Can you recommend movies in this style? [examples]

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Would Jacob's Ladder (1990) qualify?

Without giving too much away - you (the audience) doesn't really know what's going on or if your watching a horror movie, supernatural / paranormal movie, a terrifying conspiracy by evil forces, some kind of delving into insanity or what... until the end where the revelation has a perfectly reality-based explanation and, despite all appearances, nothing at all supernatural or paranormal had occurred.



Would Jacob's Ladder (1990) qualify?

Without giving too much away - you (the audience) doesn't really know what's going on or if your watching a horror movie, supernatural / paranormal movie, a terrifying conspiracy by evil forces, some kind of delving into insanity or what... until the end where the revelation has a perfectly reality-based explanation and, despite all appearances, nothing at all supernatural or paranormal had occurred.
I was watching the trailer of that recently. Just seemed a bit heavy on the body horror. I could still see it.
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I think The Fisher King was probably a good recommendation. I was trying to think of a Gilliam, and either they were too surreal or fantasy (Brazil and Time Bandits) or was a little uncomfortable on quality and couldn't remember the fantasy/reality divide (Tideland. the Inaginarium of Dr Parnassus).


I'll change my suggested Bunuel to That Obscure Object of Desire. Now that I've thought of it, it's probably closer to what was originally requested.


I suspect Under the Silver Lake is probably a bad idea given that Lynch was an influence.


Long Weekend might be a possibility, but it's not like they aren't commenting on what's happening.


Maybe some of the mid-00s Lanthymos stuff? The Lobster or The Killing of a Sacred Deer?
I suspect the flat affect might be a turn off for you, and the world itself might start off as too... off for what you're asking for.


Um... This seems like a bad idea for a suggestion, but Zulawski's Possession (1981). It's probably correct genre-wise, but I'm going to guess it's not going to be your thing (I could be wrong).


I'm really just using Murakami novels as my basis for the type of genre you're going for; it is somewhat of a challenge.

ETA for additional thoughts:
Is Orson Welles' adaptation of Kafka's The Trial too surreal for the request? Probably, but maybe not. So I'll mention it as a possibility.

ETAA: bigger stretch and this is for a movie I don't recall caring that much for when I saw it (but really loved the book when I subsequently read it, admittedly this was all 20 years ago): The Tin Drum.



It's been decades since I've seen MirrorMask but I'd put that further into fantasy than Pan's Labyrinth.

Summarizing my guesses on other thoughts (since my well is running dry at the moment):

Dogville - (fwiw, not sureal just stylized), the chalk outlines might be adjacent to what you were thinking of, but I suspect the movie won't be your thing and not close enough to the conceit you're asking for.

Malle's Black Moon - probably too surreal, in the sense of the lack of grounding in reality.

Jan Svankmajer stuff - outside of a short he did of a little girl going down to a creepy basement, everything else will be waaaayyyy too surreal for you, I'm thinking.

Songs from the Second Floor - just crossed my mind because someone did mention it in the comedy thread. Maybe...

Tarkovsky's sci-fi movies, Stalker and Solarys - "possibly". But I am making probably larger guesses on things you may or may not like and suspect you will find them slow.



A movie, To Sleep so as to Dream, just showed up in my Amazon's recommends that sounds in line with Millennium Actress. Maybe?
Yup, I just said, "maybe," on a movie whose title sounds vaguely familiar, but I may not have ever heard of before that came from an Amazon algorithm.
I just did that.



I think The Fisher King was probably a good recommendation. I was trying to think of a Gilliam, and either they were too surreal or fantasy (Brazil and Time Bandits) or was a little uncomfortable on quality and couldn't remember the fantasy/reality divide (Tideland. the Inaginarium of Dr Parnassus).
I believe I've seen all of those anyway. I don't recall if Dr. Parnassus fits the bill, but I don't think the rest do.
I'm really just using Murakami novels as my basis for the type of genre you're going for; it is somewhat of a challenge.
Totally unfamiliar.
ETA for additional thoughts:
Is Orson Welles' adaptation of Kafka's The Trial too surreal for the request? Probably, but maybe not. So I'll mention it as a possibility.
Haven't see it, but sounds like something I should see.
It's been decades since I've seen MirrorMask but I'd put that further into fantasy than Pan's Labyrinth.
I don't remember it well at all, but I don't recall it being what I was looking for.
Dogville - (fwiw, not sureal just stylized), the chalk outlines might be adjacent to what you were thinking of, but I suspect the movie won't be your thing and not close enough to the conceit you're asking for.
Some Lars Von Trier stuff has looked interesting, but I've also seen some dumb pretentious shit come outta his corner, so I'm cautious.
Malle's Black Moon - probably too surreal, in the sense of the lack of grounding in reality.
The trailer consisting entirely of a car running over a what looks to be an actual badger is not encouraging.
Songs from the Second Floor - just crossed my mind because someone did mention it in the comedy thread. Maybe...
The trailer kinda looks like what I'm after.
Tarkovsky's sci-fi movies, Stalker and Solarys - "possibly". But I am making probably larger guesses on things you may or may not like and suspect you will find them slow.
I saw Stalker. It does not have any of the elements I'm looking for. It's literally just 3 characters walking around empty ordinary environments and insisting that there's something supernatural about them. Was not a fan.



Your three examples just sound like a filmmaker using a stylised way of filming to emphasise theme, which is true of a lot of films. Shame you dismiss Blue Velvet because I would say that's a prime example of a film that is heavily stylised but within the bounds of realism (i.e. nothing magical happens). It's by far the most accessie Lynchian weirdness.

What film genres do you like?