I've got a real thing about movies where you don't know what's real.
January 20, 2025 4:45 PM - Subscribe
Just watched Malum, highly praised here by people whose opinions I generally agree with, and it just didn't land with me at all. I just can't get my head into "nothing is real" movies. Is there a way I can enjoy these more?
This is an ongoing thing with me. Once you get past one or two "the protagonist is hallucinating" or "the hero wakes from a dream but wait this is also a dream" or "reality is not what we think it is," moments, I just can't invest in the narrative.
Maybe I just need to Let Go and Let Movie, but something about my brain won't let me... care about what's happening on screen. Is a character in peril? Ehh, maybe, or maybe it's a trick. Has something happened to move the plot forward? Ehhh, maybe, or maybe it's a trick.
It's not a "puzzle" thing because generally there isn't a way to know whether something's real or not in the context of the film itself.
Key exceptions are things like The Matrix, which is a "nothing is real' movie, but never (to my recollection) deliberately does a ha-ha tricked-you rug pull. Yes, Neo gets pulled out of the Matrix, but from that point on it's linear in terms of whether a character is in or out, and the Matrix itself seems to follow its own rules (or bend them, but in a way that's explained and fairly clear).
People who dig these movies -- what's your entry point? I'd like to enjoy them more, but I just can't get my brain to lock in.
This is an ongoing thing with me. Once you get past one or two "the protagonist is hallucinating" or "the hero wakes from a dream but wait this is also a dream" or "reality is not what we think it is," moments, I just can't invest in the narrative.
Maybe I just need to Let Go and Let Movie, but something about my brain won't let me... care about what's happening on screen. Is a character in peril? Ehh, maybe, or maybe it's a trick. Has something happened to move the plot forward? Ehhh, maybe, or maybe it's a trick.
It's not a "puzzle" thing because generally there isn't a way to know whether something's real or not in the context of the film itself.
Key exceptions are things like The Matrix, which is a "nothing is real' movie, but never (to my recollection) deliberately does a ha-ha tricked-you rug pull. Yes, Neo gets pulled out of the Matrix, but from that point on it's linear in terms of whether a character is in or out, and the Matrix itself seems to follow its own rules (or bend them, but in a way that's explained and fairly clear).
People who dig these movies -- what's your entry point? I'd like to enjoy them more, but I just can't get my brain to lock in.
Part of this really is how well did the director/writer pull off this concept. Are there rules of any type that can guide your understanding of what you're seeing? Sometimes folks do get a little too wild with the unreliable narrator and it can affect one's enjoyment.
I like to think that usually when you have a film like this, this is really an onion approach that as you sift through the layers, you grow closer to the truth of what you're being told or shown. Any last minute rug pulls are just kind of not classy unless they really play a role in the telling of the story.
posted by Atreides at 9:10 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]
I like to think that usually when you have a film like this, this is really an onion approach that as you sift through the layers, you grow closer to the truth of what you're being told or shown. Any last minute rug pulls are just kind of not classy unless they really play a role in the telling of the story.
posted by Atreides at 9:10 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]
I think that you're right, Atreides. Movies like this sometimes feel a little lazy to me, in the sense that the plot doesn't have to follow any rules. Inception was kind of like that but what made that movie amazing was the amazing effects which allowed the viewer to get lost in the idea that anything could happen. The trick with these movies is not to get too invested in the plot and just go along for the ride - the good ones are worth watching.
You know what movie made me go "meh"? Triangle. I thought it was dumb, not particularly scary (and I scare easily) and the twist was obvious. I was not invested at all and I think that this is my entry point: it can twist all it wants but if it's dumb then I'm not interested, even if the acting is spectacular. Clever is the way to go and I've got a bunch of examples of movies that you might like that all happen to decades old, although you've probably already seen them:
I feel that the 6th Sense is a movie that you should watch. That was a perfect movie where you just didn't see it coming and it made Shyamalan a superstar for good reason. You must have seen it but if you haven't, please do, the hype is valid.
Brazil comes at it from a different point of view, with the main character seeming to have a very firm grasp of what's going on while everything around him is bonkers. You might guess at the outcome (or not) but you're watching this to see how bonkers it's going to get.
Jacob's Ladder is yet another where everything seems like it should be except for those moments when it totally isn't okay at all. I found it very scary, to be honest.
The Prestige tells you almost from the outset that everything is not as it seems and you know that there's a twist coming. Knowing that there's a twist is actually part of the plot, which is genius.
posted by ashbury at 7:08 PM on January 24 [2 favorites]
You know what movie made me go "meh"? Triangle. I thought it was dumb, not particularly scary (and I scare easily) and the twist was obvious. I was not invested at all and I think that this is my entry point: it can twist all it wants but if it's dumb then I'm not interested, even if the acting is spectacular. Clever is the way to go and I've got a bunch of examples of movies that you might like that all happen to decades old, although you've probably already seen them:
I feel that the 6th Sense is a movie that you should watch. That was a perfect movie where you just didn't see it coming and it made Shyamalan a superstar for good reason. You must have seen it but if you haven't, please do, the hype is valid.
Brazil comes at it from a different point of view, with the main character seeming to have a very firm grasp of what's going on while everything around him is bonkers. You might guess at the outcome (or not) but you're watching this to see how bonkers it's going to get.
Jacob's Ladder is yet another where everything seems like it should be except for those moments when it totally isn't okay at all. I found it very scary, to be honest.
The Prestige tells you almost from the outset that everything is not as it seems and you know that there's a twist coming. Knowing that there's a twist is actually part of the plot, which is genius.
posted by ashbury at 7:08 PM on January 24 [2 favorites]
I'm right with you, and I wish more authors/scriptwriters would remember that dreams are inherently boring to everyone but the person experiencing them.
They may have terrific meaning to the person experiencing it, but to everyone else it's just a story about something that never happened—whether that's in reality, or in-universe. It takes mad skill to make that interesting.
I can't where I read it, but a well-respected/established author wrote on it while discussing writing, and their warning about dream sequences or hallucinations innate lack of consequences in stories really stuck with me, and helped me understand why I dislike them so much.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 9:43 AM on January 25 [2 favorites]
They may have terrific meaning to the person experiencing it, but to everyone else it's just a story about something that never happened—whether that's in reality, or in-universe. It takes mad skill to make that interesting.
I can't where I read it, but a well-respected/established author wrote on it while discussing writing, and their warning about dream sequences or hallucinations innate lack of consequences in stories really stuck with me, and helped me understand why I dislike them so much.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 9:43 AM on January 25 [2 favorites]
The Prestige tells you almost from the outset that everything is not as it seems and you know that there's a twist coming. Knowing that there's a twist is actually part of the plot, which is genius.
The Illusionist, which was a contemporaneous release to The Prestige is also a fun keep you guessing in a historic setting film.
Do I own either of these two films? No, and now I feel bad about it.
posted by Atreides at 7:12 AM on January 27
The Illusionist, which was a contemporaneous release to The Prestige is also a fun keep you guessing in a historic setting film.
Do I own either of these two films? No, and now I feel bad about it.
posted by Atreides at 7:12 AM on January 27
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posted by jessamyn at 7:29 PM on January 21 [1 favorite]