# Ever watch a fictional film that you thought was utterly realistic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2007, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415 "2007-10-12T01:24:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/21 "2007-10-12T20:28:32Z")
**[Tuntematon sotilas](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048752/).** The [novel](http://www.amazon.com/SOLDIER-Vaino-Linna/dp/B000IOAG3O/ref=sr_1_10/103-1361237-9420655?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192220634&sr=1-10) is highly recommended too. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/22 "2007-10-12T20:34:59Z")
If you let the bit about the time machine slide, _Primer_ is a good candidate. I suppose you could call it a very realistic account of what would happen, if two kids in a garage accidentally did discover time travel. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/23 "2007-10-12T20:38:17Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] I think mockumentaries should be excluded. [/QUOTE] Brings back memories of explaining to younger brother that 'This is Spinal Tap" was not real…and not being believed… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/24 "2007-10-12T20:45:59Z")
I second the Irish \*\*Bloody Sunday \*\* (it not only looks real, it looks like it was made in 1972, which is amazing) and \*\*Battle of Algiers \*\* (one of the bombing scenes in particular looks like they set off a bomb in a business and didn’t tell any of the people in it what they were doing). Also, **City of God** , **Z** , **Burn!** aka\*\* Queimada\*\*, and **Effect of Gamma-Rays on Man-in-the-moon Marigolds** , a bit too realistic portryal of a dysfunctional 70’s family. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/25 "2007-10-12T20:51:26Z")
[QUOTE=MaxTheVool] The most utterly convincingly realistic fictional portrayal I’ve ever seen is a TV show, **The Wire** on HBO. [/QUOTE] I strongly second that. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/26 "2007-10-13T02:51:52Z")
I too am a **The Wire** fan. It’s amazing. It’s a pity it’s not more widely known. James Nesbitt puts me off **Bloody Sunday** but there was a film made around the same time that was called I think just Sunday that I liked. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/27 "2007-10-13T02:57:12Z")
City of God The Road to Guantanamo ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/28 "2007-10-13T03:00:31Z")
The Iranian film [The Circle](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0255094/) is another one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415.md?page=1)