
Zola Jesus’s Top10
Zola Jesus, née Nika Roza Danilova, is an internationally celebrated crafter of haunting electronic pop. She has released five LPs and a series of EPs. Her Criterion selections reflect her love for science fiction and the surreal. Her newest album, Okovi, was released on September 8, 2017, through Sacred Bones.
Photo by Timothy Saccenti
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Pitfall
Hiroshi Teshigahara
The Teshigahara box set is so invaluable to my collection. Those three films have taught me so much about the power of collaboration. In tandem with Kobo Abe, Toru Takemitsu, and Toshi Ichiyanagi, Teshigahara was able to manifest three very disparate yet cohesive worlds. I was most surprised by Pitfall, which I find to be more overlooked than the other two films (Woman in the Dunes and The Face of Another). The existential desolation of this film is all-consuming.
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7
Man Bites Dog
Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, and Benoit Poelvoorde
The reality TV–esque approach of this movie is so prescient. In recent times we have seen so many people use the media to glorify violence and murder. This movie feels like black comedy, but really it’s a deep commentary about the sensationalism of evil.
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8
Eraserhead
David Lynch
Hands down the most important movie to have ever come into my life. This was the gateway to discovering a whole new world of art and cinema. I’ll never forget the first time I watched this movie as a teenager, on a Korean bootleg. It felt like watching something I wasn’t supposed to see. Imbued with a voyeuristic curiosity and nightmarish perversion. It changed me, and what I expect out of art.