Best movies like A Scanner Darkly
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychedelic, psychological, philosophical, mind bending, bleak, atmospheric, neo noir, depressing, mindfuck, adult animation
Best tv shows and movies like A Scanner Darkly (2006):
Similar in 76%
Waltz with Bashir (2008)
Plot Summary:
Much awarded animated documentary, in which director and Israeli army veteran Ari Folman interviews friends and former soldiers about their memories of the 1982 Lebanon war and especially the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut. The usage on animation enabled Folman to illustrate their personal memories and dreams.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Documentary, Animation, Biography, Drama, History, Mystery, War
Country: Israel, France, Germany, USA, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, disturbing, adult animation, psychological, serious, atmospheric, bleak, realistic, surreal, political
Similar in 79%
Paranoia Agent (2004)
Plot Summary:
The infamous Shounen Bat (Lil' Slugger) is terrorizing the residents of Musashino City. Flying around on his rollerblades and beating people down with a golden baseball bat, the assailant seems impossible to catch—much less understand. His first victim, the well-known yet timid character designer Tsukiko Sagi, is suspected of orchestrating the attacks. Believed only by her anthropomorphic pink stuffed animal, Maromi, Tsukiko is just one of Shounen Bat's many victims. As Shounen Bat continues his relentless assault on the town, detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa begin to investigate the identity of the attacker. However, more and more people fall victim to the notorious golden bat, and news of the assailant begins circulating around the town. Paranoia starts to set in as chilling rumors spread amongst adults and children alike. Will the two detectives be able to unravel the truth behind Shounen Bat, or will the paranoia get to them first?.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, mind bending, suspenseful, disturbing, scary, bleak, serious, surreal, adult animation
Similar in 85%
Waking Life (2001)
Plot Summary:
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: philosophical, spiritual, psychedelic, surreal, psychological, stylized, clever, adult animation, mindfuck, intellectual
Similar in 77%
The Congress (2013)
Plot Summary:
More than two decades after catapulting to stardom with The Princess Bride, Robin Wright decides to take her final job: preserving her likeness for a future Hollywood. Through a deal brokered by her loyal, longtime agent and the head of Miramount Studios, her digital doppelganger will be controlled by the studio, and will star in any film they want, with no restrictions. In return, she receives healthy compensation so she can care for her ailing son. Twenty years later, under the creative vision of the studio’s head animator, Wright’s double rises to immortal stardom. With her contract expiring, she is invited to speak at Miramount's "Futurological Congress". However, a group of terrorists plot an attack on the convention.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Israel, Germany, Poland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, USA, India
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: surreal, philosophical, thought provoking, mind bending, stylized, psychedelic, atmospheric, psychological, cerebral, psychological thriller
Similar in 79%
Texhnolyze (2003)
Plot Summary:
Texhnolyze is a Japanese anime television series directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki, from a screenplay by Chiaki Konaka, and produced by Yasuyuki Ueda, with original character design by Yoshitoshi ABe. The events take place in the vibrant yet dilapidated underground city of Lux. Denizens of Lux have come to call it "The City" and treat it as a sentient force. Three factions vie for control of the city: the Organo, a strictly professional conglomerate with ties to the criminal underworld in the prosthetics business; the Union, a fanatical populist group interfering with Organo's affairs; and Racan, a marauding group of Texhnolyzed youths. The series has an ensemble cast, but events particularly focus on Ichise, a stoic prize fighter who loses a leg and an arm to satisfy an enraged promoter; Onishi, a young but level-headed executive of the Organo who has many enemies; and Ran, a little girl who has a very important gift that affects the entire city. As they struggle to accept the challenges that they are dealt, the characters bear witness to major events that determine whether the city continues to exist. Texhnolyze aired on Fuji Television from April 16, 2003 to September 24 of the same year, totaling twenty episodes. Two "secret" episodes were included in the DVD release.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, rough, captivating, tech noir, cyber, neo noir, psychological, manga, bleak, serious
Similar in 77%
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
Plot Summary:
Mars. Days before Halloween 2071. Villains blow up a tanker truck on Highway One, releasing a deadly virus that kills hundreds. Fearing a bigger, even more devastating biochemical attack, an astronomical reward is offered for the arrest and capture of the person behind the destruction. On the space ship "Bebop," Spike Spiegel and his crew of bounty hunters (Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed and Ein) are bored and short of cash. But with the news of the reward, everything changes.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: anime, atmospheric, witty, adult anime, adult animation, exciting, surreal, manga, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)
Plot Summary:
In the year 2029, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster'. Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is a reproduced version of its original 1995 counterpart. Among a numerous enhancements, for the film's 2.0 release, were a number of scenes were overhauled with 3D animation, visual improvements, and soundtrack rerecorded in 6.1 surround sound.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, atmospheric, rough, suspenseful, stylized, philosophical, serious, futuristic, cyber
Similar in 88%
Serial Experiments Lain (1998)
Plot Summary:
Strange events begin to occur as a withdrawn girl named Lain becomes obsessed with interconnected virtual realm of "The Wired".
