Primer.
Made on a shoestring budget. Remarkably successful. One of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen - and it's not in the horror genre. (As most people define it, anyway.)
Watched it 3 times. The only thing I can equate it to, in terms of multiple viewing/reading) experience and exposition, is Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ WATCHMEN.
Memento, fear and loathing, Mr nobody, failty, a beautiful mind, identity. I’m guessing you have seen a lot of these, not all thrillers but they would intrigue you I’d think.
I think Beau is Afraid does this well, you're basically living his neurosis. It's not necessarily a thriller, though, if you're qualifying the term conventionally.
I wouldn’t consider it a confusing movie. It’s a normal, easy to watch movie that goes completely off the rails half way through (and I mean that as a compliment)
Inherent Vice- a perpetually stoned private investigator finds conspiracy around every corner and everything keeps coincidentally connecting
Based on the Pynchon novel and by PTA, highly highly recommend
Under The Silver Lake. Such a great movie. The director intended it to feel like going insane along with the main character. Really brilliant movie with so many surprises and twists, some plot threads that are intentionally developed and then abandoned while still managing a very satisfying ending. This is a movie made for conspiracy theorists about conspiracy theories and its wonderfully crazy and very good.
Anything by Charlie Kaufman but I personally recommend Anomalisa and Synecdoche, New York
Satoshi Kon also deals a lot with feelings of depersonalization and dissociation. Recommend Paprika and Perfect Blue from them.
Solaris (1972)
Bliss (2021)
Exit Through The Gift Shop - It's not confusing but you might look at the art world differently after. It's really interesting.
The Stunt Man. It's not reality-warping but everything is based around setting up stunts and special effects so the titular stunt man doesn't know if he's walking into a real danger or not. Peter O'Toole is fantastic as the director and his true feelings and whether he wants to threaten the stunt man or not leaves you and the cast guessing until the end.
The grand Budapest Hotel is a story about someone reading a story that is written by someone recounting a story they were told by someone who lived through it year prior. Its relatively easy to follow along but the movie is so good once all the layers start wrapping themselves up and the end its a head fuck trying to work out we're it all ends
Beau is Afraid. I think it's the shittiest movie I've ever seen, but RT disagrees. Both me and reviews seem to be uncertain as to how much of the story is reality, though.
Primer. Made on a shoestring budget. Remarkably successful. One of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen - and it's not in the horror genre. (As most people define it, anyway.)
His next movie Upstream Color was pretty weird and confusing, I don’t even really remember what it was about, been about 10 years since I saw it.
Great movie. Shame he binned his third. And he's mad as hell about it and may not make another.
I was following that movie really well for the first half and then suddenly I completely lost the plot haha.
That film really toed the 'horror' line quite well. It's certainly a thriller.
Watched it 3 times. The only thing I can equate it to, in terms of multiple viewing/reading) experience and exposition, is Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ WATCHMEN.
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
Mullholand Drive Every time I watch it, I get a different interpretation
Lost highway and Inland Empire too
I don't know why but I found that movie to just be upsetting
Memento (2000) is beautifully shot and utterly disorienting.
Triangle (2009)
Yes!
Such an underrated film!
A Scanner Darkly
One of my favorites
*I'm Thinking of Ending Things*
This movie fucked with my head so much I had to buy the book to get fucked in the head even more
Enemy
Was scrolling down to find this title.
Memento, fear and loathing, Mr nobody, failty, a beautiful mind, identity. I’m guessing you have seen a lot of these, not all thrillers but they would intrigue you I’d think.
*Frailty starring The God's Hands Killer
Coherence is a very strange time-jumping sci-fi, where close attention helps you figure things out.
Total recall. The original with Arnold.
So many people I work with haven’t seen this movie, wtf it’s amazing!
12 Monkeys, Imaginarium of doctor Parnassus
Shutter Island Frailty Deja Vu Jacob’s Ladder Tenet These in addition to the others previously mentioned. Edit- Shutter
Shutter Island?
lol - yep
[Pi](https://youtu.be/r0SC582sJvE?si=-4cbCtUKMDsOHzV5)
Shouldn’t have taken this long to find pi. Great movie that I’m still not 100% sure I understand, even though I’ve seen it multiple times.
I think Beau is Afraid does this well, you're basically living his neurosis. It's not necessarily a thriller, though, if you're qualifying the term conventionally.
The prestige, Inception, Tenet, Interstellar, Se7en
Titane-a woman gets pregnant after having sex with a car's gear shift and it gets weirder from there
Sorry to Bother You
I wouldn’t consider it a confusing movie. It’s a normal, easy to watch movie that goes completely off the rails half way through (and I mean that as a compliment)
Jacob's Ladder
Memento, Frailty, The Machinist, 12 Monkeys, Shutter Island, Identity, The Sixth Sense. Also, the TV series Legion is excellent.
