Howdy-doo, I asked about this back in like 2015 and still don't have a great idea of how to articulate what I'm asking for, but I've seen a lot more movies since then so maybe I can describe it better.
I'm looking for movies that have a particular storytelling presentation. These movies have a tendency to embellish reality as a means of emphasizing a feeling or an idea. It may be a relatively abstract story, but the key difference is we don't break from logic, there is still a clear narrative to the movie, but little background details may be exaggerated a bit to communicate bigger ideas. Often these are things that go un-acknowledged by other characters because what is being presented is just the perception of one of the characters or otherwise only symbolic of an idea being presented. What I am NOT looking for are Magic Realism movies, or nonsense movies along the lines of Eraserhead or Blue Velvet.
The movies Ink and Imaginaerum are clear examples of what I'm looking for, and in case you haven't seen those movies I'll include some scenes to show you what I'm talking about:
(timestamped at 34:37)
I'm looking for movies that have a particular storytelling presentation. These movies have a tendency to embellish reality as a means of emphasizing a feeling or an idea. It may be a relatively abstract story, but the key difference is we don't break from logic, there is still a clear narrative to the movie, but little background details may be exaggerated a bit to communicate bigger ideas. Often these are things that go un-acknowledged by other characters because what is being presented is just the perception of one of the characters or otherwise only symbolic of an idea being presented. What I am NOT looking for are Magic Realism movies, or nonsense movies along the lines of Eraserhead or Blue Velvet.
The movies Ink and Imaginaerum are clear examples of what I'm looking for, and in case you haven't seen those movies I'll include some scenes to show you what I'm talking about:
(timestamped at 34:37)
Ink - Here we see two characters get into it over an old custody dispute, as the tension rises and the characters get in each other's face the light in the room shrinks to just a spotlight above them. There's no in-universe reason for this to happen, but it communicates that there's nothing else that matters outside of this moment, our full attention is on these two characters. (note: I'm not trying to share the full movie, this is just the only video I could find of this scene after a handful of searches)
Imaginaerum - Maybe not the best example, but in this clip we have an old man on his death bed as his life is flashing before his eyes. So this is a dream/memory sequence and there's a fair bit of wiggle room to take some creative liberties, but it still has to communicate a particular point. Here we see his younger self looking in a room containing a memory of him and his dad while we see a second memory of his older self on an adjacent wall with his daughter. It's a pretty trippy sequence, but the message is clear that his poor relationship with his father resulted in a poor relationship with his daughter.
And one more example to try and be extra clear on what I'm looking for:
And one more example to try and be extra clear on what I'm looking for:
Paranoia Agent - Here we have a student who's desperate to pass his math exam, he's been pushed to the edge of his abilities and he's panicking last-minute. Suddenly he starts coughing and sneezing up equations. They're just falling out of his head. Without even questioning it, he tries to eat the equations, but more just keep coming out. This is a clear visual analogy for someone who's struggling to retain a memory, but can't help but forget what they want to remember. He's clearly overwhelmed by his schoolwork and that's communicated by twisting reality a bit. This could just as well be a nightmare of his.
I guess what I'm looking for is a sort of coherent surrealism. Hopefully I did a decent enough job of conveying the sort of storytelling style I'm looking for. If you know of movies that contain scenes like this I would be very interested in seeing them. Thank you!
My Verdict on Recommendations in this Thread:
Stalker - Not a Match, no surrealism whatsoever
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie - Not a Match, no surrealism whatsoever
The Hourglass Sanitorium - Not a Match, virtually no coherence
The Trial - Not A Match, virtually no surrealism
I guess what I'm looking for is a sort of coherent surrealism. Hopefully I did a decent enough job of conveying the sort of storytelling style I'm looking for. If you know of movies that contain scenes like this I would be very interested in seeing them. Thank you!
My Verdict on Recommendations in this Thread:
Stalker - Not a Match, no surrealism whatsoever
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie - Not a Match, no surrealism whatsoever
The Hourglass Sanitorium - Not a Match, virtually no coherence
The Trial - Not A Match, virtually no surrealism
__________________
Movie Reviews | Anime Reviews
Top 100 Action Movie Countdown (2015): List | Thread
"Well, at least your intentions behind the UTTERLY DEVASTATING FAULTS IN YOUR LOGIC are good." - Captain Steel
Movie Reviews | Anime Reviews
Top 100 Action Movie Countdown (2015): List | Thread
"Well, at least your intentions behind the UTTERLY DEVASTATING FAULTS IN YOUR LOGIC are good." - Captain Steel
Last edited by Omnizoa; 08-21-22 at 03:37 AM.