Some movies delight in leaving audiences puzzled and confused. They often invite people to view them repeatedly to try and get a complete understanding. They’re complex and filled with layers, surreal imagery, and often endings that challenge audiences to find accurate answers. While they’re not for everyone, some of the most baffling movies have ended up being amongst the best.
Mulholland Drive
David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive is a fever dream of a movie, blending reality and fantasy in a way that makes distinguishing one from the other hard. With a non-linear storyline and shifting identities, Lynch masterfully crafts a narrative that defies explanation and forces the audience to think.
Donnie Darko
Combining time travel, alternate universes, and a giant, sinister rabbit named Frank, Donnie Darko has plenty going on to confuse audiences. All of it comes together to create a unique masterpiece that has stood the test of time, but there’s no denying that it’s complicated. It’s a movie packed with hidden meanings that require a second viewing to unpack everything.
Inception
Christopher Nolan’s Inception takes the audience on a journey through dreams within dreams. At times, it can be challenging to understand what part of the plot the characters are in because so many different layers of reality are happening simultaneously. Plus, Inception has one of the most confusing endings in movie history, with no honest answer given as audiences have to debate what happened.
Primer
This might be a low-budget sci-fi film, but Prime dives deep into the complexities of time travel, which instantly confuses people. It’s packed with technical language, and a timeline that cuts and changes can baffle viewers.
The Tree of Life
Blending the story of a 1950s Texas family with the creation of the universe makes The Tree of Life a complex movie. It focuses on life, death, and existence, making it challenging but rewarding.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is a visually stunning journey through space and time. But that doesn’t mean it’s not also challenging, particularly in the final act. There’s a lot left open to interpretation, allowing people to draw their own conclusions.
Synecdoche, New York
This film follows a theater director as he creates a life-sized replica of New York City. It blurs the line between art and life, as well as reality and illusion. Audiences constantly question what’s going on, which creates a challenging viewing experience, even though many of the more complex moments can be confusing.
Eraserhead
Eraserhead goes against the typical form of storytelling within a movie, and that can lead to a challenging viewing experience for many. There’s a lot of disturbing imagery thrown into it and a dreamlike atmosphere that makes the film popular, but also one that never feels clear.
Memento
Christopher Nolan’s Memento tells the story of a man with short-term memory loss trying to solve his wife’s murder. It’s a unique concept because the film’s structure is backward, often forcing viewers to watch it a second time to truly understand what’s happening. Viewers try to piece together the narrative puzzle alongside the protagonist as the film takes place, ensuring people are always focused on what’s happening.
Annihilation
Blending sci-fi and horror in a story about a team exploring a mysterious, mutating zone, Annihilation makes people think, which makes it an enjoyable film to watch. However, the fact that there needs to be a clear ending can lead to the overall punchline being lost in translation.
The Fountain
The Fountain blends three stories across different timelines, exploring themes of love and mortality. Its complex structure can make it difficult to watch, but it also captivates an audience from start to finish.
Under the Skin
Under the Skin, Starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien seductress is a unique concept that does work. There’s minimal dialogue throughout this film, which isn’t something people are necessarily used to in a modern movie, but that helps to add to the unsettling atmosphere that’s being created, which builds the tension.
Enemy
Enemy stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a man who discovers his doppelganger, instantly creating an intriguing concept. The surreal imagery and open-ended conclusion leave many questions unanswered.
The Lighthouse
The Lighthouse is a psychological horror film that explores madness and isolation. Its open-ended finale and hallucinating scenes make it a profoundly unsettling experience.
The Holy Mountain
The Holy Mountain is a film packed with surreal imagery and symbolism. Its narrative is a crazy journey that challenges conventional storytelling, often confusing people as they try to understand what’s happening.
Solaris
Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris is a philosophical sci-fi film that explores the nature of reality and human consciousness. Its slow pace and abstract themes make it a challenging watch, as it takes time to get going.
Shutter Island
In his movies, Martin Scorsese is never afraid to push the boundaries; Shutter Island showcases that. Following two U.S. marshals investigating a psychiatric facility, the film has different twists that keep people guessing. A shocking reveal at the end changes how people view the entire story, making this a unique movie that people will want to see again.
Cloud Atlas
A movie that blends six different storylines at once will always provide confusing moments, and that’s the case with Cloud Atlas. Despite the brilliant performances, there’s so much going on throughout this movie, which makes it challenging to keep up with at times.
Inland Empire
Inland Empire is a lengthy movie with a three-hour runtime, which can push many people to their limits regarding concentration. Add in the fragmented storytelling and a plot that twists and turns. There are a lot of challenging moments in this one.
The Matrix
The Matrix revolutionized sci-fi cinema with its concept of a simulated reality. Its philosophical questions about reality and existence have kept audiences pondering its deeper meanings for decades, proving the story’s impact overall.
