Best mind-bending films

Films that play with time, memory and what is real, and leave you arguing about them afterwards. We picked films we rate as intricate and non-linear, plus those built around loops, dreams or twists. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.0 or more from at least 1,000 votes, and new releases wait until their ratings settle. The order follows the Boxlist quality score, and we checked the list by hand to remove obvious misfits.

1
Vertigo (1958)
Film8.2
A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming...
US Amazon Prime (rent), iTunes (rent), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (rent)
2
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Film8.1
Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same.
US Amazon Prime (rent), iTunes (rent), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (rent)
3
Memento (2000)
Film8.2
Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife.
US Amazon Prime, Kanopy, UK Chili (rent), Rakuten (buy)
4
Brazil (1985)
Film7.7
Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a...
US Amazon Prime (rent), Google Play (rent), UK iTunes (rent), Rakuten (buy)
5
Donnie Darko (2001)
Film7.8
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a...
US Amazon Prime, Hulu, UK Amazon Prime (rent), Google Play (rent)
6
Inception (2010)
Film8.3
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life...
US HBO, Amazon Prime (rent), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (rent)
7
Arrival (2016)
Film7.6
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or...
US Kanopy, Amazon Prime (rent), UK Amazon Prime, NowTV
8
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Film7.8
Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia.
US Amazon Prime (rent), Google Play (rent), UK Curzon (rent), Google Play (rent)
9
The Matrix (1999)
Film8.2
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and...
US Amazon Prime (rent), iTunes (rent), UK Netflix, Amazon Prime (rent)
10
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Film7.5
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to...
US Amazon Prime (rent), iTunes (rent), UK BBC, Netflix
11
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Film7.6
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly...
US Amazon Prime (rent), iTunes (rent), UK BBC
12
Interstellar (2014)
Film8.3
The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer...
US Kanopy, Paramount+, UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (rent)
13
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Film7.6
Major Bill Cage is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat.
US Syfy, Amazon Prime (rent), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (rent)
14
The Lighthouse (2019)
Film7.5
Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
US Cinemax, HBO, UK Amazon Prime, Chili (rent)
15
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Film7.9
Following an unexpected tragedy, a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe meets an nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.
US Syfy, Amazon Prime (rent), UK Disney, Amazon Prime (rent)
16
Moon (2009)
Film7.6
With only three weeks left in his three year contract, Sam Bell is getting anxious to finally return to Earth.
US Tubi TV, Amazon Prime (rent), UK Amazon Prime (rent), Google Play (rent)
17
The Prestige (2006)
Film8.2
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy...
US Hulu, Amazon Prime (rent), UK Amazon Prime, BBC
18
Source Code (2011)
Film7.3
When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a...
US Tubi TV, Amazon Prime (rent), UK Amazon Prime (rent), Google Play (rent)
19
Melancholia (2011)
Film7.2
Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth.
US Kanopy, Netflix, UK Disney, Amazon Prime (rent)
20
Deep Red (1975)
Film7.8
A musician witnesses the murder of a famous psychic, and then teams up with a fiesty reporter to find the killer while evading attempts on their...
US Fandor, Kanopy, UK Google Play (rent), iTunes (rent)