The Best Of The Mind-Benders
There’s nothing better than a movie that totally blows your mind—whether it’s through an intricate narrative structure, wild experimental visuals, or a totally unexpected plot twist. How many of these top-shelf mind-boggling films have you seen?
12 Monkeys
12 Monkeys is often overshadowed by another mind-bending Brad Pitt-starring 90s hit, Fight Club. But why settle for one when you can have two? A combination of time travel and heartbreaking twists puts it over the top as well as a fantastic performance by Bruce Willis, a dystopian nightmare future, and some signature over-the-top Terry Gilliam stylization.
Jacob’s Ladder
This Adrian Lyne-directed 1990 thriller featuring Tim Robbins explores the slow decline into paranoia and delusion experienced by a Vietnam War vet. It’s twisted enough that it almost demands a second viewing—with the caveat that some audiences found it too “nerve-shattering” to revisit.
Carolco Pictures, Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Primer
Director Shane Carruth has made films that are often called “the thinking man’s sci-fi”—and it began with his low-budget 2004 indie film Primer. Carruth’s past as an engineer with a degree in mathematics shows in his script, which is punctuated with technical dialogue. Though complicated, it never overshadows the narrative, about engineers who build a time travel device.
Memento
Before Inception and Tenet, there was Memento—the 2001 film that made Christopher Nolan a name to watch. The twist here is that the movie takes place in reverse chronological order, as a man who’s had his memory wiped attempts to find the man who killed his wife.
Newmarket Capital Group, Memento (2000)
Lost Highway
It wouldn’t be a list of mind-boggling films without an entry or two from David Lynch—and for our money, Lost Highway is a top pick. It balances Lynch’s weirder sensibilities—hello, mid-film narrative flip—without getting too inscrutable and features intense and haunting performances by Patricia Arquette, Robert Blake, Bill Pullman, and Bill Pullman’s saxophone.
CiBy 2000, Lost Highway (1997)
Being John Malkovich
The premise of this 1999 Spike Jonze film seems simple enough (If also quite bizarre): There’s a portal that leads into the head John Malkovich, and whoever enters it can briefly experience life as the actor. But then, as they say, the plot thickens—and things get even weirder.
Astralwerks, Being John Malkovich (1999)
Source Code
On its surface, Source Code is a fairly straightforward mystery—yet as the story unfolds, it reveals itself to be much deeper, involving lost memories, experimental government tech, and shifting alliances. This underrated Jake Gyllenhaal thriller keeps the pace tight and the tension high from start to finish.
Vendome Pictures, Source Code (2011)
2001: A Space Odyssey
It’s likely that no one is surprised to see this Stanley Kubrick classic on this list, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s time to take the plunge, and if you haven’t seen it in a while, it’s time to revisit it. It’s an experience that no amount of Simpsons parody bits can prepare you for.
MGM, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The Man Who Fell To Earth
This 1976 sci-fi classic is directed by Nicolas Roeg and stars David Bowie as an alien who’s crash-landed on Earth. Need I say more? Well, the surreal visuals and Bowie’s eerie performance have made it a cult classic since its initial release.
British Lion Film Corporation, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Three Days Of The Condor
In this stylish and mind-boggling 1970s thriller, a CIA agent, played by Robert Redford, returns to his office to find all of his co-workers dead. He then becomes stuck in a game of cat-and-mouse and has separate those he can trust from those who he’s rightly paranoid about.
Paramount, Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Black Swan
This thriller by Darren Aronofsky features arresting visuals and a noteworthy performance by Natalie Portman. Driven to the edge by her director and a rival, Portman’s Nina begins to lose her grip on reality—making us and her question what’s in front of our eyes.
Searchlight Pictures, Black Swan (2010)
The Sixth Sense
The movie that put M. Night Shyamalan—and plot twists—on the map, The Sixth Sense isn’t just remarkable for the many Easter eggs and clues that appear throughout the film, but also for the thoughtful and heartbreaking performances by Bruce Willis, Toni Colette, and Haley Joel Osment.
