Deep Movies & Television
by alexajohnston22 | created - 13 Aug 2015 | updated - 31 Oct 2017 | PublicMovies that speak to me on maybe a higher wavelength than the average silly romance comedy. Some futuristic, some dealing with reincarnation, others a great story representing the human race.
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1. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 987,360 | Gross: $170.74M
Love a good plot twist.
2. American Horror Story (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
An anthology series centering on different characters and locations, showcasing different aspects of horror.
Stars: Lady Gaga, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson
Votes: 344,066
Season 7 is bumping but Asylum was also pretty good'
3. Atypical (2017–2021)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
Sam, an 18-year-old on the autism spectrum, decides it's time to find a girlfriend, which sets Sam's mom on her own life-changing path as her son seeks more independence.
Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Keir Gilchrist, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Michael Rapaport
Votes: 103,579
The life of a boy with autism. Is extremely enlightening.
4. Black Mirror (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Featuring stand-alone dramas -- sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia -- "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" with stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world.
Stars: Wunmi Mosaku, Monica Dolan, Daniel Lapaine, Hannah John-Kamen
Votes: 640,433
These are so fascinating with the best one being the San Junipero episode.
5. Cloud Atlas (2012)
R | 172 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.
Directors: Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 374,482 | Gross: $27.11M
If you like a movie that is bound to confuse you throughout the entire film this one is a great one to choose. The ending is what drew me into it so much it was so beautiful and poetic.
6. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friend", escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge.
Director: Kevin Reynolds | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Christopher Adamson, JB Blanc
Votes: 148,523 | Gross: $54.23M
I just can't stop watching this one. It never gets old. Dealing with revenge or forgiving.
7. Fight Club (1999)
R | 139 min | Drama
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier
Votes: 2,325,306 | Gross: $37.03M
8. The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
TV-MA | 97 min | Comedy, Drama
A man suffering a family loss enrolls in a class about care-giving that changes his perspective on life.
Director: Rob Burnett | Stars: Craig Roberts, Paul Rudd, Selena Gomez, Alex Huff
Votes: 79,778
So freaking cute and enlightening with some humor added in.
9. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
R | 127 min | Biography, Drama
A directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 211,440 | Gross: $28.87M
Anything with a mental institution draws me in right away, and well there is also Wynona Ryder so....
10. The Girl on the Train (2016)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.
Director: Tate Taylor | Stars: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux
Votes: 199,453 | Gross: $75.40M
This isn't getting as high ratings as I would have imagined. Emily Blunt completely excelled at portraying Rachel. I didn't read the book, which is how I like to go into movies: i.e. not knowing what's going to happen. And so it was a definite plot twist to me. The negative being I hated the character of Anna throughout the entire film.
11. The Giver (2014)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
In a seemingly perfect community without war, pain, suffering, differences or choices, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man, the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.
Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Taylor Swift
Votes: 125,656 | Gross: $45.09M
I gotta admit I liked it better than the original
12. Gone Girl (2014)
R | 149 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry
Votes: 1,067,876 | Gross: $167.77M
The deep lives of a sick couple with plot twist.
13. The Good Place (2016–2020)
TV-PG | 1,303 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Four people and their otherworldly frienemy struggle in the afterlife to define what it means to be good.
Stars: Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D'Arcy Carden
Votes: 189,518
A very silly show that kept me enthralled thoughout and incorporated its own plot twist to it.
14. Happy End?! (2014)
Not Rated | 86 min | Drama, Romance
When Hema, dies in a hospice for the dying, Lucca and Valerie go on a road trip to steal her ashes, and bury her in her favorite place. They find friends and love along the way, but not all stories have a hayyp end.
Director: Petra Clever | Stars: Sinha Melina Gierke, Verena Wüstkamp, Madlen Kaniuth, Sascha Tschorn
Votes: 222
This here is an indie lesbian film, but it's much deeper than just that. It's about an adventure and accepting the wishes of the dead.
15. The Imitation Game (2014)
PG-13 | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
During World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.
Director: Morten Tyldum | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech
Votes: 825,337 | Gross: $91.13M
16. Inception (2010)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
Votes: 2,552,132 | Gross: $292.58M
A dream within a dream within a dream - pretty deep stuff.
17. Interstellar (2014)
PG-13 | 169 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy
Votes: 2,101,772 | Gross: $188.02M
A film that deals with quantum physics without making it too confusing draws me in right away. It's a little weird, but in the end it's kind of like an ah ha moment.
18. Life of Pi (2012)
PG | 127 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu
Votes: 667,055 | Gross: $124.99M
More in-depth than I originally planned, and that's what makes it so great.
19. Looper (2012)
R | 119 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination.
Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano
Votes: 603,120 | Gross: $66.49M
This one is mind boggling and terrifically written. Probably in my top 3 all time favorites.
20. Midnight in Paris (2011)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Kurt Fuller
Votes: 449,986 | Gross: $56.82M
Surrealism and writing is my life, so a film that incorporates both is a must see in my eye. Not a big fan of Owen Wilson, but nonetheless it's still a great watch.
21. Mindhunter (2017–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In the late 1970s, two FBI agents broaden the realm of criminal science by investigating the psychology behind murder and end up getting too close to real-life monsters.
