6. Garden State
Pulling off one heck of a one man show by writing, directing and starring in his big screen debut, Zach Braff surprised everyone with this affecting cult favourite. Injecting life into a story well-trodden - disillusioned soul returns home to the family in the wake of a tragedy - Braff weaves a tale of redemption, teetering on the edge of remorse. As Andrew 'Large' Largeman, Braff is an almost silent narrator to this tale, blending into the story as much as he does into the background of one of the film's poster moments. Accompanied by a Natalie Portman well on her way to Oscar stardom, and Peter Sarsgaard as a morally iffy old pal, Garden State rises well above the ranks of flash in the pan festival pleaser through a canny soundtrack and visual flourishes that pique the interest (a climactic power zoom-out sticks in the mind) as much as the bleak drama plucks at the soul. Frustratingly, its taken Braff ten years and a Kickstarter campaign to his sophomoric effort, Wish I Was Here, onto the big screen.