This 1928 expressionist masterpiece is loosely based on the salacious true crime story of Ruth Snyder, an unhappily married woman executed for murdering her husband with the help of her lover. This dark ensemble-driven drama focuses of the plight of a young woman caught up in the cogs of societal repression, patriarchy, and dependence, yearning for freedom on her own terms (at any costs). This dream-like abstract gem feels as uncannily prescient and relatable as it did at its premiere, just a few months after Snyder’s execution.