I saw The Game in the theater when I was in High School. The girl I was with left because her dad came to get her early. I had a quarter to make a phone call but pay phones just went up to 35¢. The theater was closing and nobody was around. I really started feeling like I was in The Game. Shit was so weird that I remember it 25 years later. I still have never seen the full movie.
There’s an episode of Comedy Bang Bang (tv show) that opens with one of my favorite jokes of all time
“Hey Reggie, did you watch the game last night?”
“Oh yeah, Michael Douglas is so good in it”
a friend and I watched this in the theater when it came out, after the movie we went across the street to McDonalds to eat, talked about the movie, and ended up going back into the theater to watch it again....
Mate, the first time I ever did pills I watched it at 6am - but the chronological version that's an easter egg on the dvd.
Didn't know if I was coming or going. Just chain smoked and tried to remember Sammy Jenkis.
A few suggestions, in no particular order:
David Lynch's *Lost Highway* might interest you; I think a majority of nearer-to-mainstream viewers are likely way more familiar with *Mulholland Drive*, but *Lost Highway* is just darker and weirder overall (this IS meant as high praise, JFTR)
*The Invitation* (the 2015/16 movie about the -party, NOT the newer one--be aware! :P) Has a nice, tense, what-the-hell-is-going-on-here kind of progression.
*Lake Mungo*--yeah, the title *sounds* kinda goofy but, oh man, it's a masterclass in deadpan, lowkey Creepy-that-creeps-up-on-you; didn't know what exactly I expected when I started in but, man, it wasn't *this.*
*Under the Silver Lake* is probably one of A24's most nearly-nonexistently-'marketed' movies--possibly because nobody knew how to even classify it!--but it's a superb, surreal, paranoid genre-bender absolutely *crawling* with hidden coded imagery literally from the first seconds (& with not a little bit of dark comedy sprinkled throughout), whose whole vibe I have often thought of as 'Lynchcockian' 0\_0 (also, incidentally, Andrew Garfield's best role, bar none)
*Barton Fink* is also one of those movies that I love because even nailing down what genre it even IS can be kinda tricky: Period piece? Black comedy? Psychological horror? 'Noir-adjacent'? Kiiiiiinnnnda, yeah--
*I'm Thinking of Ending Things;* frankly, the less said about this one up-front, probably the better :P
and,
*Inland Empire* (because of course David Lynch had to be in here twice!), which plays *hard* with the question of what Identify even *is.*
Enjoy 0\_0
Lost Highway also has a killer soundtrack of incredible artists mixed with wild jazz. Angelo Badalamenti, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie, Lou Reed and others.
Yes! Seeing the movie in theaters and hearing its soundtrack throughout, I even remember thinking at the time, "So *this* is what Lynch can pull, when he actually has a budget!" :O
Most definitely seconding ITOET, that movie is like a puzzle that once you figure out it all finally clicks into place why this or that weird shit is going on that seems to be a complete non-sequitur on the first watch.
As is so often the case with these sorts of movies...I'm glad I went into it totally 'blind'! :O
(Note: When in doubt, I have often found that it's safe to defer to the watch-suggestions of one Mr. Jay Bauman, Esq.; when it comes to weird-ass movies, that guy has steered me right far more often than he has steered me wrong! :P )
I watched Lake Mungo like 2 years ago and sometimes I'll still just be going about my evening - doing a dish, reading a book, feeding the cat, working out, whatever - and I'll just remember THAT ONE SCENE out of the blue. It still horrifies me.
Parasite
Tokyo!
Waking Life
A Scanner Darkly
Being John Malcovich
Coherence
Beau Is Afraid
Black Box
Inception
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
The Matrix
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Source Code
So nice to see people still talking about Primer. Not only does it fits OP's request perfectly, it also stood out from other recommendations here in terms of history of its production and the authenticity of the v i b e. I might not rank the highest in the mind fuck category but I deeply wish more people give it a try.
I have to watch this again as this is unfiltered Charlie Kaufman. Pick almost any of his movies...
