Cinema: A Quartet of Cult Objects

They open in small theaters, with little publicity, to mixed reviews. The actors are little known, the subject matter is eccentric, the tone intimate. Sometimes, though, movies can elude their death warrants and flourish into cult objects through doggedness and word of mouth. They acquire "legs"-- staying power. Herewith, reports on four small films with long, strong legs.

THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY

One peaceful day in Botswana's Kalahari desert, where the Bushmen live, a Coca-Cola bottle fell from the sky. It must, they thought, be a gift from the gods. But this glass icon brought with it the compulsions of...