The first few seconds of Spike Jonze’s new advert for Kenzo perfume lull you: a beautiful woman, bored in a black-tie world; just what you might expect from a glossy fashion ad. But then she sneaks out, into an empty hall – and then we’re off into the deep end of one of the most engaging ads we have had this year.

Margaret Qualley (Jill in The Leftovers) takes centre stage, a spiritual successor to Christopher Walken’s freaky dancer in Jonze’s video for Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim. Her hair’s out of place, there’s a cheeky glint in her eye and then, to the sound of Mutant Brain by Ape Drums (featuring Sam Spiegel and Assassin), she throws herself through the rest of the ad. It’s a riotous dance, choreographed by Ryan Heffington, (the man behind Sia’s Chandelier video), as she twirls, hops, punches and flies, lost in a moment that is as daft as it is cool. In short, everything you don’t expect from the sedate world of perfume ads.

It’s not the first time film directors have paired with fashion brands. Kenzo themselves worked with cult indie star Gregg Araki for last year’s Here Now. Here are four more.

For his 2013 film for Prada, Anderson cast his film favourite Jason Schwartzman as Castello Cavalcanti, a brash racing driver zipping around a tiny 1950s village in Italy. With Giada Colagrande as a sultry cafe owner who catches his eye when he crashes, it’s more short film than traditional ad – a “Prada Racing” logo on the back of Cavalcanti’s jaunty yellow jumpsuit is the only branding in the 7.45-minute run.

Natalie Portman offers the promise of a rose garden in Sofia Coppola’s chic campaign for Miss Dior’s 2013 run.

Joe Wright paired with his Pride & Prejudice and Atonement muse Keira Knightley again for Chanel’s 2011 campaign. Here she drops the period costumes in favour of a slick biker look as she races through Paris.

“This feeling came over me as I heard the pearls … falling and hitting … the jade.” Marion Cotillard stars in this 15-minute excursion into Lynch country from 2010: an unsettling fever dream filled with red curtains, spooky hotel rooms and blue roses (coming out of nice handbags).

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