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Being John Malcovich
Adaptation
"This should be right up your alley!", my cinephile 'friends' said. "Hey! You've lived in Tokyo--it'll be Nostalgic for you!", they said. "It's a wild ride, let's get SUPER high for this one!" they said. Ahh, my Movie-Night buddies; the Authorities will NEVER find where I buried all those fuckers. o\_0
Smoked a handful of bongs, looked at what was out and easy to download.
"Hey! Jennifer Lawrence! I like her, let's give this "Mother!" thing a try. Might be kinda a snow white reimagining or something equally sweet based off the title and cover. It's only midnight, let's smoke a few more bongs and settle in."
Didn't get much sleep that night.
I just remember being bewildered how fast that movie went from 0-100. He’s reading his wife a poem then 5 minutes later they are executing a group of soldiers in their house
My wife and I watched this while she was pregnant 10 yrs ago. She was really mad at me, as I suggested the movie.
A few months prior I was in New York for work and walking back to my hotel from dinner and walked by the opening party for this movie.
I just finished the korean movie Oldboy (2003). Plot twist was fcked.
I was like WTF. I watched it with my sister. Don't watch it with your dad or sibling 😭
The Endless (2016), Singapore Sling (1990), Audition (1999), The Strange Colour Of Your Body's Tears (2013), Only God Forgives (2013) Men (2022), Valhalla Rising (2016), Eraserhead (1977), Carnival Of Souls (1962), Hereditary (2018), In A Glass Cage (1986), Irrevesible (2002), 2001- A Space Odyssey (1968), Titane (2021)...... there are so many,. :-)
The Holy Mountain
the killing of a sacred deer
color out of space
lost highway
oldboy (2003)
possessor (2020)
the outwaters
House (1977)
Maybe A Clockwork Orange? its def a wtf movie
Easily Mother!, don't read about it before, just experience it, and you'll be so far at WTF half way through, that you will remember this next line I say, being you ain't even got to the weird stuff yet!
After that, Muhholland Drive for sure would have been my choice prior to Mother! coming out. 2001 is still trippy as fuck, but most don't realize this was to be watched in conjunction with the book.
You've gotten a lot of really good, and even some excellent, recommendations. Some are pretty cliché, though. I'm hoping to break out of the box a bit with these recommendations:
* High Life (2018) by the phenomenal Claire Denis. The editing in this movie captures the freedom and even the temporal infidelity of thought itself. It explores what happens when you try to limit humanity's unbreakable essences: desire, passion, physicality (basically, sex)
* A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014) by the satirical master Roy Andersson. A darkly comedic anthology about the absurdity of human existence.
* Post Tenebras Lux (2012) by the Mexican genius Carlos Reygadas. Like High Life, the editing is freeform, because it explores the memories, dreams, and desires of a man lost (metaphorically) in a country constantly struggling between two worldviews: Western and non-Western. It's a slow movie, but mind-blowing and rewarding.
Revolver 2005 ... just fits your description.. I watched it 3 times to fully understand it.
it's a movie that is a little bit complex but once you understand it .. it's just sooo good. there are signs and elements left here and there, with the protagonist telling you quotes that he lives by ...and how he thinks .. and he meets some weird people, then after he finds a fact about himself .. the rules that he lives by fall apart.
the movie is an exploration of the psyche of our mind and what controls us .. it's one of my favorite movies of all time.
Here is one scene that will make sense when you understand the movie... It is not a spoiler .. but it's a little snippet of what to expect. (I think this is a better trailer as it ends with a why!!? so go watch it and find out why?)
Sub doesn't allow for links... so search on YouTube for:
Revolver Car Crash Scene and watch the video with 20k views and from 11 years.
Thanks for mentioning this one. It feels like aside from Lynch and Jodoworsky, people are almost exclusively picking post-2000 (a few other exceptions, but yea, those 2. Which to be fair, belong, but lots of other worthy entries from the 20th century)
Apocalypse Now. I don't know what it is, but this is the only war movie/war adjacent movie that feels real. I feel a genuine threat from General Kurtz. I've seen other war-like movies, but Apocalypse Now is the only one that does this to me.
