Kin-dza-dza! (1986)

Why It's in the Collection

Two regular guys on a Moscow street try to help a delusional man only to wind up stranded on an alien planet where the civilization is organized around whether you get to wear the yellow pants (or have to put a bell in your nose). About half the dialogue was improvised on set, which is either insane or genius. Maybe both (definitely both).

It was made in 1986 in the Soviet Union. A time when the government micromanaged every aspect of cinema and somehow greenlit this wild satire of social hierarchy. The bells, the bowing, the color-coded pants, the scramble for status on a planet with nothing left to scramble for, all adds up to something you won’t forget. You will find yourself thinking about patsaks and tchat­lans in meetings, at dinner, anywhere people are quietly sorting themselves by invisible rules. You will also, almost certainly, be considering a Halloween costume.