Sightlines · a concept

mind game film

Elsaesser (2009) — puzzle/unreliable-narration films breaking the "films don't lie" contract.

On screen: reality-destabilizing twists, reward re-viewing.

64 films in the collection register this concept · in the glossary

Across the collection

Rashomon1950The Manchurian Candidate1962Sleuth1972The Sting1973The Tenant1976House of Games1987Total Recall1990The Player1992The Usual Suspects1995Twelve Monkeys1995Primal Fear1996Funny Games1997Open Your Eyes1997The Game1997Pi1998Run Lola Run1998Fight Club1999Following1999The Sixth Sense1999eXistenZ1999American Psycho2000Joint Security Area2000Memento2000A Beautiful Mind2001Donnie Darko2001Mulholland Drive2001The Others2001Vanilla Sky200124 Hour Party People2002The Ring200221 Grams2003A Tale of Two Sisters2003Identity2003Oldboy2003Runaway Jury2003The Machinist2004Inside Man2006The Illusionist2006The Prestige2006Black Swan2010Inception2010Shutter Island2010Source Code2011The Adjustment Bureau2011Oblivion2013Edge of Tomorrow2014Enemy2014Ex Machina2015The Handmaiden2016The Wailing2016Atomic Blonde2017Forgotten2017Get Out2017I, Tonya2017Memoir of a Murderer2017Joker2019Us2019Tenet2020Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery2022The Outfit2022Monster2023Strange Darling2024Bugonia2025Weapons2025