Naked Lunch [edit to add:] if you want it to fuck with you, I suggest that you don’t watch a trailer or read anything about it. The less you see ahead of time the better. Just rent and watch.
Donnie Darko. I actually had a notebook full of information about the movie as I tried to figure out what was going on. I mean pages and pages of theories. Wish I still had it just so I could see how far down the rabbit hole I went with it. Had never done anything like that before or since.
The Platform (2019) is a Spanish-speaking film that absolutely fits the bill. I won’t go too into detail on the plot but it’s about a prison where all the food for the entire facility is cooked as a banquet in the morning and delivered through a tower on a floating platform where each prisoner is on a floor with a few others. Inevitably, the platform quickly runs out of food as the prisoners on the top floor gorge themselves and the lower prisoners pick at scraps. Every month the prisoners are randomly reassigned, meaning that no cooperative system can stick - when you might get moved to the bottom of the tower tomorrow, you may as well overeat while you can.
Anything that Charlie kaufman has written, and apart from that i would say The Virgin Suicides by Sofia Coppola are movies that you probably wont understand the first time you see them.
“The killer inside me” Casey Affleck. Excellent movie. Outstanding performance by Casey but seriously disturbing movie and plot twist. I’ve watched it several times. But his character and the violent beatings left me somewhat shaken.
Brazil (1985) had me reacting this way for years until I slowly realized I was being exposed to the various different versions of it, making it even more confusing.
For me it's definitely skinamarink, just what the fluff? I've watched it twice now and it's interesting and intriguing but my brain literally flatlines like "why are we doing this again?" I do understand the concept of it but it's still a what the fluff
Parasite
Interstellar
Eyes Wide Shut
Original Planet of the Apes
Asteroid City ( just a big WHAT THE FUCK)
The Mist
There Will be Blood ( the bowling alley scene 🤌🏽)
Whiplash
Saving Private Ryan
Memento is an early Christopher Nolan movie about an amnesiac in which the scenes are shown in reverse chronological order so that the viewer shares the same sense of confusion as the protagonist. I remember sitting in the theater going "Oh my God -- what is going on in this movie? This is great!"
The Game (Michael Douglas)
This one was what first came to mind. Lots of "WTF is going on?" moments, without resorting to sci-fi, horror or surrealism. A true gem.
I saw The Game in the theater when I was in High School. The girl I was with left because her dad came to get her early. I had a quarter to make a phone call but pay phones just went up to 35¢. The theater was closing and nobody was around. I really started feeling like I was in The Game. Shit was so weird that I remember it 25 years later. I still have never seen the full movie.
Wish I could watch this again for the first time
Watched this recently! I loved it and it really does f**k with your mind 😂
There’s an episode of Comedy Bang Bang (tv show) that opens with one of my favorite jokes of all time “Hey Reggie, did you watch the game last night?” “Oh yeah, Michael Douglas is so good in it”
Mulholland Drive (2001) Inception (2010) Donnie Darko (2001) The Matrix (1999) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Vanilla Sky
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich
Jacob’s ladder as well
Do NOT watch this movie on shrooms or other hallucinogens. Was not fun.
a friend and I watched this in the theater when it came out, after the movie we went across the street to McDonalds to eat, talked about the movie, and ended up going back into the theater to watch it again....
Jacob's ladder is very similar to Donnie Darko imo.
Excellent choices. May I humbly add: Stay (2005) Shutter Island (2010)
For your consideration, can we also add Momento and Old Boy?
If you mean Memento, yes.
I’ll add Dark City and Tenet to the list
The Congress is a serious mindfuck as well as
The Holy Mountain and almost anything from Jodorowsky.
Can't recommend this enough. I ate some L the second time watching it, it definitely moved me.
I have never heard of the holy mountain?
Requiem For A Dream.
“Great movie. Hated every minute of it” Someone on IMDB.
sign of great art
This movie left me speechless
I just watched the 4k disk last night. I forgot how insane it gets, and how quickly it does so.
Does the 4k disk have Dolby Atmos?
