Here's another movie involving strangers in France. But the gifted director Claire Denis (Beau Travail) turns it into a mesmerizing erotic odyssey. Laure (Valerie Lemercier) is stuck in a Paris traffic jam. She gives a ride to Jean (Vincent Lindon). The attraction is immediate. They separate, find each other again and end up in a hotel, where Denis explores their bodies with a curiosity that skirts porn to find a bittersweet truth. The result is uniquely seductive.

“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”