Best movies like Primer
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Friends and fledgling entrepreneurs invent a device in their garage which reduces the apparent mass of any object placed inside it, but they discover that it has some highly unexpected capabilities - ones that could enable them to do and to have seemingly anything they want. Taking advantage of this unique opportunity is the first challenge they face. Dealing with the consequences is the next.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 113000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 77 min
Plot tags: psychological, philosophical, surreal, independent film, mind bending, confusing, thought provoking, enigmatic, clever, mindfuck
Best tv shows and movies like Primer (2004):
Similar in 90%
The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006)
Plot Summary:
After his girlfriend, Julie and two best friends are killed in a tragic auto accident, Nick struggles to cope with his loss and grief. Suffering from migraine-like seizures, Nick soon discovers that he has the power to change the past via his memories. However, his time-traveling attempts to alter the past and save his one true love have unexpected and dire consequences.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: mind bending, suspense, serious, suspenseful, erotic, mindfuck, thought provoking, absurd, psychological thriller, psychedelic
Similar in 76%
The Final Cut (2004)
Plot Summary:
Set in a world with memory implants, Robin Williams plays a cutter, someone with the power of final edit over people's recorded histories. His latest assignment is one that puts him in danger.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Germany
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, psychological thriller, mindfuck, intellectual, suspense, philosophical, apocalyptic, tense, thought provoking, bloody
Similar in 87%
Southland Tales (2006)
Plot Summary:
Set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. Boxer Santaros is an action star who's stricken with amnesia. His life intertwines with Krysta Now, an adult film star developing her own reality television project, and Ronald Taverner, a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: France, Germany, USA
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: surreal, futuristic, enigmatic, cult classic, cynical, apocalyptic, postmodern, allegory, mindfuck, mind bending
Similar in 76%
Frequency (2000)
Plot Summary:
When a rare phenomenon gives police officer John Sullivan the chance to speak to his father, 30 years in the past, he takes the opportunity to prevent his dad's tragic death. After his actions inadvertently give rise to a series of brutal murders he and his father must find a way to fix the consequences of altering time.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 114000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: psychological, feel good, suspense, serious, suspenseful, touching, atmospheric, sentimental, mind bending, clever
Similar in 82%
Take Shelter (2011)
Plot Summary:
Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 106000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, ambiguous ending, suspense, psychological thriller, atmospheric, dark, disturbing, stylized, independent film
Similar in 86%
One Point O (2004)
Plot Summary:
Paranoid computer programmer Simon wakes up to find a package in his room one day. Despite attempts at securing his apartment, the packages keep arriving. While cameras watch Simon's every move, he struggles to find the answers to the mysterious forces taking over his life.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Romania, Iceland
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, enigmatic, cerebral, confusing, mindfuck, tricky, mind bending, suspenseful, cyber
Similar in 86%
ARQ (2016)
Plot Summary:
Two old friends living in a dystopic future become trapped in a mysterious time loop — one that may have something to do with an ongoing battle between an omnipotent corporation and a ragtag band of rebels.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: tense, enigmatic, psychological, twist ending, suspense, futuristic, confusing, cerebral, exciting, mind bending
Similar in 83%
Timecrimes (2007)
Plot Summary:
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 68000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: twist ending, enigmatic, suspense, suspenseful, psychological, cerebral, mindfuck, tricky, confusing, mind twisting
Similar in 76%
Predestination (2014)
Plot Summary:
Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must stop the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time and prevent a devastating attack in which thousands of lives will be lost.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 298000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Australia, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, clever, confusing, twist ending, philosophical, mind bending, thought provoking, stylized, mind blowing, cerebral
Similar in 89%
Ink (2009)
Plot Summary:
Invisible forces exert power over us in our sleep. A mercenary named Ink, on a literal nightmare mission, captures the spirit of 8-year-old Emma in the dream world. To save her, the dream-givers marshal all their resources, focusing on saving the soul of Emma's tragically broken father.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: surreal, dark fantasy, atmospheric, mind bending, enigmatic, fairy tale, serious, clever, visually appealing, independent film
Similar in 81%
Sound of My Voice (2011)
Plot Summary:
A journalist and his girlfriend get pulled in while they investigate a cult whose leader claims to be from the future.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, psychological, surreal, tense, enigmatic, cerebral, suspenseful, ambiguous ending, psychological thriller, independent film
Similar in 87%
The Jacket (2005)
Plot Summary:
A military veteran goes on a journey into the future, where he can foresee his death and is left with questions that could save his life and those he loves.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 118000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, enigmatic, mind bending, tricky, cerebral, suspense, mindfuck, twist ending, confusing
Similar in 76%
Time Lapse (2014)
Plot Summary:
Three friends discover a mysterious machine that takes pictures 24 hours into the future and conspire to use it for personal gain, until disturbing and dangerous images begin to develop.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: twist ending, psychological, tense, intellectual, suspense, cerebral, clever, confusing, mindfuck, enigmatic
Similar in 84%
Mr. Nobody (2009)
Plot Summary:
Nemo Nobody leads an ordinary existence with his wife and 3 children; one day, he wakes up as a mortal centenarian in the year 2092.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 243000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Belgium, Germany, Canada, France, UK, Luxembourg, USA
