If you recently had your mind blown by the wildly creative and heartfelt sci-fi adventure Everything Everywhere All At Once, you’re probably hungry for more movies that deliver a similar mix of high-concept storytelling, dazzling visuals, quirky humor, and emotional depth. The genre-bending hit from the Daniels is a tough act to follow, but we’ve rounded up 25 other films that share some cinematic DNA and are well worth checking out for fans of EEAAO.
From multiverse-hopping madness to surreal comedies to family dramas with a fantastical twist, these movies all have elements in common with Everything Everywhere All At Once. So strap in and prepare to have your brain scrambled in the best possible way with this list of mind-bending movies.
1. Being John Malkovich (1999)
Directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich is a hilariously bizarre film that laid some of the groundwork for EEAAO‘s absurdist multiverse premise. John Cusack stars as Craig, a struggling puppeteer who discovers a portal into the mind of actor John Malkovich. He and his co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener) start a business selling 15-minute trips inside Malkovich’s head. Existential chaos ensues as various characters fight for control over the actor.
Like Everything Everywhere, Being John Malkovich uses its wacky sci-fi concept to explore questions of identity, control, and the desire to live vicariously through others. It’s a surreal dark comedy full of unexpected twists that keeps you guessing until the end.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Another brain-bending collaboration between Kaufman and director Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a poignant sci-fi romance. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star as Joel and Clementine, a couple who erase each other from their memories after a painful breakup, only to find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other again.
As the film jumps around in time and dives into the inner workings of its characters’ minds, it shares EEAAO‘s fascination with memory, regret, and the roads not taken. The inventive visuals depicting Joel’s memories disintegrating are a feast for the eyes. At its core, Eternal Sunshine is a moving, melancholy meditation on love and loss.
3. Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Rapper Boots Riley made his directorial debut with this audacious satirical comedy set in an alternate version of Oakland. Lakeith Stanfield stars as Cassius “Cash” Green, a struggling telemarketer who shoots up the corporate ladder after he starts using his “white voice” on calls. But as Cash’s career takes off, he gets entangled in a sinister conspiracy involving a company called WorryFree.
Sorry to Bother You takes on capitalism, code-switching, and exploitation with a similar anything-goes energy to EEAAO. The film keeps raising the stakes to absurd heights, building to a jaw-dropping climax you won’t soon forget. It’s a wild ride that also has a lot to say.
4. Paprika (2006)
Before Inception boggled audiences’ minds, Japanese animator Satoshi Kon explored dreams with his trippy sci-fi thriller Paprika. The film centers on a device called the DC Mini that allows people to enter and record their dreams. When the device is stolen, it’s up to therapist Atsuko Chiba and her alter ego Paprika to recover it before the thief can use it for nefarious purposes.
Paprika‘s dream sequences are a visual marvel, full of Escher-like impossible architecture and populated by all sorts of strange characters. Like EEAAO, the film has fun smashing different genres together, veering from mystery to comedy to action. It’s an underrated gem that was a major influence on many later films.
5. The Matrix (1999)
An obvious inspiration for Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Matrix is the quintessential mind-bending sci-fi action flick. Keanu Reeves stars as Thomas Anderson, a computer hacker who discovers the world is a simulated reality created by machines to keep humans under control. He joins a group of rebels fighting to free humanity from the Matrix.
With its iconic “bullet time” effects and philosophical musings on the nature of reality, The Matrix set a new standard for cerebral blockbuster filmmaking. The sequels may have diminished its impact a bit, but the original still holds up as a classic. EEAAO pays loving homage to The Matrix while putting its own fresh spin on the “glitch in the system” concept.
6. Donnie Darko (2001)
A trippy blend of sci-fi, horror, and teen angst, Richard Kelly’s cult classic Donnie Darko stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a troubled high schooler who narrowly escapes death and starts having visions of a man in a creepy rabbit costume. The rabbit, Frank, tells Donnie the world will end in 28 days and sends him on a bizarre mission involving time travel, alternate realities, and personal sacrifice.
