Movies that feel like a "fever dream" but actually have a plot

[troxad]

I’m looking for something that feels completely surreal or trippy while you're watching it, but everything actually makes sense by the end. I love that "what am I even looking at" feeling, as long as it isn't just weird for the sake of being weird.

Do you have any favorites that are visually wild or have a really dark, sarcastic sense of humor? I’ve already seen stuff like The Menu and Parasite, so I’m looking for something a bit more under the radar if possible.

I watched 'The wave' recently and it felt very like this.

Burn after Reading is a little trippy, and Brad Pitt is very funny in it. Also has John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, and George Clooney.
Micmacs. Weirdly funny.
Hugo.
Hotel Budapest.

DH and I always use Mulholland Drive as an example of a film where it does NOT all come together. No amount of googling afterwards gave us a satisfactory explanation.

Memento, however, I’d definitely recommend!

The most surreal thing I ever watched was a Korean film called A Tale of Two Sisters. Even my husband who is good at reading between the lines of seeing hidden messages in films could not work eat was going in that one. We tried to watch the commentary butvwhke hhe film had English subtitles the commentary did not and was all in Korean. Let me know if you can make sense if that film.

Triangle is great!
also have a look at Velvet Buzzsaw - some big names in it too

hmmm, I watched Memento and didn't understand it.
I read up on it and still didn't understand it!

Donnie Darko.

We like the same films. I was going to suggest these

Delicatessen
Micmacs

I enjoyed Bugonia

Lost Highway.
I watched if after a few rums, was totally confused but kind of loved it. My son told me what it was all about afterwards and it did make sense.

The Wicker Man

only the original though

The virgin suicides
Harold and Maude

Eraserhead
Donnie Darko
Sirat - starts off normal but then gets strange and trippy
Ginger Baker documentary - far out

Also loved this.

Yep remember watching this too.Not sure I have any clue sorry

That is one of my favourite films. The remake was awful though.

Inception
Shutter Island
The Wicker Man
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

He loves me…he loves me not (a la folie…pas du tout). One moment you think you’re watching one thing and the next moment everything changes

It must be time to re-watch Shutter Island. I've bookmarked this list!

Eraserhead is definitely the strangest film I've seen.

Crash (1996) and other Cronenberg pieces.
The Menu (2022). Both have humour, of the rather gruesome, knowing variety.
Eyes Wide Shut weirded me out, but that could have been because I was more 'innocent' in them days.

Donnie Darko

The Lobster
Killing of a sacred deer

Not really trippy but weird and excellent

Mullholland Drive comes to mind, but I can’t remember now if it actually made sense in the end. Fever dream definitely.

If you want just unbelievably weird and trippy try the acid house (Irvine Welsh).

Oh god yes! I.remeber this now too.
Thought it was a bit weird but when everything clicked into place loved it