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, philosophical, mind bending, thought provoking, confusing, cerebral, mind blowing, reflective, offbeat
Similar in 77%
Project Almanac (2015)
Plot Summary:
A group of teens discover secret plans of a time machine, and construct one. However, things start to get out of control.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, futuristic, absurd, clever, tricky, serious, suspenseful, mind bending, cerebral
Similar in 79%
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Plot Summary:
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 706000
Genere: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 149 min
Plot tags: futuristic, philosophical, mind bending, psychedelic, cerebral, thought provoking, atmospheric, intellectual, visual, visually stunning
Similar in 88%
Deja Vu (2006)
Plot Summary:
Called in to recover evidence in the aftermath of a horrific explosion on a New Orleans ferry, Federal agent Doug Carlin gets pulled away from the scene and taken to a top-secret government lab that uses a time-shifting surveillance device to help prevent crime.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 324000
Genere: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, tricky, twisted, suspense, confusing, psychological thriller, clever, surprise ending, mindfuck
Similar in 87%
Source Code (2011)
Plot Summary:
Decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, discovering he's involved in a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. He learns he's part of a top-secret experimental program that enables him to experience the final 8 minutes of another person's life. Colter re-lives the train incident over and over again, gathering more clues each time. But can he discover who is responsible for the attack before the next one happens?.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 542000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, France, Germany
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: suspense, surprise ending, clever, mind bending, thought provoking, suspenseful, captivating, cerebral, tricky, mindfuck
Similar in 80%
Coherence (2013)
Plot Summary:
On the night a comet is passing near Earth, eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of reality bending events. When the power goes out, they discover that the only house on the street left with power also holds many secrets.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 142000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: mind bending, psychological, mind blowing, suspenseful, tense, confusing, mindfuck, suspense, serious, intellectual
Similar in 79%
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Plot Summary:
A young man struggles to access sublimated childhood memories. He finds a technique that allows him to travel back into the past, to occupy his childhood body and change history. However, he soon finds that every change he makes has unexpected consequences.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 514000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, mind bending, philosophical, suspense, non-linear, dramatic, reflective, intellectual, intense, surprise ending
Similar in 85%
Donnie Darko (2001)
Plot Summary:
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 837000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, atmospheric, mind bending, philosophical, cult classic, clever, psychological thriller, cerebral, independent film
Similar in 89%
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Plot Summary:
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 all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly, and patient Jeffrey Goines, the son of a famous virus expert, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 639000
Genere: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, twist ending, atmospheric, cerebral, non-linear, mind bending, apocalyptic, confusing, twisted
Similar in 78%
Arrival (2016)
Plot Summary:
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 are a threat.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 747000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: psychological, intellectual, philosophical, reflective, twist ending, futuristic, visually stunning, enigmatic, cerebral, thought provoking
Similar in 79%
Ex Machina (2014)
Plot Summary:
Caleb, a 26 year old coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 575000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: psychological, philosophical, futuristic, twist ending, mind bending, thought provoking, intellectual, tense, minimal cast, cerebral
Similar in 75%
eXistenZ (1999)
Plot Summary:
A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 106000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada, UK, France, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, mind bending, psychedelic, twist ending, cerebral, disturbing, tense, philosophical, atmospheric
Similar in 90%
The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
Plot Summary:
Computer scientist Hannon Fuller has discovered something extremely important. He's about to tell the discovery to his colleague, Douglas Hall, but knowing someone is after him, the old man leaves a letter in his computer generated parallel world that's just like the 30's with seemingly real people with real emotions.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 76000
Genere: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: mind bending, intellectual, twist ending, neo noir, atmospheric, psychedelic, philosophical, confusing, mind blowing, clever
Similar in 81%
Looper (2012)
Plot Summary:
In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past where a looper, a hired gun, like Joe is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joe's future self for assassination.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 596000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, China
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: futuristic, clever, thought provoking, mind bending, exciting, neo noir, tense, confusing, cerebral, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Upstream Color (2013)
Plot Summary:
A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the lifecycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, art house, mindfuck, tense, mind bending, atmospheric, cerebral, experimental, stylized
Similar in 80%
Interstellar (2014)
Plot Summary:
Interstellar chronicles 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 the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 20000000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, UK, Canada
Duration: 169 min
Plot tags: futuristic, mind bending, cerebral, philosophical, thought provoking, clever, atmospheric, breathtaking, serious, epic
Similar in 82%
Inception (2010)
Plot Summary:
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 25000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 148 min
Plot tags: psychological, mind bending, clever, cerebral, surreal, twist ending, futuristic, confusing, suspense, philosophical