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 316 min
Plot tags: psychological, anime, surreal, mind bending, atmospheric, bleak, serious, cyber, psychological horror, manga
Similar in 86%
Psycho-Pass (2012)
Plot Summary:
Psycho-Pass is a Japanese anime television series that takes place in the future where it is possible to instantaneously measure a person's mental state, personality, and the probability that a person will commit crimes with a device installed on each citizen's body called the Psycho-Pass. It follows members of Unit One of the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division and the crimes they investigate.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, atmospheric, bleak, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, manga, cyber, adult anime
Similar in 89%
Greedy Guts (2000)
Plot Summary:
When a childless couple learn that they cannot have children, it causes great distress. To ease his wife's pain, the man finds a piece of root in the backyard and chops it and varnishes it into the shape of a child. However the woman takes the root as her baby and starts to pretend that it is real.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Czech Republic, UK, Japan
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: surreal, disturbing, psychological, atmospheric, mindfuck, art house, suspenseful, humorous, dark, dark comedy
Similar in 86%
It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
Plot Summary:
Bill struggles to put together his shattered psyche, in this new feature film version of Don Hertzfeldt's animated short film trilogy.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 62 min
Plot tags: philosophical, surreal, adult animation, thought provoking, atmospheric, experimental, enigmatic, depressing, bleak, melancholic
Similar in 77%
Monster (2004)
Plot Summary:
Kenzou Tenma, a Japanese brain surgeon in Germany, finds his life in utter turmoil after getting involved with a psychopath that was once a former patient.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, realistic, suspenseful, captivating, serious, rough, manga, adult animation, depressing
Similar in 77%
Anomalisa (2015)
Plot Summary:
A man crippled by the mundanity of his life experiences something out of the ordinary.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 75000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: surreal, adult animation, depressing, atmospheric, art house, psychological, emotional, melancholic, meditative, philosophical
Similar in 76%
Metropia (2009)
Plot Summary:
In the near future, oil reserves are nearly depleted and Europe is connected by series of underground tunnels. While navigating these tunnels, Roger hears voices, one in particular. Seeking a way to rid himself of the voice only leads Roger deeper into a bizarre conspiracy of control - mind and body.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Denmark, Norway
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: futuristic, surreal, stylized, adult animation, exciting, atmospheric, serious, dark, anime, apocalyptic
Similar in 85%
Paprika (2006)
Plot Summary:
When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it: Paprika.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 93000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, psychedelic, anime, philosophical, enigmatic, atmospheric, mind bending, mindfuck, adult animation
Similar in 75%
Perfect Blue (1997)
Plot Summary:
A retired pop singer turned actress' sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: surreal, suspense, adult animation, anime, suspenseful, scary, atmospheric, tense, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 76%
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
Plot Summary:
Groundbreaking director Mamoru Oshii continues to push the boundaries of art and anime with this universally acclaimed cyber thriller following cyborg detective Batou as he tries to unravel the reasons for a murderous robot revolt in the year 2032. A quest for a killer that becomes a mind bending search for the meaning of life.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: futuristic, anime, philosophical, cyber, atmospheric, enigmatic, surreal, psychological, bleak, serious
Similar in 84%
Renaissance (2006)
Plot Summary:
To find Ilona and unlock the secrets of her disappearance, Karas must plunge deep into the parallel worlds of corporate espionage, organized crime and genetic research - where the truth imprisons whoever finds it first and miracles can be bought but at a great price.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: France, Luxembourg, UK, Belgium, USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: neo noir, enigmatic, black and white, surreal, atmospheric, bleak, adult animation, stylized, suspenseful, noir
