Most thought provoking movies
 

Just thought I would put up another list of movies that hit me hard when I saw them, made me feel somewhat compassionate of the bad guys and made me re-think society.

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The japs bombed pearl harbor, committed genocide on the Chinese, and conducted disastrous torture experiments on POWS. However, this movie shows that they too, experienced hurt, that they too were human beings, and that those that which we would consider innocent paid a price.

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I still buy packs of ten burritos, but boy is this movie disturbing. It asks the question of what is right and wrong, what our culture is worth, I've seen translations of this movie as a treatise against our culture in particular, however I see it more as Kevin Spacey character being psychotic. Dismissing the symbolism and acknowledging the ending (we all commit sins) one cannot do, a disturbing, but ultimately deep movie.

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The movie se7en's antithesis, our culture clashes with another, the ending is about as brilliant as any ending concieved, our purity is no different than a pagan's purity.

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Sure, it's another movie on the holocaust (which isn't a bad thing). But this movie portrays someone who gets lucky in his circumstances, survives while others die, we root for him, even though he didn't fight, even though he hid, he did it because the people pursuing him were morally repugnant murderers. We feel sympathy for him, root for him as he survives and witness the atrocious deeds committed by human beings. The same human beings that share our DNA. Not deep as a movie, but thought provoking, why would we do this to people?

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Killing goes unpunished, what does this mean? Pedophillia, what does this mean? Why do things get said and things get done and justice does not get served? Or does it get served. Most debatable movie I"ve seen, right up there with Lord of the Flies in terms of depth. Relationships and their connections, deeper than the plot and acting. Fantastic movie, good, thought provoking, film.

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If you thought se7en was too harsh for you, don't even bother with Fritz Lang's M. We have our culture's worst enemy, a rapist, a pedophile rapist, a pedophile rapist who then kills his strictly female child victims. Now, how could this person POSSIBLY be given passion? How can we feel sorry for this man who kills without regard? How? This movie tackles the subject and induces emotion which you desperately wish to hide, you don't want to, you want to believe kevin spacy character is mentally insane, the clan in wicker man is the devil, the nazis were really aliens from another planet, that the japanese we killed in fire bombings were all kamikazes, that justice would be brought to the killer in mystic river. But, as in all thought provoking movies, the ending we WANT isn't reality in the film, and this movie, M, shows us that their is more to the world than what we view, and socially acceptable is simply another word for hiding a clot in our simplistic view of life.

No particular order here ladies/gentlemen, alternate opinions on my simple diegisis of the situation are welcomed, I encourage to post things that hit you hard in the mind here as well.

Don't just post your favorite movies, however.

For instance, THe Usual Suspects is in all accounts a better film than se7en, but se7en is deeper despite being a weaker film. So I would put se7en on the list because it is more thought provoking than the usual suspects, despite the usual suspects being a better movie.

One movie that has always managed to provoke thought for me has to be Pink Floyd - The Wall (dir. Alan Parker, 1982)


There's a crapload of visuals and lyrics that can be picked apart and deciphered in this movie. If you haven't heard of it, the focus of the story is a rock star called Pink (played by Bob Geldof - to me, that's the biggest WTF ever) who endures a mental breakdown one night. The breakdown is symbolized by a wall - each thought that leads to his breakdown is a brick that makes up the wall. This guy has had a pretty f*cked-up life - his father died in WWII, his mother obsessively protected him from life, his wife cheated on him - the list goes on. This results in him becoming alienated and filled with misogynistic feelings and hatred for authority. The "wall" in question separates him from the world and he is lost in his mind. Even when his entourage revive him for the show, he's still blocked-out. Pink then interprets the concert as being a fascist rally where he becomes a Hitler figure in an incredibly cyclical way (Jews and gays were the reason Hitler initiated WWII, in which Pink's father was killed; ergo, if Pink kills Jews and gays then there would be no Hitler, no WWII, his father would be alive and he wouldn't be emotionally crippled - amazing stuff, that). At the end, he finally acknowledges the fact that he is to blame for everything and the Judge orders his wall to be torn down.

