Almayer's Folly (La folie Almayer)

A European trader's dreams of striking it rich in Malaysia have faded, and all he has is his ruptured relationship with his half-Malay daughter; Akerman reimagines the story, including the daughter's and mother's viewpoints. From the startling opening sequence-the stabbing of an entertainer at an outdoor music bar while Dean Martin's "Sway" plays-the film unfolds with trancelike power. Beautifully photographed in thick jungle terrain, Almayer's Folly synthesizes the long-take formalism of Akerman's earlier work with the spontaneity and freedom of her documentaries; it is as much influenced by F.W. Murnau and Robert Flaherty's Tabu as it is by Conrad.