Challenge Yourself With The Brainiest, Most Cerebral Films On Streaming

When a veteran turned hit man decides he’ll do anything to protect the financial future of his family, his fate is sealed after a mysterious family friend unleashes a Satanic curse. Brilliantly blending psychological horror with a twisted conspiracy, director Ben Wheatley’s subtle visual and narrative choices make for a powerful build-up to an ending no one could ever see coming. A couple of things to keep in mind: one, don’t watch this alone, and two, though it’s terrifying, you might need to see it again to pick up on everything you missed the first time around. [Where to stream Kill List]

Though it’s gone from a cult favorite to a mainstream memory of a baby-faced Jake Gyllenhaal, Donnie Darko introduced to millennials an alternative explanation of fate through the sullen titular protagonist, who is chosen as the “receiver” of the “manipulated living” and destined to control the past and future through a rogue jet engine. Director Richard Kelly even went so far as to create an entire philosophical branch to accompany his film, told through the character of Donnie’s eclectic neighbor, Regina Sparrow. [Where to stream Donnie Darko]

From Primer director Shane Carruth comes a mind-bending mystery in which a man and a woman are eerily and supernaturally linked for reasons beyond their own comprehension. Soon they discover a bizarre conspiratorial plot in which they were both involved, even though they have no memory. You’ll likely have to watch this one twice — just make sure you have this Salon explainer handy. [Where to stream Upstream Color]

The only thing more mind-boggling than this film’s protagonist’s mathematic genius is Darren Aronofsky‘s choice to delve into such a dark, perplexing subject for his debut feature. When his gift of superhuman intelligence becomes his undoing, Maximillian Cohen (Sean Gullette) goes to extreme measures to discover a number that could be key in the understanding of all of nature’s physicality. The solution, however, pins him against the numerical world he loves more than life itself. [Where to stream Pi]

Though it has slipped under the radar since its 1998 release, Thomas Vinterberg’s film about one privileged family’s abusive father is considered to be the first film of the Dogme 95 movement made famous by Lars Von Trier. Filmed with a Sony camcorder, Vinterberg’s wrenching haphazard narrative feels like you’re watching the most beautifully tragic home movie ever discovered. [Where to stream The Celebration]

Paul Thomas Anderson has never been one to shy away from cerebral tones through his visual explorations of dysfunction, fate, and his complicated relationship with his home state of California. The Master analyzes the complexities of a new religion and its charismatic leader, Lancaster Dodd (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman), whose appearance, personality, and dedication to “The Cause” are reminiscent of L. Ron Hubbard and the birth of Scientology. Through stunningly bold imagery enhanced by 70mm film, PT Anderson offers one of the most challenging films of his career. [Where to stream The Master]

When Jim gets fired while on a Disneyworld family vacation, he finds solace in following around two French teenagers whose adolescent innocence allow him to mentally escape from his depressing reality. Filmed guerrilla-style on location at the famous amusement park, Randy Moore’s bizarre reimagining of “the Happiest Place on Earth” is anything but cheery. [Where to stream Escape from Tomorrow]

From French director Quentin Dupieux comes the story of an evil tire with deadly telepathic powers. A twisted satire unlike anything you’ve ever seen, Rubber feels like it was filmed in another dimension, featuring characters who are also watching the unfolding of misdeeds from this psychic wheel. [Where to stream Rubber]

Until the opera house scene, David Lynch‘s L.A. noir is simply a surreal tale of narcissistic Hollywood featuring a cowboy, a rather dull lesbian sex scene, and a cameo from Billy Ray Cyrus. At almost two hours in, however, a Contempt-inspired vocal solo from an unnamed female character we’ve never seen before causes most audience members to question what any of this confusion has to do with the first two-thirds of the film whatsoever. Before you sit down to watch for the first, fifth, or tenth time, keep in mind that Mulholland Drive is simply a glorified and specific reimagining of Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams and that only about thirty minutes of the film are reality. Oh, and pay attention to all of the names. [Where to stream Mulholland Drive]

Gender roles are dissected through a family whose father has cut his wife, two daughters, and son off from the modern world, only feeding them information that he deems appropriate. When the siblings aren’t killing time aimlessly wandering around their remote country estate, they’re watching home movies of themselves and awaiting for planes to fall out of the sky in hopes of some excitement. Everything changes, however, when their father introduces an outsider into the close-knit and secluded family. [Where to stream Dogtooth]