We all like to think we understand ourselves pretty well. We know who we are, what our past was and what our hopes are for the future. But what if all wasn’t as it seemed? Or what if you only knew bits and pieces of yourself, and you had to struggle to see the bigger picture? This week we’re suggesting our favorite psychological thrillers, ones that just might make you question everything you know to be true.
“Memento,” recommended by Ben Kendall
“Memento,” a film by Christopher Nolan@@http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/@@ (“The Dark Knight,” “Inception”) is one of my top five favorite movies. This film is true cinema. Guy Pearce plays ex-insurance investigator named Leonard Shelby, a man with a “condition.” He can’t have any short-term memories due to a brain injury, an injury he sustained from a home-invasion robbery. Surrounded by evidence and case files, Leonard holes up in strange hotel rooms, trying to puzzle out the identity of the perpetrator. His body is covered in tattoos, a way of keeping permanent notes that can never get lost. The film plays with the notions of time and perception and of identity and motivation. What is it that gives you purpose? If you don’t have purpose, are you truly alive? “I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can’t remember them.” This movie rocks.
“Shutter Island,” recommended by Kevin Piaskowski
Martin Scorsese is a brilliant man. There’s just no denying that. He has transformed films into legendary works of art. “Shutter Island,” his 2010 mystery thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio,@@http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130884/@@ is just another testament to his unmatched talents. DiCaprio portrays U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, a character who both captivates and confuses audiences. Set back in 1954, the film leaves you with a sense of nostalgia, as well as an eerie curiosity about the social implications of the time period. “Shutter Island” is an intelligent thriller. The film capitalizes on its ability to play with the audience’s psyche rather than relying on cheap horror-film tactics. It’s clever, haunting and most importantly, jaw-dropping.@@it wasn’t that good@@
“Jacob’s Ladder,”@@http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099871/@@ recommended by Mitch Small
There are few movies I remember as fondly as “Jacob’s Ladder,” mostly because how strikingly different it is than nearly any other movie I’ve seen. In a subgenre generally typified by the quality of its plot twists, the movie’s main strength is its emotional hook. Starring Tim Robbins as Jacob Singer, a haunted veteran of the Vietnam war, the film takes us through his life as a civilian and his attempts to restore normalcy to his newly regained life. However, when he starts increasingly suffering bizarre and horrifying hallucinations, he begins a journey to figure out who’s been screwing with his head — and why. From the outset, the state of Jacob’s reality is in constant flux. Some may find the film’s nonlinear structure difficult to follow and its imagery too dark, but if you want a powerful thriller with a surreal bent, “Jacob’s Ladder” comes highly recommended.
“Black Swan,” recommended by Rebecca Sedlak
This isn’t your normal ballet movie. Subtle, twisted and at times resembling a nightmare, “Black Swan” is a psychological thriller about ruthless ambition and the darkness within each of us. Nina (Natalie Portman) is a young dancer in a New York City ballet company, and she is cast to play the lead in a production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.”@@http://www.favorite-classical-composers.com/tchaikovsky-swan-lake.html@@ But the role is difficult; Nina is perfect playing the innocent White Swan but has trouble unleashing the sensual Black Swan. Another ballerina, Lily (Mila Kunis), seems made for the Black Swan role — and she also bears a striking resemblance to Nina. As Nina worries that Lily will steal the part from her, her paranoia induces hallucinations, and she begins to lose herself in the role. Creepy, ambiguous and driving, you won’t be able to look away (except when you cover your eyes). “Black Swan” was released in December 2010 and was directed by Darren Aronofsky;@@http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/@@ Portman won an Academy Award for the film.