Since the turn of the century, Hollywood has given us fine pieces of movie-making art. We have the Leonardo Da Vincis, the Vincent Van Goghs, so on and so forth. Then, we have the other guys. The Salvador Dalis, the Pablo Picassos, the weirdists. From an angle, their work may seem abstract, obtuse, maybe even grotesque. But sometimes, you have to look harder to see what exactly Picasso is saying.
This list is dedicated to the Pablo Picassos of Hollywood, who aren’t afraid to make something many people, if not nobody, will truly understand. And for that, we thank you, David Lynchs, Lars von Triers, even the Michel Gondrys, for not being afraid to be just plain weird. Here are the weirdest movies of the millenium so far. Enjoy!
20. Catfish
The movie: A documentary about a photographer (Nev Schulman) setting out to find the girl he met on Facebook (Meg Faccio) with upsetting results (Meg Faccio is actually Angela Basset).
What’s weird: Not necessarily “Weird”, but a very unsettling look at the world of internet lies.
Weirdest moment: The resolution. Angela reveals all of the lies she told Nev via a package she sends him at the end of the film.
19. Melancholia
The movie: Melancholia is a planet that is heading directly towards earth. Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) were recently married when news broke out about the planet. They have to fight for their marriage and their sanity in the knowing face of death.
What’s weird: Kirsten Dunst steals the show with her unshakable performance. Lars von Trier writes and directs one of the most depressing movies of the 21st century.
Weirdest moment: SPOILER ALERT. The ending, where Melancholia is about to crash into earth.
18. A Scanner Darkly
The movie: Philip K. Dick’s novel about an undercover narc (Keanu Reeves) who takes effect from a new drug.
What’s weird: The entire movie is in a rotoscope animation fashion, making it a strange, yet compelling arthouse flick.
Weirdest moment: Reeves wears a “Scramble Suit” which continually morphs and blurs his body to protect his identity.
17. The Machinist
The movie: Christian Bale plays an insomniac factory worker in one of his most intense and dedicated roles to date.
What’s weird: Christian Bale lost 60 pounds to play the role, then gained another 70 to play Batman in Batman Begins.
Weirdest moment: No exact moment in particular, just seeing Bale without his shirt on is messed up enough as it is.
16. Cashback
The movie: Ben, a young insomnia-stricken man takes a job in a local supermarket. With only his imagination to keep him entertained, he discovers that he has the ability to literally stop time.
What’s weird: The surreality of the whole aspect of stopping time isn’t weird, but very oddly compelling in a way.
Weirdest moment: Once again, no moment in particular. Director Sean Ellis’s film is full of beautifully weird moments.
15. Oldboy
The movie: A man is locked in a prison cell for reasons unknown for 15 years. In jail he learns that his wife has been killed. When he is released, he is given a phone and a sum of cash, and proceeds to find out what exactly is happening.
What’s weird: Honestly, if it wasn’t for the brutal violence, Oldboy would be a great action film with its brilliant storyline.
Weirdest moment: The main character hammers his way through a hallway of villains in a jaw-dropping single take.
14. The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence
The movie: Staging the events that happened in the first movie were literally nothing more than a movie, a troubled loner sets out to create his own human centipede with 12 people using homemade surgical equipment, most notably a rusty stapler.
What’s weird: Almost no dialogue is spoken through the entire movie. The black and white adds to a very gritty realism.
Weirdest moment: Barbed wire rape, baby head-crushing, you name it.
13. Donnie Darko
The movie: Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), is a troubled student who is visited by a 6-foot tall man wearing a rabbit costume named Frank. One night, Frank shows Donnie that in less than a month, the world will end.
What’s weird: Richard Kelly’s debut film is beautiful and bizarre. The audience hopes to solve questions asked by the film, but by the time the curtains close, we have more questions than answers.
Weirdest moment: A jet engine crashes into Donnie’s bedroom.
12. Teeth
The movie: Good girl student Dawn gets closer to her guy friend, but the only thing that tries to hold her back from any sexual relationship is a little body problem.
What’s weird: She has teeth in her vagina.
Weirdest moment: Basically any sex scene, as you can kind of tell…
11. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The movie: Michel Gondry’s critically acclaimed collaboration with Charlie Kaufman about a man named Joel (Jim Carrey) who is heartbroken to find out that his girlfriend (Kate Winslet) has gone through a procedure that deleted every memory of him from her mind, so he decides to do the same. In the process, he realizes that he still loves her, and will do anything to keep his memories of her.
What’s weird: The trippy visuals and directing style make for a movie that’s more confusing and complex than Inception.
Weirdest moment: Joel is shrunken down to half his size in a memory about his childhood.