Mind twisting movies and TV shows – page 2

List of mind twisting movies

The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 113 min.
Story: A young man struggles to access sublimated childhood memories. He finds a technique that allows him to travel back into the past, to occupy his childhood body and change history. However, he soon finds that every change he makes has unexpected ...
Style: psychological, mind bending, suspense, philosophical, reflective ...
Audience: teens, girls' night, chick flick, adult
Plot: time travel, twists and turns, memory, time loop, butterfly effect, psychology, mind control, alternate reality, changing the past or future, destiny, memory loss, time ...
Time: year 2004, 2010s, 2000s, future, 21st century
Place: usa
Is relevant?
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 166 min.
Story: Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.
Style: touching, philosophical, sentimental, dramatic, melancholic ...
Audience: date night, chick flick, teens, girls' night, adult
Plot: destiny, true love, life philosophy, life & death, aging, existentialism, love and romance, life changing, melancholy, magic realism, love, life lesson ...
Time: 50s, 1940s, 20th century, 1930s, year 2008 ...
Place: southern usa, cambodia, usa, new orleans, russia ...
Is relevant?
The Tree of Life (2011)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min.
Story: The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his ...
Style: philosophical, artsy, surreal, atmospheric, visually stunning ...
Audience: teens, family outing
Plot: childhood, philosophy, spirituality, existentialism, coming of age, death, father son relationship, hopes, parenthood, religion, grief, family relations ...
Time: 1950s, year 2011, prehistory, 20th century, 50s ...
Place: texas, southern usa, america, usa, china
Is relevant?
 8.7
 2.5M
Interstellar (2014)
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, UK, Canada
Duration: 169 min.
Story: Interstellar chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
Style: futuristic, mind bending, cerebral, clever, philosophical ...
Audience: teens, chick flick, kids, girls' night, date night ...
Plot: space travel, time travel, outer space, nasa, astronaut, father daughter relationship, space, dystopian future, survival, end of the world, robot, space exploration ...
Time: future, year 2014, 2010s, near future, 21st century
Place: los angeles, colorado
Is relevant?
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 7.2
 142K
Eraserhead (1977)
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story: Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
Style: surreal, psychological, avant garde, art house, experimental ...
Plot: surrealism, baby, existentialism, nightmare, insanity, psychology, dream, loneliness, psychosis, factory, dark humor, eccentricity ...
Time: 70s, year 1977, 20th century
Place: america, philadelphia
Is relevant?
 8.0
 155K
Stalker (1979)
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 162 min.
Story: Near a gray and unnamed city is the Zone, a place guarded by barbed wire and soldiers, and where the normal laws of physics are victim to frequent anomalies. A Stalker guides two men into the Zone, specifically to an area in which deep seeded ...
Style: philosophical, atmospheric, bleak, art house, psychological ...
Audience: family friendly, adult
Plot: stalker, post apocalypse, dystopian future, surrealism, psychokinesis, dog, wish come true, trippy, human nature, distopia, escapades, post apocalyptic ...
Time: future, distant future, year 1979, near future
Place: soviet union, ussr, russia
Is relevant?
 8.4
 1.2M
The Shining (1980)
Genre: Drama, Horror
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 146 min.
Story: Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.
Style: psychological, suspense, scary, disturbing, atmospheric ...
Audience: adult
Plot: isolation, hotel, insanity, supernatural, psychopath, stephen king, ghost, snow, imaginary friend, danger, evil, haunting ...
Time: 20th century, year 1980, 80s, 1920s, 70s
Place: colorado, denver colorado, persia, usa, miami ...
Is relevant?
 6.9
 60K
Naked Lunch (1991)
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Country: Netherlands, UK, Japan, Canada
Duration: 115 min.
Story: After developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally murders his wife and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in an Islamic port town in Africa.
Style: surreal, psychedelic, cult classic, philosophical, cerebral ...
Plot: hallucination, surrealism, exterminator, nightmare, addiction, trippy, repressed homosexual, secret agent, drug addiction, paranoia, reality vs fantasy, homosexuality ...
