Mystery Train (1989)

In one of his most beloved efforts, revered indie auteur Jim Jarmusch rides the Mystery Train (1989) in Elvis Presley’s Memphis. As the film begins, star-struck Japanese teens Jun (Masatoshi Nagase) and Mitsuko (Youki Kudoh) trace the footsteps of Carl Perkins’s blue suede shoes, eventually checking into a quirky hotel where Screamin’ Jay Hawkins mans the desk. During the course of their Memphis holiday, the teens make the acquaintance of a cast of quirky characters, including a British punk (Joe Strummer), a gunshot victim (Steve Buscemi), and a weary widow (Nicoletta Braschi). Deadpan and wise, Jarmusch’s film is also occasionally titillating, as Kudoh gets hot and heavy on two separate occasions.