The Wall is often misunderstood, made as an overlong exploitation music video with one very unsatisfying message (people interpret "the Wall" as being the Berlin Wall - this was 1982 after all). That is not it. What the true message is - is anybody's guess. The final shot of the film is open to various interpretations, just like the glowing briefcase in Pulp Fiction. Work it out for yourself.

You have to believe it to see it.

A truly great story leaves the ending up to interpretation.

I go back to the Usual Suspects, as much as I loved it, it still does not possess that raw, what happened? concept within it. Sure, the ending was a kick in the pants, but it was clearly defined, spelled out like in Fight Club so as a 3 year old could understand it (no offense, I love both movies).

I will have to see the wall, it looks incredible. Thanks for the synopsis, it sounds like one of those movies in which the plot doesn't matter, but the experience and translation of said experience is what matters.

Yeah, The Wall is definitely something else.

Another film that is definitely thought-provoking is Eraserhead (dir. David Lynch, 1977). Althought most of the time that thought will be "WTF?" but there is definitely some messages about urban decay and the life cycle.

Interesting, eraserhead has been touted on these forums and David Lynch has gained quite a bit of fame.

However, the only movie I saw of Lynch was Muholland Drive, and that was decent, especially the blatant lesbian sex, however, I found it quite..... lacking in many departments. Perhaps it is my mind that cannot percieve, but if all Lynch movies are like that one then I might not be able or ready to handle something of such magnitude.

If you've ever seen Un Chien Andalou and Metropolis you might know what to expect. Eraserhead is like a 90-minute surrealist silent film - there are about 20-30 lines of dialogue in the whole movie. Silence has never been more disturbing. And if you think you've seen ugly babies before, you haven't seen this.

Walkabout = another thought-provoking film.

I've seen the anime metropolis (and lang's epic is on it's way!) so that must be a good sign.

The only problem I might have is the violence factor, I'm not a prude, but I'm not big on violence as the plot type movies a la Sin City and Ichi The Killer.

Disturbing visuals don't haunt me much if their is something harrowing about the story.

I've only seen the first 40 minutes of Metropolis and there was no violence whatsoever. Un Chien Andalou has one of cinema's most infamous violent acts when a woman's eyeball is sliced apart.

Eraserhead's "violence" is equally confronting, yet somewhat tolerable (can't say as it spoils the film)

Well, I like se7en, so as long as the story means something then violence will not bother me.

Unfortunately, forces at be besides myself currently control what gets rented. So, the future for eraserhead looks bleak until a few weeks. But I'll keep that in mind.

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PI
Max is a genius mathematician who's built a supercomputer at home that provides something that can be understood as a key for understanding all existence. Representatives both from a Hasidic cabalistic sect and high-powered Wall Street firm hear of that secret and attempt to seduce him.

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Requiem for a Dream
Drugs. They consume mind, body and soul. Once you're hooked, you're hooked. Four lives. Four addicts. Four failures. Doing their best to succeed in the world, but failing miserably, four people get hooked on various drugs. Despite their aspirations of greatness, they succumb to their addictions. Watching the addicts spiral out of control, we bear witness to the dirtiest, ugliest portions of the underworld addicts reside in. It is shocking and eye-opening but demands to be seen by both addicts and non-addicts alike.

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Dark City
John Murdoch awakens alone in a strange hotel to find that he has lost his memory and is wanted for a series of brutal and bizarre murders. While trying to piece together his past, he stumbles upon a fiendish underworld controlled by a group of beings known as The Strangers who possess the ability to put people to sleep and alter the city and its inhabitants. Now Murdoch must find a way to stop them before they take control of his mind and destroy him.

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Equilibrium
In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions: books, art and music are strictly forbidden and feeling is a crime punishable by death. Cleric John Preston (Bale) is a top ranking government agent responsible for destroying those who resist the rules. Whe he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the new regime, suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing it.

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Donnie Darko
During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. He returns home the next morning to find that a jet engine has crashed through his bedroom. As he tries to figure out why he survived and tries to deal with people in his town, like the school bully, his conservative health teacher, and a self-help guru, Frank continues to turn up in Donnie's mind, causing him to commit acts of vandalism and worse.

