Best movies like The Trial
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An unassuming office worker is arrested and stands trial, but he is never made aware of his charges.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, Italy, West Germany
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: surreal, black and white, psychological, disturbing, visually appealing, cerebral, philosophical, neo noir, psychological thriller, atmospheric
Best tv shows and movies like The Trial (1962):
Similar in 79%
The Trial (1993)
Plot Summary:
Joseph K. awakes one morning, to find two strange men in his room, telling him he has been arrested. Joseph is not told what he is charged with, and despite being "arrested," is allowed to remain free and go to work. But despite the strange nature of his arrest, Joseph soon learns that his trial, however odd, is very real, and tries desperately to spare himself from the court's judgement.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: tense, atmospheric, bleak, suspenseful, serious, surreal, psychological, realistic, psychotronic, independent film
Similar in 86%
Woman in the Dunes (1964)
Plot Summary:
An entomologist suffers extreme psychological and sexual torture after being taken captive by the residents of a poor seaside village.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, surreal, psychological, philosophical, black and white, experimental, avant garde, erotic, disturbing, cerebral
Similar in 75%
The Last Wave (1977)
Plot Summary:
White Australian lawyer David Burton agrees with reluctance to defend a group of aborigines charged with murdering one of their own. He suspects the victim was targeted for violating a tribal taboo, but the defendants deny any tribal association. Burton, plagued by apocalyptic visions of water, slowly realizes danger may come from his own involvement with the aborigines and their prophecies.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: surreal, cerebral, lovecraft, psychological, atmospheric, philosophical, mind bending, disturbing, dark fantasy, psychedelic
Similar in 78%
The Castle (1997)
Plot Summary:
Michael Haneke's adaptation of Franz Kafka's unfinished novel Das Schloss. K arrives in a remote village a stranger. In attempting to establish himself there, he enters the nightmarish world of the castle bureaucracy.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: Austria, Germany, France
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: mind twisting, mind bending, allegory, cerebral, psychological, atmospheric, bleak, serious, realistic, surreal
Similar in 76%
The Temptation of St. Tony (2009)
Plot Summary:
A mid-level manager who develops an aversion to being "good" finds himself confronting the mysteries of middle-age and morality as he loses grasp of what was once his quiet life.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: Estonia, Finland, Sweden, France
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, bleak, suspenseful, black and white, philosophical, disturbing, controversial, dark comedy, spiritual
Similar in 83%
Blow-Up (1966)
Plot Summary:
A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he accidentally captures on film the commission of a murder. The fact that he has photographed a murder does not occur to him until he studies and then blows up his negatives, uncovering details, blowing up smaller and smaller elements, and finally putting the puzzle together.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Italy
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: surreal, cerebral, independent film, art house, psychological thriller, stylized, erotic, visual, atmospheric, mind bending
Similar in 86%
Jagged Edge (1985)
Plot Summary:
San Francisco heiress Page Forrester is brutally murdered in her remote beach house. Her husband Jack is devastated by the crime but soon finds himself accused of her murder. He hires lawyer Teddy Barnes to defend him, despite the fact she hasn't handled a criminal case for many years. There's a certain chemistry between them and Teddy soon finds herself defending the man she loves.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspenseful, tense, suspense, psychological thriller, psychological, serious, psychosexual thriller, dark, twisted
Similar in 81%
The Conversation (1974)
Plot Summary:
Surveillance expert Harry Caul is hired by a mysterious client's brusque aide to tail a young couple. Tracking the pair through San Francisco's Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan manage to record a cryptic conversation between them. Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple are in danger.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 119000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, psychological thriller, neo noir, disturbing, political thriller, meditative, realistic, dark, intense
Similar in 75%
Persona (1966)
Plot Summary:
A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer. Alma eventually confesses her secrets to a seemingly sympathetic Elisabeth and finds that her own personality is being submerged into Elisabeth's persona.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 128000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, minimal cast, psychological, surreal, sexual, art house, black and white, philosophical, disturbing, cerebral
Similar in 88%
Kafka (1991)
Plot Summary:
Kafka, an insurance worker gets embroiled in an underground group after a co-worker is murdered. The underground group is responsible for bombings all over town, attempting to thwart a secret organization that controls the major events in society. He eventually penetrates the secret organization and must confront them.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: surreal, black and white, philosophical, cerebral, cult classic, mindfuck, dark comedy, psychological, atmospheric, stylized
Similar in 80%
The Tenant (1976)
Plot Summary:
A quiet and inconspicuous man (Trelkovsky) rents an apartment in France where the previous tenant committed suicide, and begins to suspect his landlord and neighbors are trying to subtly change him into the last tenant so that he too will kill himself.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 47000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: psychological, black comedy, surreal, atmospheric, offbeat, disturbing, suspense, psychological thriller, scary, mind bending
Similar in 84%
Alphaville (1965)
Plot Summary:
An American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet which is ruled by an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has outlawed love and self-expression.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: neo noir, atmospheric, futuristic, cerebral, detective, philosophical, experimental, surreal, absurd, apocalyptic
Similar in 85%
The Firm (1993)
Plot Summary:
Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by 'The Firm' and made an offer he doesn't refuse. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined. He has a choice - work with the FBI, or stay with the Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it. Mitch figures the only way out is to follow his own plan.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 145000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, tense, surprise ending, clever, psychological, serious, realistic, stylized, entertaining
Similar in 89%
Hidden (2005)
Plot Summary:
A married couple is terrorized by a series of videotapes planted on their front porch.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 84000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, Austria, Germany, Italy
