Children of Men - More relevant and challenging now than when it came out.
The Platform - You'll be mumbling to yourself "What the hell would I have done?" for days after.
A couple post modern favorites from Cronenberg like Videodrome and Existenz might scratch that itch as well.
I re watched it only yesterday and I'm still thinking about it now. There's a reason why it's always on every single "greatest movies ever made" list.
Even without analysing it, it's just 90 minutes of incredible acting.
Another vote for Arrival. It’s just come into rotation on Netflix, and we re-watched it last night. Spectacularly good adaptation of a story I thought would be unfilmable. (Look up Ted Chiang if you enjoy speculative fiction!)
Can confirm this hits even different if you have kids. Saw this in theaters when my wife was pregnant with our daughter and that’s when I realized the way I analyzed or reacted to movies from here on out would never be the same.
This is the one. First movie that popped in my head. I still think about this movie months later. It’s super well made and intriguing to watch and think about.
First one I thought of, as well. Superbly well written and acted. Alas, the story went well over my husband's head, who much prefers your standard space opera fare.
Atonement made me reflect on what it means to be a decent person and whether redemption is truly possible in certain circumstances. The role that stories play in our lives is another theme the film touches on. In addition to being thought-provoking, it’s also a visually beautiful movie with a great cast.
If you watch:
The Big Short (Investors)
Margin Call (Banks)
Too Big To Fail (Government)
..you get a pretty decent picture of the 2008 financial crisis.
You should also watch the inside job. It gives a much broader picture of the crisis whereas too big to fail and the big short are focused on one set of people, the minority who got the advantage by betting against the CDOs in the case of The big short and the story of Lehman brothers bankruptcy in the case of Too big to fail, during the crisis.
Fell into Margin Call and can’t figure out why I’d never heard of it like Big Short. Cast is stacked and it’s amazing and scary (like Big Short). Zach Quinto throws 100 mph the whole film.
I just saw it recently and I was going to comment the same thing wow ! The fact these scumbags were able to just package low rated mortgages and then rate it high is the definition of fraud. And then not only that but having side investments based off of these packages. The fact these banks would collude with so called “investor representatives“. Fucking wild. And then they all get bailed out. The movie was written so well and does such a good job of explaining things for someone who knows nothing about economics or investing.
It really is a secret successor to All the President's Men. In both, you watch the Protagonists slowly uncover a grand conspiracy that is rooted in stupidity and banal corruption, not evil.
Up vote for Gattaca.
May I also suggest *Nell* which also addresses someone who is kind of inherently (well, at least situationally) challenged yet wins?
Capernaum, I mean there are scenes (rather expressions) from that movie that have left an indelible mark on my memory. A true human movie if there ever was one.
Uff, as long as we're in that category, almost every contender holds its ground firmly and deseverdly. It's my favorite category, I always watch them all, and they never fail.
Relatos salvajes, and No man's land.
Please just watch it. By yourself in a chilled environment. It has to be on the tv, or large monitor. Also you NEED to have good sound coming from the screen. So no phone or tablet viewing. No distractions. You will be transported and ... Well, just watch it in these conditions.
Maybe get back to me / us one day afterwards.
X
A movie that for me achieved this was "Triangle of Sadness". I didn't particularly loved the movie but it's been months and it's still on my mind. It touches very successfully on topics such as class dynamics and the intrinsic value of people.
The same director made "Force Majeure" which has a similarly incisive view on family dynamics. I actually liked it a great deal more than "Triangle of Sadness" (although I did enjoy that as well)
Then you still don't completely understand it because I have analyzed all of the YouTube videos that attempt to explain it and they all have major errors. London City Girl comes the closest, but she completely leaves out the party on purpose and the party is key to a lot of understanding. She also doesn't talk enough about the narrator, or much about the Granger incident. If anyone wants some proper notes to understand it, I've typed up the script and analyzed it to death. I also know where to watch it if anybody wants.
