# Hypnotic Films



## Simbelmynë (Apr 22, 2020)

I enjoy a film which mesmerises me into a lull. Something dreamlike or surreal, usually art house. Films by Tarkovsky (I particularly liked Nostalghia, it was like watching a moving Vermeer at times) or Under The Skin (starring Scarlet Johansson), 2001: Space Odyssey, The Revenant and lately The Lighthouse, and some anime films such as Ghost in the Shell (not the live action remake) and its sequel, and Perfect Blue, all induced this in me to some extent.

Does anybody else enjoy this? And do you have any examples of great hypnotic films? Both classic and contemporary.


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## tegeus-Cromis (Apr 22, 2020)

It sounds like you're the ideal viewer for any Terrence Malick movie. Have you seen any? I'd begin with _Days of Heaven_. Most people seem to prefer _Tree of Life_, though. Which is probably his most hypnotic.

My favorite Tarkovsky is _Andrei Rublev_. Then _Stalker _and _Mirror_. 

Let's see... What else? Bergman, _Persona, _definitely. Lynch, _Mulholland Drive_ and _Lost Highway _(or really, his entire oeuvre). Resnais, _Last Year at Marienbad _and maybe _Hiroshima, Mon Amour_. Victor Erice, _Spirit of the Beehive._

More recent: Andrew Dominik, _The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. _Shane Carruth, _Upstream Color_. (Both deeply influenced by Malick, as is _The Revenant _-- and also _Arrival_.)

And once you see all these you're ready to graduate to Stan Brakhage!


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## Foxbat (Apr 22, 2020)

The most hypnotic film I’ve ever seen is Samsara. It has no dialogue, was filmed over 5 years in 25 different countries in Super 70 cinematography. It’s a mesmerising, visual masterpiece that covers such diverse visual experiences as human cultures, industrial complexes and wonders of nature.


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## Stephen Palmer (Apr 22, 2020)

_Baraka, Koyanasqatsi, Powaqatsi _- all great.


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## hitmouse (Apr 22, 2020)

Drowning by Numbers
The Piano
Pather Panchali
The first two have music by Michael Nyman, which seems to help. The third has a famous score by Ravi Shankar and is one of the most beautiful pieces of cinematography ever.


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## Boaz (Apr 23, 2020)

The General (1926)


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## Astro Pen (Apr 23, 2020)

_Paris Texas
The Draughtsman's Contract
Persona (Ingmar Bergman)_


Also as tegeus-Cromis  _Last Year in Marienbad, _and _Stalker_


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## Lumens (Apr 23, 2020)

Dreams by Akira Kurosava - highly recommended

Spirited Away

Moon

Alfaville

Solaris (the original preferrably, but the remake has nice music)

The Fountain

The Straight Story


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## BAYLOR (Apr 23, 2020)

*Just Imagine* 1930.  A science fiction musical . It's hypnotic but , not in a good way !


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## hitmouse (Apr 23, 2020)

Cinema Paradiso
Amelie
Jules et Jim
Mon Oncle
Babette’s Feast


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## Simbelmynë (Apr 23, 2020)

tegeus-Cromis said:


> It sounds like you're the ideal viewer for any Terrence Malick movie. Have you seen any? I'd begin with _Days of Heaven_. Most people seem to prefer _Tree of Life_, though. Which is probably his most hypnotic.
> 
> My favorite Tarkovsky is _Andrei Rublev_. Then _Stalker _and _Mirror_.
> 
> ...



I'm not familiar with Terrence Malick but I'll be sure to take a look at _Days of Heaven_.

I've seen Tarkaovsky's _Mirror _and while I was definitely swept away with it, there was something about the imagery in _Nostalghia_ which appealed more to my tastes for whatever reason. I started to watch _Solaris _but was quite sleep deprived at the time and because I wasn't in the land of the living I couldn't enjoy it, and so put it aside for another time. It looks exactly like my thing though.

I've seen a few Lynch films. I love _The Elephant Man _but I got bored with _Eraserhead_ and I wasn't too keen on _Mulholland Drive. _Though I did enjoy some bits (and not just the obvious "bits") I felt like I was supposed to be puzzling over it which I'm not very good at doing - I'm terrible at logical problem solving and at paying attention, or recalling factual information. So it kind of confused and frustrated me. Still not sure how I feel about Lynch.

I will check out your other suggestions too.



