Top 10 Movies You'll Never Understand Even If You Watch It More Than Once
These movies are almost impossible to decode and watching it multiple times will just be wasting your time. These are my top ten movies you'll never understand even if you watch it more than once. These movies will be categorized by how confusing and convoluted the plot is instead of its popularity. The list is from one to ten, one being the most confusing. If you disagree, or think there should be a movie in the list that isn't leave a comment below. Enjoy.
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- DirectorDavid LynchStarsJack NanceCharlotte StewartAllen JosephHenry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child."Eraserhead" is David Lynch's directorial debut, and is in my opinion his most confusing work to this date. Lynch's films are mostly known for their surrealist vibe which can be related to looking at a painting for two hours, or seeing a movie that completely just flipped the table underneath you.
For my 16th Birthday I wanted the Criterion Collection edition of "Eraserhead", my mother got it for me and I told her "we're going to watch this movie together." I saw it once before so I had a very very very slight edge above her when we watched it together. I'll be honest, I didn't learn squat during my second viewing.
"Eraserhead" is such a surreal and complicated movie that you'll never understand it. It's more of an experience than anything else. Some themes in the movie I picked up on but boy was I off. "Eraserhead" is like going through an art gallery, you don't know what's next, and at the same time you don't really care. During my first viewing I cringed at moments during the film, and it got to me. The creepiest scene is without a doubt the woman in the radiator scene. At points in the movie I felt very, very uncomfortable.
One piece of advice I can tell you is to not take this film literally, if you take it literally then you're completely lost. Lynch is a director with a vision and is a completely different genre of his own, he may prove to be difficult when it comes down to telling a story but I'll tell you it's not boring. - DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsRobert PattinsonJuliette BinocheSarah GadonRiding across Manhattan in a stretch limo in order to get a haircut, a 28-year-old billionaire asset manager's day devolves into an odyssey with a cast of characters that start to tear his world apart.After watching this I wondered "Am I that dumb, or is this movie too smart?" "Cosmopolis" is directed by the infamous Canadian director David Cronenberg who brought us "Scanners" (1980), and many other *beep* up movies. Now I will say this right off the bat, I like David Cronenberg's work. I may not fully understand what his movies are about, or understand major plots, but all his movies are original and interesting to watch. Sadly that's not the case with "Cosmopolis".
This movie is so dull, boring, and cryptic to the point that I truly didn't give a squat about what happened. One positive thing I will say is that the cinematography is gorgeous, and it's quite impressive since the film mostly takes place in a stretch limo. All the characters in the film are metaphors, which in my case are just sheets of warped plastic. This film has no emotion, you don't care about the characters, you don't care about the "story", and you're most likely looking forward to the credits rolling down the screen.
Robert Pattinson gives a good performance even though he's not really given that much to work with, and all the actors in the film give good performances, but the performances can't save this movie. The biggest problem with the film is its script. It makes no sense. The dialogue in the film is cryptic so you don't understand what the conversations Pattinson is having with these characters which is very frustrating. The other thing about this film is that it's a fantasy, for those of you who've seen the movie most likely know what I mean. For example, you're constantly bumping into your wife throughout this entire movie, wherever you go she's automatically there. Why, how, who cares?
From what very little I know from watching is that you're watching a man slowly fall from a multi billionaire to a nobody (The deterioration of wealth). You can see it throughout the entire span of this film, I mean you physically see it throughout. The characters in the film are just there, there's no explanation why, or how. They never explain why Pattinson is talking to these individuals or how he got to know them, or what importance they play in the movie.
The beginning of the film starts off with Robert Pattinson saying "we need a haircut." And the rest of the movie is him sitting in a limo talking to these people, riding at a snail like pace to go to this specific barber shop that is all the way on the other side of the city while at the same time the President is in the city and a "rat" revolution is taking place. And when he finally gets the *beep* haircut it doesn't even make sense why he even went out of his way to have his hair cut there. I mean the guy only cut half the hair on his head! And also there are some very questionable decisions Pattinson's character makes which made know sense, and goes against his character. I mean the decisions he makes make no sense, and they're not even explained.