Donnie Darko is a puzzle box of a movie that rewards repeat viewings and theorizing. Its dreamy, eerie atmosphere and 80s new wave soundtrack give it a distinct vibe. Like EEAAO, it grapples with weighty themes of destiny, death, and the butterfly effect while delivering some mind-melting sci-fi imagery.
7. Waking Life (2001)
Richard Linklater’s experimental animated film Waking Life follows an unnamed young man (Wiley Wiggins) as he drifts through a series of philosophical conversations with various eccentric characters. The whole film has a dreamlike quality, with its rotoscoped animation giving everything a surreal, shifting look.
Like Everything Everywhere, Waking Life is chock full of ideas about the meaning of life, the nature of reality, and human connection. It’s a heady, talky film that will give your brain a workout. But it’s also playful and funny, with a lightness of touch that keeps it from feeling too pretentious. If you like EEAAO‘s blend of the profound and the absurd, give Waking Life a spin.
8. Adaptation (2002)
Another brain-bending meta comedy written by Charlie Kaufman, Adaptation stars Nicolas Cage as both Charlie Kaufman and his fictional twin brother Donald, who are both attempting to adapt Susan Orlean’s book The Orchid Thief into a screenplay. As Charlie struggles with writer’s block and feelings of inadequacy, the film takes several bizarre turns involving drugs, alligators, and questions about the nature of storytelling itself.
Adaptation is a hilarious and thought-provoking film that, like EEAAO, gleefully mixes high and low culture, bouncing between Kaufman’s neurotic inner monologue and ridiculous action movie cliches. Cage is fantastic in his dual roles, and Meryl Streep is excellent as Orlean. It’s a movie that keeps you on your toes as it deconstructs itself.
9. Groundhog Day (1993)
A classic comedy with an existential bent, Groundhog Day stars Bill Murray as Phil Connors, a cynical weatherman who finds himself stuck reliving the same day over and over in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. At first Phil indulges his worst impulses, but eventually he starts using his predicament to better himself and help others.
Like Everything Everywhere‘s Evelyn, Phil has to grapple with the implications of living multiple lives and the question of what really matters when nothing has lasting consequences. Groundhog Day balances big laughs with genuine insight about the human condition. It’s the kind of movie that seems simple on the surface but has hidden depths.
10. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut Synecdoche, New York is a surreal, sprawling epic about a theater director named Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who attempts to create a brutally honest work of art while grappling with his own mortality and failed relationships. As Caden’s play grows more and more elaborate, the lines between fiction and reality start to blur.
Dense with symbolism and metaphor, Synecdoche is not an easy film to unpack, but like EEAAO it rewards close attention with its intricate puzzlebox structure and soulful performances. It’s a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and scratch your head in equal measure. Kaufman swings for the fences with this one, crafting an ambitious, one-of-a-kind film about the messy, tragicomic business of being human.
11. Inception (2010)
Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi heist thriller Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb, a thief who specializes in stealing secrets from people’s subconscious minds. For his final job, Cobb must plant an idea in a target’s head by infiltrating his dreams within dreams within dreams.
With its dazzling visuals and mind-bending plot, Inception is a perfect companion piece to Everything Everywhere All At Once. Both films delight in imagining the impossible and staging elaborate action sequences in surreal settings. Inception may not have EEAAO‘s quirky sense of humor, but it’s an endlessly rewatchable film that holds up to scrutiny.
12. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Charlie Kaufman’s latest directorial effort, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, is a characteristically bizarre and enigmatic film. Adapted from Iain Reid’s novel, it follows a young woman (Jessie Buckley) who takes a road trip with her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons) to meet his parents at their remote farmhouse. From there, things get very strange very quickly.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things keeps you constantly off-balance with its shifting realities, unreliable narrators, and blurring of past and present. It’s a movie that demands active engagement from the viewer as it raises questions about identity, aging, and the stories we tell ourselves. Like EEAAO, it’s a singular vision from a filmmaker who’s not afraid to challenge and confound his audience.