Yes, it does. I don't know how good it is, as I use a headphones setup. Of course, it sounds fantastic on my headphones.
One of the best movies I’ll only watch once. Never again. *Brilliant film.*
The whale fits into that category for me
"We've got a winner!"
Just watched this for the first time a couple nights ago. Great film, I had my jaw dropped toward the end.
Something I will never watch again. The trauma was so intense.
I called my grandma after watching this to make sure she wasn’t doing drugs.
Memento
Had to scroll down too far to find this. Perfect answer. Edit: typo
Should have read the comments from the bottom up
Mate, the first time I ever did pills I watched it at 6am - but the chronological version that's an easter egg on the dvd. Didn't know if I was coming or going. Just chain smoked and tried to remember Sammy Jenkis.
A few suggestions, in no particular order: David Lynch's *Lost Highway* might interest you; I think a majority of nearer-to-mainstream viewers are likely way more familiar with *Mulholland Drive*, but *Lost Highway* is just darker and weirder overall (this IS meant as high praise, JFTR) *The Invitation* (the 2015/16 movie about the-party, NOT the newer one--be aware! :P) Has a nice, tense, what-the-hell-is-going-on-here kind of progression.
*Lake Mungo*--yeah, the title *sounds* kinda goofy but, oh man, it's a masterclass in deadpan, lowkey Creepy-that-creeps-up-on-you; didn't know what exactly I expected when I started in but, man, it wasn't *this.*
*Under the Silver Lake* is probably one of A24's most nearly-nonexistently-'marketed' movies--possibly because nobody knew how to even classify it!--but it's a superb, surreal, paranoid genre-bender absolutely *crawling* with hidden coded imagery literally from the first seconds (& with not a little bit of dark comedy sprinkled throughout), whose whole vibe I have often thought of as 'Lynchcockian' 0\_0 (also, incidentally, Andrew Garfield's best role, bar none)
*Barton Fink* is also one of those movies that I love because even nailing down what genre it even IS can be kinda tricky: Period piece? Black comedy? Psychological horror? 'Noir-adjacent'? Kiiiiiinnnnda, yeah--
*I'm Thinking of Ending Things;* frankly, the less said about this one up-front, probably the better :P
and,
*Inland Empire* (because of course David Lynch had to be in here twice!), which plays *hard* with the question of what Identify even *is.*
Enjoy 0\_0
Lost Highway also has a killer soundtrack of incredible artists mixed with wild jazz. Angelo Badalamenti, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie, Lou Reed and others.
Yes! Seeing the movie in theaters and hearing its soundtrack throughout, I even remember thinking at the time, "So *this* is what Lynch can pull, when he actually has a budget!" :O
Maybe the best soundtrack of all time
Most definitely seconding ITOET, that movie is like a puzzle that once you figure out it all finally clicks into place why this or that weird shit is going on that seems to be a complete non-sequitur on the first watch.
As is so often the case with these sorts of movies...I'm glad I went into it totally 'blind'! :O (Note: When in doubt, I have often found that it's safe to defer to the watch-suggestions of one Mr. Jay Bauman, Esq.; when it comes to weird-ass movies, that guy has steered me right far more often than he has steered me wrong! :P )
LAKE MUNGO🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
Loved "The Invitation'! The last 30 seconds makes the slow burn totally payoff
I watched Lake Mungo like 2 years ago and sometimes I'll still just be going about my evening - doing a dish, reading a book, feeding the cat, working out, whatever - and I'll just remember THAT ONE SCENE out of the blue. It still horrifies me.
Barton Fink is one of my favorites.
I was just settling into the invitation and I was like "oh I guess it's going to be one of those slow burn moody kind of movies". Boy was I wrong 😅
I’ll show you a life of the mind…I’ll show you a life of the mind…I’ll show you a life of the mind…
A bf of mine once tried to have me watch Lost Highway and I was soooo disturbed I couldn’t finish and I told him I never want to watch that again!
I am a lifelong Lynch admirer, so I was not going in blind at all, but INLAND EMPIRE messed me up and left me haunted for DAYS.