Foxbat said:


> The most hypnotic film I’ve ever seen is Samsara. It has no dialogue, was filmed over 5 years in 25 different countries in Super 70 cinematography. It’s a mesmerising, visual masterpiece that covers such diverse visual experiences as human cultures, industrial complexes and wonders of nature.



Sounds really interesting, I'll be sure to check this out.

Cheers also to @Stephen Palmer @hitmouse (I like Michael Nyman so will try and check these out) @Boaz @Astro Pen @Lumens and (unless I'm going to be horrified) @BAYLOR - for your suggestions. I'll make a note of them and post here any thoughts on those films I get chance to watch.

I had planned to check out _Persona_ but found myself a bit put off Bergman by _The Seventh Seal. _

I loved _Spirited Away_, saw that relatively soon after it came out. I also had planned to check out _Dreams_ at some point. I quite enjoyed _Seven Samurai _and I know Kurosawa is a legend.


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## BrightSparrow (Apr 23, 2020)

Baraka is definitely that for me.


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## Foxbat (Apr 23, 2020)

Probably worth noting that Samsara and Baraka are by the same director and producer so probably no surprise that they’re both being mentioned here.

If you like Nyman, you could also try Peter Greenaway’s movies. The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover being a personal favourite of mine. Hypnotic sound and visuals.


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## Astro Pen (Apr 23, 2020)

Simbelmynë said:


> I had planned to check out _Persona_ but found myself a bit put off Bergman by _The Seventh Seal. _


The opening shots of _Persona_ are not for the faint of heart. I believe they are intended to be 'traumatic' to help us understand the patient's condition though Bergman never really clarified that, leaving it open to interpretation. So persevere, they are not the texture of the film.


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## Extollager (Apr 23, 2020)

_La Jetée_?


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## Astro Pen (Apr 23, 2020)

Not quite 'cinema' I realise and I know I posted this in music recently but it is a _totally_ hypnotic little film. Tokyo and Tangerine Dream. A combination  I keep going back to.


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## Extollager (Apr 23, 2020)

That will remind people who've seen it of a sequence in Tarkovsky's *Solaris* that, in turn, seems to respond to the through-the-star-gate sequence in Kubrick's *2001*.  I've thought that Tarkovsky & crew were maybe saying "We love you, Stanley!"


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## Boaz (Apr 23, 2020)

@Simbelmynë First, love your name. It conjures up a dream of sorrow and beauty on the rolling plains.  Second, although _The General_ is dreamlike, it will not lull you to restfulness.  In fact, it will do the opposite.  The General is a silent film and the subtle and nuanced acting of Buster Keaton will drive you to either turn it off or entice you to focus on the slightest muscle movement.


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## Daysman (Apr 23, 2020)

recent, not a movie, amazon: _tales from the loop_

(surprised there's no thread here... or did i miss it?)


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## Simbelmynë (Apr 23, 2020)

Boaz said:


> @Simbelmynë First, love your name. It conjures up a dream of sorrow and beauty on the rolling plains.  Second, although _The General_ is dreamlike, it will not lull you to restfulness.  In fact, it will do the opposite.  The General is a silent film and the subtle and nuanced acting of Buster Keaton will drive you to either turn it off or entice you to focus on the slightest muscle movement.



I enjoy silent films. I’ve only seen a handful, but Sunrise and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde stand out as memorable for me. The subtleties of emotion in close up shots in Sunrise are quite moving and compelling, if this is the kind of thing you’re referring to when you mention Buster Keaton. I haven’t seen The General but I have seen the film in which he builds a house... I can’t recall the title. His stunts were out of this world - he was a nutter. I actually put together a montage of 20’s films for a music video, as most footage that old is now in the public domain. Managed to get Keaton in there. Silent films work quite well when it comes to portraying the emotional or symbolic content of a song actually, because it’s of course entirely visual - no audio to use as counterpart in the storytelling so a great deal more goes into that visual expression.

I don’t think The General is what I’m after, as you say, but also I’d say I’m not interested necessarily in being lulled into restfulness - Tarkovsky’s movies are disturbing, as is the aforementioned Under The Skin (a little known art house SF film I highly recommend). I have no problem with being hypnotised into a nightmare, it’s simply this hypnotic quality found in a of a lot of surreal and arty films that I enjoy.

Werner Herzog is another director I’ve been getting into, meant to give him a mention. Particularly liked Heart of Glass and the film about Bruce Chatwin, which, despite being a documentary film, is nonetheless quite mesmerising. I recommend this if you’re interested in Australian Aboriginal culture.