Hollywood Pictures, The Sixth Sense (1999)
Open Your Eyes
Vanilla Sky is often cited as a mind-bending thriller where all the elements are there, but it somehow misses the mark. Why not go back to the original film that it’s a remake of? Open Your Eyes, the 1997 Spanish film, has much more positive reviews than Vanilla Sky for a reason.
Waking Life
Waking Life tackles complicated philosophical themes of existentiality, autonomy, identity, and the nature of reality—but in a way typical of director Richard Linklater: through conversation and character studies. Add in rotoscope-animation, and you’ve got a seriously unique experience.
Searchlight Pictures, Waking Life (2001)
8½
Director Federico Fellini’s stunning classic 8½ follows an acclaimed filmmaker as he looks for inspiration for a new project, meshing together his glamorous reality, fantastical memories, and bursts of inspiration into an unforgettably rich visual and narrative landscape.
Federico Fellini, Wikimedia Commons
Looper
Rian Johnson was already a master of crafting a mind-bending mystery when he made Looper in 2012, following the success of Brick and The Brothers Bloom. Johnson brought in past collaborators like Joseph Gordon-Levitt for this time-travel thriller about an assassin and his unexpected target.
The Machinist
The Machinist got some attention when it came out—but not for the right reasons. The actual plot and artistic merits of the film were overshadowed by the fact that it was the film that Christian Bale starved himself for. Instead, more attention should’ve been paid to the writing and directing in this story about an industrial worker who begins to lose his mind after suffering from insomnia.
Gone Girl
Gone Girl is filled with twists and turns, which might make it seem like a one-watch wonder. But really, even if you’ve seen Gone Girl, it’s worth a rewatch. After all, it’s not the destination, but the friends we make along the way—and the stellar performances by Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, and Carrie Coon.
Twentieth Century, Gone Girl (2014)
The Fountain
The Fountain wasn’t appreciated upon its release, which is too bad, because it might be Darren Aronofsky’s best. The ambitious film weaves together three separate stories into an overarching narrative about the quest for eternal life. It’s loaded with stunning visuals and thought-provoking symbolism.
Warner Bros., The Fountain (2006)
The Game
David Fincher has been giving audiences mind-bending thrillers from the very beginning of his career, and The Game is proof. This Michael Douglas vehicle is a classic for a reason, as his selfish banker character agrees to participate in a mysterious game—one that drives him to the edge.
Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images
Cube
The Game wasn’t the only mind-bending thriller to come out of 1997. It features a group of people trapped in a strange labyrinth of cube-shaped rooms filled with terrifying and deadly traps. Not only is the concept ahead of its time, but the production design is both stunning and incredibly haunting.
The Feature Film Project, Cube (1997)
Shutter Island
Shutter Island begins as a straightforward thriller, before devolving in a terrifying exploration of the mind of its main character, and the thin veils between memory and delusion. Underappreciated upon its release, Scorsese’s 2010 mystery has begun to finally get its due in recent years.
Paramount, Shutter Island (2010)
Annihilation
This 2018 Alex Garland-helmed film starring Natalie Portman features a group of scientists entering a quarantined zone called “The Shimmer,” where plants and animals have mutated thanks to an alien presence—but they get more than they bargained for. Beyond the stunning visuals, it also features mind-boggling plot twists that left as much of an imprint in 2018 as they do today.
Paramount, Annihilation (2018)
Groundhog Day
Who said time-bending films couldn’t be fun? Bill Murray gives an unforgettable performance in this 1993 film, where he plays an insufferable weatherman who needs to figure out of the time loop that he’s stuck in.
Columbia, Groundhog Day (1993)
The Butterfly Effect
Despite poor reviews in its day, this 2004 sci-fi thriller brought to you by the team behind Final Destination deserves a rewatch. Ashton Kutcher plays a man suffering from memory loss who discovers he can time travel and attempts to right the wrongs in his past—only to discover that it won’t be so simple.
