If you were offered the chance to learn the truth…would you take it?
My English teacher once told me that good short stories were the ones that spoke to universal truths.
These were the stories that go beyond mere characters and their antics through an imaginary universe. They offer an insight into the human condition: what is life? what is truth? what is reality?
The same could be said for memorable films. Only films convey their meaning in a more sensory way – using both audio and visual elements to enter the mind of the viewer.
And perhaps even shift your perspective.
The following 10 films are chosen because they shed light on the forces at work within our lives, this very moment. They use satire and metaphor to approach the truths that would otherwise be too difficult to understand, or too terrifying to comprehend.
Most of all, these films challenge you to wake up.
The Truman Show (1998)
Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, the first child ever legally adopted by a corporation. His entire life is constructed inside a gigantic set, encompassing the picturesque town of SeaHaven. Everything is artificial — from the buildings, to the people, to the very sun above his head.
It’s too easy to call the film a satirical extension of “reality television.” Instead, Peter Weir deftly uses the motif of reality TV to present the “un-realities” of our own world. How the majority of us are psychologically controlled, through fear and comfort to, as Cristof says, “accept the reality of the world that we’re given.”
Read more: The Meaning Of The Truman Show
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Imagine you were experiencing an existential crisis. But rather than work through it yourself, you hire existential detectives to help you track down the source of your suffering. Imagine one of those detectives is Dustin Hoffman with a bad haircut.
I Heart Huckabees is a quirky, rabbit hole of a film. Many of the characters, from the smarmy marketing executive (Jude Law), to the angry nihlistic firefighter (Mark Walberg) act out the various philosophies of the past thousand years.
Read more: Essay on I Heart Huckabees
Waking Life (2001)
What if you were chained in a dimly-lit cave your whole life where you saw only shadows of real things reflected on its back wall?
Suddenly you’re free and come into the sunlight. Would you recognize this new world as more real than your cave world? Would you be able to wake up?
Talk about a mind trip. Richard Linklater’s film Waking Life, is both visually beautiful and intellectually stimulating. The filmmakers use a ground-breaking technique (at the time) called ‘rotoscoping’ to colour over the images to create a dream-like animation.
Just a few of the ideas covered in unbroken dialogues: dreaming versus reality, existentialism, buddhism, situationism, post-modernism, the list goes on.
Read more: Essay on Waking Life
The Matrix (1999)
For obvious reasons, this was a paradigm-shifting film in the world of movies. But it also introduced a whole generation (myself included) to question the nature of reality. What is real? And how do you know it’s real?
The film’s other great contribution to mass society was the possibility that an unseen force is controlling our destiny. Morpheus reveals the ultimate truth that Neo’s mind can barely process: the Matrix is control. And the only way to break free? Open your mind.
Read more: Collection of essays on The Matrix
Dark City (1998)
Do you ever feel like you’re playing a role? Released 1 year before The Matrix, another film introduced the concept of a hidden beings controlling the destiny of humanity.
Dark City follows Rufus Sewell, a man framed for murder, as he’s pursued by faceless super beings that can manipulate time. Unfortunately for the beings, the protagonist is unwittingly gifted with their own powers of psychokinesis, and a challenge for domination ensues.
Read more: Dark City on Wikipedia
American Beauty (1999)
Horny suburban dad obsesses over his daughter’s friend, a vapid cheerleader. But there’s much more to this dark tale of the American dream gone awry.
Notable elements of this award-winning film include the dehumanizing effects of consumerism, the repressed sexuality of a gay military man, and the pot smoking defiance of Ricky Fitts, who sees the beauty of the entire universe in a single, swaying plastic bag.
Read more: American Beauty and the Idea Of Freedom
Fight Club (1999)
“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives.”
Tyler Durden’s words ring true in this dark, angry look at young people’s failures to interact with the value system they’re expected to uphold. Far from being a manifesto for violence, the film is rumination on the lengths we will go to experience real emotion, even if it means (metaphorically) bashing someone’s head in.
Read more Fight Club: A Ritual Cure For The Spiritual Ailment Of American Masculinity
Donnie Darko (2001)
Sometimes, to make something better, you’ve got to burn it all down and start over. Such is the relationship between Graham Greene’s The Destructors, and the cult classic Donnie Darko.
The film seamlessly weaves together notions of God, the non-linear nature of time, mind-control, and the freakiest bunny mask you’ve ever seen. It may take multiple viewings to discern a few messages from this multi-layered flick, but each time around will be just as rewarding.
