Sure, everyone appreciates deep plots and attention to detail. After all, a good plot goes a long way in making a movie successful. The same is true with details and layers. People like to watch well-crafted films that make them think rather than spoon-feeding them everything. However, some films take it too far. These films weave complicated plots that escape the best of us and require multiple rewatches to understand and fully appreciate them. These films may have begun with the best of intentions, the makers might have sought a quality plot and an exceptional movie, but things take a different turn. Whether by accident or by deliberation, these movies turn out to be very complicated and have lots of deep – hidden meanings. We take a look at 5 such movies that you could only understand after watching them thrice.
1. Memento (2000)
This was director Christopher Nolan’s first major work. This is a simple story with a huge twist. A man seeks revenge for the murder of his wife and goes to look for her murderer. The only problem is that he suffers from a condition where he loses his immediate memory every so often, which makes his work very, very hard. Every time he sleeps or loses focus, his mind becomes blank, and has to re-figure everything. The movie adopts a novel approach and narrates the story backward. This film, as a result, is quite complicated and becomes clear only after several rewatches.
2. Fight Club (1999)
This is an all-time classic film, most of us have watched. There is a giant twist revealed in the end, and boy, does it change everything! Rewatching the film in light of the twist gives the film an entirely new meaning and is like watching a separate film altogether. The psychological aspects of the film are quite thought proving. Watching the dialogue between the two central characters in the light of the twist gives it its beauty. One has to think and brood over all that happens to completely appreciate the message of the film. It does not spoon-feed. This film makes you do the heavy lifting to understand it.
3. Shutter Island (2010)
This is one hell of a ride, once you give it a rewatch. Star-studded, this film is quite suspenseful and builds tension right up to the end when the twist is released. The film then needs to be rewatched in the light of the twist to understand it and appreciate it. This is one of the rare films for which a rewatch is almost compulsory. The acting performances were great, and the plot is amazing once you understand it!
4. Primer
Time travel films are complicated, and this one takes the complication to a whole new level. This is often described as the most complicated time travel ever made and is not easy to grasp. The dialogues in the film are fast-paced, and a lot is said and shown without any explanation. The film assumes a lot of knowledge and understanding on the part of the viewers and cares to explain nothing. Films like these often leave the viewers confused and out of touch. The central theme of the film appears to convey the message that time travel is bad and no one should attempt to do it. Fine, a meaningful premise, but the delivery is so complicated that the whole film is let down. Multiple rewatches are not a guaranteed way to understand this film, a lot has to be searched and even then the meaning of this film remains elusive.
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
We finally come to the last entry on this list. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is perhaps the greatest science fiction to be ever made. A film that is a regular fixture in the top films of all times charts. This film is about space exploration and mankind’s place in this universe. However, certain aspects of the plot are enigmatic and require many re-watches to fully grasp. This is especially the case with the ending of the film. Easily, the best film by Stanley Kubrick, it goes where other films don’t. Has given existential crisis to some and meaning to others. Some find it scary, while others find it beautiful. All in all, a mysterious, deep film that leaves one with a lot to think and ponder over.
