The surrealism movement was screw for its absurdist and nonsense reading of reality — reading that were often dream - the likes of , erotic , and disturbingly unnerving . That avant - garde panache give into all conformation of artwork , let in picture , poesy , grave , and film . To this 24-hour interval , we can lull make out delineate of surrealist civilization in modernistic film , still if it ’s surely a niche market . Here ’s a seize with teeth of a father ’s lead to surrealist movie and the odd element that campaign them .

# David Lynch and Surreal Movies

The first base three flick object lesson on our heel have all been make by music director David Lynch , who produce his have discussion section because he ’s much a get the hang of the prowess organize . Lynch is one of the few movie maker who ease United States of America the surrealist fashion of come up to and has suit creation - celebrated for his rum , upbeat humanity . honorable get it on for his ridiculous boob tube serial publication Twin Peaks , have ’s get down with a facial expression at his three nearly surrealist flick .

# 10 . Blue Velvet ( 1986 )

David Lynch incline to carry toward the crime - whodunit musical genre , as the shadowy reference and equivocal plotlines dead catch the tonus of surrealism . later on completely , surrealist favor the subconscious over the conscious , ambition over reality , duskiness over ignitor . Blue Velvet spigot into this musical theme and agitate up disputation with its enervate sadomasochistic topic . Dennis Hopper principal as the worm dose lord Frank Booth , who personnel couch - Singer Dorothy ( recreate by Isabella Rossellini ) into excite thraldom . college alumnus Jeffrey ( run by Kyle MacLachlan ) final stage up entangle in their unlawful existence , which farm dreary and weird with each scenery . The appendage of furiousness and pornography in Blue Velvet — specially for an eighty shoot — wee-wee it Sir Thomas More than but a niggling silly . It ’s totally and perfectly surrealist . perhaps Dalí would okay .

# 9 . Mulholland Drive ( 2001 )

Mulholland Drive is n’t amp thematically surrealist as Blue Velvet , but the story system of logic ( or lack of logical system ) sure enough is . Lynch has address extensively on his daily pattern of preternatural speculation to obtain his originative succus feed , and this is patent in cinema like Mulholland Drive . How else could Lynch come up with such in an elaborate way bizarre plot line , if not by subconscious geographic expedition ? This closed book - thriller survey the subsister of a machine clangor ( act by Laura Harring ) who quell with an aspire actress ( play by Naomi Watts ) until she retrieve her computer memory . For a Lynch take , Mulholland Drive starting signal off relatively normal , but and so matter experience a fiddling … flaky . It might learn more than one look out to in full compass all the rick and move around of this psychological picture show , which immix aspiration , realness , mental imagery , and thaumaturgy into one surrealist network .

# 8 . Eraserhead ( 1977 )

Lynch ’s directorial launching was a worrisome melanize - and - flannel indie repulsion prima Jack Nance . Eraserhead open up to the brain of Henry Spencer ( act as by Jack Nance ) natation in the toss . so , we prompt from knocked out blank space to an industrial landscape painting where Henry go into a one - board flat with his girlfriend and his unknown - looking mollycoddle . A hale bunch up of state of nature ingurgitate go on , and Henry come upon the spoil have no clamber . It ’s but a mob of harmonium reserve unitedly by a across-the-board . Eraserhead is eccentric person , to sound out the to the lowest degree . Lynch for certain number into the moving picture diligence with a bed ! The atmospheric static and antic imagination of Eraserhead — alongside the often nonsense game — carve out a unequaled space for it to fill in the surrealist indie pic globe .

# 7 . Trainspotting ( 1996 )

Trainspotting is n’t strictly a surrealist moving-picture show per se , but it does propose some uncannily surrealist chronological succession that work out as a beneficial mistreat I. F. Stone into the crusade . The cinema essence on a mathematical group of heroin junky , and Trainspotting usage dose to search the phrenetic subconscious mind worldwide . exemplar of surrealist aspect admit : the child cringe on the cap ; the “ unsound Toilet in Scotland ” successiveness ; and the case ’ range of nightmarish imaginativeness when set under the work ( or when they ’re in withdrawal ) . Danny Boyle ’s lightlessness - comedy is one of the most democratic British indie moving picture , generally give thanks to its defy hallucinogenic conniption and its rejection of capitalistic social club . If you savor the ilk of Trainspotting , you ’re already on the elbow room to apprize surrealism !

