r/TrueFilm • u/purelyinvesting • 12d ago
Seeking Lesser-Known Sci-Fi Films with Thought-Provoking Themes
I'm seeking recommendations for lesser-known science fiction films that delve into profound themes and offer more than just special effects. While classics like Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey are well-known, I'm interested in exploring underrated gems that provoke deep thought. Films like Coherence and Primer have intrigued me with their complex narratives. Any suggestions for other mind-challenging sci-fi movies?
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u/mormonbatman_ 12d ago
underrated gems that provoke deep thought
1)
Noah Hutton wrote and directed a movie called Lapsis.
It is set 5 years in the future after a kind of economic singularity that relegates most people working gig jobs to get by.
A venture capital firm is paying people to lay cable through a national/state park to shave milliseconds off transaction times. The trick is that it offers competing bids for the same route and only pays the first person who completes.
Our protagonist buys a black market license and uncovers a vast conspiracy. I like the themes. I like the characters. I love that they don't look/sound/act like protagonists in movies.
2)
Andrew Patterson wrote and directed a movie called Vast of night.
It is set in the 1950's. A telephone switchboard operator and a radio dj investigate a signal that might be a UFO.
It features one of the most exciting tracking shots I've ever seen. Its stunning and alive.
3)
Charlie McDowell wrote and directed a movie called the Discovery.
It is set several years after an America scientist claimed to have found proof of an afterlife. He has announced something new which leads his estranged son to reconnect with him. His son and a woman who is drawn to the scientist's claims investigate his claims.
It makes an irresistible thematic argument and features one of the greatest "meet cutes" I've ever seen.
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u/overproofmonk 12d ago
Lapsis was the very first film that came to my mind for this post's questions as well!
Saw it when it first came out, and thought it was just the greatest blend of kooky premise-meets-economic fortunetelling
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u/No-Control3350 12d ago
Well Solaris is the obvious one. Both of them! Yes the original Soviet version is the way to go; but after all these years I still remember things about Soderbergh's version, like Gordon's visitor and "death shall have no dominion."
In both of them though, it really is a fascinating principle that I can't think to describe other than "The Solaris theory." Which is, would you want the person you missed most of all brought back to you, if it had the monkey's paw catch that they would only act how you interpret them to be? So if I were on Solaris my mother and my ex would both be back, acting deranged and hot/cold and eventually abandoning me, because that's what I think they'd do. What a torturous philosophical problem; what a truly unique idea. Try it, it's just what you're looking for.
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u/Comedicrat 12d ago
LOVED Solaris when I saw it in college in my university’s theater. I went back to my dorm and immediately watched it again the same night on my laptop.
If I’m remembering correctly a lot of the emotional and philosophical elements in the film were a sort of response to its contemporary, 2001, which in characteristic Kubrick style, has stunning visuals and intricately planned cinematography but also a borderline contempt for humanity. Hell, the most emotional and human character of 2001 is HAL. Solaris paints with a much more anthropocentric brush which touched me on a deeper level.
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u/18AndresS 12d ago edited 12d ago
Hard to be a God. It’s russian film about some scientists sent to another planet that’s in their medieval phase. It’s based on a book written by the Guys who wrote Stalker (1979), so you know its hard hitting, philosophically challenging sci fi. I really recommend it, there nothing quite like it.
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u/FloridaFlamingoGirl 12d ago
After Yang. It's a slice of life drama about a family who treats an android like one of their children. When the android loses its consciousness, it becomes a poignant commentary on memories and how the mundane can matter most. Amazing effort from Kogonada with a memorable performance from Colin Farrell.
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u/inkstink420 12d ago
World on a Wire - A two part German mini-series from 1973. A big influence for the Matrix, it’s about a technology institute that has a supercomputer that runs a simulation of the real world with a couple thousand “identity units”, which are simulated humans with simulated consciousnesses. I watched both parts at once which was a total of about 3.5 hours which was a lot to take in at once, I would definitely recommend watching it one part at a time.
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u/syndic_shevek 12d ago
Sleep Dealer (2008) deals with economic migration, remote work, drone warfare, and the interface of bodies with digital environments. It feels kind of like an early iteration of a Black Mirror episode, and makes a nice double feature with Bacurau (2019).
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u/SugarFolk 12d ago
If you liked Primer you might also enjoy Upstream Color (2013) by the same director. Compared to Primer I'd say it's more emotionally driven and abstract. It has themes of loss of identity and the illusion of control.
The Ugly Swans (2006) - based on a novel by the Strugatskys. Explores the tension between enlightenment and authoritarianism, and the fear of evolution beyond human understanding.
Aniara (2018) - based on an epic poem by Harry Martinson. Exploring ways humans respond to inevitable extinction and existential despair.
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u/joshbudde 12d ago
It's not an aggressively complicated think piece but I really enjoy 'Europa Report'. It didn't get a big release in the US, but I saw it in an art house theater and really liked it. Its more in the hard-ish sci-fi genre.
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u/RightSaidKevin 12d ago
Liquid Sky (1982)
An alien species that feeds on the chemicals released by the human brain during drug use and orgasm invades the 80s New York punk subculture. Very unique and enthralling, an investigation of rape, violence, drugs, and AIDS in the era, crazy MIDI soundtrack, looks incredible.