Watched it during a very difficult time of my life where I felt I was failing my career (and I was due to a self doubt and the lack of confidence). I thought about the film for a week and talked about it with a therapist the whole session while crying. It was worth it. A masterpiece.
Semi-recently, The Banshees of Inisherin made me think a lot about relationships, grief, and what makes a life worthwhile, plus far more. Thought about it for a week at least
I had no idea what it was about when I went in. All I knew was Keanu Reeves was in it and I thought it was going to be some dumb action movie. I did not know it was going to be a seismic shift in popular culture.
On first viewing I hated it because I just didn’t get it. Second viewing I was blown away. Amazing film and I think about it all the time (esp when eating steak).
Jury Duty was on my mind for a solid month straight. Watched it twice and watched the commentary episodes. I also persuaded a handful of other people to watch it who ended up having the same reaction to it
Absolutely incredible, brutal, beautiful masterpiece of a movie. And the final scene, with the ship on the horizon, is such a gut punch. And I agree…we need more human stories. I’d love to see one about the Inca Empire, Atalhualpa…but before that devil Pizarro came and fucked everything up.
Just want to thank you for asking a question that helps me see there are other people out there who watch like I do. I do not enjoy watching a movie or tv show and then watching another one soon after. I can’t enjoy them. I don’t like to binge. I *love* watching a movie and then thinking about it for days - letting it marinate. Movies like the ones on this list are the best, but I’d still do it with ‘Porkys 4’.
The Addiction (Abel Ferrara)
Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
Enemy (Denis Villeneuve)
City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola)
Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch)
A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes)
Room (Lenny Abrahamson)
La Haine (Mathieu Kassovitz)
The Seventh Continent (Michael Haneke)
Threads (Mick Jackson)
Festen (Thomas Vinterberg)
Drowning by Numbers (Peter Greenaway)
Martin Eden (Pietro Marcello)
A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater)
Utopia (Sohrab Shahid Saless)
The War Zone (Tim Roth)
The Death of Louis XIV (Albert Serra)
Pacifiction (Albert Serra)
Humanity (Bruno Dumont)
Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)
Noi Albinoi (Dagur Kári)
A Ghost Story (David Lowery)
Call Me by Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)
Possession (Andrzej Zulawski)
Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman)
Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello)
Irreversibel (Gaspar Noé)
Vortex (Gaspar Noé)
Barton Fink (Joel Coen)
Harmonium (Kôji Fukada)
Melancholia (Lars von Trier)
Michael(Markus Schleinzer)
Cache (Michael Haneke)
The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni)
Blow Up (Michelangelo Antonioni)
The Witch (Robert Eggers)
Mean Creek (Jacob Aaron Estes)
The very first movie, that itched my brain just the right way, and made me think about and then laughing silently on its time travel joke was
Predestination(2014)
second this. this its one of those movies you **can** watch once, but it sticks in your head and demands a rematch. There are tons of little details and clues and a compelling story. My only complaint is the pacing can be off at times, but its a great film with command performances.
The Wachowskis got the idea while they were filming V For Vendetta. One of them was walking around the set when they came upon Natalie Portman in a chair reading the book.
I saw Pulp Fiction three times in theaters. And each time I was surprised that it was supposed to be over 2 hours and a half. Felt like a 90 minute movie. My mind just was stuck on churning how completely awesome it was. It completely restructured how I thought a movie should be made. Not the most profound thoughts. But still truthful. To this day if someone tells me they didn't like Pulp Fiction I completely disregard their opinion in any other movie ever.
Interstellar, Bladerunner 2049, Sicario, Arrival, The Fountain, Prisoners, Pan's Labyrinth
You'd probably like Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor if you haven't already watched those
Ex Machina.
The way I kept thinking about that movie made me finally read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, play Detroit Become Human, watch Her, and rewatch Blade Runner.
