Providence

Providence almost defies description. It is the most recent film and the first in English, by established french director Alain Resnais, whose Last Year in Marienbad (1961) is widely considered to be one of the greats of all time. With a screenplay by English playwright David Mercer, and shining performances from John Gielgud, Dirk Bogarde, Ellen Burstyn, David Warner and Elaine Strich, Providence dazzles with its verbal and visual wit, style, and labyrinthine, crisply paced, and brilliant plot. Like the classic Citizen Kane (whose opening it echoes), it scatters the pieces of a jigsaw in front of an audience, and then goes on to fit it all together, to disturbing effect. Don't miss it.