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Movie Lists
20 Movies That Require Your Full Attention From Start to Finish
BY
TARYN FLAHERTY
PUBLISHED 6 DAYS AGO
These movies are filled with imperative details and intertwined plot points that need to be focused on in order to understand what's going on.
Triangle ocean stillIcon Film Distribution
Movies are made with the intention of impressing the audience and grabbing their attention from beginning to end. A filmmaker wants moviegoers engaged for the duration of a film so that they can be engrossed in the world of that story. Filmmaking is storytelling, and stories are meant to keep you engaged. Whether a film has you laughing uncontrollably or racking your brain to figure out what is happening, movies are meant to have you hooked from start to finish.
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It is true that some movies do not require their viewers to pay close attention to every detail because the narrative is straightforward enough that the plot can be followed no matter how little attention you give it. Most movies, however, are detailed enough that paying attention will be better in the long run. If you are truly enjoying a film, it is assumed you would want to pay attention anyway. Some movies, however, absolutely demand their viewers' attention from beginning to end.
These movies are filled with imperative details and intertwined plot points that need to be focused on in order to understand what's going on. This type of movie will necessitate much pausing and rewinding if the viewer looks away for even a minute. Luckily, these movies are also intriguing enough that not paying attention won't even seem like an option. Without further ado, here are 20 movies that require your full attention from start to finish:
RELATED:
The Best Movies You Don't Really Need To Pay Attention To
20
Shutter Island (2010)
shutter island
Shutter Island
Release Date
February 14, 2010
Director
Martin Scorsese
Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer
Rating
R
Main Genre
Drama
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island messes with its audience members' minds for its entire runtime.
Taking place in the mid-50s, the film follows US Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) as he is assigned to investigate a case at Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He accepts the assignment for personal reasons, but shortly after arriving believes he's been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from immoral to against the law to downright evil. As the hospital staff refuses him access to records that he suspects would crack the case, and an impending hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, Teddy begins to question his reality and even his own sanity.
Looking away from this film for even a second will leave you utterly confused as the plot moves fast and there is so much to be revealed.
Stream on Showtime or Paramount+
19
Inception (2010)
inception
Inception
Release Date
July 15, 2010
Director
Christopher Nolan
Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy
Rating
PG-13
Main Genre
Action
Similar to Shutter Island, Christopher Nolan's Inception is another mind-bender that will leave the viewer helplessly confused if their attention doesn't remain on the screen for the entire runtime. The film is meant to mess with your perception of reality, just as it does with the characters. So, if you don't devote your attention to the film, you're going to come back to the story with no idea where you last left off.
The film centers around Dom Cobb, also played by DiCaprio, an expert thief who specializes in the art of self-extraction. He steals valuable secrets from deep within subconscious minds during the dream state, where the mind is the most vulnerable. His profession has made him a wanted fugitive, so when he is offered a chance at redemption if he can pull off inception, he jumps at it. This requires him not to steal an idea from someone's dream, but rather plant one, which involves multiple dreams within dreams and creating an ideal dreamscape for the mission.
Rent on Prime Video or Apple TV
18
Predestination (2014)
Predestination
Predestination
Release Date
August 28, 2014
Director
Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Cast
Sarah Snook, Ethan Hawke, Noah Taylor, Elise Jansen, Freya Stafford, Christopher Kirby
Rating
R
Genres
Sci-Fi, Thriller
The Spierig brother's Predestination follows a skilled temporal agent, simply called The Barkeep (Ethan Hawke), on his final assignment through time to pursue the one criminal who has eluded him for decades. His assignment leads him to meet with and team up with a mysterious figure who uses the pen name The Unmarried Mother (Sarah Snook). Without giving too much away, The Barkeep and The Unmarried Mother slowly reveal important information about themselves through conversation at a bar in 1970 New York City that also reveal connections between the two.
This film throws plot twist after plot twist at you like it's nothing and expects you to move right along with them, so your absolute full attention must be given at all times.