Tekkonkinkreet (2006)
Two young boys survive in a neighborhood bought by a megacorporation. The animation on this looks like nothing else, I promise. Expressionist, wildly detailed, surreal, violent, and frenetic.
Coherence (2013)
A great little microbudget sci-fi that is totally mindbending without ever leaving the setting of a typical suburban home. Also has a great production story, though I'd go in on this one as blind as possible. Warning: This bad boy is incredibly bleak, so be ready.
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u/FemmePotenza 12d ago
The Lathe of Heaven from 1980 is based on a novel by famed sci-fi author Ursula K. Le Guin. It's hard-to-find, but worth it if you're looking for a cerebral meditation on consciousness, ethics and a range of other topics. While very low-budget, it has a compelling style and won numerous awards and critical acclaim.
https://archive.org/details/the-lathe-of-heaven-1980
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u/Chemical-Ninja604 12d ago
The Endless and other movies in the Endless universe. I think there’s one preceding it actually called The Resolution but I watched The Endless first and it still made sense. So o don’t think the order is important.
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u/SugarFolk 11d ago
+1 for The Endless. It's one of my favourite movies and I haven't even seen The Resolution.
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u/Chemical-Ninja604 11d ago
You should! Let me know if you like it too. If you still remember The Endless there will be some nice surprises.
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u/no_one_canoe 12d ago
In the Dust of the Stars is kind of a Soviet bloc Star Trek. Mostly an East German production, but with Romanian, Czech, and Polish actors as well as German. As in Hard to Be a God (and a lot of Star Trek stories) there’s tension between a directive not to interfere with other societies’ natural development and the characters’ emotional response to injustice—here, the prime directive is explicitly Marxist.
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u/wesevans 12d ago
Two of my favorites that are very drama focused and don't overindulge in the sci-fi elements so as to focus more on the ramifications of the setup: Never Let Me Go, and Perfect Sense.
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u/Morozow 12d ago
Kin-dza-dza! is a Soviet two—part tragicomedy in the genre of fantasy dystopia, directed by Georgy Danelia at Mosfilm in 1986.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin-dza-dza!
This film has been quoted. And they continue to argue about it now.
"When I was 15, I didn't understand this movie and couldn't watch it. At 20, I was already watching with pleasure and laughing. At 25, he quoted from memory and revised it to suit his mood. Now I'm under 40, I don't laugh anymore..."
It was one of their popular comments on YouTube.
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u/discodropper 11d ago
I highly recommend a double-feature of Chris Marker’s La Jétee and Terry Gilliam’s borderline remake, Twelve Monkeys. The latter is pretty mainstream, but the former is very niche. Both are great for totally different reasons. Time travel, post-apocalypse, techno-fascism, existential questions and romance — what more could you want! I suggest watching the “remake” first.
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u/PinballWizard1921 11d ago
K-PAX with Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. Not your conventional sci-fi movie, maybe more of a play adapted to the big screen, i wouldn’t know but it felt like that. Anyway, it was extremely thought provoking and I remember being really impressed by it. I still recommend it to this day, even though I’m not sure if it’s still relevant
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u/Wegnostic 10d ago
I loved this movie in my teenage years. Fun fact: Banana scene was repeated like 15 times on set. He really ate it like this 15 times
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u/GreenpointKuma 12d ago
A few that haven't been mentioned yet:
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
The Whispering Star (2015)
La Jétee (1962)
August in the Water (1995)
Je t'aime, je t'aime (1968)
Memoria (2021)
Ikarie XB 1 (1963)
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u/discodropper 11d ago edited 11d ago
La Jétee is absolutely incredible. Terry Gilliam’s “remake” Twelve Monkeys doesn’t reach the same heights, but it’s much more palatable for mainstream audiences and also very good. Recently did a double feature with Twelve monkeys first; was a lot of fun.
Since you mention Ghost in the Shell, other anime on the same level is Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo and Paprika and Perfect Blue by Satoshi Kon (though Perfect Blue may be more psychological horror than sci-fi). Those are pretty much the “must see” anime of that era.
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u/morroIan 12d ago edited 12d ago
On The Silver Globe by Zulawski is almost a masterpiece, done very much in the same style as his more well known film Possession.
There's also Tarkovsky's 2 science fiction films, Solaris and Stalker. And Godard's Alphaville is one of my favourite of his films.
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u/Wegnostic 10d ago
Memoria by Apichaptong although the sci fi aspect is very subtle and the movie is a bit too inspired which comes a little bullshity, like fake spiritualised in contrary to his previous movies. But definitely an interesting film
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u/vylliki 10d ago edited 10d ago
Prospect from 2018 is one of my favorite recent sci-fi. It's a real sleeper, very suprised it didn't get more distribution among sci-fi fans. Father & daughter pay/rent a craft to land and prospect on an alien planet with a low-oxygen atmosphere & scattering bands of people living in poor conditions. Pedro Pascal is one of the leads. Prospect trailer
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u/ZaireekaFuzz 12d ago
Maybe try Andrzej Żuławski's On the Silver Globe. The movie is very ambitious and tackles a fair number of different themes, some of them I've rarely seen tackled before in a movie. Also, the ambitions extend to the fractured narrative style and visuals that are super unique, bizarre and sometimes even terrifying. The movie is not for everyone, but it's such a mindblowing experience that I always recommend it to those looking for more out-there sci-fi.