exactly be a household name in the U.S. — his most famous film on this side of the Atlantic is still 1989's Leningrad Cowboys Go America — but they sure do love him at Cannes. Last year, Kaurismaki picked up his fourth career award from the judges at the prestigious film festival, this time for the modest charmer Le Havre. Set in the titular port city in France, the film focuses on the relationship between an African refugee, a young boy named Idrissa (Blondin Miguel), and a kindly shoe-shiner, an elderly man named Marcel (Andre Wilms). As the authorities search for Idrissa with the intent of deporting him, Marcel rallies his friends and neighbors to help him protect the boy from an unfeeling bureaucracy.

Matt Brunson

Price: $7