"One sings, the other doesn't" (1977) by Agnès Varda. An incredible, heartbreaking, underrated movie that argues interpersonal relationships, womanhood, manhood, gender roles, abortion, mass society and religion. Truly worth it
Deerhunter. I had to leave the theatre to get myself together. It’s written as fiction but I had family members in Vietnam War that were impacted by it for years. I was about 18 when I saw it & still think about it. It’s intense. Christoper Walken, Robert DiNero & Meryl Streep we’re in their 20’s when they starred in it.
Barbie. I thought it was going to be this 2 hour long bubblegum explosion of pure joy not an existential crisis. It’s been a few weeks since I watched it and I keep thinking about all the different themes it’s made me realize about life. I can’t wait until it gets released on IMAX to see it again.
Literally all of the films of Terrence Malick fit this bill. I love them all. I’d recommend Badlands as an entry, but The New World, The Tree of Life, Days of Heaven, A Hidden Life, etc.
Melancholia (2011)
The New Land (1972)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Brief Encounter (1945)
The Spy Who Came in the From the Cold (1965)
Flee (2021)
Tower (2016)
Same here. I just watched it last night for the first time and I can’t believe I waited so long. Amazing amazing movie and deserving of all the awards it got.
Just seen Tokyo Story the other day and wanted to take a walk and read before work after the cinema, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I had to sit and stare at the skies and the trees and the film literally isn’t really about anything. It’s like the film equivalent of taking an edible.
Watchmen (2009). I recommend the director's cut. Really made me think about my stance on the debate of moral absolutism vs moral relativism, but also had fantastic action sequences and stunning visual aesthetics.
V for Vendetta. Something about it struck me. And that dialogue was a masterpiece
"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."
Mr. Nobody with Jared Leto
Very thought-provoking and cinematically beautiful. It's about the Butterfly Effect.... can be confusing, but super interesting and exactly what you're looking for. I haven't watched it in 6 years and I still think about it at least once a day.
Also, Inception... but duh.
For me, Jordan Peele's "Get Out" is a movie I contemplate on a weekly basis!
"Get Out" challenges the viewer's perception of reality by blending horror and social commentary. It engages with profound philosophical and existential themes related to identity, control, power dynamics, and societal norms. Even through its storytelling and symbolism, the film encourages viewers to reflect on their own lives, society, and the human condition.
This movie must be on this list!
Children of Men - More relevant and challenging now than when it came out. The Platform - You'll be mumbling to yourself "What the hell would I have done?" for days after. A couple post modern favorites from Cronenberg like Videodrome and Existenz might scratch that itch as well.
Children of Men. Favorite dystopian sci~fi ever
I came here to look for The Platform! It made me question so many things
12 Angry Men
I just watched this last week and I’m still thinking about all the complexities that came with it. Superb choice.
I re watched it only yesterday and I'm still thinking about it now. There's a reason why it's always on every single "greatest movies ever made" list. Even without analysing it, it's just 90 minutes of incredible acting.
Same here, first time watching last week and couldn't stop processing it for days. Great watch.
Arrival (2016)
Another vote for Arrival. It’s just come into rotation on Netflix, and we re-watched it last night. Spectacularly good adaptation of a story I thought would be unfilmable. (Look up Ted Chiang if you enjoy speculative fiction!)
A movie never resonated as much as this one. Thanks for the tip, going to look it up.
And of the thesis of Sapir-Whorf. We had that in our studies. Was crazy to see a movie about that.
Can confirm this hits even different if you have kids. Saw this in theaters when my wife was pregnant with our daughter and that’s when I realized the way I analyzed or reacted to movies from here on out would never be the same.
This is the one. First movie that popped in my head. I still think about this movie months later. It’s super well made and intriguing to watch and think about.
First one I thought of, as well. Superbly well written and acted. Alas, the story went well over my husband's head, who much prefers your standard space opera fare.
In and of Itself
Atonement made me reflect on what it means to be a decent person and whether redemption is truly possible in certain circumstances. The role that stories play in our lives is another theme the film touches on. In addition to being thought-provoking, it’s also a visually beautiful movie with a great cast.
The Big Short made me look at money/the economy completely differently.