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## Boaz (Apr 23, 2020)

How about Jean Cocteau's _Le Belle et le Bete_ (1946)?  It's a French black and white production of Beauty and the Beast.  Coming right after WW2, it's themes of loneliness, love, true beauty, boundaries, and possessions are dramatically shown through acting and effects without an overabundance of dialogue.


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## Extollager (Apr 23, 2020)

Agreed, Boaz.

*The Red Balloon*.


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## Vince W (Apr 23, 2020)

Extollager said:


> Agreed, Boaz.
> 
> *The Red Balloon*.


Are you referring to Le ballon rouge (1956)? We watched it in French class at school. It had to be hypnotic to keep a class of 8 year-olds interested for half an hour.


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## M. Robert Gibson (Apr 23, 2020)

I've recently watched the film _Embrace of the Serpent_ which might just fit the bill.
It has a very _2001_ like ending


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## Stenevor (Apr 23, 2020)

Seeing Drowning by Numbers and The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover has brought back memories. I used to enjoy this type of film but unfortunately I have destroyed my attention span by watching far too much stuff on Youtube and can't get on with more arthouse/visual films at this time. To be honest I cant get on with any films at the moment, 30 mins is my limit nowadays. Haven't seen _A Field In England_ or _Valhalla Rising_ mentioned and I've got more scratching at the back of my head trying to come out, might remember later.
Couple of well known others I found hypnotic at the time - _The Good the Bad and the Ugly _when I first saw it aged 15 and _Jean de Florette/Manon de Sources, _the first foreign/subtitled films I saw aged 16/17.


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## AlexH (Apr 23, 2020)

The Red Turtle (co production between Studio Ghibli and a French animation studio)
Bait (2019)
Song of the Sea
The Man from Earth
Another Earth
Your Name (anime - don't watch the trailer as it's a massive spoiler)
Mr. Nobody
3-Iron

The Lighthouse is on my list to watch.

I remember watching a weird dreamlike film where a guy was walking around an art gallery chatting to the camera and other people. It was one take and intriguing at first but became very boring. So not a recommendation per se, but I know some people enjoyed it.

Upstream Colour is a dreamy and surreal film. I didn't really get it and was a little disappointed given it was by the same people who made Primer (which is good but not dreamy or surreal), and there was ten years between the two films.

I haven't watched it yet, but Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives looks rather surreal.

I'll be interested to know what you think if you watch any of these films.


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## Ray Zdybrow (Apr 24, 2020)

_Once Upon A Time In The West_, Sergio Leone. All Sergio Leone westerns! I loved Tarkovsky's _Solaris_, it was only enhanced by the short naps during the "Stargate" sequence -as mentioned by Extoller- and other parts of the film.


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## Simbelmynë (Apr 24, 2020)

Appreciate the suggestions. If I can stream Persona I’ll probably watch that tomorrow night as I’ve been wanting to check it out anyway.


Stenevor said:


> Seeing Drowning by Numbers and The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover has brought back memories. I used to enjoy this type of film but unfortunately I have destroyed my attention span by watching far too much stuff on Youtube and can't get on with more arthouse/visual films at this time. To be honest I cant get on with any films at the moment, 30 mins is my limit nowadays. Haven't seen _A Field In England_ or _Valhalla Rising_ mentioned and I've got more scratching at the back of my head trying to come out, might remember later.
> Couple of well known others I found hypnotic at the time - _The Good the Bad and the Ugly _when I first saw it aged 15 and _Jean de Florette/Manon de Sources, _the first foreign/subtitled films I saw aged 16/17.



I’m the same with films and even most dramas. I go through phases where I can watch more films and TV but nothing like I used to. I agree our attention spans are under attack. I watch a lot of YouTube during the night when I can’t sleep (chronic insomnia) and that probably hasn’t done me any good.



AlexH said:


> The Red Turtle (co production between Studio Ghibli and a French animation studio)
> Bait (2019)
> Song of the Sea
> The Man from Earth
> ...



Thanks for this. The Lighthouse is intense! I recommend it, particularly if you enjoy old school horror at all - although it is more modern in scope, and I’d say it’s an art house film as much as it is horror. Acting is superb too.


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## Astro Pen (Apr 26, 2020)

How could I have omitted two hypnotic gems?

Greenaway's  _Prospero's Books _
Potter's_ Orlando _


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## paranoid marvin (Apr 26, 2020)

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'hypnotic', but Gravity may fit the bill.

