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5 Best Philosophical Films of All Time

Imagine you are in the cinema (or your living room), sitting there after the credits have already rolled. All your thoughts and ideas jumble together to create these homunculi of theories all because of what you have just watched. That is the power of philosophical films. Whether slapping you with instant life reflection annoys you or not, it is always satisfying when you start questioning ideologies and coming up with new ideas in just under 2 hours.

5 Best Philosophical Films of All Time

So let us wake our inner philosopher with these films to watch.

Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner is a neo-noir science fiction film loosely based on a Philip K. Dick film book titled ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.’ It follows the story of Rick Deckard, a Blade Runner, hired to eliminate Replicants, human-engineered robots created by the Tyrell Corporation. They were made to function as slaves used to explore and colonize planets.

It asks what it means to be human in an age where cybernetics is commonplace. Further, it makes you think that if artificial intelligence started looking and behaving like humans, should we consider them human too? What defines humanity?

This film garnered a cult following, which made its sequel, Blade 2049 possible. And that film, too, requires a bit of pre-viewing philosophy to understand.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

A modern love story told in reverse. It tells the story of Clementine who wanted to forget about her ex-boyfriend Joel after a painful breakup. She decided to erase all her memories that involved him by undergoing a procedure. But when Joel learned about this, he also decided to go through the same procedure. Much of the story happens in Joel’s mind while he sleeps, revisiting pivotal moments from the disintegration of their relationship to happier moments.

It explores the mistakes we made in the past and how our choices affect those around us. How we must be aware of our imperfections and figure out how we can be mindful of them.

A Serious Man (2009)

A Serious Man is a black comedy film which follows the story of Larry Gopnik. A university physics professor whose life is unraveling right before his eyes after multiple incidents. He seeks meaning by consulting with three rabbis. But whether they were able to help him or not is yet to be seen.

The film explores faith and religion as the center of our lives in a way that no other film has. It depicts a society where people just suddenly stopped to what they were doing and where they were and waiting for control or help from above. Ultimately, the film asks, can we understand what it means to live?

Mr. Nobody (2009)

A science fiction film about Nemo Nobody. He lives in a society where quasi-immortality has been achieved, and at 118 years old, he is the last living mortal on Earth. He recounts important junctions happening at different points in his life and the alternate life paths from each one. The narrative is told in a non-linear, multiverse style to make the story more speculative rather than just simply watching his old life.

It mostly explores choices and the future. The whole film is Nemo making choices about his life and thinking about how this would ripple to his future. And even if he finds out what will happen in the future, he still cannot make himself decide on his actions.

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

A neo-noir crime film set in a little town in North Carolina in the late 40s. It follows the story of Ed Crane, a dissatisfied barber who found his wife is cheating on him with her boss. He uses this information to anonymously blackmail her boss, but as he is doing this, more dark secrets start to unravel.

It is one of the most smartly done films and even became the subject of The Science of Self by Anil Ananthaswamy. But the film mostly explores our propensity for greed and where it can lead us to.

Do note that if you are planning to watch this with other people, check the Australian film classification label first to see if it is suitable for the ages of those you are watching these with.

Question life, reflect on love, think about your choices with these films. But try not to marathon philosophical films, you might end up with a huge headache!

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