Time: 1950s, 20th century, year 1953, year 1991, 90s ...
Place: north africa, usa, new york, canada
Is relevant?
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 95 min.
Story: With the disappearance of hack horror writer Sutter Cane, all Hell is breaking loose...literally! Author Cane, it seems, has a knack for description that really brings his evil creepy-crawlies to life. Insurance investigator John Trent is sent to ...
Style: surreal, psychological, atmospheric, gothic, lovecraft ...
Audience: date night
Plot: small town, insanity, supernatural horror, book, paranoia, ghost town, investigation, hallucination, gory, novelist, writers, american horror ...
Time: 20th century, 90s, distant future
Place: new england, new hampshire, manhattan new york city, england, europe ...
Is relevant?
 7.4
 109K
Following (1998)
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 69 min.
Story: A struggling, unemployed young writer takes to following strangers around the streets of London, ostensibly to find inspiration for his new novel.
Style: neo noir, suspense, psychological, clever, black and white ...
Audience: date night
Plot: burglar, plot twist, manipulation, voyeurism, framed for murder, character study, breaking and entering, stranger, heist, whodunit, friendship, dishonesty ...
Time: 20th century, 90s, year 1998
Place: england, london, persia, europe
Is relevant?
 7.4
 123K
Frequency (2000)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story: When a rare phenomenon gives police officer John Sullivan the chance to speak to his father, 30 years in the past, he takes the opportunity to prevent his dad's tragic death. After his actions inadvertently give rise to a series of brutal ...
Style: psychological, clever, feel good, serious, touching ...
Audience: kids, boys' night
Plot: time travel, time, radio, father son relationship, investigation, police detective, parallel universe, altering history, murder mystery, changing the past or future, murder, rescue ...
Time: future, year 1999, year 1969, year 2000, y2k ...
Place: new york, usa
Is relevant?
 7.1
 98K
Audition (1999)
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min.
Story: Seven years after the death of his wife, company executive Aoyama is invited to sit in on auditions for an actress. Leafing through the resumés in advance, his eye is caught by Yamazaki Asami, a striking young woman with ballet training.
Style: psychological thriller, scary, tense, twist ending, disturbing ...
Plot: torture, femme fatale, sadism, extreme, violent, psychopath, murder, psychotic woman, sex, widower, twists and turns, revenge ...
Time: 90s, year 1999, 20th century
Place: japan, asia, tokyo
Is relevant?
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thinking movies
366
trippy movies
910
smart movies
636
 7.6
 69K
Waking Life (2001)
Genre: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story: Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our ...
Style: philosophical, spiritual, psychedelic, surreal, cerebral ...
Audience: kids, adult
Plot: philosophy, existentialism, dream, surrealism, alternate reality, trippy, consciousness, bohemian life, sleeping, meaning of life, life philosophy, imagination ...
Time: 20th century, year 2001, 2000s, 21st century
Place: texas, tibet
Is relevant?
The Science of Sleep (2006)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 105 min.
Story: A man entranced by his dreams and imagination is lovestruck with a French woman and feels he can show her his world.
Style: surreal, psychological, psychedelic, philosophical, visually stunning ...
Audience: girls' night, date night
Plot: dream, surrealism, magic realism, love story, magic, daydreamer, escape from reality, artist, existentialism, melancholy, imagination, childhood ...
Time: year 2006, 2000s, 21st century
Place: paris france, mexico, france, europe, latin america ...
Is relevant?
 6.6
 295K
The Village (2004)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story: When a willful young man tries to venture beyond his sequestered Pennsylvania hamlet, his actions set off a chain of chilling incidents that will alter the community forever.
Style: surprise ending, atmospheric, suspense, psychological thriller, creepy ...
Audience: date night, girls' night, teens
Plot: plot twist, isolation, forest, twists and turns, psychology, village life, village, utopia, mysterious place, woods, autumn, small town ...