BenderSpink, The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Muholland Drive
David Lynch originally envisioned Mulholland Drive as a TV pilot, and much of it was shot with that goal in mind. Of course, that doesn’t account for inscrutable the plot can be. Lynch left much of the meaning up to interpretation, and it has gorgeous, surreal visuals to top it off.
Canal+, Mulholland Drive (2001)
The One I Love
In The One I Love, a couple, played by Mark Ruffalo and Elisabeth Moss, are encouraged to spend a weekend away at a secluded estate. As the weekend progresses, it’s clear that something is amiss, and that each has a doppelganger. And that’s just the beginning…
RADiUS-TWC, The One I Love (2014)
Coherence
Director James Ward Byrkit knew that he wanted to make a low-budget film, so he focused on what he had: actor friends and a living room. He used these constraints—and a loose 12-page treatment—to come up with the idea for Coherence, a surreal sci-fi thriller that combines alternate realities, the apocalypse, and metaphysics.
Ugly Duckling Films, Coherence (2013)
The Adjustment Bureau
Loosely based on a Philip K Dick story, The Adjustment Bureau is a surreal thriller starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt as characters who meet and fall for each other—only to notice that mysterious forces, with nearly supernatural powers, seem to be conspiring to keep them apart. The simultaneously mind-bending and fun thriller raises questions of free will and control.
Universal, The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Enter The Void
Like Jacob’s Ladder, Enter The Void is an intense experience both visually and psychologically—and one that leaves an indelible mark on viewers. It follows a dealer who gets fatally shot but who continues to witness subsequent events while having an out-of-body experience.
Fidélité Films, Enter the Void (2009)
About Time
Who said time travel needs to be dark and sinister to work? In this Richard Curtis rom-com/sci-fi, Domhnall Gleason stars as a young man who finds out that the men in his family have a unique talent—the ability to travel back in time. He tries to use it to craft a perfect love story for him and his crush, played by Rachel McAdams—but has to face unexpected, and occasionally heartbreaking results.
Moon
Before Duncan Jones directed Source Code, he wrote the story for and directed Moon. The 2009 sci-fi film features Sam Rockwell as an astronaut working alone on the moon, who begins to experience hallucinations and question his grip on reality. Rockwell has enough charm to carry the story alone—the rest is just the cherry on top.
Predestination
Predestination has a plot not far off from that of Source Code or 12 Monkeys—an agent expected to go back in time to prevent a crime. But that’s where the similarities end, as Predestination has an expansive and complex plot where the twists and turns don’t stop coming. It also features a pre-Succession Sarah Snook in a star-making turn.
Screen Australia, Predestination (2014)
Enemy
This 2013 film from Denis Villeneuve features Jake Gyllenhaal as a college professor who spots his doppelganger in a film and tracks him down. They’re wildly different—but that’s just the start of the problems in this mind-bending surrealist thriller.
Tenet
Tenet was a hit for a reason—and if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out. The 2020 Christopher Nolan drama weaves a tale about a character named The Protagonist who’s attempting to save the world on a mission that unfolds beyond real time.
Persona
Years before many other films on this list—yet just as mind-bending—there’s Ingar Bergman’s Persona, where a nurse taking care of a mute patient finds their personas are blending together.
AB Svensk Filmindustri, Persona (1966)
Upstream Color
Shane Carruth’s follow-up to Primer expands on themes explored in his debut while also raising more questions about the nature of free will and the cyclical nature of being—among other (many other) themes.
Inland Empire
If Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive were actually too comprehensible for you, there’s always Inland Empire. It’s perhaps Lynch’s most difficult feature film—not just for its fragmented narrative, but also for its animated excerpts from Lynch’s Rabbits project, its jarring sound design, and its usage of low-res digital video instead of film stock.
StudioCanal, Inland Empire (2006)
Fight Club
Though many of us might have outgrown some of its less-timeless elements, there’s still a lot to appreciate about this 1999 classic, which rails against consumerism, conformity, and non-conformity alike. Of course, there’s the twist—but it’s the many Easter eggs and dropped hints that precede said twist that make it such a fantastic rewatch.
