Best existentialist films?

What movies come to mind for this kind of vibe?
Where people mostly just sit around reflecting on life—you know, passing time, the whole meaning vs. meaninglessness thing, maybe even that sense of isolation

It doesn't have to be the main theme, either—could just be one conversation in a movie that really stuck with you

Personally, I’d go with Wings of Desire, 31 August, Youth, and Broken Flowers.

Do you guys know any others where the main character—or just someone in the scene—is totally spiraling and wondering what the hell the point of it all even is? ☕

Synecdoche, New York is easily one of the best American films from recent years.

You see this kind of stuff all over the place in works by Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky...

Personally, my favorite is Cloud Atlas. Then there's stuff like Synecdoche, New York, which almost killed me with boredom while watching, but I somehow managed to power through to the end. Also a few from Terrence Malick. And Mr. Nobody. I also felt a bit nostalgic for The Master!

Stalker by Tarkovsky, Bergman's classics like The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona... you name it. But those are heavy art house flicks, perfect for when you're feeling a bit down...

Then you've got von Trier's stuff, which feels a bit more studio-driven: Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Nymphomaniac, Dogville, Melancholia...

If we're talking popular hits... man, you just can't talk about Good Will Hunting without mentioning Van Sant 😛 his movie My Own Private Idaho is also totally awesome...

Birdman has such a cool vibe... and then there's Barfly with Mickey Rourke from back in the 80s...

Or I'm Not There, which is like this inspired story about Bob Dylan...

I caught An Education recently, really interesting plot, even if it is a romantic drama...

And Easy Rider, such an iconic flick from the late 60s...

The Coen brothers hit on all sorts of themes too, they always turn out a gem now and then 🙂

Same goes for the Jarmuschs, though besides Broken Flowers, most of their movies are about people searching for themselves in these weird situations: Dead Man, Only Lovers Left Alive, Permanent Vacation, Coffee and Cigarettes...

There's plenty to watch...

diving deep—skipping the obvious stuff (Eternal Sunshine..., The Truman Show, Coen brothers, Wes Anderson, Andrei Tarkovsky...)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle
if....
Six Degrees of Separation
Ordinary People
Mindwalk 1990
Igby Goes Down

Stroszek,
Jeder für sich und Gott gegen Alla,
The Master,
Mad Max: Fury Road,
Apocalypse Now,
Paths of Glory,
Into the Wild,
Wings of Desire,
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

Honestly—they’re all absolute masterpieces.

Daniel Kelly57 said:Personally, my favorite is Cloud Atlas. Then there's stuff like Synecdoche, New York, which almost killed me with boredom while watching, but I somehow managed to power through to the end. Also a few from Terrence Malick. And Mr. Nobody. I also felt a bit nostalgic for The Master!

Everyone raves about Synecdoche, New York, but honestly? Boring.
I didn't even make it to the end, so maybe that's on me—maybe I'm just judging it wrong.

So, what makes The Master an existentialist film to you guys? 🤷

I’d probably toss in Waking Life by Richard Linklater. It feels like that specific theme sort of drifts through almost all of his films—just a subtle, constant thread, really.

Since you brought up this year's (okay, fine, last year's) Youth, you seriously need to check out the director's previous flick. It actually snagged an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film—it's called The Great Beauty... here's the trailer link...



Also, while Youth was running around the competition this year, there was also Lobster, which is way better, starring Colin Farrell... definitely watch it... here's the trailer... I honestly have no clue why people call it a comedy. Sure, there are funny moments, but it's a smart, dark, and totally subversive movie...



Out of everyone else mentioned in this thread, Bergman definitely stands out, but man, his stuff requires a specific mood. His movies feel more like reading deep novels. I dig Jim Jarmusch, but he just doesn't hit that same level of depth. The French New Wave has some killer films too. Check these two out to get started...

Since you brought up this year's (well, technically last year's) Youth, you absolutely have to check out the director's previous flick. It actually snagged an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film—it's called The Great Beauty... here's the trailer link...



Also, running alongside Youth in the competition this year was Lobster, which is way better, starring Colin Farrell... seriously, go watch it... here's the trailer... I honestly don't get why people call it a comedy. Sure, there are bits that might make you laugh, but it's a smart, dark, and totally subversive movie...



Out of everyone else mentioned here, Bergman definitely stands out, but man, his stuff requires a specific mood. His movies feel more like reading a novel or something. I dig Jim Jarmusch, but he just doesn't hit that same level of depth. The French New Wave has some interesting gems too. Check these two out to start... Oh, forgot to mention—not sure if you're into him, but all the Woody Allen movies, which I don't think anyone has even brought up yet, are kind of like that. They're basically crafted by the most neurotic existentialist ever to pick up a camera...