Time: year 2004, 2000s, 1890s, 19th century, 18th century ...
Place: pennsylvania, philadelphia, new england
Is relevant?
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story: An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
Style: psychedelic, psychological, philosophical, adult animation, bleak ...
Audience: kids, teens, adult
Plot: cyberpunk, drug abuse, dystopia, schizophrenia, conspiracy, disorder, addiction, trippy, society, fighting crime, consciousness, losing-it hero ...
Time: future, year 2006, 2000s, near future, 21st century
Place: california, texas, usa, san diego california
Is relevant?
 6.8
 68K
Inland Empire (2006)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, Poland, USA
Duration: 180 min.
Story: An actress's perception of reality becomes increasingly distorted as she finds herself falling for her co-star in a remake of an unfinished Polish production that was supposedly cursed.
Style: surreal, psychological, avant garde, confusing, art house ...
Audience: adult
Plot: surrealism, nightmare, macabre, curse, danger, couples, violence, alternate reality, abusive husband, insanity, doppelganger, mysticism ...
Time: year 2006, 90s, 2000s, 21st century
Place: poland, los angeles, europe, california, usa ...
Is relevant?
 7.7
 633K
Ex Machina (2014)
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story: Caleb, a 26 year old coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds ...
Style: psychological, futuristic, twist ending, philosophical, mind bending ...
Audience: girls' night, adult
Plot: artificial intelligence, robot, androids, technology, existentialism, cyborgs, cyberpunk, isolation, manipulation, androids and robots, female robot, consciousness ...
Time: future, near future, 2010s, year 2015, year 2014 ...
Place: england
Is relevant?
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 6.0
 19K
Franklyn (2008)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min.
Story: Set between the parallel worlds of contemporary London and the futuristic faith dominated metropolis of Meanwhile City, Franklyn weaves a tale of four souls, whose lives are intertwined by fate, romance and tragedy. As these worlds collide, a single ...
Style: philosophical, psychological, fairy tale, surreal, mind twisting ...
Plot: goth, dystopia, mental illness, steampunk, masked vigilante, vigilantism, imaginary friend, suicide, depression, dystopian future, imaginary, religions or cults ...
Time: future, year 2008, 21st century
Place: england, london, europe
Is relevant?
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story: After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter with two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack.
Style: suspense, surprise ending, minimal cast, twist ending, psychological horror ...
Audience: teens
Plot: apocalypse, alien invasion, post apocalypse, kidnapping, bunker, strong female character, alien, underground bunker, survivalist, end of the world, conspiracy theory, bomb shelter ...
Time: year 2016, 2010s
Place: louisiana, peru, new orleans, usa
Is relevant?
 8.3
 246K
Incendies (2010)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, War
Country: Canada, France
Duration: 131 min.
Story: A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to ...
Style: unusual plot structure, disturbing, psychological, inspirational, heartbreaking ...
Audience: adult
Plot: prison, rape, last will and testament, unwanted pregnancy, incest, twists and turns, civil war, pregnant from rape, incest rape, torture, lebanese civil war, family problems ...
Time: 2010s, year 2010, year 2009, year 1970, y2k ...
Place: middle east, lebanon, quebec, nebraska, montreal ...
Is relevant?
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: Argentina, Spain
Duration: 129 min.
Story: A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later.
Style: suspense, clever, touching, suspenseful, intense ...
Audience: adult
Plot: twists and turns, investigation, rape, murder, murder mystery, murderer, lawyer, writers, justice, passion, investigator, homicide ...
Time: year 2009, 2000s, y2k, 90s, 20th century ...
Place: latin america, argentina, south america, harvard university, buenos aires argentina
Is relevant?
 7.6
 78K
The Body (2012)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 112 min.
Story: A woman’s body disappears mysteriously from the morgue without a trace. Police inspector Jaime Peña investigates the strange occurrence with the help of Álex Ulloa, the widower of the missing woman.
Style: surprise ending, tense, atmospheric, suspenseful, detective ...
