Best movies like Waking Life
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies related to Waking Life? Provide your insights to help others towards tv shows and films you've viewed previously that they may enjoy as well. Assist in enlarging the group of people introducing videos to each other. We value your input!
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
Best tv shows and movies like Waking Life (2001):
Similar in 83%
Loving Vincent (2017)
Plot Summary:
The film brings the paintings of Vincent van Gogh to life to tell his remarkable story. Every one of the 65,000 frames of the film is an oil-painting hand-painted by 125 professional oil-painters who travelled from all across the world to the Loving Vincent studios in Poland and Greece to be a part of the production. As remarkable as Vincent’s brilliant paintings are his passionate and ill-fated life and mysterious death.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Mystery
Country: Poland, UK, USA, Switzerland, Netherlands
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: adult animation, thought provoking, artsy, sincere, visually stunning, captivating, disturbing, art film, philosophical, psychedelic
Similar in 80%
Alois Nebel (2011)
Plot Summary:
A train dispatcher encounters a mute stranger who appears out of nowhere, and finds himself mysteriously involved with a murder in Poland. The end of the eighties in the twentieth century. Alois Nebel works as a dispatcher at the small railway station in Bílý Potok, a remote village on the Czech–Polish border. He's a loner, who prefers old timetables to people, and he finds the loneliness of the station tranquil – except when the fog rolls in. Then he hallucinates, sees trains from the last hundred years pass through the station. They bring ghosts and shadows from the dark past of Central Europe. Alois can’t get rid of these nightmares and eventually ends up in sanatorium. In the sanatorium, he gets to know The Mute, a man carrying an old photograph who was arrested by the police after crossing the border. No one knows why he came to Bílý Potok or who he’s looking for, but it is his past that propels Alois on his journey….
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Drama
Country: Czech Republic, Germany
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: neo noir, adult animation, atmospheric, tense, psychological, captivating, noir, experimental, claymation, anime
Similar in 81%
Persepolis (2007)
Plot Summary:
In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Statrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 99000
Genere: Animation, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: adult animation, political, thought provoking, black and white, serious, realistic, depressing, social, anime, visually stunning
Similar in 80%
The Wolf House (2018)
Plot Summary:
María, a girl from Colonia Dignidad, in Chile —a kind of sectarian community, tyrannically mastered by the ruthless Paul Schäfer, a German madman, religious fanatic and child predator, who would end up turning the place into a torture center at the service of the military dictatorship ruled by Augusto Pinochet—, is punished for having lost three pigs, so she decides to run away and take refuge in an abandoned house hidden in the forest.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror
Country: Chile, Germany
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: disturbing, surreal, adult animation, psychological, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, psychological thriller, atmospheric, mind bending
Similar in 76%
$9.99 (2008)
Plot Summary:
Have you ever wondered "What is the meaning of life? Why do we exist?" The answer to this vexing question is now within your reach! You'll find it in a small yet amazing booklet, which will explain, in easy to follow, simple terms your reason for being! The booklet, printed on the finest paper, contains illuminating, exquisite colour pictures, and could be yours for a mere $9.99.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Israel, Australia
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: surreal, humorous, ironic, adult animation, touching, contemplative, claymation, black comedy, cult classic, adult cartoon
Similar in 75%
Idiots and Angels (2008)
Plot Summary:
Angel, a selfish rotter is hanging around in a local bar, groping the wife of the barman and dealing with weapons. One morning he wakes up finding a pair of wings growing at his back. These wings do good deeds against his nature. But suddenly he finds himself fighting those who want these wings for their own dark plans.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: surreal, adult animation, humorous, semi serious, psychedelic, cult classic, mind bending, black comedy, anime, mind blowing
Similar in 85%
Lesson Faust (1994)
Plot Summary:
A very free adaptation of Marlowe's 'Doctor Faustus', Goethe's 'Faust' and various other treatments of the old legend of the man who sold his soul to the devil. Svankmajer's Faust is a nondescript man who, after being lured by a strange map into a sinister puppet theatre, finds himself immersed in an indescribably weird version of the play, blending live actors, clay animation and giant puppets.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Czech Republic, France, UK, Germany
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: surreal, art house, experimental, philosophical, dark, claymation, cerebral, mindfuck, atmospheric, stylized
Similar in 87%
Blood Tea and Red String (2006)
Plot Summary:
A handmade stop-motion fairy tale for adults that tells the tale of the struggle between the aristocratic White Mice and the rustic Creatures Who Dwell Under the Oak over the doll of their heart's desire.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 71 min
Plot tags: surreal, atmospheric, stylized, semi serious, cult classic, adult animation, mind bending, psychedelic, dark, anime
Similar in 82%
I Married a Strange Person! (1997)
Plot Summary:
