Originally by Ranker FilmList RulesVote up any movie that required a rewatch or someone else to explain it to you
The most confusing movies ever made are those films which either intentionally or accidentally are hard to follow, complicated and so far out there that they are disorienting to even the most seasoned viewer. That's not to say these movies are bad because of their complicated nature but certainly not for the easily confused.
For those who crave the mental challenge of confusing movies, there are several directors whose style is highlighted by their complicated plot lines, tendency to present films out of chronological order and seemingly devotion to chaos in their movies. The likes of David Lynch (Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, Inland Empire, and Lost Highway), Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut) and Christopher Nolan (Inception and Memento) are perhaps the best at making stellar yet highly confusing movies and among the greatest directors in movie history.
Lynch, Kubrick and Nolan undoubtably influenced other great filmmakers who also have a tendency to create movies that make viewers ask what the heck is happening. Charlie Kaufman, who did Synecdoche, New York, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Being John Malkovich, and Steven Soderbergh, responsible for great films like Sex, Lies, and Videotape, among many others, gave their interpretation of how to create confusing and simply WTF movies.
So whether you love the twists and turns in The Matrix or think the utter madness of Primer is cause to be among the worst movies of all time, vote for the movies you think are the most confusing below! Have a confusing movie in mind that's not listed? Add it! Help us rank the most confusing movies ever made.1
1,220380Mulholland Drive
2001Actors: Naomi Watts, Billy Ray Cyrus, Melissa George, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux
Directed by: David Lynch
Mulholland Drive is a 2001 American neo-noir mystery film written and directed by David Lynch... more on Wikipedia2
1,137445Actors: Arthur C. Clarke, Leonard Rossiter, Ed Bishop, Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley... more on Wikipedia3
575187Primer
2004Actors: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Keith Bradshaw, Kevin Lucero Less, Casey Gooden
Directed by: Shane Carruth
Primer is a 2004 American science fiction drama film about the accidental discovery of a means... more on Wikipedia4
1,959931Inception
2010Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Inception is a 2010 science fiction thriller film written, produced, and directed by... more on Wikipedia5
1,672475Donnie Darko
2001Actors: Drew Barrymore, Ashley Tisdale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Seth Rogen
Directed by: Richard Kelly
Donnie Darko is a 2001 American supernatural drama film written and directed by Richard Kelly... more on Wikipedia6
1,533770Memento
2000Actors: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Jorja Fox, Stephen Tobolowsky
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Memento is a 2000 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan.... more on Wikipedia7
509195Eraserhead
1977Actors: Jack Nance, Jeanne Bates, Jack Fisk, Charlotte Stewart, Judith Anna Roberts
Directed by: David Lynch
Eraserhead is a 1977 American experimental body horror film directed by David Lynch. Henry... more on Wikipedia8
441225Jacob's Ladder
1990Actors: Macaulay Culkin, Tim Robbins, Jason Alexander, Lewis Black, Ving Rhames
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
Jacob's Ladder is a 1990 American psychological horror film directed by Adrian Lyne. A Vietnam... more on Wikipedia9
381180Lost Highway
1997Actors: Richard Pryor, Gary Busey, Patricia Arquette, Henry Rollins, Giovanni Ribisi
Directed by: David Lynch
Lost Highway is a 1997 French-American psychological thriller film written and directed by... more on Wikipedia10
408232Pi
1998Actors: Mark Margolis, Ajay Naidu, Clint Mansell, Ben Shenkman, Samia Shoaib
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Pi, also titled π, is a 1998 American surrealist psychological thriller film written and... more on WikipediaIf you're a fan, be sure to check out our list of the best surrealist films.
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79649812 Monkeys
1995Actors: Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Christopher Plummer, Madeleine Stowe, Christopher Meloni
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
12 Monkeys, also known as Twelve Monkeys, is a 1995 American science fiction film directed by... more on Wikipedia12
682409Eyes Wide Shut
1999Actors: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Stanley Kubrick, Alan Cumming, Leelee Sobieski
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 American thriller film loosely based upon Arthur Schnitzler's 1926... more on Wikipedia13
445256The Fountain
2006Actors: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Donna Murphy, Ethan Suplee
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
The Fountain is a 2006 American drama film that blends elements of fantasy, history,... more on Wikipedia14
610378Actors: Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Carrey, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American romantic science-fiction comedy-drama... more on Wikipedia15
557377Actors: Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Winona Ryder
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Being John Malkovich is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film written by Charlie Kaufman and... more on Wikipedia16
405223Cloud Atlas
2012Actors: Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving
Directed by: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Cloud Atlas is a 2012 science fiction film written and directed by Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer... more on Wikipedia17
1,122820Fight Club
1999Actors: Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, Helena Bonham Carter, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf
Directed by: David Fincher
Fight Club is a 1999 film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The... more on Wikipedia18
323201Brazil
1985Actors: Robert De Niro, Bob Hoskins, Ian Holm, Jim Broadbent, Michael Palin
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Brazil is a 1985 British film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam, Charles... more on Wikipedia19
227117Actors: David Bowie, Heather Graham, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Isaak, Mädchen Amick
Directed by: David Lynch
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is a 1992 American psychological horror film, directed by David... more on Wikipedia20
893844The Matrix
1999Actors: Keanu Reeves, Hugo Weaving, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Gloria Foster
Directed by: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
The Matrix is a 1999 American-Australian science fiction action film written and directed by... more on Wikipedia21
256174The Machinist
2004Actors: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Ironside, Anna Massey, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
Directed by: Brad Anderson
The Machinist is a 2004 English-language Spanish psychological thriller film directed by Brad... more on Wikipedia22
214139Naked Lunch
1991Actors: Ian Holm, Roy Scheider, Julian Sands, Judy Davis, Nicholas Campbell
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Naked Lunch is a 1991 science fiction drama film written and directed by David Cronenberg and... more on Wikipedia23
253230Antichrist
2009Actors: Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm
Directed by: Lars von Trier
Antichrist is a 2009 Danish experimental horror film written and directed by Lars von Trier.... more on Wikipedia24
138118Solaris
1972Actors: Anatoly Solonitsyn, Natalya Bondarchuk, Jüri Järvet, Yulian Semyonov, Olga Barnet
Directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky
Solaris is a 1972 Russian science fiction art film adaptation of Polish author Stanisław Lem's... more on Wikipedia25
356247The Prestige
2006Actors: Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
The Prestige is a 2006 mystery drama film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay... more on Wikipedia
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