I agree with Requiem for a Dream, awesome movie, especially the score and cinematography. Next time I think about drugs that movie always pops into my mind, good job by arorfronsky (?).

Saw Darko, it was too deep for me, I missed alot of symbolism but I understood the story to it. I think it's overrated only because I cannot fully understand it.

As for the rest, never seen them, heard about Dark City though, definetly have to check that out.

Irreversable always sticks in my mind after i see it. 'Time destroys everything...' reads the tagline. It most certainly does.

See my review of Dark City in my reviews thread to see why I love it so much. GREAT FILM.

Hmmm, unfortunately I have a queue of six, so I should get around to seeing it at the end of November (I'll put it in my third cycle). Jennifer Connoly is hot.

There are some movies that really impressed me; these can be :
1.Old Boy
2.The Village
3.We were soldiers
4.The pianist
5.The Aviator
6.Braveheart and i can add here Patriot
7.21 grams
8.Kingdom of Heaven
9.Gladiator
10.Black Hawk Down
11.Saving private Ryan
oh and maybe some more...
i was more impressed by the realism found by me in them and aslo that ''simplicity'' which actually has more than that- an in-depth meaning.

21 grams is a good one.

This is really interesting that you chose this route. The historical route really, while I disagree with a few choices, it seems to me that movies that mean the most to you are things that actually happened.

That being said, the only choices I like on that list are saving private ryan and 21 grams. But I definetly respect/see where you are coming from with your list.

this thread seems so familiar......hey I have already posted in a thread exactly like this.....and the top 10 games one is a copy as well. I don't mean to slam you twice oBi but try using the search option next time before creating a thread please.

<sigh> I apologize, but isn't it refreshing to see a new look?

I mean how fun would it be to have ONE top 100 movie list. Noone's opinion would matter, it would get lost among the thousands of opinions. It's not like every week a new top ten list is getting posted about the same item. Just my opinion.

Oh yea, head on over to the argument relocation thread. I should've cured your mental illness by the time you stop reading.

Enlightenment is wonderful!

Forgot to mention A Clockwork Orange

Donnie Darko --because I had to figure out what the hell was going on and then I thought about why I even bothered

I really thought PI made me think alot. I liked it!

Yeah, you can count on Pi. :bored:

I used to think Wes Anderson did some thought provoking movies until I realized that I was just being pretentious.

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I really want to see the woodsman. I doubt anything will ever top M for that subject matter, however.

Yeah...I really recommend it...Kevin Bacon is an absoulutely superb actor...

You mean it gets better than Wild Things!?

yes. It is quite dramatic.

Wasn't the shower scene dramatic?

Yeah, it humanized them, but not enough to make you not refer to them as "Japs," apparently.

I liked Grave of the Fireflies. That said I can't imagine myself ever wanting to watch it again. I was hit so hard by the ending, I was sad for days. Brilliant movie, one of the best animated films ever made, and it redefines what kinds of stories can be told in the medium, but I can't bear to watch it again.

My point was that exactly. I called them Japs because it was a final denial on my part to accept that these people are human beings. I said Japs as I said people who committed genocide, both are bad things to say, and the fact that I said them was meaning to show that I had a changed outlook on them. I do not refer to the Japanese as Japs, I was just using that term as an example of my previous stand and the translation to my new stand. Although I've never used the term in my entire life.
I've only watched it twice, but both times I was driven to tears and thinking. It's one of those movies I want to share with my friends and family and future wife and children. I completely understand you not wanting to see it again immediately, but once every 5 years or so and it softens my heart. You should try the same.

Come on...It's easy. Harder question next time
 

The matrix sequels. The first I haven't so many thoughts but the second, specially in the architects part I thought almost all the time:
-...huh?
-What the...
-What is this supposed to mean?
-uuuhhh...ookay....
-If someone is inside my mind and could translate what he said please, do it.

