Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman’s follow up to Being John Malkovich (1999), Adaptation is a brilliant meta-comedy, based on true events, about screenwriting, and Charlie Kaufman, played by Nicolas Cage, twice, written by Charlie Kaufman (and his brother Donald). When tasked with adapting a screenplay of Susan Orlean's (Meryl Streep) book The Orchid Thief, Charlie descends into a writer’s block spiral, unable to find a usable narrative in the material. Meanwhile, Charlie’s confident, extraverted twin Donald decides to become a screenwriter too, exhilarated by the seminars and writings of screenwriting guru Robert McKee. Too anxious to speak with Susan, Charlie enlists Donald’s help, and the two begin to uncover the truths behind her text.

Up there with Barton Fink (1991) as one of our favourite depictions of the inner turmoil of writing, Adaptation is a truly unique film that blends fact and fiction to deeply and hilariously examine the craft of screenwriting, its absurdities and its purpose. Nic Cage, who perfects Kaufman’s timid energy and sharply contrasts it with Donald’s room-filling presence, notes this as his most difficult role(s) to date, performing most takes twice to empty air, only to be seamlessly composited later.