The Best Experimental Movies

Updated February 18, 2020 2.1k votes 290 voters 15.3k views106 items

List RulesVote for your personal favorite Experimental film films, regardless of how popular or successful they were at the box office.

This is a list of all the best experimental film movies of all time, many of which are streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

The experimental film genre, also known as avant garde movies or experimental cinema, works to explore non-narrative alternatives to the traditional mode of movie narratives by re-evaluating cinematic conventions. The majority of movies within the experimental film genre are very low-budget films, but some have been distributed through more mainstream channels.

Make sure to give movies you like best, like American Gothic or Vanya on 42nd Street, a vote up. Other movies on this list include Rayning and T Is for Tumbleweed, but if we missed any avant garde movies on this list by famous directors like Stan Brakhage and Maya Deren, please add them yourself, as this is an open list, which means you can add any movies whenever you like (choices are subject to moderation). The films on this list cover the top experimental films of all time and is currently ordered from best to worst, according to your votes.

So whether you're at home and want to watch these experimental movies on DVD or streaming… or if you're seeing them in theatres for the first time, this list of the best experimental movies will help you decide what to watch. So from the latest, to the greatest of the avant garde cinema, here is the full list of experimental films, ordered from best to worst.

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5
Seven Servants
Anthony Quinn, Audra McDonald
Released: 1996
Directed by: Daryush Shokof
Seven Servants is a USA — Germany co-production 1996 German drama — comedy film directed by... more on Wikipedia
2
111
8
Breathful
Daryush Shokof, Ulrike Schirm
Released: 2007
Directed by: Daryush Shokof
Breathful is a 2007 gangster-comedy film directed by Daryush Shokof. Featuring an all-female... more on Wikipedia
3
98
7
Flushers
Claudine Biswas, Kimberly Gessner
Released: 2013
Directed by: Daryush Shokof
Flushers, is a USA Comedy feature film Produced, written,and directed by Daryush Shokof which... more on Wikipedia
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83
6
Asudem
Yangzom Brauen, Joachim Paul Assböck
Released: 2006
Directed by: Daryush Shokof
Asudem is an American horror film written and directed by Daryush Shokof. Asudem is the... more on Wikipedia
5
52
13
An Andalusian Dog
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Luis Buñuel
Released: 1929
Directed by: Luis Buñuel
UN CHIEN ANDALOU consists of sixteen minutes of bizarre and surreal images that may or may not... more on Wikipedia
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#71 of 120 The Best Silent Movies of All Time#98 of 106 The Best French Movies That Are Absolute Masterpieces
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37
8
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Michel Piccoli, Fernando Rey
Released: 1972
Directed by: Luis Buñuel
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a 1972 surrealist film directed by Luis Buñuel and... more on Wikipedia
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#680 of 1,189 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever#302 of 553 The Best '70s Movies
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38
13
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
David Bowie, Heather Graham
Released: 1992
Directed by: David Lynch
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is a 1992 American psychological horror film, directed by David... more on Wikipedia
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#371 of 722 The Best Horror Movies Of All Time#101 of 204 The Best Drug Movies of All Time

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45
21
Eraserhead
Jack Nance, Jeanne Bates
Released: 1977
Directed by: David Lynch
Eraserhead is a 1977 American experimental body horror film directed by David Lynch. Henry... more on Wikipedia
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#165 of 242 The Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time#4 of 14 14 Movies You Should Never Watch While You’re Eating
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37
16
Man with a Movie Camera
Man with a Movie Camera is an experimental 1929 silent documentary film, with no story and no... more on Wikipedia
More Man with a Movie Camera
#108 of 351 The Greatest Documentaries of All Time#28 of 28 The Best Movies Where Nothing Really Happens
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29
8
Julien Donkey-Boy
Chloë Sevigny, Werner Herzog
Released: 1999
Directed by: Harmony Korine
Julien Donkey-Boy is a 1999 American drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine. The... more on Wikipedia
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#12 of 15 15 Controversial Indie Movies with Disquieting Inbreeding Plots#45 of 181 The Best R-Rated Family Drama Movies
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27
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Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Shinya Tsukamoto, Renji Ishibashi
Released: 1989
Directed by: Shinya Tsukamoto
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a 1989 Japanese cyberpunk film by cult-film director Shinya Tsukamoto... more on Wikipedia
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#357 of 522 The Greatest Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked#48 of 60 The Best Horror Movies About Evil Experiments
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18
3
My Winnipeg
Ann Savage, Darcy Fehr
Released: 2007
Directed by: Guy Maddin
My Winnipeg is a 2007 film directed and written by Guy Maddin with dialogue by George Toles.... more on Wikipedia
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28
20
Koyaanisqatsi
Lou Dobbs
Released: 1983
Directed by: Godfrey Reggio
Koyaanisqatsi, also known as Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance, is a 1982 film directed by... more on Wikipedia
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15
7
The Color of Pomegranates
Sofiko Chiaureli, Vilen Galstyan
Released: 1968
Directed by: Sergei Parajanov
The Color of Pomegranates is a 1969 Soviet film written and directed by Sergei Parajanov. It... more on Wikipedia
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17
10
Gerry
Matt Damon, Casey Affleck
Released: 2003
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Gerry is a 2002 American drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matt Damon and Casey... more on Wikipedia
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13
6
Heart of Glass
Werner Herzog, Josef Bierbichler
Released: 1976
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Herz aus Glas is a 1976 comedy drama film directed by Werner Herzog.
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13
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Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
Rob LaBelle, Michael Edwards
Released: 1987
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is a 1987 American short biographical film produced and... more on Wikipedia
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13
7
Fata Morgana
Lotte H. Eisner, Wolfgang von Ungern-Sternberg
Released: 1971
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Fata Morgana is a film by Werner Herzog, shot in 1969, which captures mirages in the Sahara... more on Wikipedia
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28
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La Jetée
William Klein, Etienne Becker
Released: 1962
Directed by: Chris Marker
La Jetée, is a 1962 French science fiction featurette by Chris Marker. Constructed almost... more on Wikipedia
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#12 of 14 Underrated Sci-Fi Movies Where There’s Only One Person Left Alive#55 of 58 The Best Surrealist Films
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9
3
Cowards Bend the Knee
Darcy Fehr, Amy Stewart
Released: 2003
Directed by: Guy Maddin
Cowards Bend the Knee is a 2003 film by Guy Maddin. Maddin directed Cowards Bend the Knee... more on Wikipedia
21
8
1
Begotten
Adolfo Vargas, Brian Salzberg
Released: 1991
Directed by: E. Elias Merhige
Begotten is a 1990 American experimental horror film, written, produced and directed by E.... more on Wikipedia
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#114 of 126 The Greatest Directorial Debuts Of All Time#13 of 15 Amazing Horror Films From The '90s Most People Overlooked
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9
3
Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Richard E. Grant, Ken Stott
Released: 1993
Directed by: Peter Capaldi
Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life is a short comic film for BBC Scotland. Written and... more on Wikipedia
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9
3
Lunacy
Jan Tříska, Anna Geislerová
Released: 2005
Directed by: Jan Švankmajer
Lunacy is a 2005 Czech film by Jan Švankmajer. The film is loosely based on two short stories,... more on Wikipedia
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9
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Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary
Brent Neale, David Lee Moroni
Released: 2002
Directed by: Guy Maddin
Guy Maddin has taken on the world’s most adapted horror tale and concocted his most original... more on Wikipedia
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12
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Waltz with Bashir
Yehezkel Lazarov, Mickey Leon
Released: 2008
Directed by: Ari Folman
One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he... more on Wikipedia