And in the third movie (which I thought would explain it all):

-Uh...Neo is a superhero outside the matrix too?
-Wait...maybe Zion is also a computer program and the humans are inside the matrix yet.
-Uh...source...alright.
-Oh no...the movie tries to explain that the oracle actress changed by giving a vague answer?
-Please! May god's will be that the wachowsky have an extra explaining all the trilogy in the DVD.
-Uh...So it all was a plan from the oracle and the architect to destroy smith and Neo gave his life for nothing, but if the Zion is also computer program theory is correct, then Neo is just a software too, and the humans never had a resistance against the machines...but then...the oracle pretends to be good and is at the side of the machines...Of course she's a computer program too! But Neo is one too so why he helped the humans? Uh...maybe he don't knew so thought he was helping the humans but he was in fact saving the matrix then...the machines...and the matrix...Oh what the hell! I give up.

Pay it Forward - world could be a better place if we helped 3 people and they would help other people in return .. the end shows us that we do have a lot to work on this :(

La Vitta e Bella - doesn't take huge muscles and a machine gun to be a true hero .. in the end we're all heroes when it comes to our family

Mother at 16 - seen it recently - all the problems a girl could face after having a baby at such tender age ... not too many options .. and they are all so hard to chose ...

American History X

The Believer

The Minus Man

Closer

Donnie Darko and the first Matrix are the best examples of modern philosophy. What happened with the two sequels is a mystery however :eek:

this movie was very deep, what started out a simple class project turned movement!!
http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/84/92/02m.jpgEmpire of the Sun... this movie took my breath away! when I was young I had always thought I wonder if I could truely survive alone. I often found myself thinking these boys looked my age and they were in war! made me cry many times to think that there were people out there hurting so...:(
http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/24/35/28m.jpgBeyond Borders had also hit me, mind you Angelina, is one of my favourite actresses. This movie made it apparent that there are the extravagant dinners that cost how much??? and there are children dying in other countries and many other situations that occure...

I'd have to go with Pay It Forward. I think I still think about that movie whenever someone does me a good deed.

Some people i know claim to use drugs for fun, and tell me they can control themselves.. i used to find it quite 'normal', then i saw "Requiem For a Dream" and i thought of the consequences those substances coul have on them.

Drugs are not cool, are not trasgression.. goddman they're just bull s**t

different strokes for different fokes. some peoples bodies are built to withstand more abuse than others. requiem for a dream shows the darker side of drugs use, specifically heroin. however, i don't find this to be the norm for most people. if you have ever had a serious injury or pain than chances are you have been prescribed pain killers which most have a mixture of opiates/tylenol. heroin is just an opiate in pure form. in the end for heroin addicts its the lifestyle that kills them rather than the drug itself. alcohol withdrawl for instance can literally give you seizures, hallucinations, and kill you. heroin withdrawl though brutal, trainspotting comes to mind, cannot kill you. opiates also have not been shown to cause brain damage unlike booze which most people have witnesses the short term memory loss from a hangover.

im not encouraging drug use but do read between the lines after you see a movie like this.

I didn't get time to read through all of the list but certainly hope fight club was on there...As it shows just how much power the people hold...which when you think about it well then you are thinking a thought within a thought ( kinda makes ya think don't it )...

Brokeback Mountain
 

I am a social psychology student researching about the conflict between personal freedoms vs. communal rights. This movie has produced a great deal of conflict in my community. There has been protesters in front of the movie theater and at the high school trying to get the movie removed from the theater. Incidently, they have succeeded in their cause. My question is "How do you feel about this movie and do you think that having the movie in the theater violates your personal rights as a heterosexual individual?" Also, as a homosexual individual, do you feel that your right to see the movie has been violated because others have been pressuring the theaters to remove the movie from the screen? Please post your feedback. This is not meant to be a stab at anyone. I am neutral in the subject and need to hear from both sides to make a complete analysis of the conflict. Thank you for your feedback.

Dionne:)

dionnel- you might want to create a new thread for your question. It's a good one, but will probably get more attention on its own.

Some of my favortie 'thought provoking' movies: 'Hotel Rwanda', 'Motorcycle Diaries, (Well, kinda.) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

So what's the punch line?

Punch Line? I was being serious.... ;)

You're right. It would get more attention on its own. Unfortunately, I have to post 25 replys before I can create a new thread. This makes 2. My paper is due now in less than a week. No time.

