‘Blind’ and ‘The Boy and the World’ among the underappreciated films of 2015

“Blind”: Eskil Vogt’s sly drama stars Ellen Dorrit Petersen as a woman who compensates for her recent loss of sight by spinning the sounds of her husband and neighbors into elaborate fantasies. Visually inventive and constantly surprising, “Blind” is a one-of-a-kind character study.

“The Boy and the World”: This hand-drawn fable follows an abandoned youngster on his trip from the dying countryside to the crowded city. Animator Alê Abreu shoots for an overall mood of ebullience, even as his rhythmic, vibrant film illustrates a society whose values are out of whack.

“The Duke of Burgundy”: Peter Strickland’s arty homage to 1970s Euro-smut isn’t really about sex so much as it’s about what happens in a long-term relationship when partners can’t get on the same page — in the bedroom or anywhere else. Strickland creates a world that looks and feels like an adult fairy tale.

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“Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem”: What should be a simple no-fault divorce drags out in the Israeli court system for years in Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz’s subtly savage film. “Gett” is unusually riveting, showing how hard it is for a woman in a paternalistic culture to get anyone to acknowledge her needs.

“Mistress America”: Two Noah Baumbach films came out in 2015 — the funny but sour “While We’re Young,” and this fast-paced, upbeat farce, co-written by Greta Gerwig, who also stars as a hyperactive, charismatic New Yorker. “Mistress America” is the one that’s going to endure, both for its snappy one-liners and its generosity of spirit.

More, please: “You-are-there” docs like “(T)error,” “The Look of Silence” and “Western,” which tackled complicated, controversial sociopolitical subjects by jumping in and looking for a story to tell, rather than standing back and pontificating.

No más: Improvisation. As indie projects stumble around in search of a plot and Hollywood comedies put too much faith in the on-the-spot inspirations of funny folks, it’s time to remember that, more often than not, narrative structure and well-written dialogue aren’t expendable.