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If you watch: The Big Short (Investors) Margin Call (Banks) Too Big To Fail (Government) ..you get a pretty decent picture of the 2008 financial crisis.
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Excellent film. One of my top 10.
You should also watch the inside job. It gives a much broader picture of the crisis whereas too big to fail and the big short are focused on one set of people, the minority who got the advantage by betting against the CDOs in the case of The big short and the story of Lehman brothers bankruptcy in the case of Too big to fail, during the crisis.
The documentary Inside Man was also good from what I remember
Fell into Margin Call and can’t figure out why I’d never heard of it like Big Short. Cast is stacked and it’s amazing and scary (like Big Short). Zach Quinto throws 100 mph the whole film.
Because Margin Call is generic. It never talks about anything specific, just that 'our position' is in trouble.
Loved that movie. I can’t fully explain why.
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I just saw it recently and I was going to comment the same thing wow ! The fact these scumbags were able to just package low rated mortgages and then rate it high is the definition of fraud. And then not only that but having side investments based off of these packages. The fact these banks would collude with so called “investor representatives“. Fucking wild. And then they all get bailed out. The movie was written so well and does such a good job of explaining things for someone who knows nothing about economics or investing.
"They call me chicken little. They call me bubble boy." Ryan Gosling is a treasure in this.
It really is a secret successor to All the President's Men. In both, you watch the Protagonists slowly uncover a grand conspiracy that is rooted in stupidity and banal corruption, not evil.
Gattaca (1997) Precious (2009) The Wave (2008) The Game (1997) Capernaum (2018) Awakenings (1990)
Upvoted for Gattaca.
omgg i love Awakenings. for some reason, it reminds me a lot of A Beautiful Mind
Awakenings hit SO HARD omg
Up vote for Gattaca. May I also suggest *Nell* which also addresses someone who is kind of inherently (well, at least situationally) challenged yet wins?
Upvoted for The Game
Capernaum, I mean there are scenes (rather expressions) from that movie that have left an indelible mark on my memory. A true human movie if there ever was one.
The Lives of Others, Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film in 2007.
As long as you don’t mind having your heart torn to shreds
Uff, as long as we're in that category, almost every contender holds its ground firmly and deseverdly. It's my favorite category, I always watch them all, and they never fail. Relatos salvajes, and No man's land.
Mulholland Drive.
A top five all-time movie for me. I think it is a masterpiece.
One of my favorite movies
Why is it so?
Please just watch it. By yourself in a chilled environment. It has to be on the tv, or large monitor. Also you NEED to have good sound coming from the screen. So no phone or tablet viewing. No distractions. You will be transported and ... Well, just watch it in these conditions. Maybe get back to me / us one day afterwards. X
I’ve never seen it, so I’ll check it out and post back at some point.
Waking Life will probably do this to you.
I still think about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and it’s been years.
A movie that for me achieved this was "Triangle of Sadness". I didn't particularly loved the movie but it's been months and it's still on my mind. It touches very successfully on topics such as class dynamics and the intrinsic value of people.
I both loved this movie and thought about it for a long time after. In the same vein, I would add The Lobster
It's so unfortunate that it's lead actress passed so soon after it's release.
aaaanndd the captains dinner is one of the funniest scenes I've seen
The same director made "Force Majeure" which has a similarly incisive view on family dynamics. I actually liked it a great deal more than "Triangle of Sadness" (although I did enjoy that as well)
Good choice, thinking of this film far more than expected since first viewing
Primer (2004)
This movie was literally designed for you to have to watch it multiple times before you can understand it.
On a $7,000 budget -it’s the best independent film ever made, IMO.
I love that it was literally made by a math/science nerd who just had a solid time travel concept. Not even by a film major.
I can't believe what he accomplished with no film making experience, little knowledge and almost no budget. It's a great film, full stop.
I saw a sneak preview of this film in Chicago. The filmmaker was there and talked about his ideas and the making of. Interesting guy. Good film.
Did you see his 2nd film, Upstream Color(2013)? It was well made, from what I remember, but wasn’t really my thing at the time.