The Time machine "If she doesn't die he doesn't invent the time machine and so cannot save her" Paradox anyone? Butterfly effect especially when you work out his father did the same thing to make sure he was born (Which he wasn't supposed to)

Great thread. Cant contribute though because no overwhelmingly thought provoking movies are coming to mind. Thanks though, you guys talked about some movies I've never seen or heard about before and now I'm determined to see them.

The most recent movie I saw that provoked any thought from me was Lord of War. When you think about all the guns in the world, it is truly crazy.

Oddly enough I found "The Notebook" very thought provoking when I got to thinking about how I would feel in their eventual position.

v for valdez
 

there are three movies that are so true and makes you think twice about everything from killing a bug to going to the bathroom and these movies everyone should see and they should see them twice because the info is so overwhelming and they are V for Vendetta, Hotel Rwanda, Crash.

-luke

Best Thought Provoking Movies:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spottless Mind
Donnie Darko
I Heart Huckabees
Crash
Forrest Gump
Fight Club

Yes, after watching eternal sunshine of the spottless mind I agree...

also.. Being John Malkavich.. just thinking, what if that does happen?

I haven't gone through all the posts, but I haven't seen Waking Life anywhere...that movie just blew me away...the topics and opinions shared by the characters in the film had my mind working like no other film has

well glad you mentioned V for Vendetta .. yes people see it as an action flick but it represents so much more.

Also Lord of War .. not so much for the guns .. but his obsession to "win" be it women, or business competition .. but what was interesting was that when he did possess what he wanted it wasn;t enough..

Memento, Irreversible, Subterra,

anyway thats my list ..

Hopefully this doesn't make me sound racist and I am not, but American History X really made me rethink the cultural and racial aspects of society today. Beyond what people, whether black, white, or any other race think of the movie, I feel that it should be given some respect. American History X opened up the doors to mainstream racial movies and nothing before it was as blunt, straightforward, and painfully true as this one.

The film opened many true and statistical points that have enough substanciality to make me rethink America from a social, cultural, economical, and political standpoint, even though I am not racist. But many people think that American History X shows only the negativitys of the black and Hispanic races. People also think that the movie is strictly biased toward the White race. This is so untrue. The film displays the good and bad from both the White Race and the Black race. The biggest explosive point in the film is that being racist proves, changes, and is worth nothing at all.

Todd Solondz...his films leave me questioning my morals. How can I laugh... and I laugh so heartily.

Other films which come to mind - Kieslowski's a short film about killing - part of Dekalog - Dekalog full stop.

The sea inside.

My pick of thought provoking movies of all time
-Ladder 49
-Lord of War
-The Pianist
-Assassination of Richard NIxon
-Lemony Snicket's Unfortunate Series of Events
-Ladykillers

There was a movie a while back (I can't recall the name) that had an unusual plot. The movie begans with a man living in a civilization and they are speaking in a very cryptic language. For that reason, the 1st 3rd of the the movie is subtitled in English. To signify that the man can now communicate with the others, the subtitles transition away and everyone is now speaking in English. I can't recall the name of the movie, but it was really interesting how they transitioned it.

Any Michael Moore film
Supersize Me
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
In the Bedroom
Brazil

And so many more...

If i had to choose:

1: Lemony Snicket's Unfortunate Series of Events
2: Fight Club
3: Cocoon
4: Sixth Sense
5: any Friday the 13th ( it taught that if you do the dirty you
had better watch out for Jason Voorhees!!! )

The Fountain (Arnofsky, 2006)


Adding to the list...

Donnie Darko
Menace II Society
Crash (2004)

Of Mice and Men
What Dreams May Come
Full Metal Jacket
About Schmidt
JFK
Gandhi

samerie jack and also the last samuri
 

samerie jack and also the last samuri

Genuine thought-provoking films:

Andrei Rublev
Barton Fink
Bicycle Thieves
A Clockwork Orange
Ghost in the Shell
Mulholland Dr.
Persona

Pseudo-intellectual movies for people that can't really think for themselves:

Crash
Donnie Darko
Requiem For A Dream

Top Thought Provoking Films
1. Do The Right Thing
2. Malcolm X
3. Menace II Society/Boyz In Da Hood
4. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
5. American History X = Personally I saw American History X as kinda like a white response to Menace II Society. Edward Norton's greatest performance to date IMO. Certain scenes in the film try hard to make viewers believe that racism is justified while other scenes depict that way of thinking as accomplishing nothing ,and in the end were shown it does solve nothing. I guess that is why this movie is so thought provoking cause it gets alot of different point of views.

