# Movies where reality is in doubt **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275 "2012-02-09T04:51:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/21 "2012-02-09T21:38:27Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > _Donnie Darko_ > _Angel Heart_ > _ **Rashomon** _ > _The Usual Suspects_ I don’t think _Rashomon_ qualifies. As I recall it there’s doubt about which of the various recollections of what happened in the grove is correct but no doubt that in reality the samurai is now dead. So I’d say \*Rashomon \*is more about the imperfections of perception and memory than whether reality itself exists. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/22 "2012-02-09T21:44:09Z")
_Naked Lunch_ - does _anyone_ know what the hell that was about? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/23 "2012-02-09T21:51:30Z")
_The Game Mysterious Skin Oldboy Repulsion Vampire’s Kiss_ ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/24 "2012-02-09T23:50:48Z")
Would _Eraserhead_ fit into this category? Seemed pretty unreal at most points in the film to me. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/25 "2012-02-10T00:06:22Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > _Naked Lunch_ - does _anyone_ know what the hell that was about? It was about 115 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/26 "2012-02-10T00:19:45Z")
Pan’s Labyrinth. I thought the magic world was made up. Apparently the director thought he made it plain that the fantasy world was true. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/27 "2012-02-10T00:30:59Z")
You mention Return to Oz, but not the Wizard of Oz? The whole thing is presented as if Dorothy may have just bumped her head and had a coma fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/28 "2012-02-10T01:21:00Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > _Time Bandits_. Is it all an imaginative boy’s dream or did it really happen? See also most other Terry Gilliam movies (esp. _The Adventures of Baron Munchausen_) but in his case it’s more of questioning (you could say ‘not caring’) what reality is than assuming it has a fixed and certain identity and the movie may or may not take place in it. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/29 "2012-02-10T04:41:22Z")
John Carpenter’s _In the Mouth of Madness_ qualifies, I think. ---
**Author:** ![scratch\_llll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@scratch\_llll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch_llll)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/30 "2012-02-10T04:58:47Z")
Shutter Island did this well and is highly underrated IMO. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/31 "2012-02-10T05:11:42Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I don’t think _Rashomon_ qualifies. As I recall it… That’s not how I remember it… 😛 So as to not hijack the thread, I’ll agree to disagree. Also want to mention _Lost Highway_. ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/32 "2012-02-10T05:27:56Z")
I was going to say that a lot of ‘crazy protagonist’ movies do that, but now that I try to list them, I don’t think they’re as common as I first thought. The only one[del]s[/del] I can actually think of that [del]haven’t[/del]hasn’t been mentioned are _Perfect Blue_ [del] and _Angel Heart_.[/del] (and upon more careful reading, Angel Heart has been metioned) – And I not sure that _Angel Heart_ even counts. There was never any doubt that what happened on screen was happening, we were just given the edited version the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/33 "2012-02-10T06:56:26Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > _Naked Lunch_ - does _anyone_ know what the hell that was about? I dunno, but I can think of at least two things wrong with that title… Joe ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/34 "2012-02-10T07:07:11Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > You mention Return to Oz, but not the Wizard of Oz? The whole thing is presented as if Dorothy may have just bumped her head and had a coma fantasy. Yea sorry about that, I meant to list it:smack: Good catch on Pan’s Labyrinth and American Psycho, originally I was only going to list movies where even at the end of the film there is no real resolution to the doubt. But hey I’m loving the discussion 🙂 There was a real obscure B-movie where the end reveals several nested layers of virtual reality, I think it had Bruce Campbell but I’m not sure. It was clear the audience was supposed to wonder if we had really seen the top layer. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/35 "2012-02-10T07:28:02Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > _Oldboy_ Gotta say no way. Reality is never in doubt in **Oldboy**. It’s a mystery as to what’s going on, but reality itself is never called into question. A bunch of great films have already been listed, but I’ll try and add a few: [Identity](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309698/) [Videodrome](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086541/) [Altered States](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080360/) [The Lathe](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081036/) [Of Heaven](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290230/) [π](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138704/) (Pi) [Sol](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069293/)[aris](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307479/) [Ink](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1071804/) [How To Get Ahead In Advertising](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097531/) [Frailty](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264616/) [Santa Sangre](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098253/) And one documentary that I think qualifies: [Capturing The Friedmans](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342172/) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/36 "2012-02-10T07:28:41Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > And I not sure that _Angel Heart_ even counts. There was never any doubt that what happened on screen was happening, we were just given the edited version the first time. So you believe that The Devil is real? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/37 "2012-02-10T08:23:46Z")
> [@panamajack](#): > > See also most other Terry Gilliam movies (esp. _The Adventures of Baron Munchausen_) but in his case it’s more of questioning (you could say ‘not caring’) what reality is than assuming it has a fixed and certain identity and the movie may or may not take place in it. Yup - especially _Brazil_ - as it’s possible that we don’t all have the same experience of the story (two different versions have been released, with different endings) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/38 "2012-02-10T18:12:48Z")
It’s been ages since I’ve seen the movie, and I might be wrong, but I seem to recall [The Navigator: A Mediaeval Odyssey](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095709/) as having questionable reality. Guess I’d better watch it again; I know I loved it when it came out. It’s the kind of movie where the ending changes the meaning of everything that came before it. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/39 "2012-02-10T18:34:26Z")
I would like to think **My Neighbor Totoro** and **Spirited Away** were real for the characters, if only because I enjoyed the charming stories so much. I won’t listen to any evidence that says otherwise. Besides, there’s corn and the headband. Case closed. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275/40 "2012-02-10T18:47:19Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > The entire series of _St. Elsewhere_. And, by extension, [a significant fraction of everything ever on television](http://home.vicnet.net.au/~kwgow/crossovers%28full%29.jpg). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-reality-is-in-doubt/612275.md?page=3)