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Donnie Darko poster

Movies that feel likeDonnie Darko (2001)

After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.

If you loved Donnie Darko, the closest films we have are Ugetsu (1953), K-PAX (2001) and Mirage (2018). All three share Donnie Darko's dreamlike and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Five Venoms (1978).

🍅 88% Rotten Tomatoes★ 8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Richard Kellydreamlikecontemplativetwisty
7 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

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If Donnie Darko hit the spot, these will too

Ugetsu poster
Ugetsu
1953 · dir. Kenji Mizoguchi
🍅 100%★ 8.1fantasy · drama · mysteryMax

Dreamlike where it counts, contemplative underneath

The difference: 48 years apart, and the 1950s show

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.

K-PAX poster
K-PAX
2001 · dir. Iain Softley
🍅 41%★ 7.4science fiction · drama · mystery

Is he ill or is he right — a delusion that might be the truth

The difference: Warmer and tidier — the ambiguity gets a comforting sheen

Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.

Mirage poster
Mirage
2018 · dir. Oriol Paulo
★ 7.4thriller · drama · mysteryNetflix

Twisty fantasy, and it commits to that

The difference: Leans harder into thriller than Donnie Darko does

During a mysterious thunderstorm, Vera, a young mother, manages to save a life in danger, but her good deed causes a disturbing chain of unexpected consequences.

The Return poster
The Return
2003 · dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev
★ 7.9drama · mystery

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

The difference: Takes it somewhere less dreamlike than Donnie Darko does

Two young brothers in contemporary Russia are reunited with a father they know only from an old photograph after his sudden return from a long absence. With their mother’s reluctant consent, they set out on a remote trip that quickly becomes an uneasy test of authority, trust, and masculinity. As the journey moves deeper into the wilderness, the fragile bonds between father and sons are pushed to their limits.

The Five Venoms poster
The Five Venoms
1978 · dir. Chang Cheh
🍅 80%★ 7action · drama · mystery

Dreamlike mystery in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to action than Donnie Darko does

A dying master sends his last student to check up on five former pupils, who each know a special style of kung-fu.

Innocence poster
Innocence
2005 · dir. Lucile Hadžihalilović
🍅 71%★ 6.8drama · mystery

Both lean on twists more than on drama

At a peculiar all-girls academy, new arrivals, including Iris, are delivered in coffins. Guided by enigmatic teachers, the students dance through enchanted woods by day, while the night unveils sinister lessons that blur innocence and awakening.

After Life poster
After Life
1999 · dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
🍅 88%★ 7.6fantasy · drama

Common ground: airplane

On a cold Monday morning, a group of counselors clock in at an old-fashioned social services office. Their task is to interview the recently deceased, record their personal details, then, over the course of the week, assist them in choosing a single memory to keep for eternity.

Winter's Bone poster
Winter's Bone
2010 · dir. Debra Granik
🍅 94%★ 7.1drama · mysteryPrime Video

Mystery built on stillness, twice over

After discovering her father put their house up for his bail bond and then disappeared, 17-year-old Ree Dolly must confront the local criminal underworld and the harsh Ozark wilderness in order to to track down her father and save her family.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus poster
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
2009 · dir. Terry Gilliam
🍅 63%★ 6.7adventure · fantasy · mystery

Fantasy with a pulse of dream logic, in both cases

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

After a carnival troupe saves his life, a man agrees to help its immortal leader collect five souls and win a bet with the devil.

Finding Neverland poster
Finding Neverland
2004 · dir. Marc Forster
🍅 83%★ 7.6drama · fantasyRent or buy

Imagination bleeding into life until you stop separating them

The difference: Wistful and safe — no dread, no countdown, no menace

During a writing slump, playwright J.M. Barrie meets a widow and her four children, all young boys—who soon become an important part of Barrie’s life and the inspiration that lead him to create his masterpiece. Peter Pan.

Burning poster
Burning
2018 · dir. Lee Chang-dong
🍅 95%★ 7.4mystery · drama · thrillerRent or buy

One thread runs through both: melancholy

Deliveryman Jong-su is out on a job when he runs into Hae-mi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood. She asks if he'd mind looking after her cat while she's away on a trip to Africa. On her return, she introduces to Jong-su an enigmatic young man named Ben, who she met during her trip. One day Ben tells Jong-su about his most unusual hobby.

Blow-Up poster
Blow-Up
1966 · dir. Michelangelo Antonioni
🍅 87%★ 7.4drama · mystery · thriller

Twisty drama, and it commits to that

A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he unknowingly captures a death on film.

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The best-reviewed films that share Donnie Darko’s defining feeling.