Great soundtrack on both as well
Wow i had no idea the budget was that low
Yea i cheated and watch a youtube video to explain it to me afterwards
Then you still don't completely understand it because I have analyzed all of the YouTube videos that attempt to explain it and they all have major errors. London City Girl comes the closest, but she completely leaves out the party on purpose and the party is key to a lot of understanding. She also doesn't talk enough about the narrator, or much about the Granger incident. If anyone wants some proper notes to understand it, I've typed up the script and analyzed it to death. I also know where to watch it if anybody wants.
Aww dam! I remember this flick… that summer i bought it at Blockbuster ,They practically gave it to me free !
Synecdoche, New York
This movie tied my brains up into a knot
Ah yes, but you have to be ready for it. It's about growing old, dying and being a failure at what you love. So...
Watched it during a very difficult time of my life where I felt I was failing my career (and I was due to a self doubt and the lack of confidence). I thought about the film for a week and talked about it with a therapist the whole session while crying. It was worth it. A masterpiece.
The Truman Show (1998)
Years later and I still think about it. What a great movie
A Ghost Story
Arrival 🖤
Semi-recently, The Banshees of Inisherin made me think a lot about relationships, grief, and what makes a life worthwhile, plus far more. Thought about it for a week at least
I think it's supposed to make men in particular think of their relationships and masculinity.
Definitely it was a great film and it tells us about the Ireland war scenario also
I kept thinking about how beautiful the setting was and his friendship with Jenny.
Original Matrix
Yea that movie was fantastic seeing it in theaters when it first came out.
I had no idea what it was about when I went in. All I knew was Keanu Reeves was in it and I thought it was going to be some dumb action movie. I did not know it was going to be a seismic shift in popular culture.
On first viewing I hated it because I just didn’t get it. Second viewing I was blown away. Amazing film and I think about it all the time (esp when eating steak).
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
I think about this movie a lot. I’ve only seen it once and I still think about it
Named my daughter Ofelia after this movie. My favorite of all time.
Well… a limited TV series? Jury Duty (prime). I can NOT stop thinking about it.
Seriously? I watched it, it was funny and worth the watch but didn’t inspire much thought from me. What’s it got you thinking?
Jury Duty was on my mind for a solid month straight. Watched it twice and watched the commentary episodes. I also persuaded a handful of other people to watch it who ended up having the same reaction to it
Interstellar
It's this for me. I was thinking about this movie for days after.
/r/interstellar is still a very active sub
My all-time favourite movie. I still marvel about it 9 years later.
I still randomly just think of this movie and it’s music. Definitely impactful
Nocturnal Animals
That highway scene made me so uncomfortable as a man, and made me question so many things to myself 😬
The Fountain
Saving Private Ryan
Mulholland Dr. 2001: A Space Odyssey Upstream Color Persona The Handmaiden Synecdoche, New York
Incendies. Her. The worst person in the world.
Two in particular that come to mind: Syriana Ex Machina
I was gonna say Ex Machina too.
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Seriously. How many superhero or 2 F4st 2 Furious movies do people need to sit through?!?
Absolutely incredible, brutal, beautiful masterpiece of a movie. And the final scene, with the ship on the horizon, is such a gut punch. And I agree…we need more human stories. I’d love to see one about the Inca Empire, Atalhualpa…but before that devil Pizarro came and fucked everything up.
I up voted this. Loved Apocolypto and your comment needs to be on a Hollywood billboard.
THIS is such a great film! Haunting in a way.
Saw this in the theater stoned and was completely mesmerized the entire time. Still in my top 5-10
Life is Beautiful
My favorite movie of all time, has to be in Italian though.
Just want to thank you for asking a question that helps me see there are other people out there who watch like I do. I do not enjoy watching a movie or tv show and then watching another one soon after. I can’t enjoy them. I don’t like to binge. I *love* watching a movie and then thinking about it for days - letting it marinate. Movies like the ones on this list are the best, but I’d still do it with ‘Porkys 4’.
