recommend films about weird relationships
April 10, 2013 1:16 PM   Subscribe

What are some good movies that straddle the line between character studies and psychological thrillers?
posted by timsneezed to Media & Arts (65 answers total) 35 users marked this as a favorite
 
The obvious, but a classic - Silence of the Lambs.
posted by emily37 at 1:18 PM on April 10, 2013


I am not at all kidding when I say First Blood (the first Rambo film; the movie called Rambo is First Blood 2) is a severely underrated film of this sort.
posted by griphus at 1:19 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Psycho.
posted by Melismata at 1:20 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Also: Falling Down.
posted by griphus at 1:21 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


The Spanish Prisoner
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 1:23 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Fatal Attraction for sure. Also Dangerous Liaisons.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:25 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Basic Instinct would be the classic of this genre, no? Also, Vanilla Sky.

Bust snarky derail: don't most modern romantic comedies with their stalker-like behavior and obsessions and deceptions have an element of psycho-thriller?
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 1:25 PM on April 10, 2013




Dead Ringers.
posted by Beardman at 1:26 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Sorry - I didn't notice the good movies. There's some cool things in Vanilla Sky, but not everyone's cup of tea.
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 1:26 PM on April 10, 2013


The Last Seduction.
The Opposite of Sex (more a comedy than a thriller)

Two of my favorites.
posted by Mchelly at 1:27 PM on April 10, 2013


Polanski's The Tenant.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:27 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Harold and Maude
posted by fivesavagepalms at 1:29 PM on April 10, 2013


The Conversation. It's about a man who wiretaps people for a living. He becomes obsessed with one of his recordings. It doesn't end well.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 1:33 PM on April 10, 2013 [7 favorites]


The Talented Mr Ripley is pretty much this.
posted by merocet at 1:43 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Notes on a Scandal
posted by snorkmaiden at 1:44 PM on April 10, 2013 [3 favorites]


The Korean film, A Tale of Two Sisters? It's got a bit of the horror flavor to it, but a lot of really uncomfortable family relationships.
posted by vetala at 1:44 PM on April 10, 2013


Response by poster: To clarify: I'm looking for movies that have eerie/weird elements but are more about the characters than the plot twists, so that would disqualify The Conversation and Psycho (both great films!). Good examples would be "La Ceremonie" or "Dead Ringers."
posted by timsneezed at 1:45 PM on April 10, 2013


You want Sound of My Voice. And your mention of "La Ceremonie" makes me think of "Funny Games," which I found to be reprehensible so I'm hesitating even to mention it.
posted by jbickers at 1:50 PM on April 10, 2013


What about Polanski's Repulsion?
posted by bcwinters at 1:52 PM on April 10, 2013


How about Bug?
posted by DingoMutt at 1:58 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


The Norwegian movie Next Door is very good and very creepy.
posted by Birchpear at 2:03 PM on April 10, 2013


Vertigo and Marnie. Maybe Chabrol's Le boucher.

Dogtooth.

If you're not averse to old B-movies, most of Val Lewton's horror productions are intensely psychological. Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie and The 7th Victim are three of the best.
posted by afx237vi at 2:06 PM on April 10, 2013


Before and After. Two parents deal with the effects when their son is accused of murdering his girlfriend.
posted by danceswithlight at 2:09 PM on April 10, 2013


The Machinist?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:18 PM on April 10, 2013 [3 favorites]


I LOVE these kinds of movies. I'm putting my recommendations into chronological order:
  • Surprising but true: Psycho 2. Yes, really. Actually shows us who Norman Bates is/was which is why I enjoyed it.
  • People think of Silence of the Lambs, and Red Dragon, but no one remembers the excellent forerunner to both, Manhunter. It is what the X-Files spinoff Millenium aspired to be (but then, the movie might have been even better with Lance Henrikson, too).
  • The original (do not, under any circumstances, confuse it with the remake!) Rutger Hauer version of The Hitcher.
  • If you like Glenn Close, instead of the better-known Fatal Attraction, try Jagged Edge.
  • Brilliantly bewildering, the classic Memento.
  • Just saw Johnny Depp in Secret Window again the other day.
  • And most recently, Dream House (underrated, in my opinion).

posted by misha at 2:29 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


The Talented Mr. Ripley.
posted by PussKillian at 2:42 PM on April 10, 2013


Treasure of the Sierra Madre?
posted by luckynerd at 3:25 PM on April 10, 2013


Lantana
posted by brujita at 3:54 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Let Me In.
posted by fshgrl at 3:58 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]




House of Games
Manhunter

If I may stray into TV series: Forbrydelsen

And books: Tana French; also, Ruth Rendell is tops for this
posted by tel3path at 4:22 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


I haven't seen your examples but maybe Hard Candy?
posted by CrazyLemonade at 4:30 PM on April 10, 2013


Primal Fear
posted by Kruger5 at 4:40 PM on April 10, 2013


The Vanishing (Spoorloos) is fantastic.
posted by dhammond at 4:54 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Eyes Wide Shut
Misery
posted by murfed13 at 4:54 PM on April 10, 2013


Dead Calm
posted by Dr. Zira at 5:14 PM on April 10, 2013


Rope?
posted by Ralston McTodd at 6:02 PM on April 10, 2013


Martha Marcy May Marlene
posted by 1367 at 7:02 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Insomnia

It is a Crime Drama, but to me the intriguing relationships are what makes it compelling.