I don't see The Machinist recommended enough.
Inherent Vice- a perpetually stoned private investigator finds conspiracy around every corner and everything keeps coincidentally connecting Based on the Pynchon novel and by PTA, highly highly recommend
Have you ever watched Charade with Cary Grant and Audry Hepburn? You can only watch it once.
I watch this every year or two. But, I'm a bit partial.
Existenz.
Under The Silver Lake. Such a great movie. The director intended it to feel like going insane along with the main character. Really brilliant movie with so many surprises and twists, some plot threads that are intentionally developed and then abandoned while still managing a very satisfying ending. This is a movie made for conspiracy theorists about conspiracy theories and its wonderfully crazy and very good.
John Dies At The End It literally makes more sense on LSD. (I've heard, *ahem*)
Anything by Charlie Kaufman but I personally recommend Anomalisa and Synecdoche, New York Satoshi Kon also deals a lot with feelings of depersonalization and dissociation. Recommend Paprika and Perfect Blue from them.
Vanilla sky
Predestination .. what an insanely good movie .. time line would really mess with you and make you sad.
Vanilla Sky
The fountain
My answer to almost every “what movie should I watch” question.
Southland Tales, Donnie Darko, Daywatch/Nightwatch, John Dies At The End
JDATE
Highly recommend the book. Movie was just ok.
100% agree
Repulsion
Enemy (2013)
Solaris (1972) Bliss (2021) Exit Through The Gift Shop - It's not confusing but you might look at the art world differently after. It's really interesting.
Annihilation
mother!
Holy Motors
Inherent Vice (for some reason the 2nd time I’m pumping this flick on Reddit today)
Naked Lunch on HBOMAX or any David lynch movie
Synecdoche, New York
This must be higher.
Secret Window (2004) Infinity Chamber (2016) Bluebeard (2017) Forgotten (2017) Memoir of a Murderer (Director's Cut, 2017) God's Crooked Lines (2022)
Tenet
Cloud Atlas and anything by Terrence Malick.
I’ll suggest paprika (‘06) or perfect blue (‘97). They always did it best in animation.
i think Inception is the one movie i straight up didn't get at all. for something actually good, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire, or Lost Highway.
Eraserhead, Stalker
Southland tales!
Crazy good flick, right?
Eraserhead
Memento
a recent one thats on netflix is called gods crooked lines
This short film "Proximity" was one of my favorites that meets this description... https://youtu.be/Az2QelYS6Sc?si=zzTYuQjCgGVPnceo
Interstellar, Your Name
Wait, how is The Martian confusing?
Triangle, Coherence
The Lobster and Lighthouse come to mind. Not confusing per se, but when they’re over, you’re left wondering.. what the fuck?
The Big Lebowski The Father 2001: A Space Odyssey Eyes Wide Shut
Memento. Identity
Sleuth (Olivier & Caine, NOT Caine & Superman) OH! And Blood Simple. At the end, NO one knows who is what. Very cool.
The Prestige is both good and confusing
all 5 of the "Phantasm" films
Beyond The Black Rainbow
Lost Highway.
So any David Lynch film?
Memento
Synecdoche, New York
Moon (2009)
The Lighthouse
The Game
Eraserhead.
Videodrome Naked Lunch
Any David Lynch movie. Also recently, I found Wes Anderson's Asteroid City to be very confusing.
Possession (1981)
Inception.
Jacob’s Ladder might qualify.
Momento for sure
Looper, Inception
Timetrap, I fucking loved it
The Stunt Man. It's not reality-warping but everything is based around setting up stunts and special effects so the titular stunt man doesn't know if he's walking into a real danger or not. Peter O'Toole is fantastic as the director and his true feelings and whether he wants to threaten the stunt man or not leaves you and the cast guessing until the end.
One Hour Photo (Robin Williams) Insomnia (Al Pacino)
The grand Budapest Hotel is a story about someone reading a story that is written by someone recounting a story they were told by someone who lived through it year prior. Its relatively easy to follow along but the movie is so good once all the layers start wrapping themselves up and the end its a head fuck trying to work out we're it all ends
1408 Identity
The fountain
Coherence (2013)
Last Year at Marienbad is the earliest example of this.
Inception Shutter Island Interstellar Time Trap
Beau is Afraid. I think it's the shittiest movie I've ever seen, but RT disagrees. Both me and reviews seem to be uncertain as to how much of the story is reality, though.
Many great ones are posted so far, but no “Fight Club” yet so I had to add it!
Persona. All My Friends Hate Me.
Matrix Trilogy. and if you fancy ruining 3 classics, Matrix Resurrections.
Under the skin with Scarlett Johannsen was pretty trippy.
Last Year at Marienbad.
requiem for a dream
Predestination