OMG!!! The real question about "Cosmopolis" is why did it even get made? How did it get made?! I only saw it once, and I don't plan on seeing it ever again. - DirectorJim JarmuschStarsIsaach De BankoléAlex DescasJean-François StéveninThe story of a mysterious loner, a stranger in the process of completing a criminal job."The Limits of Control" is directed by the famous independent director Jim Jarmusch who brought us "Dead Man" (1995), and "Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai" (1999). Jarmusch's films target on people excluded from society or are dealing with a certain time in their life that they need to face. I like Jarmusch's work I think he's one of the best directors still working to this day but I think he truly missed the mark with "The Limits of Control".
This film is about an assassin of some sort who must take on this job which requires him to talk to people who don't have names, drink two espressos everyday in the morning, carry a guitar around with him all the time, and eat a piece of paper which is the next clue to where he needs to go next.
This film has a lot of stars in it who are very good actors, but I can't help but feel their talent is being wasted on this film. Much like "Cosmopolis" (2012), this movie has the protagonist talk to multiple people whose conversations lead to no real importance or goal, and has him walking around doing nothing. Now I know this movie has a deeper message behind it but I can't help but say that this movie is about nothing. Why is he taking this job, why is he talking to these specific people, why does he have a completely nude woman stay at his hotel room? None of these questions are answered.
Now I give Jarmusch major respect for going out of the box with this one, he attempted to do something different from the work he's usually done in the past and I respect him for that. Did it turn out well? Not really. The film is shielding way too much information from the audience, you need to give us something to work with, and they don't. So we the audience are just sitting here with our mouths wide open asking ourselves "what the *beep* is this movie about?" I was confused throughout the entirety of the film and was flabbergasted by how boring this film is.
Now I've read quite a few analyzed articles on this film, and it still doesn't make sense to me, maybe one day I'll get it. Now for those of you who haven't seen this movie and want to see it I highly suggest you to not expect a typical Jarmusch film, you will be bored, and you will be confused, and you will be disappointed. - DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsJake GyllenhaalMélanie LaurentSarah GadonA man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie."Enemy" is directed by French director Denis Villeneuve, who brought us the sleeper hit thriller "Prisoners" (2013). In "Enemy" we follow the character of Anthony St. Claire, who is a college professor and has a somewhat sexually unhealthy relationship with his girlfriend, Mary. One day a fellow professor asks Anthony if he goes to the movies a lot. Anthony answers by saying no but the professor suggests him a movie that he thinks he'll like. One day Anthony rents or buys the movie that was suggested to him and watches it on his computer at home. While watching he sees himself in the film as an actual actor. Not knowing whether he's actually in the film or whether he has a look a like; Anthony does some research on the film and finds the name of his look a like/twin, Adam Bell. It turns out Adam is an up and coming actor with a wife whose name is Helen and who is also pregnant.
Complicated enough the movie gets more cryptic and surreal through giant spider monsters and tarantulas to images to a spider's "web". After seeing the film I was speechless and confused. "Enemy" is like a maze, the deeper you go in the harder it is to get out. The more invested you become in this film the more clues you're given but you don't entirely understand or see them.
The performances in the film, especially Gyllenhaal are great, there's no dull performance in this film, they all support and project the story. Isabella Rossellini is in the film for only 5 minutes but plays quite possibly the most important character in the film. With 'Enemy', you feel like what you saw added up to something, unlike some of the films on this list.
"Enemy" is a very hard film to decipher, but when you watch it you actually feel like you're watching a movie with a plot and a good story, which some films on this list also don't have. The climax of the film is very intense and the conclusion made my heart skip a beat. Even if you don't understand the film in its entirety at least you understand what you're watching. "Enemy" has a platform for you to understand and lean on when you get stumped while watching.
The film is a very simple and straight forward movie on the inside but presents itself completely different on the outside. "Enemy" is a very cryptic and maze like film that boasts an even more cryptic and maze like story, that will creep you out and leave you in awe.