Also not movies, but some train journeys filmed from the driver's cab can be quite relaxing. Glasgow to Mallaig (a journey I have made in real life is over 4 hours of undulating scenery (all on YouTube)


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## Simbelmynë (Apr 26, 2020)

M. Robert Gibson said:


> I've recently watched the film _Embrace of the Serpent_ which might just fit the bill.
> It has a very _2001_ like ending



This definitely appeals, I'll be checking it out at some point.

Went through some of your suggestions to find a film to watch last night and realised I'd already seen a few. @Lumens _The Straight Story_ is great. Quite a humble little film, but definitely something captivating about the performance of the lead actor. @hitmouse I enjoyed _Amelie_, think I have the dvd somewhere. A very watchable film.  

@Stenevor I ended up watching _A Field In England_ because it was available to stream free on 4od (good old channel four). It was definitely my kind of humour, made me chuckle. It was quite hypnotic, yes, and pretty damn nightmarish too. Loved the dark vibes, the violence and bizarre rituals. Great use of music, loved that folk song, "Baloo, My Boy" I think it's called, but I was at times disorientated by the dialogue, delivery of lines and some of the cutting between shots even just in the straight scenes. This frustrated me slightly. I was a little disappointed by the ending too which didn't really resolve much, it just made me wonder how much of the film was a halucination, but overall I enjoyed it and I'd probably watch it again to see if there's anything I missed. 

@AlexH I love the look of _Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives_, and will be checking this one out at some point, and I'm planning to watch _Persona, Embrace Of The Serpent, Last Year at Marienbad_ and _Dreams _over the coming weeks and months.


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## Stenevor (Apr 26, 2020)

Simbelmynë said:


> @Stenevor I ended up watching _A Field In England_ because it was available to stream free on 4od (good old channel four). It was definitely my kind of humour, made me chuckle. It was quite hypnotic, yes, and pretty damn nightmarish too. Loved the dark vibes, the violence and bizarre rituals. Great use of music, loved that folk song, "Baloo, My Boy" I think it's called, but I was at times disorientated by the dialogue, delivery of lines and some of the cutting between shots even just in the straight scenes. This frustrated me slightly. I was a little disappointed by the ending too which didn't really resolve much, it just made me wonder how much of the film was a halucination, but overall I enjoyed it and I'd probably watch it again to see if there's anything I missed.



Glad you liked it, I'm afraid I can't help you resolve any questions though. I remember loving the look of it but found it all quite confusing but I thought it fitted the bill and worth a mention. I must have liked it though as I remember being really tempted to buy a limited edition screen printed film poster which looked great. Sightseers on 4od is by the same director, not seen it myself but I've been told it's good.
After checking a couple of my old hard drives not much luck with any others. Maybe _The Fall_ by Tarsem Singh which I found visually striking but a little dull or if you're in the right frame of mind _Snowtown_ which is excellent. I liked the style of it and found it hypnotically horrible and compelling.


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## BAYLOR (Apr 27, 2020)

Fritz Lang's *Metropolis.   *


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## hitmouse (Apr 27, 2020)

BAYLOR said:


> Fritz Lang's *Metropolis.   *


I found that utterly gripping, but not exactly hypnotic. Magnificent film.


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## BAYLOR (Apr 28, 2020)

hitmouse said:


> I found that utterly gripping, but not exactly hypnotic. Magnificent film.



One of the most influential films of all time.


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## Simbelmynë (Apr 28, 2020)

Boaz said:


> How about Jean Cocteau's _Le Belle et le Bete_ (1946)?  It's a French black and white production of Beauty and the Beast.  Coming right after WW2, it's themes of loneliness, love, true beauty, boundaries, and possessions are dramatically shown through acting and effects without an overabundance of dialogue.



This looks like something I’ll enjoy, thanks.



BAYLOR said:


> Fritz Lang's *Metropolis.   *



_Metropolis _is already on my mental list of silent films to watch. As an SF fan I feel I owe it to myself.


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## Guttersnipe (May 9, 2020)

The Fall (2006)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Blade Runner (1982)


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## Simbelmynë (May 9, 2020)

M. Robert Gibson said:


> I've recently watched the film _Embrace of the Serpent_ which might just fit the bill.
> It has a very _2001_ like ending



I watched this about a week ago. Thoroughly enjoyed it, thanks for the recommendation.



