Cosmos

Cosmos (2015) is the final film of Polish director Andrzej Żuławski, a metaphysical black comedy you can watch online on iFILM. Witold has flunked his law exams; Fuchs has walked out of a Paris job. The pair retreat to a guesthouse in the Portuguese countryside.

Rest quickly curdles into obsession. A dead sparrow dangles from a string in the woods, odd marks point along a wall, and the household — servants and guests alike — behaves as if everyone shares a secret. Witold reads patterns into coincidence while losing his head over the architect's young wife. Whether any of it means something or it's just two idle minds inventing a mystery, the film flatly refuses to say.

Loosely adapted from Witold Gombrowicz's novel, Cosmos took the directing prize at Locarno shortly before Żuławski died. It's talky, jittery and deliberately uncomfortable — a treat for viewers who relish a cinematic puzzle with no tidy answer, and a slog for anyone after a straight plot. Stream Cosmos online on iFILM.