If you don't understand "Enemy" and want answers check out the analyzed video by my favorite YouTube movie critic Chris Stuckmann; he goes into detail about the hidden messages in the film and what the film is truly about. I'll give you one hint for those who want to find it out themselves, Gyllenhaal does not have a twin of himself. - DirectorDavid LynchStarsNaomi WattsLaura HarringJustin TherouxAfter a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality."Mulholland Dr." Is directed by the very surreal David Lynch who made another mind trip of a movie to end up on this list. Following a horrific car crash which leaves a woman with amnesia, and a perky young woman who goes to Hollywood to make it big, and a film director who is in a tight squeeze with the production company. Pheww.
This movie gets more complicated. The two women meet and automatically accept each other and soon become very close. The two try to uncover the mystery of the alleged car crash and the mysterious Mulholland Dr. This film has it all. Lynch is definitely telling a story about Hollywood, and the crazy things that can happen there.
This film is very straight forward until the last 20 to 30 minutes of the film. Lynch turns the table on us once again and takes us to the surreal. "Mulholland Dr." is my favorite David Lynch film tying with "Wild at Heart" (1990). Watching the film is very interesting, and entertaining. You have a creepy diner scene, a hitman/assassination scene, a sex scene, a musical scene, an acting scene, a WTF scene, and a bigger WTF scene. This film will take a complete left turn on you and leave you behind in the process. "Mulholland Dr." is so rich with detail and substance that its such a hard movie to decipher.
Lynch takes his time and builds up the story long enough to the point where he can get into his natural habitat and do some pretty freaky stuff. Lynch has a vision and brings it to the screen just the way he imagined it. This film has amazing acting, great scenes that grip you to your seat, and a beautiful and artistic vision of mystery, suspense, and the surreal. - DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingKristin Scott ThomasVithaya PansringarmJulian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death.Julian: "You wanna fight?"
Me: "No, I want to know what the hell your film is about."
"Only God Forgives" is directed by independent Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, who brought us the "Pusher Trilogy" (1996; 2004; 2006), "Drive" (2011), "Bronson" (2008), and "Valhalla Rising" (2009). Following up his success from "Drive", (which won him the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival) Refn brought us this surrealist tail of revenge.
The film starts off with the main character Julian, and his brother Billy running a kick boxing gym in Thailand. But of course they sell drugs on the side which is where the real money comes in. That night Billy murders a 14 year old prostitute which brings in the character of Chang, who is a (retired) police officer who comes and deals swift and violent justice. Word gets out to Julian's mother that her eldest son has been murdered. She plans to find and kill Billy's killer, and have Julian do it for her. And so for the entire span of this movie we witness dream sequences, metaphorical messages, beautiful cinematography, a graphic and overly violent torture scene, and a fight scene. Sadly for my first viewing there were no subtitles so I didn't know what most of the people in the film were saying since it takes place in Thailand.
I'll just start off with saying that this is probably the most gorgeous looking film I've ever seen, the cinematography is filled with color and looks beautiful. The performances in the film are good for the most part even though the actors probably didn't know what the hell the movie was about anyway. Now here comes the negative things I have to say about the film. The film is overly violent, the story is muddled and convoluted, and you don't care about the characters and can't relate to them in any way.
"Only God Forgives" tells its story through visuals more than dialogue, which I personally don't mind but can be frustrating at times. The characters in the film are metaphors which means they have only one emotion or none at all. This film has trouble with presenting major plot points or emphasizing characters that play of somewhat importance to the story. Like I said before the film is very violent and is cringe worthy at times. Sometimes violence is necessary for a film and sometimes it isn't. For "Only God Forgives" the film the violence is not entirely necessary.