Read more: Essay on Donnie Darko
Brazil (1985)
A dystopian, black comedy, Brazil reveals the terrifying indifference of bureaucracy in a totalitarian state. Although director Terry Gilliam claims never to have read 1984, the themes are too similar to dismiss.
Sam Lowry, a government cog in their machine, habitually escapes his dead-end job by imagining a fantasy world of romantic struggles.
Unfortunately, the system roots out dissidents with fervour. The villains in the film are neither malicious nor sadistic, they are merely doing their jobs.
Read more: Analysis of Brazil
Network (1976)
The news stopped being about enlightening the masses a long time ago.
Instead, news attempts to portray a world view that allows those in power to stay in power. This is never more true than 30 years after the film Network was released, when Howard Beale proclaimed “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”
He called for viewers everywhere to stand up, and demand democratic control over their lives once again. The irony is even more biting when it’s revealed democracy, along with nations, peoples, and countries, no longer exists. The only thing left: the global system of finance.
Read more: The Rise of the Superclass
What do you think of the films in the list? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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400 Comments... join the discussion!
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Where’s “Memento”? Where’s “Crash”?
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and eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
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haha i love how I’ve seen – and ranted – about most of these movies
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” What if you were chained in a dimly-lit cave your whole life where you saw only shadows of real things reflected on its back wall? ”
this is from the “Allegory of the Cave”, also known as Myth of the Cave or Metaphor of the Cave, by Greek philosopher Plato …↵ -
Don’t forget two of the most mind-blowing movies from a little longer ago:
“The Stunt Man” starring Peter O’Toole (1980) – a little hard to find, but it will kick your head around. People either love it or hate it.
“Duel” starring Dennis Weaver (1971) – Steven Spielberg’s directing debut. If it doesn’t get your adrenalin pumping, nothing will.
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awesome list. have watched 6 of the 10 films so hopefully i’ll catch on with the other 4 soon.
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Interesting list .Got to watch these some day.
By the way, I think “The Butterfly Efffect” should be mentioned too. Rerouted my whole brain.↵ -
I would have included Requiem for a Dream on this list but otherwise a great list! Donnie Darko is one of my favorite movies
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I think Donnie Darko shouldn’t be on the list.
Should be:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – guy meets girl, guy realizes they met before and erased each other from their memories
Videodrome – snuff films are made cause death; but remember, violence is still erotic
Being John Malkovich – they find a way to go into an actor’s body, need I go on?
Funny Games – two teens torture a family for fun with hilarity and existentialist suggestion
Slaughterhouse-Five – a normal World War II veteran’s life is flashed by in random order, as he has learned past the illusion of time↵ -
Matrix. How does it know what chicken taste like?
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What about “Equilibrium”? Same message as the Matrix, but better.
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I liked this movie better when it was called “Farenheiht 451″ and “1984.”
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BAM! You win at things.
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Ok, so not on the same dark mind-twisting list as these ones, but still its one to make you think about our relationships with one another and at least it gives you the warm fuzzies! – Amelie. I love this film – the innocence, the good-will and the thinking outside the square arty stuff.
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” i heart huckabees” was an absolute piece of shit and should not be included on any list unless that list is of movies that are a complete and total waste of time
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Vanilla Sky is epic.
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“a clockwork orange” is not on this list; this fact invalidates this list.
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Good list, but I could never understand why everyone always gets so excited about “I Heart Huckabees”. It skims the surface of an interesting idea, but never goes anywhere. The train of thought is not followed, and the movie simply ends up being a vague CliffNotes for philosophy,
Also, GREAT to see Network up there. Holy God was THAT a movie!
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I mean, I agree with Ahmed about A Clockwork Orange not being on this list.
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I agree with most of these I would have to add Pi along with Requiem of a Dream, both very great movies.
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i agree with almost everybody
Requiem, clockwork orange, amelie, eternal sunshine, should ALL be on this list! also, 21 grams, blew my mind apart (once i watched it a 2nd time n understood what was going on haha), and DEFINATELY MEMENTO should rank in the top 3!!! brilliant stuff!!! but the best movie in todays times, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Its says what it needs to say in such an awsome way. 10/10. Off the topic now, but the scariest movie I’ve ever seen, DEAD SILENCE. I still have trouble sleeping haha. but all in all, good list. still a couple movies on there I have to see. peace
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Ian,
Great post, every single one of those listed both in the article and in the comments that I have seen has been inspirational, and life transforming.