Kyle Vaughn8 said:Everyone raves about Synecdoche, New York, but honestly? Boring.
I didn't even make it to the end, so maybe that's on me—maybe I'm just judging it wrong.

So, what makes The Master an existentialist film to you guys? 🤷

So basically, since you didn't go all the way, everything boils down to your own fate.😉
I don't know. A confused and slightly lost guy falls under the influence of one specific character. If Oslo is existential for you, then The Master could be for me too.🍿You've got a ton of movies like that in your collection. Linklater totally crushed it recently with Boyhood. You also have Nebraska from a couple of years back. And if you aren't feeling Oslo, you can always go with that heavy-hitting junkie flick, Requiem for a Dream.🍿

Daniel Kelly57 said:So basically, since you didn't go all the way, everything boils down to your own fate.😉
I don't know. A confused and slightly lost guy falls under the influence of one specific character. If Oslo is existential for you, then The Master could be for me too.🍿You've got a ton of movies like that in your collection. Linklater totally crushed it recently with Boyhood. You also have Nebraska from a couple of years back. And if you aren't feeling Oslo, you can always go with that heavy-hitting junkie flick, Requiem for a Dream.🍿

I've actually seen everything you just listed.
I'll give you this—Nebraska is definitely existential, and Boyhood is more on a smaller scale.
But I don't think I'd ever go back to them on my own.

Oslo is seriously incredible to me—you really don't feel that way? 😁
Even the original version of Le Feu Follet is even more existential, but I still prefer Oslo.

Kyle Vaughn8 said:I've actually seen everything you just listed.
I'll give you this—Nebraska is definitely existential, and Boyhood is more on a smaller scale.
But I don't think I'd ever go back to them on my own.

Oslo is seriously incredible to me—you really don't feel that way? 😁
Even the original version of Le Feu Follet is even more existential, but I still prefer Oslo.

I'm not really into movies about addicts, so that stuff doesn't do much for me. ☕

Daniel Kelly57 said:I'm not really into movies about addicts, so that stuff doesn't do much for me. ☕

I'm not really a fan either—but honestly, I don't think it's that overdone here? Like, he’s mostly just wandering through Oslo and stuck in his own head... isn't that the whole point?
They aren't playing it too safe—they aren't acting like they're just some narcs, you know?

Kyle Vaughn8 said:I'm not really a fan either—but honestly, I don't think it's that overdone here? Like, he’s mostly just wandering through Oslo and stuck in his own head... isn't that the whole point?
They aren't playing it too safe—they aren't acting like they're just some narcs, you know?

Hold up. Maybe I’m mixing this one up with something else, because to me, Oslo feels like a textbook drug movie.🤔

It’s tough to tackle topics like this since most big movies touch on the (un)meaning of existence one way or another—but if we’re talking raw existentialism, I’d suggest Antonioni's L'Avventura, Bergman's Silence, or early Fassbinder, especially that brilliant Branded by Desire.

Even in the old American indie scene, there was some killer hardcore existentialism—maybe most notably seen in the work of Živojin Pavlović.

Nu compatible link. It just seems to me that there's no search function included. 😢

Me and You and Everyone We Know
I don't have a massive film library to pull from—I really should dig through my digital folders to refresh my memory... but this one from the link definitely stands out. It's actually a great movie.

If you're looking for that specific vibe, Živojin Pavlović's *Awakening of the Rats* is pretty much exactly what you're after.
And honestly, if you pair that with anything by Terrence Malick—which is actually why I eventually had to stop watching him altogether...
Then you've got the essence of Antonioni: *L'Avventura*, *Zabriskie Point*, *Il Grido*, *L'Eclisse*, even *Blow-Up*.
That particular atmosphere permeates everything he does, though with Malick, it feels like that’s all there is to it...

Rebecca Peterson3 said:If you're looking for that specific vibe, Živojin Pavlović's *Awakening of the Rats* is pretty much exactly what you're after.
And honestly, if you pair that with anything by Terrence Malick—which is actually why I eventually had to stop watching him altogether...
Then you've got the essence of Antonioni: *L'Avventura*, *Zabriskie Point*, *Il Grido*, *L'Eclisse*, even *Blow-Up*.
That particular atmosphere permeates everything he does, though with Malick, it feels like that’s all there is to it...

Fair point. Badlands is violent, sure, but it definitely leans into that existentialist filmmaking style. 🙂