The infamous torture scene in the film goes on for a good 6 minutes which is very long for a torture scene in a movie to say the least. That scene in general feels unnecessary, and could be scrapped entirely from the movie. The main reason why isn't because it's very disturbing and hard to watch, but because the violence has no emotion. There's no real reasoning behind the torture. There are only two reasons why you torture someone, (A) you're extracting information from them, or (B) you have a personal grudge with the person you're torturing. They have the information already, and they don't have a personal grudge with the person; so why torture them? Well that's what happens to your movie when your director has a fetish for violence.
The film has scenes that lead to no importance or project the film or story in anyway. The character of Julian, around the end of the film makes a very questionable act that makes absolutely no sense, and the reasoning behind it feels poor and half-assed. (My opinion)."Only God Forgives" is piled with metaphors and tells the story through those metaphors of imagery. You can only go to a certain a extent because it can get overly absurd and you won't be able to understand what your watching on the screen.
Now I do know what the movie is about and its hidden messages due to an analyzed video by YouTube movie critic Chris Stuckmann. If you're having trouble with the film like I did, definitely check out his analysis. - DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.Hailed as not only the greatest science fiction film of all time but one of the greatest films ever made. Directed by the one and only Stanley Kubrick who brought so many other timeless classics, this is considered his magnum opus.
The film opens up to the dawn of man when we were only hunched back little apes. You see one ape discover one of the greatest innovations of man kinds survival and future innovations. He uses a bone as a weapon to destroy another ape tribe that took over their territory. The scene is not only beautiful but demonstrates the beginning of the human race. The tribe is then greeted by the monolith which appears out of nowhere. The apes examine the artificial object and then we cut to the future of 2001. The monolith appears once again and people scientists are going to take a trip to examine the mysterious object. After their encounter with the object they disappear, I believe, and a mission to recover the monolith is underway by a two man team whose ship is run by the newly edited artificial intelligence computer named HAL 9000.
This film is mesmerizing to say the least, the special effects still hold up to this day and set the goal for many future science fiction films to come. I enjoyed this film for its stunning cinematography and animation that was ahead of its time. This film looks real, you actually feel like you're in actual space unlike what many other films do today which is make it look all computerized.
This film is very confusing and makes you wonder what or how these three stories are all intertwined. The only thing that links the stories together is the monolith. By the end of the second act things get more complicated, weird, trippy, and even more confusing. The last ten to twenty minutes of the film take a completely different course of action and goes it's own way. "2001" is a classic sci-fi and Kubrick film that everyone has to experience. Definitely one of my favorite films to watch. - DirectorDavid LynchStarsBill PullmanPatricia ArquetteJohn RoseliusAnonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray."Lost Highway" is David Lynch's seventh feature film which follows a jazz saxophonist named Fred Madison, who goes to a party with his wife Renee. At the party Fred is encountered by the Mystery Man who tells him that he's at Fred's house "right now." Fred tells the man that he's crazy, but the man hands him a wireless phone and tells him to call his house. When ringing the voice of the Mystery Man answers the phone. Later after the party Fred is framed for murdering his wife and is sent to prison. While in prison he turns himself into a young man named Pete Dayton, who's a mechanic. As Pete, he is an acquaintance of a mobster named Mr. Eddie. And as if things are weird already they get a hell of a lot more weirder.
This is the third film that's on my list that David Lynch has directed. As you previously know he is known for his surrealist take in his movies. "Lost Highway" starts off relatively smooth and easy to understand, then it takes a turn and then starts to smooth out, then around the last 20 minutes of the movie *beep* starts hitting the fan and what you think you know and saw starts to crumble before your very eyes.
This film has enough clues and information that it at least adds up to something, and makes itself more present in its conclusion. Now you cannot take a David Lynch film literally, you just can't. You need to keep an open mind and use your imagination to place the pieces of the puzzle in the correct spot. Lynch likes to make the audience think about what they saw, and what the final conclusion of the film is. Lynch's films have such simple plots on the inside but the way Lynch presents the story on the outside tells a whole new one.
