20 films that will make you question everything about reality

Real or not real? Red pill or blue pill? Is Keanu Reeves the greatest action star of the 90s? These are the questions audiences found themselves pondering after The Matrix, arguably the most iconic mindbender in cinema. When Reeves enters a cyberverse, he isn't sure what is real anymore. 

Everyone who watched The Truman Show at least briefly questioned whether their life was actually a TV show. I definitely checked my place for cameras more than once. The high-minded, crowd-pleasing and moving drama about a man whose entire life is staged for television gets you thinking about life in general. 

Jim Carrey may be known for his childish comedies, but occasionally, he ditches the jokes for a thought-provoking drama like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which is one of the most heady rom-coms ever made. Following a man who erases all memory of his girlfriend, Carrey delivers a character you won't forget.

A dream within a dream within a dream? Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Most of you have probably seen Christopher Nolan's Inception, but have you seen the animated film that inspired it? Paprika is the acid version of Inception, with brighter colors, crazier ideas and a parade of kookier characters.

It's an ending that has caused more arguments than most Presidential elections--Inception has audiences questioning whether the lead character is still dreaming or is back in reality with his family. After entering other people's dreams to attain information, he has become lost in his own shifting maze of dreams. It's dazzling and thought-provoking--a twisting top in which we may never know how the movie leans.

Hayao Miyazaki is a master of letting the supernatural trickle into the real world, often with the grace of a wave lapping against the shore. Don't expect the thunderous introduction of monsters you would find in another film. Rather, this tale of a fish becoming a human is more restrained, lyrical and beautiful.

A man takes a photograph of a misty park. He thinks nothing of it, but then he blows up the image and what do you know, he might have caught a murder in the background. Michelangelo Antonioni's thriller sees a man lose his mind trying to solve the case. Audiences are left in the mist as well, unsure if what they saw on screen is real.

It's the same thing as Blow Up but with sound. In Brian De Palma's remake, a sound technician might have caught a murder in the background of his tape. A political conspiracy, shocking twists and very impressive filmmaking ensue.    

Martin Scorsese might be going insane with the length of his movies lately. But he was definitely clearheaded when he made Shutter Island, a mystery about a detective investigating a mental institution that he may, in fact, be a part of. 

Okay, so I'm not sure what is happening in this movie. A puzzle that has too many pieces and is somehow missing tons of them is the vision of a director who wants to make a movie about making movies but can't seem to make anything make sense. Still, it's a fascinating puzzle to try and solve.

Christopher Nolan plays with our perception more than almost any other director. He has a fascination with how cinema can be constructed and deconstructed in the editing room, with the camera and with his screenplays. His story of a man who forgets everything is a real mind-bender. The character's tattoos remind him of certain clues, but they might not help him track down his wife's killer.

The thin red line between fact and fiction gets blurred in this satire on war movies. Hilarious and explosive, it's one of the last masterpieces of comedy. 

Mulholland Drive is a road through David Lynch's mind, following a woman who tries to become an actress but just winds up insane. There are twists, there are doppelgangers, and there are Lynch, which keeps you guessing until the credits roll. 

In Andrei Tarkovksy's film, there's a zone that could give people magical powers or could just be a polluted factory. The answer is never clear in this philosophical masterpiece, but the ending is a stunner. A transcendent piece of science-fiction.

More Tarkovksy! This science-fiction masterpiece makes you question reality in other ways. As an astronaut is haunted by his dead wife in space, the space between fact and fiction gets lost in a galaxy of ideas. Yes, this film might not have much action, but it remains entertaining because of the way it lulls you into outer space and inner turmoil. 

A movie about a director making a film about a director making a movie? What is this, movie Inception? Try a portal into the mind of a director. Federico Fellini takes the circus of wacky friends, heady ideas, and gorgeous Italian scenery that surrounded him and throws them on screen for all to see. It's magnificent! 

Want to see a magic trick? Watch Christopher Nolan make you question your eyesight in this tale of rival magicians. 

What if aliens walked among us? John Carpenter's film about a dude who discovers aliens are not only among us but are running our government is a fun, mind-bending thriller.

An animated film about gentrification? Adult audiences are likely going to enjoy this movie more than kids, who probably wont pick up on the message about gentrification or the visuals that are inspired by acid. It's a crazy film, indeed.

A father brings his children to the countryside, where magical creatures help them through their mother's sickness. Magical, moving and wonderful, this is a beautiful animated film.