Cinematheque: Premiere Showcase - Raul Ruiz

Adapted from an 18th century Portuguese novel, this elegant, globetrotting period piece is the most purely enthralling narrative of the year. Orbiting around a young orphan, the film wraps stories around and within each other, breezily traversing decades and continents to accommodate its ever-expanding cast. This being Ruiz, it is ultimately a film about storytelling—no less than seven narrators take the reins at one point or another and seemingly every character hides a secret identity.