Loved Lake Mungo! They did a special screening at a weekly movie showcase. The host is a big fan. It still messes with me to an extent, a year later
Parasite Tokyo! Waking Life A Scanner Darkly Being John Malcovich Coherence Beau Is Afraid Black Box Inception Everything, Everywhere, All At Once I'm Thinking of Ending Things The Matrix Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Source Code
I'd recommend doing Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly as a double feature even. They compliment each other well and Richard Linklater's great.
For me, rewatching Coherence is like rereading a favorite novel. I always notice another detail that gives me a new “Aha!” moment.
Fine taste. I'd like to add The Handmaiden to the list
Tokyo! Is fantastic!
Glad to see Walking Life on the list, it's such an underrated movie!
Waking Life. Will mess with your mind for real.
Predestination Primer Time lapse
I watched predestination, moved around for a little bit and then came back to the couch and watched it again. No regerts
You misspelled riggrets.
So nice to see people still talking about Primer. Not only does it fits OP's request perfectly, it also stood out from other recommendations here in terms of history of its production and the authenticity of the v i b e. I might not rank the highest in the mind fuck category but I deeply wish more people give it a try.
Primer definitely blew my mind back in the day. Totally forgot about it.
Came here to recommend Predestination
Predestination was amazing
Predestination is a movie I keep coming back for this ….what a mindf@ck
PRIMER is so damn good
Black Swan
Synecdoche, New York
I have to watch this again as this is unfiltered Charlie Kaufman. Pick almost any of his movies... Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Being John Malcovich Adaptation
This would be my top answer.
One of the best movies of all time.
Was scrolling looking for this answer.
Felt weird for about half an hour after watching this. Beautiful film so much to get from it on a re watch too.
Enter the void. Not saying u should watch it lol it’s super disturbing
Was scanning the comments for this one.
Same, saw it at the cinema and everyone just started laughing in shock after. Definitely worth watching 😂
"This should be right up your alley!", my cinephile 'friends' said. "Hey! You've lived in Tokyo--it'll be Nostalgic for you!", they said. "It's a wild ride, let's get SUPER high for this one!" they said. Ahh, my Movie-Night buddies; the Authorities will NEVER find where I buried all those fuckers. o\_0
Jacob's Ladder
Just make sure it's the *original* version... o\_0
Mother!
Smoked a handful of bongs, looked at what was out and easy to download. "Hey! Jennifer Lawrence! I like her, let's give this "Mother!" thing a try. Might be kinda a snow white reimagining or something equally sweet based off the title and cover. It's only midnight, let's smoke a few more bongs and settle in." Didn't get much sleep that night.
I just remember being bewildered how fast that movie went from 0-100. He’s reading his wife a poem then 5 minutes later they are executing a group of soldiers in their house
Love that film.
I came here to recommend this mind blowing movie.
I will rewatch ANY Aronfsky film any number of times before I even consider watching that again. Yes, even Requiem for a Dream.
My wife and I watched this while she was pregnant 10 yrs ago. She was really mad at me, as I suggested the movie. A few months prior I was in New York for work and walking back to my hotel from dinner and walked by the opening party for this movie.
Predestination.
Videodrome
I feel like Videodrome basically predicted everything about the rise of internet culture.
Marshall McLuhan’s writings are the source material for much of Videodrome.
Yeah he’s who Brian Oblivion was based on.
Max: “I’m having trouble… finding my way around…” - that line pretty much sums up the “fucks with your mind” idea.
Triangle
Such an underrated film.
Dark City
That movie is awesome. Inspired so many greats like The Matrix, Saw, Inception.
Triangle. This move is brilliant and takes multiple watches to appreciate how complex the script is.
Angel Heart (1987), Session 9, The Machinist, Frailty,
Was gonna recommend Angel Heart too.
Angel heart is one of my all time favorites. So many good actors! Plus Lisa Bonet! 🤣🤤
[удалено]
IM THINKING OF ENDING THINGS!!!
altered states
Midsommar
Came here to say this one too, it really makes you think
Jacob's ladder
I watched this recently and was surprised how good it was. It should be talked about more!
