Terrence Malick 's '' The Tree of Life '' ( 2011 ) was released after decades of development and won the Palme d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival ; it was highly praised by critics . At the Avon Theater in Stamford , Connecticut , a message was posted about the theater 's no-refund policy due to " some customer feedback and a polarized audience response " to the film . The theater stated that it " stands behind this ambitious work of art and other challenging films " . '' Drive '' ( 2011 ) , directed by Nicolas Winding Refn , is commonly called an arthouse action film . Also in 2011 , director Lars von Trier released '' Melancholia '' , a movie dealing with depression and other mental disorders while also showing a family 's reaction to an approaching planet that could collide with the Earth . The movie was well received , some claiming it to be Von Trier 's masterpiece with others highlighting Kirsten Dunst 's performance , the visuals , and realism depicted in the movie
2011 Cannes Film Festival
2011 Cannes Film Festival
Art film