Similar in 87%
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)
Plot Summary:
The second of two theatrically released follow-ups to the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. Comprising of two alternate episodes which were first intended to take the place of episodes 25 and 26, this finale answers many of the questions surrounding the series, while also opening up some new possibilities.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, mecha, ambiguous ending, surreal, cult classic, adult animation, existential, mindfuck, atmospheric
Similar in 79%
Memories (1995)
Plot Summary:
In this anime trilogy, a salvage ship crew happens upon a haunted vessel in Magnetic Rose; a cold tablet turns a lab worker into a biological weapon in Stink Bomb; and an urban populace carries on an endless war with an unseen foe in Cannon Fodder. Three years in the making, the thought-provoking anthology features eye-popping action and directorial work by a trio of genre geniuses: Kôji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura and Katsuhiro Ôtomo. "Memories" is made up of three separate science-fiction stories. In the first, "Magnetic Rose," four space travelers are drawn into an abandoned spaceship that contains a world created by one woman's memories. In "Stink Bomb," a young lab assistant accidentally transforms himself into a human biological weapon set on a direct course for Tôkyô. The final episode, "Cannon Fodder," depicts a day in the life of a city whose entire purpose is the firing of cannons at an unseen enemy.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Animation, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: surreal, anime, anthology, futuristic, exciting, enigmatic, cult classic, mind twisting, atmospheric, stylized
Similar in 81%
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Plot Summary:
In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 153000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan, UK
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: anime, futuristic, mind bending, philosophical, surreal, atmospheric, exciting, adult animation, manga, cerebral
Similar in 79%
9 (2009)
Plot Summary:
When 9 first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 146000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Luxembourg
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: adult animation, surreal, suspenseful, serious, apocalyptic, futuristic, atmospheric, computer animated, stylized, 3d animation
Similar in 78%
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 75%
Brazil (1985)
Plot Summary:
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 beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he meets the woman from his daydream, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 209000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: surreal, futuristic, psychological, dark comedy, cerebral, atmospheric, disturbing, thought provoking, mindfuck, black comedy
Similar in 82%
The Animatrix (2003)
Plot Summary:
Straight from the creators of the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy, this collection of short animated films from the world's leading anime directors fuses computer graphics and Japanese anime to provide the background of the Matrix universe and the conflict between man and machines. The shorts include Final Flight of the Osiris, The Second Renaissance, Kid's Story, Program, World Record, Beyond, A Detective Story and Matriculated.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 81000
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: anime, philosophical, atmospheric, cyber, stylized, anthology, adult animation, computer animated, exciting, rough
Similar in 89%
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%
Minority Report (2002)
Plot Summary:
John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 576000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: futuristic, suspense, neo noir, cerebral, exciting, tense, mind bending, tech noir, clever, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
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%
Blade Runner (1982)
Plot Summary:
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 809000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: neo noir, futuristic, tech noir, atmospheric, thought provoking, cerebral, mind bending, philosophical, thinking, visually appealing
Similar in 76%
Fight Club (1999)
Plot Summary:
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 23000000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, psychological, twist ending, cerebral, thought provoking, philosophical, surreal, stylized, mind bending, atmospheric