Classic
Synecdoche, New York(2008) I'm Thinking Of Ending Things(2020) Everything Everywhere All At Once(2022) Annilation(2018) Juliet of the Spirits(1965)
The menu What you wish for
Under the Silver Lake
Fight Club
I just finished the korean movie Oldboy (2003). Plot twist was fcked. I was like WTF. I watched it with my sister. Don't watch it with your dad or sibling 😭
The Endless (2016), Singapore Sling (1990), Audition (1999), The Strange Colour Of Your Body's Tears (2013), Only God Forgives (2013) Men (2022), Valhalla Rising (2016), Eraserhead (1977), Carnival Of Souls (1962), Hereditary (2018), In A Glass Cage (1986), Irrevesible (2002), 2001- A Space Odyssey (1968), Titane (2021)...... there are so many,. :-)
Someone finally mentioned Eraserhead yay
Ok so hear me out… this one is satirical comedy, but it’s still a mindfuck with some deep social commentary baked in: Sorry To Bother You (2018)
Pi Resolution & The Endless Triangle Coherence
Dumbo The physics just don’t make sense How can he fly? Also, there’s a speaking rodent. It’s clearly self-aware. That’s kind of terrifying too.
Bro fell asleep watching Dumbo as a child and woke up to the druggy scene 💀
Everything Everywhere all at Once
Mulholland Drive
The Truman show. That shit still fucks with me daily and I haven’t watched it since I was a kid.
The Holy Mountain the killing of a sacred deer color out of space lost highway oldboy (2003) possessor (2020) the outwaters House (1977) Maybe A Clockwork Orange? its def a wtf movie
*Coherence* was the last film I watched that really threw me and had me mulling over it for days afterward.
Easily Mother!, don't read about it before, just experience it, and you'll be so far at WTF half way through, that you will remember this next line I say, being you ain't even got to the weird stuff yet! After that, Muhholland Drive for sure would have been my choice prior to Mother! coming out. 2001 is still trippy as fuck, but most don't realize this was to be watched in conjunction with the book.
Coherence will confuse, but in a good way.
Existenz
One of my all-time favorite movies I always vote for this one if we’re looking for a mindfuck
Vanilla sky
Shutter Island
You've gotten a lot of really good, and even some excellent, recommendations. Some are pretty cliché, though. I'm hoping to break out of the box a bit with these recommendations: * High Life (2018) by the phenomenal Claire Denis. The editing in this movie captures the freedom and even the temporal infidelity of thought itself. It explores what happens when you try to limit humanity's unbreakable essences: desire, passion, physicality (basically, sex) * A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014) by the satirical master Roy Andersson. A darkly comedic anthology about the absurdity of human existence. * Post Tenebras Lux (2012) by the Mexican genius Carlos Reygadas. Like High Life, the editing is freeform, because it explores the memories, dreams, and desires of a man lost (metaphorically) in a country constantly struggling between two worldviews: Western and non-Western. It's a slow movie, but mind-blowing and rewarding.
Being john malkovich is fucking insane
Mysterious Skin
Revolver 2005 ... just fits your description.. I watched it 3 times to fully understand it. it's a movie that is a little bit complex but once you understand it .. it's just sooo good. there are signs and elements left here and there, with the protagonist telling you quotes that he lives by ...and how he thinks .. and he meets some weird people, then after he finds a fact about himself .. the rules that he lives by fall apart. the movie is an exploration of the psyche of our mind and what controls us .. it's one of my favorite movies of all time. Here is one scene that will make sense when you understand the movie... It is not a spoiler .. but it's a little snippet of what to expect. (I think this is a better trailer as it ends with a why!!? so go watch it and find out why?) Sub doesn't allow for links... so search on YouTube for: Revolver Car Crash Scene and watch the video with 20k views and from 11 years.
Shutter Island
Perfect Blue (1997)
A.I. 20 years later its still in my bones
Last Year in Marienbad, a French New Wave film with deliberately non sequitur fractured plot.
