Entertainment (Commonwealth Union) _ You know it’s a good film when the end credits roll in and your mind is going at 100 mph trying to process. Confusing times make directors come up with all sorts of bizarre plotlines that take viewers a few business days to understand, and most often, even Google explanations. With absolutely puzzling plotlines and ridiculously complex characters, here is a list of 10 films that will confuse you in the best possible way and leave you pondering whether they’re genius works of art or just absolute nonsense.
- Fight Club (1999)
Alright. If you’ve watched it, you already know. If you haven’t, then you’ll find out. Starring Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden and Edward Norton as a nameless narrator, this film is an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 novel of the same name. Featuring a dramatic identity crisis and an attempt to purge society, this movie failed to meet box office expectations initially but is currently one of the most revered cult classics of all time and created a lasting impact on an entire generation. The best way to experience the film is to not read the plot beforehand. Trust me, you will definitely Google it later.
- Tenet (2020)
Christopher Nolan wrote and directed this science fiction thriller, which is a testament to his skill. The fact that it also incorporates time travel earns it a definite spot on this list. Although the plot is simple enough, where a former CIA agent is recruited to travel back in time to stop a war, the confusing element lies in Nolan’s back-and-forth bending of time. And as characteristic of this particular filmmaker’s work, the visual effects are spectacular.
- Mulholland Drive (1996)
If it’s a David Lynch movie, it’s going to be ambiguous. So, typically, this film centers around an amnesiac who is trying to piece together her life following a car crash. Drenched in Lynch’s characteristic surrealism, how you interpret the chaotic overlapping of reality, dreams, and the subconscious is up to you. Spoiler: this movie might make your head spin!
- Shutter Island (2010)
Leonardo DiCaprio’s exceptional acting in Shutter Island leaves you desperately searching for answers. The plot is centered around a Deputy US Marshall who is investigating a patient who goes missing from a psychiatric hospital. With an unreliable narrator experiencing delusions, what you think is real just might not be.
- American Psycho (2000)
The worst (and the best) thing a film can do is to drop a question at the very end, making you scream as the end credits roll in. Starring Christian Bale as the protagonist, American Psycho is a black comedy that satirizes consumerism and yuppie culture, with a Wall Street banker, Patrick Bateman, who lives a double life as a serial killer. The ending leaves the viewers wondering what was real and what was a part of Bateman’s psychotic imagination.
- Memento (2000)
Here, we have yet another psychological thriller about an amnesiac. Directed by Christopher Nolan, we already know what to expect, but it still doesn’t soften the blow. The film follows a man struggling with short-term memory loss trying to find his wife’s murderer and dealing with his condition through notes, tattoos, and photographs. The whole process gives you the experience of constantly restating without ever finishing. The film is shot in a format that attempts to make the timeline clearer, but it will still have you drawing mind maps and making investigation boards to figure it out.
- The Matrix (1999)
The name itself should give you an idea about the nature of this movie. Featuring Keanu Reeves’s character living a double life, the film takes on the nature of reality as he realizes the world he knows is a lie. The film features stunning visuals, which undoubtedly make it harder to keep track of what is real and what is not, as the characters continuously switch between different realities.
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Rumor has it that over 200 people walked out of the film’s premiere, including Rock Hudson, who asked, “Will someone tell me what the hell this is about?” as he stormed off. Intriguing, no?
However, over time, audiences have become more receptive to it, so there’s a chance you will still come out of it a little less unscathed. The producer, director, and co-writer Stanley Kubrick has avoided conventional techniques, presenting a polarising film about a space voyage to Jupiter set in an alternate future. The fact that it tackled topics that were beyond its time and its portrayal of the vastness of the universe is what gives it a mind-bending touch. Trying to see if you can relate to Rob Hudson or handle the movie better is a great excuse to watch it.
- Inception (2010)
One thing to be said about Christopher Nolan (other than the obvious complexity in his plot structures) is that his casting leaves people a whole different level of impressed. Inception features a cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, and Michael Caine, among others, and is more complex in its layered narrative than in its plot structure. Although at surface level, it is a fantastic film, if you dig deep enough, the dream layers and the ambiguous ending will leave you with plenty of questions.
- Only God Forgives (2013)
Starring Ryan Gosling before he started a Ken-volution, the film follows a man living in Bangkok, who gets arrested when his brother is killed after committing a murder. With their mother asking the man to seek vengeance, the story is a twist of unclear storytelling and recurring symbolism that you will only realize even days or weeks after watching it.
