European movies are more detail-oriented?

I have to admit that I am critical of American movies, but I felt like European movies are a level above once again. I was just watching commentary on Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Princess and the Warrior) by Tom Tykwer. As I listened to Tom Tykwer's commentary, I was reminded that Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Princess and the Warrior) is very detail-oriented, and each scene has a meaning. For example, the house that appears at the very beginning of the movie symbolizes the end of the world, but the end of the world, in this case, is almost like a paradise on earth. It is, in fact, a beautiful house, and the surrounding environment is pretty amazing. The beauty, the peace and the hope are all there. Another example; the lady drops off a letter at the beginning of the movie. Camera closely follows the letter, and the letter becomes a moving object instead of static object. The letter scene eventually leads to the psych ward where Simone 'Sissi' Schmidt, played by Franka Potente, works. The sequence tells us that all these events and objects are connected. All these take place within 10 minutes of the movies from the beginning. I have hard time naming any American movie that tells this much story and has this much substance.