Rent on Prime Video or Apple TV
17
Triangle (2009)
Triangle
Triangle
Release Date
October 16, 2009
Director
Christopher Smith
Cast
Melissa George, Joshua McIvor, Jack Taylor, Michael Dorman, Henry Nixon, Rachael Carpani
Rating
R
Genres
Mystery, Horror, Thriller
When Jess (Melissa George) drops her son off at school and sets sail on her friend's yacht for the afternoon, she cannot shake the feeling that something is off about their trip. When the boat is damaged after a terrible storm, the group is left with no choice but to board a passing ocean liner for safety. Once on board, Jess can't shake the feeling that she's been there before. The ship appears to be abandoned, but they are in fact not alone. Someone is aboard and intent on hunting them down.
Triangle purposefully messes with your head from the very beginning. There is always something a bit off about decisions that characters make, especially Jess, and every situation feels wrong. You spend the entire movie feeling like you are missing information, and even as the plot twists reveal themselves, you will still be left feeling like you are missing something. The entire film is a trip, but the third act in particular will make you completely forget about everything else.
Stream on Tubi, Shudder, or Peacock
16
Donnie Darko (2001)
donnie darko
Donnie Darko
Release Date
October 26, 2001
Director
Richard Kelly
Cast
Jake Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase, Mary McDonnell, James Duval
Rating
R
Main Genre
Drama
Donnie Darko blends all the best aspects of mysteries, thrillers, and sci-fi movies together to make a film that is completely mind-bending and absolutely gripping.
It follows social outcast Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), a teenager who doesn't get along well with his classmates, teachers, or parents. He has one friend, Gretchen (Jena Malone), who understands him and agrees to date him. His only other friend is a freakish, human sized bunny named Frank that only Donnie can see. When an engine falls off a plane and lands in Donnie's bedroom while he's not there, it appears that both the event and Donnie's escape were caused by supernatural events.
This film bizarre in the best way, and something you really shouldn't let your attention stray from. Not that you would want to, because this energetic, hypnotic, mind meld of a movie will have you locked in from the moment you press play to the moment the credits end.
Stream on Tubi, Peacock, or Pluto TV
15
Coherence (2013)
Coherence (2013)Oscilloscope Laboratories
The words "trippy" and "mystifying" come to mind when thinking of ways to describe Coherence. The sci-fi thriller takes place over the course of one night when a group of friends gets together for a dinner party on a night that a comet passes over Earth. The dinner starts out normally with conversation and reminiscing until the power suddenly goes out. Once the power goes out, the rest of the night starts to take a strange route. Reality starts to blend with fiction, and the group loses track of time and each other. The ability to distinguish what's real and what's fake fades as the night goes on, causing the friends to become unnerved.
Coherence unquestionably requires the viewer's full attention in order to grasp the events unfolding between the friend group. Each individual's perception of reality is skewed as the night goes on, and even the characters that refuse to accept what is happening to them struggle with what's real and what's not. The last act teases an explanation and a guide between fiction and non-fiction, but shatters that completely by the final moments.
Stream on Prime Video, Tubi, or Peacock
14
Black Bear (2020)
black bear
black bear
Release Date
December 4, 2020
Director
Lawrence Michael Levine
Cast
Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, Sarah Gadon
Runtime
106
Funny gal Aubrey Plaza and indie star Christopher Abbott take the audience on a wild ride in Black Bear. The film centers around Allison (Plaza) a filmmaker who stays with a young couple at their remote lakeside cabin in New York's Adirondack Mountains with the hope of finding inspiration for her next film there. The dynamic between the three is copasetic at first, but Alison soon realizes that something about the woods brings out her inner demons and soon the group is thrown into a calculated game of desire, jealousy, and manipulation. Their lives soon become convoluted in Alison's pursuit of art, which blurs the line between autobiography and invention.
