The Best Psychological Films Of The 21st Century

We present a short review dedicated to the best psychological films of the 21st century. There are many interesting aspects to how these films were written, shot and produced. Beyond the simple plot, the development of the facts and the growing up of the characters often makes them a starting point to analyze and touch some psychological states typical of the human being.

Some films concern his sentimental sphere, others the more emotional one, finally there is also room for pathologies and disorders that are deciphered and carefully captured by the directors.

Obviously, it would have been impossible to summarize in a single article all the psychological films made from 1891 until today. We therefore focused on those launched on the big screen in the most recent era.

So let’s see what they are and by doing so we are sure to give you some ideas to spend a pleasant evening in front of the TV.

The best 21st century psychological movies you need to know

One of the most interesting elements of psychological films, and which many productions have in common, is that  often not everything is said through images or words. Some of the most significant scenes of the films that we have included in this list are accompanied more by the atmosphere than by real developments of the plot.

Obviously, the play of lights, the gazes of the characters and certain movements of the camera, are fundamental to underline the psychological value of the images that flow on the screen.

These films, made since 2000, make people think and push the viewer to make an effort to interpret the spirit and behavior of the various protagonists. Good and evil often blend together, revealing a human nature that surprises and frightens. Breaking with the cultural and social clichés to which we are often nailed. We are not just talking about insanity, psychosis or delusions. But of small fractures that haunt the apparent normality of each of us.

If you are passionate about cinema and also about psychology, do not miss this short but interesting review. We invite you, of course, to comment on this list and also suggest other titles that, in your opinion, deserve to be mentioned.

1. Inception (2010) by Christopher Nolan

Inception is a film by the English director Christopher Nolan that cleverly introduces us to the dreams of some of its protagonists. In the cast stand out the names of actors of the caliber of Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page, among others.

Its psychological value does not lie only in the fact that it immerses the viewer in the world of the characters’ dreams. It also includes an invitation to reflect on the reasons that lead an individual to act based on the circumstances and on how difficult it can be to accept bereavement.

2. Mullholand Drive (2001) by David Lynch

It’s always hard to talk about a David Lynch movie. In this case, Mulholland Drive transports the audience into a nightmare Hollywood, asking each viewer a simple question: What happens when the dream turns to horror?

This film, starring Naomi Watts and Laura Harring, preserves all the psychological elements typical of David Lynch’s creative production.

The director does not tell a linear story, rather he seeks a constant ‘wake up’, always keeping the viewer in suspense. The film sows and alternates feelings of anxiety, sadness, fear, panic or tries to surprise through images, sounds, music, dialogues… It is as if you were trying to constantly play with the viewer’s mind.

3. If you leave me I will delete you (2004) by Michel Gondry

Masterfully starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet,  If You Leave Me I Erase You  is a tough and emotional film that offers an interesting mental game, in which the ingredients are love, memory and new technologies.

Does technology serve to alleviate the pains of love? Is it possible to overcome that intense phase of pain by eluding it, forgetting it? There is no answer to this question, but the solution offered is a possibility that is very unhuman.

It is always good to remember that even the worst of pain, however unbearable, precedes a slow but gradual healing process, which allows you to improve the way you adapt and face the world.

4. Boyhood (2014) by Richard Linklater among the best psychological films of the 21st century

Richard Linklater made a unique masterpiece in this film. He decided to film the life of a boy in his development for 12 years. He and his team have been documenting, day by day for over a decade, the life of a boy who goes from childhood to adolescence.

In the film it is possible to observe the evolution of a child who changes, grows, developing skills, talents, but also absorbing fears, fears. A long road with many psychological insights that, perhaps, help the viewer to look inside.

5. Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) by Wes Anderson

Perhaps some of you will be surprised to find this film among the best psychological films of the 21st century. But Wes Anderson is a brilliant director who knows how to play with characters in a masterly way. The Grand Budapest Hotel is proof of this .

Under the cover of a crazy comedy that takes place in a mountain hotel in the early 20th century, Anderson shows us the misery and greatness of every human being.

Friendship, loyalty, but also ambition, love, solidarity and meanness. Each feeling is masterfully represented on the frames of this work.

6. Lost in Translation (2003) by Sophia Coppola

A delightful film directed by Sophia Coppola and brilliantly starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. What happens when two lonely and sad souls get lost in a place far from home, where nothing binds them and no one understands them?

As with Lost in Translation , intergenerational love can arise that is difficult to understand. And in which passion takes on the traits of sharing and friendship.

7. Memento (2000) by Christopher Nolan to conclude the list of the best psychological films of the 21st century

We started with Christopher Nolan and we conclude with him our review dedicated to the best psychological films of the 21st century.

This film shot backwards, that is, from the end to the beginning, tells the story of a man who wants to avenge the death of his wife. However, he has lost his short-term memory due to an accident, so he forgets everything that happens to him, day by day. He writes notes, marks things to keep in mind, draws a psychological map in order to make his dream of revenge come true. Will he succeed?

As you have seen, the plots and characters of these psychological films are often very different from each other. If anything, what they have in common is the desire to motivate the viewer to think.

Through a skilful system of clues, intuitions and reasonings, sometimes subtle, they aim to play with the mind of the observer. Making him become the protagonist of the story they tell.