Countless films with convoluted plots and sequences cause viewers to scour the internet for answers to explain what played out across the screen. Some filmmakers and their projects accomplish this feat well (Christopher Nolanis the king of the hill on those terms), others don’t, and then there’s the group that falls in the middle.
Several movies are so bad they’re good or just so well-made that you have to watch them again to catch all the pieces to answer that familiar question. There’s no shortage ofpopular movies with weird plots, jarring endings, or unique aesthetic choices that will leave viewers with some unanswered questions. These wild movies can be good or bad, depending on whether they manage to have their intended effect on audiences. Whether for comedic value, wild storylines, or confusing endings, audiences are left asking themselves after certain films, “What did I just watch?”
Directed by Phil Tippett
This stop-motion animation film will leave jaws dropped from its adult audiences. Written and directed by the incredible visual effects artistPhil Tippett,Mad Godis about an apocalyptic character known only as The Assassin and the descent into an underworld wasteland, once there encountering horrifying creatures and masses.Mad Godtook three decades to make, with the result being a stylistic nightmare that combs the darkest parts of the human mind to fuel this character’s perilous journey.
Grisly while also technically impressive, this stop-motion film is a conversation starter whether you love it or hate it. It’s a movie wherethe point is not to make narrative sense, instead focusing on the visual, auditory, and psychological experiencebarely contained within the frames ofMad God.
14’Sorry to Bother You' (2018)
Directed by Boots Riley
Asatirical commentary on the greed of capitalismtold through the lens of telemarketing,Sorry to Bother Youis comedically jarring with its fair share of WTF scenes.LaKeith Stanfieldstars as Cassius Green, an Oakland telemarketer whose career takes off after he discovers the secret to success in the alternate reality he exists in. While Cassius starts to reap the benefits of his financial and professional exploits, including accepting a salary beyond comprehension, his friends stage a protest against corporate greed and its oppression.
An imaginative endeavor,Sorry to Bother Youfields audiences into the seductive enticement of “the grind” and climbing the company ladderwhile showcasing the manipulative underbelly where racism and slave labor fuel the so-called “success.” It’s wild, sharp, and overwhelming for audiences going into it expecting a blockbuster comedy. For all its winks and nods for laughter,Sorry to Bother Youis an unsettling watch.
Sorry to Bother You
13’Barbarian' (2022)
Directed by Zach Cregger
Horror movies are generally a mind-bending experience as filmmakers ask audiences to suspend belief and their fight or flight responses to endure terrifying premises.Barbarianasks all of that and more in this wildly twisted film. After discovering the Airbnb is double-booked, two strangers, Tess (Georgina Campbell) and Keith (Bill Skarsgård), agree to share the rental, but lurking within the walls and below the floorboards is something so sinister that survival seems unlikely.
During the year of critically-acclaimed horror movies,Barbarianfollowed suit with its complete reversal from what audiences thought they were getting from the trailer. The suspected movie monster isn’t as it appears, andthe deeper audiences get into the bowels of the film, the more unhinged and disturbing the film’s reality is. AfterwatchingBarbarianup to its gripping ending, viewers may reconsider using vacation rental platforms, especially for a solo or loner getaway trip.
12’Annihilation' (2018)
Directed by Alex Garland
Some movie scenes you can’t un-see, or in this instance, un-hear – remember that bear? In a wild sci-fi horror feature,Alex Garlandpushed the limits of comprehension, paired with impressive visuals and magnetic performances.AnnihilationstarsNatalie Portmanas Lena, a biologist and former soldier, who embarks on a mission into Area X, a spreading phenomenon where inside, the laws of nature don’t apply in the mutated landscape. The team attempts to document their findings, hoping to answer what happened to Lena’s husband during his own mission.
Annihilationisn’t an everyday sci-fi film where there’s a clear-cut understanding of what just happened onscreen, which can be alienating for viewers with those expectations.Garland infuses a deeper meaningwithin the first 20 minutes of the almost two-hour runtime. For those who get it,Annilationis an artistic commentary on a devastating phenomenon and how to cope. For audiences who miss it, the entirety of the film becomes an entangled visual and auditory experience, leaving them perhaps more confused about the grand scheme, questioning what was the point?