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, psychological thriller, art house, surreal, tense, neo noir, clever, bleak, confusing
Similar in 75%
Suspect (1987)
Plot Summary:
When a Supreme Court judge commits suicide and his secretary is found murdered, all fingers point to Carl Anderson (Liam Neeson), a homeless veteran who's deaf and mute. But when public defender Kathleen Riley (Cher) is assigned to his case, she begins to believe that Anderson may actually be innocent. Juror Eddie Sanger (Dennis Quaid), a Washington lobbyist, agrees, and together the pair begins their own investigation of events.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, tense, psychological, intense, talky, clever, exciting, enigmatic, surprise ending
Similar in 82%
Lost Highway (1997)
Plot Summary:
A tormented jazz musician finds himself lost in an enigmatic story involving murder, surveillance, gangsters, doppelgangers, and an impossible transformation inside a prison cell.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 151000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: surreal, neo noir, mind bending, atmospheric, confusing, disturbing, psychedelic, cerebral, gothic, suspenseful
Similar in 89%
Spider (2002)
Plot Summary:
A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, disturbing, bleak, twist ending, suspenseful, offbeat, non-linear, mindfuck, mind bending
Similar in 85%
Last Year at Marienbad (1961)
Plot Summary:
Takes place in a chateau, an ambiguous story of a man and a woman who may or may not have met last year at Marienbad.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: surreal, mind bending, psychological, atmospheric, philosophical, visual, experimental, non-linear, talky, black and white
Similar in 84%
Open Your Eyes (1997)
Plot Summary:
A very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 72000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Spain, France, Italy
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: psychological, enigmatic, surreal, suspense, atmospheric, mind bending, philosophical, mindfuck, suspenseful, psychological thriller
Similar in 90%
Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)
Plot Summary:
This story takes place in a small town on the Hungarian Plain. In a provincial town, which is surrounded with nothing else but frost. It is bitterly cold weather — without snow. Even in this bewildered cold hundreds of people are standing around the circus tent, which is put up in the main square, to see — as the outcome of their wait — the chief attraction, the stuffed carcass of a real whale. The people are coming from everywhere. From the neighboring settlings, even from quite far away parts of the country. They are following this clumsy monster as a dumb, faceless, rag-wearing crowd. This strange state of affairs — the appearance of the foreigners, the extreme frost — disturbs the order of the small town. Ambitious personages of the story feel they can take advantage of this situation. The tension growing to the unbearable is brought to explosion by the figure of the Prince, who is pretending facelessness. Even his mere appearance is enough to break loose destructive emotions.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: Hungary, Italy, Germany, France
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: bleak, contemplative, serious, allegory, psychological, slow cinema, tense, atmospheric, suspenseful, futuristic
Similar in 86%
The Lives of Others (2006)
Plot Summary:
A tragic love story set in East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture. Stasi captain Wieler is ordered to follow author Dreyman and plunges deeper and deeper into his life until he reaches the threshold of doubting the system.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 405000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: political thriller, gloomy, tense, political, atmospheric, sincere, suspense, breathtaking, harsh, bleak
Similar in 80%
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Plot Summary:
After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesic, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 377000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, art house, neo noir, atmospheric, mind bending, disturbing, cerebral, surprise ending, enigmatic
Similar in 80%
Primal Fear (1996)
Plot Summary:
An arrogant, high-powered attorney takes on the case of a poor altar boy found running away from the scene of the grisly murder of the bishop who has taken him in. The case gets a lot more complex when the accused reveals that there may or may not have been a 3rd person in the room. The intensity builds when a surprise twist alters everyone's perception of the crime.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 241000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, neo noir, suspense, tense, psychological thriller, suspenseful, clever, atmospheric
Similar in 75%
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%
Enemy (2013)
Plot Summary:
A mild-mannered college professor discovers a look-alike actor and delves into the other man's private affairs.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 209000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, Spain, France
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, non-linear, twist ending, mind bending, atmospheric, mindfuck, suspense, disturbing, tense
Similar in 83%
The Game (1997)
Plot Summary:
In honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton, a financial genius and a coldhearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad -- a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game. In nearly a nanosecond, Nicholas finds himself consumed by a dangerous set of ever-changing rules, unable to distinguish where the charade ends and reality begins.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 421000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: psychological, surprise ending, suspense, twist ending, neo noir, suspenseful, intellectual, unusual plot structure, clever, philosophical
Similar in 80%
The Machinist (2004)
Plot Summary:
The Machinist is the story of Trevor Reznik, a lathe-operator who is dying of insomnia. In a machine shop, occupational hazards are bad enough under normal circumstances; yet for Trevor the risks are compounded by fatigue. Trevor has lost the ability to sleep. This is no ordinary insomnia.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 410000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain, France, UK, USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: psychological, twist ending, surprise ending, depressing, mind bending, surreal, bleak, neo noir, enigmatic, atmospheric
Similar in 84%
Pi (1998)
Plot Summary:
The debut film from Darren Aronofsky in which a mathematical genius Maximilian Cohen discovers a link in the connection between numbers and reality and thus believes he can predict the future.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 185000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, cerebral, black and white, mind bending, independent film, atmospheric, psychedelic, philosophical, dark
Similar in 81%
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 77%
Shutter Island (2010)
Plot Summary:
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by his troubling visions and also by a mysterious doctor.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, suspense, confusing, dark, atmospheric, suspenseful, cerebral, neo noir