Guttersnipe said:


> The Fall (2006)
> Blue Velvet (1986)
> Blade Runner (1982)



I've seen Blade Runner and I vaguely plan on watching Blue Velvet but I've had some bad experiences with David Lynch and now I don't know whether I can bring myself to watch another one. The Fall looks both surreal and colourful - enough of a draw for me. Cheers.


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## hitmouse (May 9, 2020)

Blue Velvet is an excellent film, but it is thoroughly unpleasant and quite disturbing. Glad I have seen it, but feel no great need to ever watch it again.


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## Guttersnipe (May 10, 2020)

Simbelmynë said:


> I watched this about a week ago. Thoroughly enjoyed it, thanks for the recommendation.
> 
> 
> 
> I've seen Blade Runner and I vaguely plan on watching Blue Velvet but I've had some bad experiences with David Lynch and now I don't know whether I can bring myself to watch another one. The Fall looks both surreal and colourful - enough of a draw for me. Cheers.



I'm not a big Lynch fan either. Honestly, I only like Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man. Blue Velvet disturbs a lot of people (including me) because of its depiction of sexual deviance. I think it's hypnotic for me because of the rich color and how fascinatingly lurid it is. There are some touching romance scenes as well.

I agree with Dreams. Also: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and Angel's Egg. Want to see: Enter the Void and City of Lost Children.


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## Simbelmynë (May 10, 2020)

Guttersnipe said:


> I'm not a big Lynch fan either. Honestly, I only like Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man. Blue Velvet disturbs a lot of people (including me) because of its depiction of sexual deviance. I think it's hypnotic for me because of the rich color and how fascinatingly lurid it is. There are some touching romance scenes as well.
> 
> I agree with Dreams. Also: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and Angel's Egg. Want to see: Enter the Void and City of Lost Children.



I watched The Elephant Man when I was about ten. It freaked me out but it gripped me, and watching it as an adult I thought it was excellent, very moving and loved the way it was filmed. Other than The Straight Road, which is very atypical of Lynch, making me wonder if he had less to do with the writing of that one, I’ve found his films tedious. I may still give Blue Velvet a try though... it’s your last chance Lynchy.

I remember especially enjoying Hellboy 2 at the time of release amongst the plethora of super hero and action films released that year. There are some beautifully dreamlike scenes. 

Angel’s Egg: I watched the whole thing about a year ago and felt much less the wiser about it than before I’d seen it. I did enjoy a lot of it though, enough to want to watch it again. It’s basically a work of surreal art for anime fans. 

Another film maker I forgot to mention beginning this topic is Charlie Kaufman. Anomalisa and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in particular took my breath away.


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## hitmouse (May 10, 2020)

The disturbing thing ( and the most compelling) about Blue Velvet is mainly Dennis Hopper.


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## Guttersnipe (May 10, 2020)

hitmouse said:


> The disturbing thing ( and the most compelling) about Blue Velvet is mainly Dennis Hopper.


When Hopper read Lynch's script, he called him and told him "[He] is Frank Booth (the villain)." Yeah, Frank has...issues.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 12, 2020)

*Dark City* 1998      This one for alot of reason.


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## svalbard (Dec 1, 2020)

Roland Joffes The Mission with Morricone's soundtrack is a beautiful piece of work. 

The Seventh Seal by Bergman has an hallucinatory feel to it.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 1, 2021)

Extollager said:


> Agreed, Boaz.
> 
> *The Red Balloon*.



That's a very strange film.


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## Dave Vicks (Jan 2, 2021)

The Element of Crime. 
2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY


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## CupofJoe (Jan 2, 2021)

Others have mentioned films I might have named but I'd like to add one. It isn't trippy hypnotic bit I find *Chacun cherche son chat* aka *When the cat's away* [1996] irresistible. It is a film about a woman looking for her cat in a small "Village" in Paris and all the characters she meets along the way. It's not long 85-90 minutes and every shot is beautiful [hey...Its Paris]


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## paranoid marvin (Jan 24, 2021)

Having recently watched The Straight Story for the first time, I would say that that movie fits the bill.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 24, 2021)

Vince W said:


> Are you referring to Le ballon rouge (1956)? We watched it in French class at school. It had to be hypnotic to keep a class of 8 year-olds interested for half an hour.




I always thought there was something sinister about that damned  Red Balloon .

Then there's  the film *The Revenge of the Red Balloon.    *and yes , this film actually exists.


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