Personally, I think Crash is generally thought-provoking because of the way in which it communicates the central theme, which is spoken by Don Cheadle at the beginning of the film:

Nobody has to see Crash to know that racism is bad. But that's not all the film has to say. I rather think that it shows how we've let our differences stifle the human connection that we as human beings cannot live without; and more importantly, how sweet life can taste when we move past those differences - not because we think we should, but because we want to - and just open ourselves up to another person and find that their heart beats in harmony with our own.

We might suspect that this is true, but do we ever really let ourselves find out for certain? Without Crash, would we ever know what that looks like?

why is Donnie darko intellectual, pseudo or otherwise?

Thought provoking and intelligent films are necessarily the same thing. Donnie Darko raises some interesting ideas e.g. time travel, lengths of sacrifice, doomed youth etc but i dont think it raises them in an 'intelligent' way. It doesnt provide answers to any serious questions you may ask about those ideas.

Nor do I think Crash was an intellectual film, it had a realism to it that negates all need for intelligence. Real situations, a relatable feeling on the subject of racism-that its real, its out there and that we cant ignore it because its not going to go away. And yet it is thought provoking, it certainly made me think about how i perceive those of a different race and my preconceived notions of equality.

I remember getting to the end of Donnie Darko and going WTF! I had to then watch the movie again and think a whole heap before understanding what the movie was about... haha pretty thought provoking imo.

I agree with UsualSuspect...I thought A Clockwork Orange made me feel bad for the "bad guys"...but it definitely called to question who the "bad guys" really are.

One of my all time favorites,
 

is Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Se7en, 21g, Mystic River

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

I forget:Million Dollar Baby, Irreversible

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Do the Right Thing is one of the most thought provoking movies I've ever seen (it's also one of my favorites) and it is an epic shame that so many people fail to understand it and what it's trying to say. Oh well.

Some others for me would be...
Eraserhead
Blade Runner
The Seventh Seal
Mulholland Dr.
Waking Life
The Fountain
8 1/2
Solaris (Tarkovsky version)
3 Women
Rashômon

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

23
Inherit The Wind

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

One movie that got me thinking recently was a rental of "Hard Candy."

If you haven't seen it -- rent it. Very powerful look at vengeance and pedophilia.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Contact is a good one. Makes you think about the universe, other life-forms, religion, technology, time, death and reality.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Stand By Me

Being a father and a child at heart, this one was very provoking TSTL.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Hotel Rwanda
Schindler's List

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

one film i didnt see was the corporation, a documentary about the corporation and its evils... the full movie is available on youtube (it is legal if you worry about that sort of thing) this doesnt include extras of course. this documentery dives deep into problems of modern society and its causes. it is definatly somthing everyone should watch. if by the end you dont think and question your own daily purchases and "needs" etc. then there must be somthing wrong with you :(

there website is simply thecorporation dot com


apparently i cant link the youtube page or embed it sooo i guess youll have to look for yourselves shouldnt be hard to find

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

also The Birth Of A Nation(1915) imo sorry couldnt leave it out :)

Fluke -


A lot of people probably never saw this movie - it was made in the 1990's and would probably seem like just a family movie about a dog to those who haven't seen it, but it is the most meaningful, touching, and thought provoking movie I have ever seen, and its emotional content and meaning is very mature. The story is about a workaholic man who was killed in a car accident and is reincarnated/reborn as a golden retriever. As the movies progresses, he starts to remember that the people he dreams about are his wife and son, from his previous life as a man, whom he had taken foregranted. He then sets out to find them, and then his goal is to make them know who he is - not a very easy thing to do. There are so many elements to the movie and details that make it great so I will not give them all away and ruin it. But, let me just say that there are twists and turns in this movie. It takes a deep look at just how short life can be and at regret. It teaches that every moment is a gift, and that you can not go back and undo what you have done. It also shows how powerful and driving of a force that love can be - where there is a will, there is a way. The ending is probably one of the saddest scenes in the history of movies. Not to mention that this movie has the saddest music score I've ever heard. It will leave you affected. I promise.