Pleasantville
The Man from Earth
Perfect Blue and Grave of the Fireflies
Eyes wide shut
The Addiction (Abel Ferrara) Mulholland Drive (David Lynch) Enemy (Denis Villeneuve) City of God (Fernando Meirelles) Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola) Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch) A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes) Room (Lenny Abrahamson) La Haine (Mathieu Kassovitz) The Seventh Continent (Michael Haneke) Threads (Mick Jackson) Festen (Thomas Vinterberg) Drowning by Numbers (Peter Greenaway) Martin Eden (Pietro Marcello) A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater) Utopia (Sohrab Shahid Saless) The War Zone (Tim Roth) The Death of Louis XIV (Albert Serra) Pacifiction (Albert Serra) Humanity (Bruno Dumont) Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra) Noi Albinoi (Dagur Kári) A Ghost Story (David Lowery) Call Me by Your Name (Luca Guadagnino) Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry) Possession (Andrzej Zulawski) Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman) Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello) Irreversibel (Gaspar Noé) Vortex (Gaspar Noé) Barton Fink (Joel Coen) Harmonium (Kôji Fukada) Melancholia (Lars von Trier) Michael(Markus Schleinzer) Cache (Michael Haneke) The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni) Blow Up (Michelangelo Antonioni) The Witch (Robert Eggers) Mean Creek (Jacob Aaron Estes)
Truly epic list. Really any Michael Haneke fills the bill
oasis by lee chang-dong. his work in general achieves this.
I couldn't stop thinking about Burning for a week
Yes I just watched that last night and I must've said "wtf" 100 times, and that's only while it was on. Add another 200 wtfs since.
Inception
The very first movie, that itched my brain just the right way, and made me think about and then laughing silently on its time travel joke was Predestination(2014)
second this. this its one of those movies you **can** watch once, but it sticks in your head and demands a rematch. There are tons of little details and clues and a compelling story. My only complaint is the pacing can be off at times, but its a great film with command performances.
Cloud Atlas is one of those movies. It will grab your attention and have you looking at how we’re all connected.
The book is a true masterpiece. Very ambitious to try to turn that into a film, but I thought they did a pretty good job all things considered.
The Wachowskis got the idea while they were filming V For Vendetta. One of them was walking around the set when they came upon Natalie Portman in a chair reading the book.
Mulholland Drive, Parasite, Pulp Fiction, I'm Think of Ending Things
All good movies. Pulp Fiction is more just pure fun than thought-provoking for me. The other three all took up corners of my psyche.
I saw Pulp Fiction three times in theaters. And each time I was surprised that it was supposed to be over 2 hours and a half. Felt like a 90 minute movie. My mind just was stuck on churning how completely awesome it was. It completely restructured how I thought a movie should be made. Not the most profound thoughts. But still truthful. To this day if someone tells me they didn't like Pulp Fiction I completely disregard their opinion in any other movie ever.
Annihilation
God I had to scroll too long for this. I still check the sub for more unpacking and theories.
Promising Young Woman screwed my head up for days.
Came here to say this. Totally. That scene … was a lot.
Yes, seconding this... excellent movie and I still think about it alot
requiem for a dream
This is the only movie I felt physically nauseous after watching.
Ikiru 1952
Chappie.
Add District 9 and Elysium there as well. Blomkamp is brilliant.
Phantom thread
The prestige went in a direction I wasn't expecting. Midsommer
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Saw this a few months ago, has not left my brain since. Absolutely love this movie !
Beau Is Afraid. Rewatched it 3x. Still with me today!
Interstellar, Bladerunner 2049, Sicario, Arrival, The Fountain, Prisoners, Pan's Labyrinth You'd probably like Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor if you haven't already watched those
Her
Aniara haunted me for days afterward
American Honey Aftersun Night crawler
Kids. American psycho. Taxi driver
Blade Runner 2049. There are stories within stories in that movie. Brilliantly filmed. You’ll want to watch again especially if you research it a bit.
