The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsMovies where what you see isn't happening.
It's the movie equivalent of an unreliable narrator. You see what one of the characters thinks is happening, or thought was happening, or said was happening. The character may be delusional or just plain lying. Sometimes it is only at the end of the movie that you learn what is (or was) really going on.
Examples:
Rashomon
Mulholland Drive
Mirage
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Sixth Sense
I love this stuff!
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)Lionel Mandrake
(4,076 posts)I'll check it out.
Baitball Blogger
(46,775 posts)bluesbassman
(19,385 posts)Shutter Island is the Leo DiCaprio film and Gothica is with Halle Berry. Both tight suspense plots.
Lionel Mandrake
(4,076 posts)I'll take a look at it.
Gothica - not so much. The critics hated it. I usually depend on critics to help me choose movies to watch.
But not always. I liked the beginning and end of the 1962 remake of Caligari, which the critics hated. (The middle part was s...l....o......w....)
bluesbassman
(19,385 posts)Actually a pretty good movie with some great plot twists.
Shutter Island is very good for the genre.
Lionel Mandrake
(4,076 posts)I should have stopped after this bit of dialog:
Miranda Grey (Halle Berry): "Neither do I, but they believe in me."
What kind of writing is that? It makes no sense, and no plot twist could possibly rescue it.
Good movies that seem absurd make sense at the end. Not this one.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,762 posts)But that movie, whatever it was called, was another one where what you saw wasn't happening.
ohiosmith
(24,262 posts)CaliforniaPeggy
(149,762 posts)ohiosmith
(24,262 posts)Lionel Mandrake
(4,076 posts)Kevin Spacey's character was being interrogated.
In the crucial scene, the camera panned around the room focusing on objects containing the words that "Verbal" Kint (Spacey) had woven into his narrative.
surrealAmerican
(11,367 posts)and also Total Recall.
ohiosmith
(24,262 posts)CaliforniaPeggy
(149,762 posts)RedStateLiberal
(1,374 posts)...but it's not about time travel. The protagonist has memory loss and the entire film happens in a sort-of reverse-time. Genius premise because the viewer experiences events like he would.
Directed by Christopher Nolan - yes, the Batman guy.
I highly recommend it!
Baitball Blogger
(46,775 posts)MorningGlow
(15,758 posts)warrior1
(12,325 posts)Boring.
CBGLuthier
(12,723 posts)pa28
(6,145 posts)Great movie.
yardwork
(61,748 posts)One character doesn't realize that he's the one causing it.
nolabear
(42,001 posts)It was all a dream...wasn't it?
BrendaBrick
(1,296 posts)I swear, I've watched it two times alone and had no one to turn to and ask...is she the same one that...yada, yada, yada...?
I just don't get it. Too many look-a likes for my particular taste.
I really like and appreciate movies across all genres...but I don't want to really work that hard in trying to figure them out!
Duer 157099
(17,742 posts)At least I think it wasn't happening. But hellifiknow.
(the ending sequence)
Lionel Mandrake
(4,076 posts)There seem to be multiple Dave Bowmans at the end. We see the action from the point of view of one (or more) of them. The unseen aliens are trying to replicate (and perhaps improve upon) the original Dave Bowman, but having trouble keeping him (or them) alive. Their final effort produces a floating baby who will become the Star Child and will visit Heywood Floyd and a few other characters in the sequel.
fishwax
(29,149 posts)RedStateLiberal
(1,374 posts)I didn't care for it much but it is a good example of what you're talking about.
Isn't this going to spoil some movies for you if you haven't seen them? It's usually a lot better to not know that some big twist is coming.
darkstar
(5,582 posts)solara
(3,836 posts)with Russell Crowe
Frank Cannon
(7,570 posts)Lars39
(26,117 posts)Accidentally started watching it at about the middle without knowing the name of it. Absolutely irked me to find out how it ended.
Baitball Blogger
(46,775 posts)WilmywoodNCparalegal
(2,654 posts)both starring Christian Bale.