"Lost Highway" may prove to be frustrating to viewers who want complete coherence but when it's a David Lynch film you should know that's nothing you're going to get. Now for those of you who have seen the film and don't know what you just watched I highly suggest you to watch an analyzed video of the film by Malmrose Projects on YouTube, he's proven to be very helpful with many other David Lynch films, and you should definitely check him out. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer."Memento" is directed by the great Christopher Nolan, who brought us "Following" (1998), "The Prestige" (2006), and the "Dark Knight Trilogy" (2005; 2008; 2012). In this film we follow the character of Leonard Shelby who has short term memory and can't create new memories. The last thing he remembers is his wife dying right next to him. Leonard is on a quest for revenge trying to track down his wife's killer. He uses Polaroid pictures as his memory for clues, and tattoos his entire body with instructions and how "John G." ruined his life forever. But that's not all, this movie is told in backwards order. The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning.
Now "Memento" may prove to be confusing but it's not that hard to follow. What throws you off are the black and white scenes and the twists the movie takes. "Memento" is my favorite movie on this list and yet I don't know every little important detail about the movie. The film plays with you at times because you'll start to forget things like the protagonist does many times. "Memento" is a sad movie as well. You're watching a man with an awful disability trying to function normally while trying to track down his wife's killer.
The film is very original with how it tells a story and boasts a fantastic performance by the ever so underrated Guy Pearce. After watching the film for the first time, I automatically watched it again and again... And again. After about a dozen viewings I still don't completely understand the film, but I love this film so much that it truly doesn't matter to me.
Nolan was able to make a film that was confusing to grasp but enjoyable to watch, which is very hard to do. Unlike many other films on this list if you don't understand "Memento" you'll love it all the same if you did know what it was about. You don't need to understand "Memento" to enjoy it, and that's what I love most about this film.
At the end of the film you feel that it added up to something and that it feels whole. "Memento" is a film that people are still trying to decipher but Nolan just does too good of a job at stumping our minds. - DirectorRichard KellyStarsDwayne JohnsonSarah Michelle GellarSeann William ScottDuring a three-day heat wave just before a huge 4th of July celebration, an action star stricken with amnesia meets up with a porn star who is developing her own reality TV project, and a policeman who holds the key to a vast conspiracy."Donnie Darko" (2001) may have been proven to stump audiences but I found Richard Kelly's follow up "Southland Tales" to be much more confusing and rich with detail. Now just to get it out of the way I haven't seen this film in a while so my memory of it will be quite hazy.
The film opens in 2008 or 2009 where America has gotten over a third World War, and there's something called US I-Dent, where people are kept under surveillance 24/7. Boxer Santaros is a superstar amnesiac who comes up with this script for a movie about how the world is going to end which actually proves to be true, and in the process wants to document the day while shadowing a cop because he thinks he'll help him. Turns out the cop is Seann William Scott, who works for these people who want to kill or kidnap Boxer for some weird reason. Justin Timberlake is the narrator and actually does a good job acting wise. I'm honestly tired of trying to explain this film.
The way to describe this film is like the Kardashians meet "Donnie Darko" meets "Magnolia" (1999). If that sounds cool to you then knock yourself out and see this movie. This film is very confusing due to its overabundance of detail and authenticity about the world Kelly has created. Kelly makes a film that is watchable in a sense. Yes the film can get quite annoying at times and very confusing, but it's definitely not boring.
This film has received many negative reviews which I understand but I personally think the film is pretty good. It takes its time to tell a story that you won't usually see on the screen and takes you to a very bizarre world where there are commercials of cars having sex and etc. This film is an odyssey. It feels like one and looks like one. Kelly brought a very original film to the screen but it has difficulties presenting itself.
The film is too rich with detail and background of the world that you have to live in it to truly understand it. If only the story wasn't so jumbled and the amount of background to the universe was minimized I think Kelly would have had a better film than the one he turned out with.
One thing I must say is that you can't take this film seriously. it's too weird and fantastical to be real. Definitely check out "Southland Tales" I personally don't know what the film is about so I suggest you try to find an analyzed essay on the film that can make sense, unlike the ones I have read.