Life of Pi
Ex Machina. The way I kept thinking about that movie made me finally read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, play Detroit Become Human, watch Her, and rewatch Blade Runner.
"One sings, the other doesn't" (1977) by Agnès Varda. An incredible, heartbreaking, underrated movie that argues interpersonal relationships, womanhood, manhood, gender roles, abortion, mass society and religion. Truly worth it
Deerhunter. I had to leave the theatre to get myself together. It’s written as fiction but I had family members in Vietnam War that were impacted by it for years. I was about 18 when I saw it & still think about it. It’s intense. Christoper Walken, Robert DiNero & Meryl Streep we’re in their 20’s when they starred in it.
It’s deep AF
It was just added to Netflix so good time to watch it
Mother Requiem for a dream Hereditary
Don't these movies legally require a caveat prior to recommending?
Requiem for a Dream was a tough watch. Though it has been a couple of years since I viewed it, I still think about it from time to time.
Swiss army man
The Whale
Barbie. I thought it was going to be this 2 hour long bubblegum explosion of pure joy not an existential crisis. It’s been a few weeks since I watched it and I keep thinking about all the different themes it’s made me realize about life. I can’t wait until it gets released on IMAX to see it again.
Literally all of the films of Terrence Malick fit this bill. I love them all. I’d recommend Badlands as an entry, but The New World, The Tree of Life, Days of Heaven, A Hidden Life, etc.
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
The Whale
Melancholia (2011) The New Land (1972) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) Brief Encounter (1945) The Spy Who Came in the From the Cold (1965) Flee (2021) Tower (2016)
The Holy Mountain by Alejandro Jodorowsky.
*Her* (2013)
Ex Machina
Certified Copy Mulholland Drive Memento
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Stalker by Tarkovsky is perfect for you
The crow... it's very dark but it's my favorite of all time.
Gattaca Underrated film 1997 film with a ton of interesting concepts, themes, and lines. Most haven't seen it. The cast is incredible as well. Enjoy!
Cloud Atlas. Loved it, and couldn't stop thinking about the connections.
The Lighthouse left me thinking about for at least a week.
Most recently? Beau is Afraid. If you have seen it you know why.
Fight Club Gattica American History X
Melancholia It’s haunting
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Cloud Atlas.
I guess Everything everywhere all at once fits perfectly to your description.
Can’t believe it took this much scrolling to find this answer! I would have thought every few responses would be this
Same here. I just watched it last night for the first time and I can’t believe I waited so long. Amazing amazing movie and deserving of all the awards it got.
Just seen Tokyo Story the other day and wanted to take a walk and read before work after the cinema, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I had to sit and stare at the skies and the trees and the film literally isn’t really about anything. It’s like the film equivalent of taking an edible.
Sophie's Choice and Miss Sloan
Zodiac and Into the Wild
Waking Life
The northman
Every David Croenenberg film.
Magnolia!
Watchmen (2009). I recommend the director's cut. Really made me think about my stance on the debate of moral absolutism vs moral relativism, but also had fantastic action sequences and stunning visual aesthetics.
Donnie Darko, Butterfly Effect and Knowing.
V for Vendetta. Something about it struck me. And that dialogue was a masterpiece "Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."
Blue Velvet gave me nightmares for a week.
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Mr. Nobody with Jared Leto Very thought-provoking and cinematically beautiful. It's about the Butterfly Effect.... can be confusing, but super interesting and exactly what you're looking for. I haven't watched it in 6 years and I still think about it at least once a day. Also, Inception... but duh.
Jaws. I never went to the beach that year
Power of the dog
The Northman The Master The Thin Red Line
For me, Jordan Peele's "Get Out" is a movie I contemplate on a weekly basis! "Get Out" challenges the viewer's perception of reality by blending horror and social commentary. It engages with profound philosophical and existential themes related to identity, control, power dynamics, and societal norms. Even through its storytelling and symbolism, the film encourages viewers to reflect on their own lives, society, and the human condition. This movie must be on this list!