I prefer the original to the American remake.
posted by 99percentfake at 7:15 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


May may be more horror than what you're looking for, but it's certainly in the realm.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 7:41 PM on April 10, 2013


American Psycho
posted by easy, lucky, free at 8:15 PM on April 10, 2013


Dark Harbor with Alan Rickman and Norman Reedus. Very good.

Angels and Insects and Close My Eyes deal with incest.

Apartment Zero with Colin Firth.
posted by Birchpear at 8:32 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Proof
Shallow Grave
posted by Birchpear at 8:35 PM on April 10, 2013


The super strange The Servant.
posted by Birchpear at 8:39 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Blow Up?
posted by mon-ma-tron at 8:40 PM on April 10, 2013


The Servant
The Tenant
Repulsion
Bitter Moon
Track 29
Let the Right One In
The Hitcher (ORIGINAL ONLY)
The Vanishing (ORIGINAL ONLY)
Memories of a Murder
The Pleasure of Being Robbed
In the Company of Men
The Business of Others
Toto the Hero
posted by Sticherbeast at 9:16 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


What Happened Was...
posted by Brody's chum at 9:20 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


48 comments in and no one has mentioned Blue Velvet?
posted by MaryDellamorte at 9:39 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


I like movies about writers, some of whom seem psychotic:

Naked Lunch
Total Eclipse
Henry and June
posted by rw at 9:53 PM on April 10, 2013


4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
- very hard to watch and very much about a relationship
posted by rw at 10:00 PM on April 10, 2013


La Fille Sur Le Pont is about a suicidal girl who becomes convinced to become part of a knife-throwing act. It's an odd romance.

Following, one of Christopher Nolan's earlier works, starts out with a guy who makes a hobby of following strangers secretly, but things escalate.
posted by segfault at 10:01 PM on April 10, 2013


Hitched.
posted by dubious_dude at 12:15 AM on April 11, 2013


Old Joy: "Two old pals reunite for a camping trip in Oregon's Cascade Mountains."

I would call this "uncomfortable", rather than eerie/weird, but it still might be what you're looking for.

Great question—I'll be adding many of these to my movie queue.
posted by she's not there at 1:36 AM on April 11, 2013


Music of Chance with James Spader.
Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane with Jodie Foster.
Secret Window with Johnny Depp.
Alone With Her with Colin Hanks.
Lolita - Stanley Kubrick version - more comedy than scary.
Manchurian Candidate
Strangers on a Train

Talented Mr. Ripley was mentioned, but there are other very good movies made from Patricia Highsmith novels:

The Cry of the Owl with Julia Stiles and Paddy Considine.

Ripley's Game with John Malkovich.

Purple Noon with Alain Delon, which is an earlier version of Talented Mr. Ripley.

Ripley Underground with Barry Pepper.
posted by Birchpear at 3:11 AM on April 11, 2013


The Minus Man with Owen Wilson.
posted by Birchpear at 3:14 AM on April 11, 2013


Notes on a Scandal
Let Me In (the original Swedish movie "Let the Right One In" is even better)
Romper Stomper (link to full movie - warning: extremely racist)
Synecdoche, New York (not really a thriller, but a serious mindfuck)
posted by h00py at 4:41 AM on April 11, 2013


Seconds
The Fourth Man
The Birthday Party (1968 film)
Bug
The Quiller Memorandum (otherwise typical spy movie, but with pungent, elliptical Pinter dialog. Imagine that it's a dream you're having)
Terribly Happy
The Deep End
A Simple Plan
One Hour Photo
Red (Lucky McKee film)
May
Capturing the Friedmans (documentary, but don't let that stop you)
No Man's Land (not sure if this qualifies, but it's a Beckettsian dark comedy set in the Bosnian War. It's a really, really, really good movie either way)
Possession (1981 film)
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:49 AM on April 11, 2013


Eraserhead- It blurs the line between character study and psychological thriller.
Magic - Dead Ringers - with a dummy.
posted by Gungho at 6:54 AM on April 11, 2013


The Piano Teacher. I couldn't finish it, but YMMV.
posted by seemoreglass at 7:23 AM on April 11, 2013


Damage?
posted by bendy at 1:20 PM on April 11, 2013 [1 favorite]


Heavenly Creatures
posted by Tarumba at 4:33 PM on April 11, 2013


Safe
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 6:54 PM on April 11, 2013


By the way, if you're looking for something to read, try Yoko Ogawa.
posted by snorkmaiden at 8:08 AM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


Ingmar Bergman's Persona
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 9:06 PM on April 15, 2013


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