The definition of the term "Mindfuck", regularly named so on forums and social networks, is a slang word, originally used in English, refers to something confusing or confusing. To make it clear in your mind, our partner "Stop your cinema" explains in detail and in pictures what Mindfuck can mean in cinema.
Mindfuck movies put a mess in your head
In the world of cinema, mindfuck films have plots so complex that they will play with your head, your unconscious, your thoughts. And this to such an extent that you will no longer know what you are watching, you will no longer know where you are, you will be voluntarily palmed, alone, and abandoned.
Your first reaction after watching such a movie will be: "WTF"?! And you will eventually rush to forums for hours to understand more and possibly feel less stupid.
In recent decades, the term Mindfuck recalls films presenting disturbing universes of a psychological nature, with often distorted perceptions as regularly proposed by the cinema of David Cronenberg or David Lynch. Fictions that present you with reality but will then find ways to turn the tide, questioning everything you thought or knew about what you saw. The proposed endings often contain a grandiloquent twist.
The term "Mindfuck" is very broad. It offers films with narratives that are often vicious and Machiavellian. Here we note the strongest recurrences:
- A major element of the characters' lives that is not what it initially appears to be or that shows strong ambiguities ("Memento")
- A psychedelic realization where the visual style is almost presented as a protagonist ("Enter the Void")
- Psychological thrillers, a subgenre that unites thriller and psychological film, and all for the price of one ("Identity")
- Psychological dramas that can develop the intimate dramatic power of characters, with a disturbing and haunting atmosphere ("The Machinist, Filth")
- Other films feature fantasy or science fiction elements ("The Butterfly Effect", "The Double")
Admittedly, the Mindfuck is generally more intellectual and moralistic than the norm. But what's exciting and daring about these films is that in addition to being creative, they are unconventional and always looking to make an impression.
However, moviegoers who watch this cinema are not necessarily looking for the complicated. Mysterious plots and puzzles can actually captivate a certain audience. But the most important element remains most of the time the moment of revelation. When the red carpet is rolled out under the feet of the viewer, the rules can be changed in a split second. The objective of the film, or the expectations, are completely turned upside down.
Unfortunately, for many years now, Hollywood has preferred to focus on producing outdated blockbusters, compiling unoriginal sequels, useless reboots or grotesque remakes. They take advantage of the often incomprehensible success at the box office, while relegating smaller independent film projects to oblivion…
The most frustrating thing is that filmmakers from independent cinema are often the ones with the most talent, creativity and flair. They also have the most to prove.
Richard Kelly, for example, saw the release of his first film, a science fiction thriller, a horror tragedy with the appearance of a romantic comedy, be very badly distributed and completely shunned in theaters. Fortunately, resurrected in DvD, the film quickly established a reputation as a cult film. I mean, of course, the oh awesome Donnie Darko.
Donnie Darko: Mindfuck became cult
The story is set in the fictional town of Middlesex, Iowa, during the 1988 presidential campaign. Donald "Donnie" Darko is an intelligent, emotionally disturbed teenager suffering from sleepwalking and hallucinations. On the night of October 2, the engine of an airliner crashed in his room. Donnie escapes death by obeying a voice in his head that had ordered him to leave his room. The voice is that of Frank, an imaginary friend resembling a morbid humanoid rabbit. He predicts that the end of the world will occur in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds.
Donnie Darko is an amazing and mesmerizing experience right from its introduction. With his awakening on the top of the hill, the bike ride to the suburb where Donnie lives, not to mention the satirical slow-motion shots on his very American characters, the tone is set immediately.
The film has this quality of having several levels of reading. Each scene offers deep themes such as politics, childhood, friendship, sexuality, rivalry, time travel, and many more.
The film's success is due in part to the impeccable performances of each cast member. Jake Gyllenhaal in the first place. Actor still unknown in 2001, he signs here a subtle and emotionally charged performance. He plays a disturbing character, but at the same time funny and moving. The almost childlike manner of his gestures, or in a completely opposite register, his terrifying presence when he crosses with a slow step a deserted corridor or along a dark street, his head under his hood, tilted slightly downwards, his face fixed in a confused expression.
Drew Barrymore is also superb. She plays a liberal-style teacher, rejected and despised in a hyper-conservative education system, while Patrick Swayze is excellent as a pedophile guru.
The film stands out for its ability to bring together and explore several genres, always treated with accuracy, so that it is almost impossible to classify it in one or the other. Despite the use of several codes borrowed from the teen movie, Richard Kelly never lets his film plunge into the clichés of comedy or drama for tearful teenagers. Instead, he paints a surprisingly realistic portrait of a suburban America, interspersed with theories of time travel and surreal visions of an imminent end of the world. The film also does not fall into Lynchian weirdness thanks to the many pop culture references to identify with it.
Donnie Darko can show images of giant rabbits and fluids coming out of the characters' bellies, but emotionally, the film is realistic, and very human. One is often led to wonder if Donnie's visions and actions are the result of a schizophrenic, twisted, drug-stained mind, or if he really knows and sees such things. His progressive distress, as he realizes over the course of the film that there is no more hope, is beautifully depicted. At the same time, the sense of peace and inner fulfillment show itself as a truly strong and inspiring message.
Donnie Darko is an experience that provokes the mind and the heart. An existential fairy tale and an unforgettable journey through the dark alleys of the human soul…
You will certainly need several screenings of the film to begin to understand all the details of the work. Think about it, because sometimes small pleasures are better when the details are left mysterious.
"The mystery is, in every idea, the half-day that seduces, the sap that intoxicates."
Alexandre Vinet