13. After Yang (2021)
Kogonada’s meditative sci-fi drama After Yang stars Colin Farrell as Jake, a father trying to repair his family’s malfunctioning android Yang (Justin H. Min). As Jake tries to access Yang’s memories, the film becomes a poignant exploration of grief, cultural identity, and what it means to be human.
While more subdued in tone than Everything Everywhere, After Yang shares that film’s interest in the intimate bonds between family members and how technology can both connect and isolate us. With its muted color palette and elegant compositions, After Yang is a quietly moving film that lingers in the mind long after it ends.
14. The Congress (2013)
Ari Folman’s trippy sci-fi satire The Congress stars Robin Wright as a fictionalized version of herself who sells her digital likeness to a movie studio. Twenty years later, Wright attends the Futurological Congress, a virtual reality space where anyone can transform themselves into animated avatars. The film takes a turn into psychedelia as Wright loses herself in a bizarre animated world.
Loosely based on Stanisław Lem’s novel The Futurological Congress, Folman’s film is a visually stunning and thematically rich work that explores the blurring boundaries between reality and illusion in an increasingly digital world. Like EEAAO, it has fun imagining multiple versions of its protagonist while also grappling with weighty existential questions.
15. Spirited Away (2001)
Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning animated classic Spirited Away follows a young girl named Chihiro who wanders into a mystical bathhouse populated by spirits and must find a way to free her parents from a witch’s spell. It’s a wondrous, enchanting film full of unforgettable images and lovable characters.
Like Everything Everywhere, Spirited Away throws its heroine into a strange new world and lets her find her inner strength through a series of trials and adventures. It’s a coming-of-age story that celebrates the power of imagination, empathy, and self-discovery. Miyazaki’s attention to detail and inventive creature designs make Spirited Away endlessly rewatchable eye candy.
Here are 10 more of the best movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once, continuing the blog post:
16. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Edgar Wright’s hyperkinetic adaptation of the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim vs. the World stars Michael Cera as a slacker musician who must battle his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes. The film is a dizzying blend of genres, mashing up comic book visuals, video game logic, manga-style action, and indie rock romance.
Like EEAAO, Scott Pilgrim moves at a breakneck pace, piling on the pop culture references and stylistic flourishes. But beneath its flashy surface is a surprisingly sweet story about growing up and learning to take responsibility for your actions. It’s a movie that rewards repeat viewings to catch all the clever jokes and Easter eggs.
17. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Oscar-winning Birdman stars Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson, a washed-up actor best known for playing a superhero trying to mount a comeback on Broadway. Shot to look like one continuous take, the film blurs the lines between reality and fantasy as Riggan grapples with his ego, family troubles, and the specter of his most famous role.
Birdman shares Everything Everywhere‘s fascination with the porous boundary between performance and identity. It’s a dazzling technical achievement that’s also a poignant character study, anchored by a career-best performance from Keaton. Like EEAAO, it’s a movie that takes big swings and sticks the landing.
18. Annihilation (2018)
Alex Garland’s eerie sci-fi thriller Annihilation follows a group of scientists who venture into a mysterious zone called the Shimmer, where the laws of nature have been warped in strange and terrifying ways. Natalie Portman stars as Lena, a biologist searching for answers about her husband’s disappearance on a previous expedition.
With its mind-bending visuals and heady themes about self-destruction and transformation, Annihilation is a trippy and unsettling film that lingers in the mind. Like EEAAO, it uses genre tropes to explore deeper existential questions, and features a powerful lead performance from Portman.
19. Upstream Color (2013)
Shane Carruth’s elliptical sci-fi romance Upstream Color follows two people (played by Carruth and Amy Seimetz) who are drawn together after being subjected to a bizarre form of mind control involving a mysterious parasite. The film’s fragmented, impressionistic style leaves much open to interpretation.
Upstream Color requires active engagement from the viewer to piece together its puzzlelike narrative. But like Everything Everywhere, it rewards that effort with a deeply moving story about human connection in a strange and alienating world. It’s a singular vision from a filmmaker with a unique sensibility.
20. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Stephen Chow’s martial arts comedy Kung Fu Hustle is a loving homage to classic Hong Kong action cinema, filtered through Chow’s signature brand of slapstick humor. Set in a 1940s Chinese slum, the film follows a petty crook (played by Chow) who gets caught up in a battle between the residents of a rundown apartment complex and a vicious gang.
Kung Fu Hustle is a joyous, anything-goes romp that mixes jaw-dropping fight scenes with Looney Tunes-style gags. Like EEAAO, it revels in the sheer possibilities of cinema, pushing its genre elements to delirious extremes. It’s a movie that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.
21. Mandy (2018)
Panos Cosmatos’s psychedelic revenge thriller Mandy stars Nicolas Cage as Red Miller, a logger who goes on a blood-soaked rampage after a cult leader (Linus Roache) murders his girlfriend Mandy (Andrea Riseborough). The film is a hallucinatory feast for the senses, with its saturated colors, droning score, and gonzo violence.
Like Everything Everywhere, Mandy is a movie that operates on dream logic, plunging the viewer into a nightmarish world where anything can happen. Cage is perfectly cast as a man consumed by grief and rage, delivering a performance that’s both campy and deeply felt. It’s a midnight movie for the ages.
22. Holy Motors (2012)
Leos Carax’s surreal odyssey Holy Motors follows a man named Oscar (Denis Lavant) as he’s driven around Paris in a limousine, donning different disguises and personas for a series of mysterious “appointments.” From motion-capture performer to assassin to concerned father, Oscar slips in and out of roles with chameleonic ease.
Holy Motors is a beguiling and sometimes baffling film that raises questions about the nature of identity and performance in the digital age. Like EEAAO, it’s a movie that defies easy categorization, mixing genres and tones with wild abandon. Lavant is a force of nature in the lead role(s), anchoring the film’s flights of fancy with his soulful presence.
23. The Lobster (2015)
Yorgos Lanthimos’s absurdist dystopian comedy The Lobster takes place in a world where single people are given 45 days to find a romantic partner, or else they’ll be turned into an animal of their choosing. Colin Farrell stars as David, a recently divorced man who checks into a hotel for singles and tries to navigate the strange rules of courtship.
With its deadpan humor and surreal premise, The Lobster is a pitch-black satire of societal pressures to couple up. Like Everything Everywhere, it uses a high-concept setup to explore deeper themes about love, loneliness, and conformity. It’s a movie that’s both hilarious and heartbreaking, often in the same breath.
24. Coherence (2013)
James Ward Byrkit’s low-budget sci-fi mindbender Coherence follows a group of friends at a dinner party who start experiencing strange phenomena after a comet passes overhead. As reality starts to fracture and diverge, the characters must grapple with questions of identity and free will.
Shot in a single location with a largely improvised script, Coherence is a masterclass in lo-fi ingenuity. Like EEAAO, it uses its sci-fi premise to explore heady philosophical ideas, while never losing sight of its characters’ humanity. It’s a movie that proves you don’t need a big budget to tell a mind-blowing story.
25. Primer (2004)
Shane Carruth’s time-travel puzzle box Primer follows two engineers (played by Carruth and David Sullivan) who accidentally invent a device that allows them to travel back in time. As they start to exploit their discovery for personal gain, the timelines start to tangle in increasingly complex ways.
Primer is a notoriously dense and challenging film, requiring multiple viewings and charts to fully untangle its labyrinthine plot. But like Everything Everywhere, it’s a movie that rewards close attention and active engagement from the viewer. It’s a testament to the power of low-budget, high-concept filmmaking.
So there you have it – 25 mind-bending movies to watch if you loved Everything Everywhere All At Once. Whether you’re in the mood for a cerebral sci-fi thriller, a heartfelt family drama, or a surreal animated odyssey, there’s something on this list for every taste. These films demonstrate the endless possibilities of cinema to transport us, challenge us, and make us see the world in new ways.
Everything Everywhere All At Once may be a tough act to follow, but these movies prove that with a little creativity and a lot of heart, filmmakers can still blow our minds and touch our souls. So grab some popcorn, strap in, and prepare to have your reality shattered in the best possible way. Happy watching!
