(Tsui Hark, 1986, Hong Kong, 104 minutes)

Described by the Village Voice as a movie that “out-Spielbergs Spielberg” and cited by Quentin Tarantino as one of the greatest films ever made, Tsui Hark’s Peking Opera Blues remains criminally underseen in the West. Set in 1920s Beijing and focusing on a trio of women prone to falling into adventure—chief among whom is General’s daughter Tsao Wan, played by Brigitte Lin of Chungking Express in one of her many cross-dressing roles.

In Cantonese with English subtitles.