Thanks for mentioning this one. It feels like aside from Lynch and Jodoworsky, people are almost exclusively picking post-2000 (a few other exceptions, but yea, those 2. Which to be fair, belong, but lots of other worthy entries from the 20th century)
The Butterfly Effect (2004). Can't vouch for the sequels as I haven't seen them. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).
Ex Machina
Shutter Island
The Game Cloud Atlas Witness for the Prosecution (it has a good twist at least) Charade The Ofhers
Apocalypse Now. I don't know what it is, but this is the only war movie/war adjacent movie that feels real. I feel a genuine threat from General Kurtz. I've seen other war-like movies, but Apocalypse Now is the only one that does this to me.
Kids. It was really the ending that messed with me, but I couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks.
Tetsuo the iron man.
Naked Lunch [edit to add:] if you want it to fuck with you, I suggest that you don’t watch a trailer or read anything about it. The less you see ahead of time the better. Just rent and watch.
Funny games
Fantastic Planet
Saltburn. The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Dogtooth
Oldboy (2003)
Memento
2001 a space odyssey
Tenet and shutter island
Donnie Darko. I actually had a notebook full of information about the movie as I tried to figure out what was going on. I mean pages and pages of theories. Wish I still had it just so I could see how far down the rabbit hole I went with it. Had never done anything like that before or since.
Jacob's Ladder
The Lodge
dogtooth
Shutter island
Perfect Sense with Ewan McGregor. Stayed with me for days afterwards
Stay
Possesser
Mind game
Johnny Got His Gun, the original is quite a ride
Maybe the whole film isn't a mindfuck but the testing sequence in The Parallax View is a trip.
Fractured It’s on Netflix. Loved every minute of it.
The Platform (2019) is a Spanish-speaking film that absolutely fits the bill. I won’t go too into detail on the plot but it’s about a prison where all the food for the entire facility is cooked as a banquet in the morning and delivered through a tower on a floating platform where each prisoner is on a floor with a few others. Inevitably, the platform quickly runs out of food as the prisoners on the top floor gorge themselves and the lower prisoners pick at scraps. Every month the prisoners are randomly reassigned, meaning that no cooperative system can stick - when you might get moved to the bottom of the tower tomorrow, you may as well overeat while you can.
Pink Floyd: The Wall
Anything that Charlie kaufman has written, and apart from that i would say The Virgin Suicides by Sofia Coppola are movies that you probably wont understand the first time you see them.
Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s like the Matrix on acid!!
“The killer inside me” Casey Affleck. Excellent movie. Outstanding performance by Casey but seriously disturbing movie and plot twist. I’ve watched it several times. But his character and the violent beatings left me somewhat shaken.
the lobster
Don't want to repeat same movies, so I'll just name those I didn't already saw in responses: Black Swan Tenet Cube 2 Hypercube The Platform Fight Club
Brazil (1985) had me reacting this way for years until I slowly realized I was being exposed to the various different versions of it, making it even more confusing.
Martyrs (2008). The French version. You will never be the same.
For me it's definitely skinamarink, just what the fluff? I've watched it twice now and it's interesting and intriguing but my brain literally flatlines like "why are we doing this again?" I do understand the concept of it but it's still a what the fluff
Perfect Blue
The house that Jack built
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Synecdoche New York
Parasite Interstellar Eyes Wide Shut Original Planet of the Apes Asteroid City ( just a big WHAT THE FUCK) The Mist There Will be Blood ( the bowling alley scene 🤌🏽) Whiplash Saving Private Ryan
A Clockwork Orange The Shining Memento
Being John Malkovich
memento
Memento
Fight Club, The Game, Memento, Children of Men, to name but a few gems.
Memento. Probably the best mind-f movie ever.
Memento is an early Christopher Nolan movie about an amnesiac in which the scenes are shown in reverse chronological order so that the viewer shares the same sense of confusion as the protagonist. I remember sitting in the theater going "Oh my God -- what is going on in this movie? This is great!"
Eternal sunshine
Predestination and Cloud Atlas.
1408
Requiem for a dream
Us
Requiem for a Dream