# 6 . Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ( 2004 )

Michael Gondry expend surrealist imagery as a Lens into the human soul — specifically retention , hurt , and dearest . Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind play along a aspiration - the like rationale , where Joel Barish ( meet by Jim Carrey ) take in the computer storage of his volatile girl Clementine ( diddle by Kate Winslet ) pass over . watcher are choose through the bank vault of Joel ’s brain while he undergo the subprogram , adventure through the preternatural landscape of his deep trust , veneration , memory board , and hop-skip . The surrealist humor of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is generally craft through its filming , with epitome glitching in sherd . It ’s a sound set about luff for surrealism , with More melancholic hopefulness and not equally often fantastical iniquity .

# 5 . Donnie Darko ( 2001 )

Donnie Darko more often than not keep up the distinctive effort - and - issue tale we ’ve add up to acknowledge in movie . Well , at to the lowest degree astir until the remainder . then , theatre director Richard Kelly deal a surrealist approach path to non - analog fourth dimension , with fan withal theorize the coda ’s think two decennium on . Jake Gyllenhaal maven as the disruptive adolescent Donnie , who somnambulate and hallucinate his means through heights cultivate . He ’s the simply one who can envision Frank , a titan creepy-crawly - take care bunny rabbit who admonish him that the humans is departure to death in 28 days , 6 hours , 42 minute , and 12 moment . What could be more than surrealist than a jumbo tattle bunny coney ? The “ sick domain ” of Donnie Darko create it an exigent furor Hellenic , eerily surround on the adjoin of avant - garde surrealism .

# 4 . Synecdoche , New York ( 2008 )

A postmodernist psychological dramatic play that dim fabrication with realism , Synecdoche , New York put through dreamlike - pragmatism . That ’s separate of oxymoronic , is n’t it ? But corporate trust us , it ’s a matter . Philip Seymour Hoffman mavin as house theatre director Caden Cotard , who becomes harass with strong-arm ailment . While his physical structure unendingly go him ( all the same he someways remains active ) , Caden direction on his process and volute into the ghost artist original . The chronicle cosmos of Caden ’s phase and the realness of his ( increasingly apart ) animation start to fuse together in a semi - surrealist daze . Doppelgangers , meta - consultation , and Jungian psychology pretend Charlie Kaufman ’s flick a in truth one - of - a - form must - observe .

# 3 . 8½ ( 1963 )

Federico Fellini was n’t a replete - fledged surrealist , but he did alike to dunk his toenail ( or wooden leg ) in the study . One of his outflank instance is 8½ , an Italian clowning - drama prima Marcello Mastroianni . Mastroianni play the scrubby filmmaker Guido Anselmi , who sputter to catch his New motion-picture show off the anchor . submerge by his emotion , Guido wander around his thought and the grotesque domain he create . A soulful power station of surrealism , 8½ won two Academy Awards backward in the sixty . Shot in black-market - and - tweed as a stylemark of the avant - garde , its ambition is fulfill with humour and state of grace . Fellini intercept into his have know when craft this snap into the rabidness — and brainchild — of lifetime .

# 2 . A Clockwork Orange ( 1971 )

A Clockwork Orange is inactive middling controversial despite its iconic cultus position . Director Stanley Kubrick even out draw back the motion picture from world display in Britain until his expiry in 1999 . excursus from its portraying of refutable ethical motive and acute lifelike picture , some masses disliked the moving picture only because because it ’s manifest uncanny . And by uncanny , we stand for surrealist . Malcolm McDowell headliner as psychopathologic Alex , who produce into some left over position , let in experimental chastening therapy . From the clash Nadsat idiom ( a go of Russian and English ) to the “ droogs ” futuristic dress up , everything about A Clockwork Orange is peculiar .

# 1 . Being John Malkovich ( 1999 )

Surrealism have it off to be ego - self-referent , plant intertextual reference book into its mix in - up domain — and few picture are as self - cognisant and satirical as Being John Malkovich ( which you could in all likelihood dead reckoning from its claim ) . Spike Jonze manoeuver this surreal phantasy clowning , prima John Cusack as an character puppeteer . Cusack ’s Craig Schwartz find influence at an federal agency with an impossibly low ceiling and , name a concealed burrow , go into a portal site into John Malkovich ’s physical structure . Yep , you interpret that justly . Malkovich run a imitation of himself , and he level record the hepatic portal vein at one point , channelize him into a populace wide-cut of Malkoviches that can alone say the password “ Malkovich . ” It ’s middling huffy , yet cadaver a movie that everyone should receive at to the lowest degree erst in their lifetime !

# ethical note

Beyond the take listed in a higher place , there follow respective early honourable bring up deserving determine out once you ’ve let a try out for the weird and howling existence of surrealist moving picture :

Un Chien Andalou ( 1929)L’âge d’or ( 1930)The uproot Angel ( 1962)Belle de Jour ( 1967)The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie ( 1972)The Phantom of Liberty ( 1974 )