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.
list.itemsDescription
1
1495Seven Servants
Anthony Quinn, Audra McDonaldReleased: 1996
Directed by: Daryush Shokof
Seven Servants is a USA — Germany co-production 1996 German drama — comedy film directed by... more on Wikipedia2
1118Breathful
Daryush Shokof, Ulrike SchirmReleased: 2007
Directed by: Daryush Shokof
Breathful is a 2007 gangster-comedy film directed by Daryush Shokof. Featuring an all-female... more on Wikipedia3
987Flushers
Claudine Biswas, Kimberly GessnerReleased: 2013
Directed by: Daryush Shokof
Flushers, is a USA Comedy feature film Produced, written,and directed by Daryush Shokof which... more on Wikipedia4
836Asudem
Yangzom Brauen, Joachim Paul AssböckReleased: 2006
Directed by: Daryush Shokof
Asudem is an American horror film written and directed by Daryush Shokof. Asudem is the... more on Wikipedia5
5213An Andalusian Dog
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Luis BuñuelReleased: 1929
Directed by: Luis Buñuel
UN CHIEN ANDALOU consists of sixteen minutes of bizarre and surreal images that may or may not... more on Wikipedia6
378The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Michel Piccoli, Fernando ReyReleased: 1972
Directed by: Luis Buñuel
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a 1972 surrealist film directed by Luis Buñuel and... more on Wikipedia7
3813Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
David Bowie, Heather GrahamReleased: 1992
Directed by: David Lynch
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is a 1992 American psychological horror film, directed by David... more on Wikipedia8
4521Eraserhead
Jack Nance, Jeanne BatesReleased: 1977
Directed by: David Lynch
Eraserhead is a 1977 American experimental body horror film directed by David Lynch. Henry... more on Wikipedia Man with a Movie Camera is an experimental 1929 silent documentary film, with no story and no... more on Wikipedia9
10
298Julien Donkey-Boy
Chloë Sevigny, Werner HerzogReleased: 1999
Directed by: Harmony Korine
Julien Donkey-Boy is a 1999 American drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine. The... more on Wikipedia11
2710Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Shinya Tsukamoto, Renji IshibashiReleased: 1989
Directed by: Shinya Tsukamoto
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a 1989 Japanese cyberpunk film by cult-film director Shinya Tsukamoto... more on Wikipedia12
183My Winnipeg
Ann Savage, Darcy FehrReleased: 2007
Directed by: Guy Maddin
My Winnipeg is a 2007 film directed and written by Guy Maddin with dialogue by George Toles.... more on Wikipedia13
2820Koyaanisqatsi
Lou DobbsReleased: 1983
Directed by: Godfrey Reggio
Koyaanisqatsi, also known as Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance, is a 1982 film directed by... more on Wikipedia14
157The Color of Pomegranates
Sofiko Chiaureli, Vilen GalstyanReleased: 1968
Directed by: Sergei Parajanov
The Color of Pomegranates is a 1969 Soviet film written and directed by Sergei Parajanov. It... more on Wikipedia15
1710Gerry
Matt Damon, Casey AffleckReleased: 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 Wikipedia16
136Heart of Glass
Werner Herzog, Josef BierbichlerReleased: 1976
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Herz aus Glas is a 1976 comedy drama film directed by Werner Herzog.17
137Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
Rob LaBelle, Michael EdwardsReleased: 1987
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is a 1987 American short biographical film produced and... more on Wikipedia18
137Fata Morgana
Lotte H. Eisner, Wolfgang von Ungern-SternbergReleased: 1971
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Fata Morgana is a film by Werner Herzog, shot in 1969, which captures mirages in the Sahara... more on Wikipedia19
2828La Jetée
William Klein, Etienne BeckerReleased: 1962
Directed by: Chris Marker
La Jetée, is a 1962 French science fiction featurette by Chris Marker. Constructed almost... more on Wikipedia20
93Cowards Bend the Knee
Darcy Fehr, Amy StewartReleased: 2003
Directed by: Guy Maddin
Cowards Bend the Knee is a 2003 film by Guy Maddin. Maddin directed Cowards Bend the Knee... more on Wikipedia21
81Begotten
Adolfo Vargas, Brian SalzbergReleased: 1991
Directed by: E. Elias Merhige
Begotten is a 1990 American experimental horror film, written, produced and directed by E.... more on Wikipedia22
93Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Richard E. Grant, Ken StottReleased: 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 Wikipedia23
93Lunacy
Jan Tříska, Anna GeislerováReleased: 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 Wikipedia24
94Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary
Brent Neale, David Lee MoroniReleased: 2002
Directed by: Guy Maddin
Guy Maddin has taken on the world’s most adapted horror tale and concocted his most original... more on Wikipedia25
128Waltz with Bashir
Yehezkel Lazarov, Mickey LeonReleased: 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