Original Post
There's probably just as many rarities that have gone unnoticed as there are top-level block-busters (counting only those that gross in the positive). These titles stay rarities mostly because they don't get enough promotion (which is usually because of their low budget); oftentimes a film doesn't break into the mainstream because of its unorthodox structure or universe of the script. I love exactly those kinds of films above all. A good example of a rarity title breaking through is Saw (the film had a tight budget, probably most of which was invested in getting Danny Glover), but the freshness of the approach picked the lock to the big industry. I'm not nominating Saw in my list for matters of taste, though. Just rarities Primer (2004) - my advice is to see the film and then (not before) view the Box Office & Business section on IMDb. Also, my advice is to read absolutely nothing about the film before seeing it, then see it and not stop - even if you may become bored or confused (no, really - you will become confused) before the credits roll. Idoterne (1998) - if you're looking for a prime work of art in dogma, then Idioterne is probably the one exemplary title to name - it covers all the nooks and crannies of the genre and boasts zero censorship unlike von Trier's later works with Dogville in the lead. Lilja 4-Ever (2002) - if there's a film to rival Requiem For A Dream's onslaught of mental anguish, then this is it. Moodysson (Swe), the director, doesn't speak a word of Russian, so the film had to be shot with total dependence on on-set translators (the main character - Oksana Akinshina - is the Russian equivalent of what Elijah Wood used to be in terms of becoming a promising A-class actress). Dark Star (1974) - John Carpenter's student film, which almost made me fall asleep twenty times before the end, but eventually made up for all the amateurishness (even the inflatable-ball-for-an-alien) with the final few scenes. 2001: A Space Odyssey was inspired by this, btw. Hollywood rarities: After Hours (1985) - in my opinion, easily Scorsese's best flick gone largely unnoticed for some reason - possibly because of the creative and financial depression the director was in at the time. The Conversation (1974) - went relatively unnoticed as a wedge between the Godfather films' overshadow; a perfect example of character analysis with the excellent 70s touch. Pay very close attentition to the movement of the camera in the closing shot. Now post your nominees. edit: edited out misleading/badly phrased parts