The film is both darkly comedic and surprisingly thought-provoking, and completely worthy of your unbroken attention. There is a stark tonal and narrative shift in the middle of the film that you will absolutely want to devote your eyes and ears to as it only gets more interesting from there.
Stream on Paramount+
13
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Everything Everywhere All at Once
An Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world. Stephanie Hsu, Jenny Slate, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Michaelle Yeoh star.
Release Date
March 25, 2022
Director
Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Cast
Jenny Slate, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu
Rating
Rated R for some violence, sexual material, and language
Genres
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Read Our Review
The Daniel's Everything Everywhere All at Oncetook audiences by storm in 2022 and was an awards season darling following its successful release. EEAAO puts a unique spin on multiverse storytelling, and there is not a second of this 139-minute eccentric film that does not demand your dedicated attention. With the multiverse driving the story's narrative forward, it should come as no surprise that every detail of this film will require its viewer to remain focused.
The film follows an aging Chinese immigrant named Evelyn who is struggling to keep her failing laundromat business afloat while dealing with a husband who wants a divorce an adult daughter she can't relate to. She gets swept up in an insane adventure when a multiverse rift occurs during her meeting with an IRS auditor. She is then shown multiple parallel universes where she could have been a dozen different things and lead a dozen different lives that will help her gain the knowledge she needs to defeat an entity that threatens to bring each universe tumbling down.
EEAAO isn't necessarily difficult to follow as it's incredibly entertaining to watch, but there are so many hidden details and Easter eggs scattered throughout the multiverse that one can only catch if remaining completely focused on the film.
Stream on Showtime or Paramount+
12
Memento (2000)
Memento
Memento
Release Date
May 25, 2001
Director
Christopher Nolan
Cast
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Russ Fega, Jorja Fox, Stephen Tobolowsky
Rating
R
Genres
Thriller, Drama, Mystery
Christopher Nolan's breakthrough film, Memento, completely ignores a typical narrative structure by using two different timelines. One moves forward in time while the other moves backward in time.
It revolves around a man named Leonard (Guy Pearce) who can no longer build new memories, therefore forcing him to use sticky notes, polaroids, and tattoos to remember everything he wants or needs to remember. He is convinced that two men murdered his wife, and so he embarks on a quest to find and kill her attackers.
Since there are two simultaneous timelines that move opposite of each other, it can be tough to discern which events have already happened, which are currently happening, and which will happen. Leonard is also an unreliable narrator given his memory issues, so some events may not have happened the way he told himself to remember them, and some may not have happened at all. It's a movie that not only requires your full attention, but simply will not make a lick of sense if your mind is not thoroughly focused on it.
Stream on Prime Video or Tubi
11
Infinity Pool (2023)
Infinity Pool
Infinity Pool
Release Date
January 27, 2023
Director
Brandon Cronenberg
Cast
Alexander Skarsgard, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Thomas Kretschmann, Amanda Brugel
Rating
R
Main Genre
Horror
Read Our Review
Coming from the mind of David Cronenberg's son Brandon Cronenberg, it should be no surprise that Infinity Pool is a disturbing, hallucinogenic nightmare that you simply can't look away from. It also stars scream queen Mia Goth and master at playing unhinged characters Alexander Skarsgard, which should be an indication that this film is going to be a bizarre trip.
It follows married couple James (Skarsgard) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) who are staying at an isolated beach resort on the fictional island of La Tolqa to enjoy an idyllic vacation filled with exceptional service and beautiful views. When they meet mysterious Gabi (Goth) and her husband, James and Em venture off resort grounds with the couple and find themselves involved in a culture of violence and hedonism.
The film is deeply unsettling from the start, but after they venture off the resort property, it becomes a deranged and unnerving thrill ride. It is not afraid to throw its audience for a loop more than once, and it lets its characters run absolutely wild. It is so beyond strange and more than convoluted yet utterly entrancing that not paying attention is simply not an option.
Stream on Hulu
RELATED:
20 Movies Where Every Little Detail Matters
10
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Triangle of Sadness
Triangle of red.
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