Stars: Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, Hannah Gross
Votes: 336,260
This here is fantastic beyond belief. Takes a look at understanding psychopaths (serial killers behaviors) through interviews with the Behavioral Unit of the FBI.
22. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
PG-13 | 127 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
When Jacob (Asa Butterfield) discovers clues to a mystery that stretches across time, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the danger deepens after he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench
Votes: 188,664 | Gross: $87.24M
It's sort of a confusing movie such as Inception but on a more kid level, if that makes sense.
23. The Monuments Men (2014)
PG-13 | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, War
An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from German thieves and return them to their owners.
Director: George Clooney | Stars: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett
Votes: 141,236 | Gross: $78.03M
24. Mr. Nobody (2009)
R | 141 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A boy stands on a station platform as a train is about to leave. Should he go with his mother or stay with his father? Infinite possibilities arise from this decision. As long as he doesn't choose, anything is possible.
Director: Jaco Van Dormael | Stars: Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger, Linh-Dan Pham
Votes: 245,895 | Gross: $0.00M
25. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama
Charlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.
Director: Stephen Chbosky | Stars: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd
Votes: 548,210 | Gross: $17.74M
Probably never related to the main character as much before.
26. Pulp Fiction (1994)
R | 154 min | Crime, Drama
The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
Votes: 2,221,425 | Gross: $107.93M
Top 5: so freaking good and it has a nice plot twist and a few conspiracies to go along with.
27. Rick and Morty (2013– )
TV-MA | 23 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
The fractured domestic lives of a nihilistic mad scientist and his anxious grandson are further complicated by their inter-dimensional misadventures.
Stars: Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke, Justin Roiland
Votes: 601,938
Interesting one to include, but holy moly it's pretty fantastic and has the potential to be deep.
28. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)
R | 101 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. Accompanying him is a neighbor who inadvertently puts a wrench in his plan.
Director: Lorene Scafaria | Stars: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Melanie Lynskey, Patton Oswalt
Votes: 118,799 | Gross: $6.62M
29. Self/less (2015)
PG-13 | 117 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A dying real estate mogul transfers his consciousness into a healthy young body, but soon finds that neither the procedure nor the company that performed it are quite what they seem.
Director: Tarsem Singh | Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Natalie Martinez, Matthew Goode, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 103,956 | Gross: $12.28M
Dying is scary, so if you have the money, who wouldn't want an extra shot at being young again? However, it has it's drawbacks, which you see in the film. The lead character's dynamic changing of character and acceptance of death makes it worth the watch.
30. Seven Pounds (2008)
PG-13 | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A man with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.
Director: Gabriele Muccino | Stars: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Ealy
Votes: 315,270 | Gross: $69.95M
Will Smith is phenomenal. Tears were pouring down my cheeks like crazy. The film itself was a sad but very heartwarming production.
31. Shutter Island (2010)
R | 138 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 1,457,626 | Gross: $128.01M
Another confusing piece that you have to really pay attention to or else you will be lost.
32. The Sixth Sense (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Votes: 1,051,755 | Gross: $293.51M
33. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.
Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan | Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor
Votes: 878,020 | Gross: $141.32M
A romance yes, although that's not what it's entirely centered around. It deals with the growing up in India of a young boy and how he survives.
34. Split (IX) (2016)
PG-13 | 117 min | Horror, Thriller
Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula
Votes: 554,400 | Gross: $138.29M
Starts off very interesting but gets a little weird at the end.
35. Still Alice (2014)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama
A linguistics professor and her family find their bonds tested when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
Directors: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland | Stars: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth
Votes: 143,526 | Gross: $18.75M
Julianne Moore is a goddess. In this movie she suffers from Alzheimer's, but the portrayal of her character and how her and her family handle it makes it a good watch. The speech she gives is one I've listened to many times now as it's very inspirational.
36. The Truman Show (1998)
PG | 103 min | Comedy, Drama
An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich
Votes: 1,197,141 | Gross: $125.62M
A nice heartwarming but silly film in this listing. Yet it has a nice twist to it that made it worthy of being added to this list.
37. Welcome to Me (2014)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Drama
When Alice Klieg wins the Mega-Millions lottery, she immediately quits her psychiatric meds and buys her own talk show.
Director: Shira Piven | Stars: Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Linda Cardellini, Wes Bentley
Votes: 19,651 | Gross: $0.61M
Eccentric woman wins the lottery, and you get to see all the ways she going about spending her money.
38. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)
R | 112 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A journalist recounts her wartime coverage in Afghanistan.
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa | Stars: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina
Votes: 56,652 | Gross: $23.05M
This is advertised as a comedy, and I would like to say it is most definitely not. It is a very deep, heartwarming film that did not center around, in my opinion, an ounce of humor.
39. Wild (I) (2014)
R | 115 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent personal tragedy.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann, Michiel Huisman
Votes: 138,912 | Gross: $37.88M
What's better than watching a film with the discovery of self? Well that and the outdoors.
40. The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A teen artist living in 1970s San Francisco enters into an affair with her mother's boyfriend.
Director: Marielle Heller | Stars: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Meloni
Votes: 33,570 | Gross: $1.48M
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