Plot: twists and turns, murder, investigation, missing person, uncover truth, corpse, adulterous husband, haunted by the past, vengeance, morgue, spouse killer, adultery ...
Time: 2010s, 21st century
Place: spain, barcelona
Is relevant?
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 7.3
 36K
In the House (2012)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 105 min.
Story: A sixteen-year-old boy insinuates himself into the house of a fellow student from his literature class and writes about it in essays for his French teacher. Faced with this gifted and unusual pupil, the teacher rediscovers his enthusiasm for his ...
Style: suspense, witty, disturbing, surreal, enigmatic ...
Audience: teens, teen drama
Plot: writers, teacher, obsession, high school, privacy invasion, mind game, student, stalking, direction and purpose, art, desire, high school life ...
Time: year 2012, 21st century
Place: france, paris france
Is relevant?
 7.4
 332K
Predestination (2014)
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Australia, USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story: Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must stop the one criminal that has ...
Style: surprise ending, philosophical, confusing, clever, mind bending ...
Audience: boys' night, family friendly, chick flick, adult
Plot: time travel, time loop, plot twist, time machine, time paradox, twists and turns, parallel universe, gender, destiny, existentialism, changing the past or future, loner ...
Time: year 1975, future, 2010s, 1940s, year 2014 ...
Place: usa, new york, peru, cleveland ohio
Is relevant?
 8.2
 1.6M
Shutter Island (2010)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 138 min.
Story: World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by his troubling visions and also by a mysterious doctor.
Style: psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, suspense, confusing ...
Audience: chick flick, date night, adult
Plot: twists and turns, plot twist, investigation, mental illness, insanity, psychology, memory, paranoia, mental institution, schizophrenia, psychiatrist, mental patient ...
Time: 1950s, year 2010, year 1954, 1940s, year 1945 ...
Place: iran, persia, america, boston
Is relevant?
 8.0
 168K
Dogville (2003)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, UK, France, Finland, Norway, Italy
Duration: 171 min.
Story: A barren soundstage is stylishly utilized to create a minimalist small-town setting in which a mysterious woman named Grace hides from the criminals who pursue her. The town is two-faced and offers to harbor Grace as long as she can make it worth ...
Style: art house, psychological, bleak, philosophical, cerebral ...
Plot: rape, society, morality, twists and turns, victim, female protagonist, vengeance, gangster, rocky mountains, sex scene, making love, haunted by the past ...
Time: 1930s, year 2003, future, near future, year 2004 ...
Place: los angeles
Is relevant?
Strange Circus (2005)
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 108 min.
Story: The erotic novelist Taeko is writing a morbid story of a family destroyed by incest, murder and abuse. Her assistant, Yuji, sets on a mission to uncover the reality of this story, but the reality might be too much to bear.
Style: disturbing, psychological, surreal, suspense, scary ...
Plot: incest, child abuse, surrealism, violence, incest rape, identity crisis, flashback, revenge, father daughter incest, sex, dysfunctional family, prostitute ...
Time: year 2005, 2000s, 21st century
Place: japan
Is relevant?
 7.1
 13K
Time (2006)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: South Korea, Japan
Duration: 97 min.
Story: To save her relationship, a woman puts herself through extensive plastic surgery.
Style: clever, sexy, emotional, philosophical, realistic ...
Audience: girls' night
Plot: obsession, love affair, existentialism, paranoia, time loop, women, memory, character study, unfulfillment, surgery, psychology, relationships ...
Place: korea, asia, india
Is relevant?
Forget Me Not (2009)
Genre: Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story: It's graduation weekend, and Sandy Channing, the popular class president of her small-town high school, should be enjoying the time of her life. But when her friends start disappearing, Sandy discovers they have unwittingly awakened the ...
Style: suspenseful, serious, scary, rough, atmospheric ...
Audience: teens, adult
Plot: ghost, high school, small town, vengeance, haunted by the past, teenage life, youth, electrocution, memory loss, revenge, mental illness, student ...
Time: 20th century
Is relevant?
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