A newlywed develops a strange lump on his neck that gives him the ability to transform people or objects at will. His wife is very upset. Meanwhile, the CEO of Smilecorp learns of this man and his ability and sees a way to achieve world domination if only the man can be taken alive. Animated movie by Bill Plympton.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: anime, humorous, semi serious, black comedy, cult classic, adult animation, offbeat, splatter, surreal, mind blowing
Similar in 85%
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%
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 86%
Millennium Actress (2001)
Plot Summary:
Documentary filmmaker Genya Tachibana has tracked down the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who mysteriously vanished at the height of her career. When he presents her with a key she had lost and thought was gone forever, the filmmaker could not have imagined that it would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life... but also his own.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: anime, surreal, touching, tense, atmospheric, emotional, talky, serious, adult animation, cult classic
Similar in 90%
Belladonna of Sadness (1973)
Plot Summary:
A peasant woman is banished from her village and makes a deal with the devil to gain magical powers.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: anime, psychedelic, hentai, adult animation, experimental, adult anime, mind bending, surreal, psychological, retro
Similar in 81%
Undone (2019)
Plot Summary:
After getting into a near fatal car accident, Alma discovers she has a new relationship with time and uses this ability to find out the truth about her father’s death.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: psychedelic, adult animation, exciting, spiritual, anime, touching, controversial, poignant, independent film, mind bending
Similar in 85%
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 81%
Alice (1988)
Plot Summary:
A quiet young English girl named Alice finds herself in an alternate version of her own reality after chasing a white rabbit. She becomes surrounded by living inanimate objects and stuffed dead animals, and must find a way out of this nightmare- no matter how twisted or odd that way must be. A memorably bizarre screen version of Lewis Carroll’s novel ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, UK, West Germany
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: surreal, disturbing, art house, atmospheric, experimental, absurd, mindfuck, psychological, adult animation, psychedelic
Similar in 88%
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 84%
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 78%
Fantastic Planet (1973)
Plot Summary:
Fantastic Planet tells the story of “Oms”, human-like creatures, kept as domesticated pets by an alien race of blue giants called “Draags”. The story takes place on the Draags’ planet Ygam, where we follow our narrator, an Om called Terr, from infancy to adulthood. He manages to escape enslavement from a Draag learning device used to educate the savage Oms — and begins to organise an Om revolt.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Animation, Sci-Fi
Country: France, Czechoslovakia
Duration: 72 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychedelic, adult animation, atmospheric, art house, cult classic, stylized, anime, visual, mind bending
Similar in 79%
Mary and Max (2009)
Plot Summary:
A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York. In the mid-1970's, a homely, friendless Australian girl of 8 picks a name out of a Manhattan phone book and writes to him; she includes a chocolate bar. He writes back, with chocolate. Thus begins a 20-year correspondence. Will the two ever meet face to face?.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 184000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: touching, depressing, emotional, adult animation, black comedy, sincere, stylized, sad, gloomy, dark comedy
Similar in 80%
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 83%
Nine Days (2020)
Plot Summary:
A reclusive man conducts a series of interviews with human souls for a chance to be born.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, philosophical, unusual plot structure, melancholic, inspirational, spiritual, surreal, existential, disgusting
Similar in 88%
Cool World (1992)
Plot Summary:
Jack Deebs is a cartoonist who is due to be released from jail. His comic book "Cool World" describes a zany world populated by "doodles" (cartoon characters) and "noids" (humanoids). What Jack didn't realize is that Cool World really does exist, and a "doodle" scientist has just perfected a machine which links Cool World with our world. Intrigued at seeing his creating come to life, Jack is nonetheless wary as he knows that not everything in Cool World is exactly friendly.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: psychedelic, adult animation, anime, cult classic, surreal, stylized, mind bending, controversial, humorous, witty
Similar in 78%
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
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
Similar in 82%
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 89%
Coraline (2009)
Plot Summary:
When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. When the Other Mother invites Coraline to stay in her world forever, the girl refuses and finds that the alternate reality where she is trapped is only a trick to lure her.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 257000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: gothic, surreal, dark fantasy, dark, scary, stylized, bleak, offbeat, disturbing, visually appealing
Similar in 80%
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 75%
Inside Out (2015)
Plot Summary:
Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley's mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley's main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 766000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: inspirational, touching, emotional, motivational, sad, 3d animation, feel good, funny, colorful, humorous