Your focus on “essential truth” here rocks, it’s what we need more of in this world.
If you are ever in Pennsylvania, look us up.
Mr. Twenty Twenty
The guy who really did CHANGE his name to the number of perfect vision, because YOU living YOUR VISION matters.
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Trainspotting. The toilet scene was EPIC.
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trainspotting toiletscene was indeed epic.
But I would recommend: Christiane F – Wir Kinder Vom Bahnhof Zoo.
This is an epic story about heroin and youth adiction.or at least Persepolis..
Some high class indie films! Check these out!↵ -
the movie “Cube” should be on the list. i suggest you watch it.
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Trainspotting doesn’t make it onto the list?
Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed- interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing sprit- crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing you last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life… But why would I want to do a thing like that?
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Truly stupid comments on this post. Have you ever watched all the films on the list before you start correcting it is if what the stupidest list ever? As these kinda posts are subjective you can not treat it as if was an objective post and take it for granted that your film should be in it.
I think it is a nice list. I haven’t seen all the movies, but the ones I have I think fit well there. As other have mentioned, Eternal Sunshine would also fit very well in it. But then again what about 2001: A Space Odyssey, Clockwork Orange, Videodrome and so on. A complete list is impossible.
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Um, Nilas…..Did you read the sentences at the end of the article? They say, “What do you think of the films in the list? Share your thoughts in the comments!”
So, we’re sharing our thoughts, as the author asked us to – and he didn’t say, “only if you agree with me.” This is not some huge group merely insulting the author or the films he chose, or seriously enraged their favorite is not in the list. Most of the posters are polite and enthusiastic.
By the way did you look at the date of the article? May 27….2008. Not this year. Last year. This discussion has been going on for almost and year and a half. 384 comments total. Did you read all of them, or did you decide they were “stupid” on the basis of the most recent, visible ones only?
In a way, this has become an informal, but ongoing, Internet discussion of “blow your mind” movies in general. What you term “stupid” is the very thing that jump-starts a potentially satisfying conversation: passionate sharing and debate, exploring new possibilities, enriching everyone’s experience by expanding the sum total of their knowledge.
You’ve also overlooked a simple point: the more comments people make, the more movies they mention, the closer they get to something that IS in essence the “impossible” complete list you poo-pooed. Already seen all the films on the original list? Wishing you had more possibilities? Now you do! Anybody counted yet? Eventually it MAY be a 100-item list.
This is a good thing, OK? Learning about MORE good movies is something commenters seem to be enjoying here. The majority seem to understand that. But instead of joining in the fun, you call people’s comments, “Truly stupid”.
If the author is annoyed by the comments, or thinks they are out of line, or inappropriate, I would wager he is capable of saying so himself, or having them deleted. I would also bet that, unlike you, he can express himself coherently, using proper grammar, without typos….and that he can do so politely and in an adult manner.
You, also, are entitled to your opinion, and I sincerely agree with and support your right to say anything you wish about the subject of this discussion: the movies on the list and related films.
However – in my opinion, of course, not speaking for anyone else here – you are not entitled to call other commenters’ contributions “stupid”. You have no inalienable right to be rude.
I’d like to say thank you to everyone, and the author, for sharing some movies I’d never heard of, and which I got tremendous pleasure out of watching. Can’t wait to see what suggestions show up in my inbox next!
All best,
cordwainer↵ -
Where is K-PAX ???
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these movies are all great-only 10 on the list so they can get em all.
I totally agree that being john malkovitch should be on there. also, a new one,
INK. Check this movie out if you like the list. Brilliant independent film talking about human nature, our choices, regret, redemption, and forgiveness. So many great underlying messages that pull at the heart strings as well as the mind.↵ -
Mind-blowing movies? I’ve seen most of these, and I would have to agree. There are some anime series that I am beginning to discover that would absolutely blow your collective consciousnesses, but they are not “films” so to speak. Elfen Lied, FLCL, Serial Experiments Lain, Cowboy Bebop, Big O, and Neon Genesis Evangelion to name a few. Perhaps .hack//sign, but I haven’t seen all of them yet.
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The fact that this list doesn’t include Short Circuit 2 completely invalidates it!
Both you, and your list sir, are wrong!
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they should have done 12 monkeys instead of brazil. its the same director and more “mind blowing”
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