The Adjustment Bureau - deals with fate, love, and unstoppable destiny - this movie makes you really think about whether or not we (or anyone else) have control over our destiny

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - deals with prejudice, the innocence of childhood, corruption, the balance between humanity and cruelty, and karma - this movie boggles the mind on every element i just named, why do people hate those who are not like them so much? what if we were blind to this, or what if we were on the less fortunate end?

Frequency - deals with time, control, and determined love - this movie is an emotional rollercoaster ride and asks the question, what if you could communicate with your dead father from the past and instruct him to take different actions that would change the present you now live in?

The Butterfly Effect - deals with time, the effects that one change can make on everything else, control, and acceptance - what if you could go back in time and change something? what if when you changed it, it affected other things and you kept screwing the present up even worse every time?

Pet Sematary - deals with learning about death, accepting death, and the reality that loss is final - this movie is so underrated in so many ways as far as thought provoking goes, what would you do if you could bring back someone you love who has died? what if they were to come back as an abomination - would you still bring them back or would you accept that they are gone and leave them rest? if that's not thought provoking, i don't know what is

Storm of the Century - deals with sacrafice, choice, and consequences to choices - this movie is amazing, if the devil gave you and a few other families a choice between either killing all of you or taking one of your children (in which the child would be chosen by a drawing of stones), what would you choose? this movie will leave you questioning things and thinking about a lot

Chloe - deals with longing, desire, betrayal, and mistrust - this movie is very psychological and affecting, who do you really believe? what if the person you thought you could trust betrayed you, and the person you thought betrayed you was honest all along? it taps into the voids that people seek to fill and the wrong ways that people go about filling them

The Terminator movies - deals with the struggle of mankind within itself, the destructive nature of mankind, and hope - these movies, believe it or not, have deeper meaning that just action, sick weapons, and machines, it makes you think wow are we as humans so violent in our nature that we are destined to destroy ourselves? do these machines know more about decency than us as people? will we finally learn to love another when we are threatened with the possibility of a human-machine world war?


These are all wonderful movies to watch. Their meanings are easier to understand by simply watching them, rather than listening to a written explanation. There is too much complexity to write, but all of these will provoke much thought when watched. I highly suggest watching them.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control is a good one. and Waking Life.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

The original French film is a lot better. But really - your post should have spoiler tags, you gave away a twist in the film.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

WHAT DREAMS MAY COME is a great movie. It really made me think about how beutiful death may be inspite most peoples fear of it.

I have to go with Fight Club and Dogville. Both made me think really hard, very awakening experiences!

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Donnie Darko
Waking Life
Inception
A Scanner Darkly
American History X
Abre Los Ojos
Cronos
The Illusionist
Pan's Labyrinth
The Usual Suspects
Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
Memento
Dead Poet's Society
Lars and The Real Girl
Equilibrium
Twelve Monkeys
Moon
The Hours
Fight Club
Gattaca
What Dreams May Come
Se7en
Cube
Dark City
The Cell
Ghost Dog: The Way of The Samurai

Jacobs Ladder has to be at the top of my list.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Bob Roberts had a very interesting viewpoint on America...

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

I think The Man From Earth was very thought provoking. i like it

CATFISH prompted some long discussion after we saw it.

Loved this one.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Irreversible. Makes you think about if you're ever going to be able to have sex again :(

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

I just watched Incendies thanks to a recommendation from Ash and after I was finished watching it I really starting thinking and wondering what I would do if I found out those kind of skeletons in my family closet.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../Incendies.jpg

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Charlie's Angels made me think a lot. Think. Fantasize. Whatever.

Re: Most thought provoking movies
 

Bowling for Columbine was to me really thought provoking. Rarely does a movie manage to be both funny and enterntaining yet terrifying and disturbing. That film got me thinking for the rest of the day. Still one of my favorites.