Best Surreal
Mulholland Drive is a surrealist psychological thriller directed by David Lynch, released in 2001. Initially conceived as a television pilot, the project was reworked into a feature film following a complex, non-linear narrative structure. The story explores the dark underbelly of Hollywood through...
René Magritte's 'The Treachery of Images' (La Trahison des Images), featuring a meticulously rendered pipe accompanied by the phrase 'Ceci n'est pas une pipe' ('This is not a pipe'), is a cornerstone of surrealist conceptualism. The work challenges the relationship between language, representation,...
Twin Peaks: The Return is an 18-episode limited series that aired on Showtime in 2017, continuing the narrative of the 1990s cult television series. Original creators David Lynch and Mark Frost reunited to write and produce the season, with Lynch directing every episode. The story follows FBI Agent...
Twin Peaks is an American television series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost that initially aired on ABC from 1990 to 1991. The show blends elements of mystery, horror, and surrealism, following the investigation into the murder of a young woman in the town of Twin Peaks. A third season was sub...
Premiering on ABC in 1990, "Twin Peaks" is an American television series co-created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The narrative follows FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper as he investigates the bizarre murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer in a fictional Washington logging town. The show is distinguis...
Monty Python's Flying Circus revolutionized comedy with its surreal sketches, non-sequitur humor, and deliberate subversion of narrative conventions. The show's embrace of the illogical and its willingness to challenge societal norms directly reflects absurdist principles. Its influence on subsequen...
The 1960 French film explores the story of a surgeon’s obsessive efforts to reconstruct his daughter's appearance after a traumatic accident. Pierre Brasseur stars as the plastic surgeon, alongside Alida Valli and others, in a narrative centered on a complex face transplant procedure. The work is ba...
The Incal is a complex science fiction graphic novel created by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Mœbius. It presents a surreal narrative centered on John DiFool, a detective tasked with investigating impossible events across a vast, decaying universe. The work’s intricate symbolism and challenging structure...
The Eric Andre Show is an American sketch comedy series created by Eric André and initially broadcast on Adult Swim. Hannibal Buress co-hosted the show’s early episodes alongside André, with subsequent collaborations featuring Blannibal. Kitao Sakurai and Andrew Barchilon have directed all installme...
'The Act of Killing' is a deeply unsettling and innovative documentary that confronts perpetrators of the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-68. By asking them to recreate their crimes as if they were making a movie, director Joshua Oppenheimer forces them to confront their actions in a surreal and di...
'Brazil' is a 1985 British dystopian black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. Set in a retro-futuristic, hyper-bureaucratic society, the narrative follows Sam Lowry, a low-level government employee who attempts to correct an administrative error that led to an innocent man's arrest. The film is...
'The Goon Show' was a British radio comedy program broadcast on the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960. It was primarily written by Spike Milligan and featured an ensemble cast that included Milligan, Peter Sellers, and Harry Secombe. The show's narrative structure abandoned logical plot progression...
Charlie Kaufman's 2004 masterpiece is a poignant and surreal exploration of love, loss, and memory. Jim Carrey delivers a career-defining performance as a man undergoing a procedure to erase memories of his ex-girlfriend, played brilliantly by Kate Winslet. The film's non-linear narrative and dreaml...
“The Arrival” is a contemporary graphic novel by Shaun Tan exploring themes of migration and displacement. Through meticulously crafted, wordless illustrations, it presents a surreal journey of an unnamed man’s experience as he encounters a bewildering new environment. The narrative invites contempl...
Blue Velvet is a 1986 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written and directed by David Lynch. The plot follows a young college student, played by Kyle MacLachlan, who discovers a severed human ear in his idyllic hometown and becomes entangled in a dark criminal underworld. The film co-stars Den...
Eddie Izzard’s “Dress to Kill” is a groundbreaking 1990s HBO stand-up special featuring the British comedian at the height of her surreal and energetic performances. Izzard's rapid-fire delivery and absurdist humor established her unique style, influencing countless comedians. The special showcases...
“Dimensions of Dialogue” is a surreal stop-motion film created by Czech artist Jan Švankmajer in 1982. The short work utilizes meticulously crafted clay figures and unsettling imagery to explore themes of communication and absurdity. It’s notable for its distinctive visual style and philosophical de...
Holy Motors depicts a man, Mr. Oscar, portrayed by Denis Lavant, who transitions through numerous roles and costumes throughout a single day in Paris. He undertakes these performances without any observers or recording devices. The film was presented at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival as a surrealist...
Nichijou presents a collection of Japanese animated episodes focusing on ordinary yet remarkably bizarre daily life situations. The series’ notable humor stems from its surreal and absurd scenarios featuring relatable characters navigating everyday experiences with unexpected twists. It is primarily...
Susanna Clarke’s *Piranesi* presents a compelling mystery centered on a solitary man living within an immense, interconnected house filled with tides and statues. The novel explores themes of memory, identity, and perception through its surreal setting. It is notable for its intricate world-building...
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a 2024 puzzle-adventure game developed by the Swedish studio Simogo. The game follows a woman navigating a mysterious, centuries-old European hotel that functions as a massive, interconnected logic puzzle. Players must solve mathematical riddles, uncover hidden passages...
The Brothers Quay’s *Street of Crocodiles* is a haunting 1986 stop-motion film exploring themes of decay and distorted childhood. Constructed entirely from puppets and meticulously crafted sets, it presents a surreal narrative characterized by unsettling imagery and rhythmic animation. The film's no...
Manuel Álvarez Bravo is a prominent 20th-century photographer known for his distinctive style blending Mexican street photography with surrealist influences. His work, produced primarily from the 1920s, offers a unique perspective on postrevolutionary Mexico and its cultural landscape. He is particu...
Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” music video is a notable introduction to her distinctive artistic style. The video utilizes unsettling imagery and absurdist humor to create a surreal narrative centered around a rebellious school figure. Its innovative approach to pop music videos gained significant attent...
Brazil is a cinematic drama set in a bleak 1980s future. The film explores a society suffocated by relentless bureaucracy and intrusive technology. It utilizes surreal imagery and psychological suspense to critique unchecked power structures and their impact on individual lives. Primarily for viewer...
Philippe Halsman was a prominent Latvian-American photographer known for his innovative and often surprising staged photographs. His work, particularly the "Jump Book," demonstrated a unique ability to capture spontaneous movement and emotion within carefully constructed scenes featuring celebrities...
“Porky in Wackyland” showcases Warner Bros.’ innovative animation style from 1938. Bob Clampett’s short film is notable for its wildly surreal and chaotic visuals, a significant departure from typical cartoon narratives. The piece features Porky Pig navigating a distorted landscape populated by biza...
Goodnight Punpun is a manga series by Inio Asano that presents a bleak and intensely personal narrative about a troubled teenager’s descent into despair. The work utilizes surreal imagery and atmospheric storytelling to explore themes of depression, familial dysfunction, and the challenges of adoles...
Last Year at Marienbad is a 1961 French film directed by Alain Resnais and written by Alain Robbe-Grillet. The movie is categorized as an avant-garde psychological drama, exploring themes within a narrative structure. It was initially released in the United Kingdom under the title Last Year in Marie...
The Fish-Slapping Dance is a brief comedy sketch from the 1972 British television series Monty Python's Flying Circus. The sequence features Michael Palin and John Cleese standing on a canal lock, wearing traditional British rural dress. Palin rhythmically strikes Cleese with two small fish, after w...