Annihilation
11’mother!' (2017)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Despite being anartistic home invasion film,Darren Aronofsky’smother!is one that demands the audience’s full attention to truly understand what played out on screen. StarringJavier BardemandJennifer Lawrence, the movie follows as a couple’s peaceful rural home is disrupted, spiraling into chaos when an onslaught of uninvited strangers descend upon the house, driving Mother (Lawrence) to the edge as her husband (Bardem) revels in the attention.
Some audiences immediately understood the allegoryon the first try, whereas others, many of whom went into it blind, had a reflexive response of “What the hell is going on?” When the light bulb does go off, whether that’s readingthe “Motherending explained” summaryor watching it again,mother!is certainly worth the out-of-the-box payoff when viewers are finally let in on the secret.
10’Pulp Fiction' (1994)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
The recipient of seven Oscar nominations and one win at the 67th Academy Awards,Pulp Fictionis perhaps the most iconic “What?” film. Writer and directorQuentin Tarantinotook ’90s moviegoers on a rollercoaster experience with the tale of two hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits, their stories all colliding by the film’s end.
Always on any list of the greatest modern films, this crime genre remains a staple in cinematic history, especially for its quotable lines and scenes; however,the film is pure chaos, and by the end of it, critics and audiences were deliriously stunned with delightas they rated the film highly, still unsure about what just happened.
Pulp Fiction
9’Midsommar' (2019)
Directed by Ari Aster
It could bedirectorAri Aster’s style, given thatHereditaryconjured the same visceral reactions, butMidsommarleft audiences' jaws on the floor from start to finish. After a family tragedy, Dani (Florence Pugh) travels abroad with her boyfriend and his friends to attend a Swedish midsummer festival. As her relationship hangs in the balance, Dani and the others discover the festival is much more sinister.
From the graphic deaths to the cult traditions,critics and audiences were taken for a disturbing ride throughout the film’s almost two-and-a-half-hour runtime. Scoring higher with critics, Aster’s work continues to set him apart in the horror genre with films that leave audiences appreciative of the cinematic value but stunned into silence.
8’The Lighthouse' (2019)
Directed by Robert Eggers
Another fine film from director and co-writerRobert Eggers,The Lighthouseis a black-and-white mystery drama that left viewers questioning what just happened and why were they okay with it. StarringRobert PattinsonandWillem Dafoe, the film follows a pair of lighthouse keepers trying to hang onto their sanity in late 1800s New England.
With excellent performances from both stars,The Lighthousedrew in critics and audiences by using cinematography to build a claustrophobic tension for the charactersand the viewers. The film comes in at just under two hours in runtime, balancing drama, mystery, and horror elements that caused moviegoers to question anything and everything about what went on at that lighthouse.
The Lighthouse
7’Sausage Party' (2016)
An R-rated animated feature produced by the comedic voices ofSeth Rogan,Kristin Wiig,Jonah Hill,Nick Kroll, andJames Franco,Sausage Partyreceived a mixed bag of reviews from critics and moviegoers. A group of grocery store food items learns that life is not as perfect as it seems when they discover what lies beyond the checkout. The various foods band together to escape the grocery store employees and humans who want to purchase them.
Audiences seemed off-put by the excessive language and sexual content, while critics thought it thoroughly originalas it backed up its offensive humor with timing and other gags. Either way, the film is thought-provoking no matter which side of the aisle viewers fall on. Without spoiling the film, the ending scene certainly seemed to divide viewers and elicit the “What am I watching?” response.
Sausage Party
6’Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'(1998)
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, adapted fromHunter S. Thompson’snovel, isa sensory overload, causing a divide between critics and viewers. The comedy starsJohnny Deppas journalist Raoul Duke and his psychopathic lawyer Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) as they engage in a drug binge full of psychedelic shenanigans on the way to Las Vegas.
Two minutes short of a two-hour runtime,the dark comedy filmis co-written and directed byMonty Pythonco-creatorTerry Gilliam. Critics were not impressed with this installment in his filmography, but the audiences that managed to sit through the whole film were satisfied with the film’s commentary on the ’70s drug culture.
