The 10 Most Confusing Movies Ever Made (2 of 6)

Donnie Darko

If a giant, creepy-looking 6-foot-tall rabbit named Frank told you that the world was ending, how would you react? Richard Kelly’s cult classic mixes time loops, suburban angst, and the kind of high school English-class metaphysics that turns group chats into dissertations. Is Donnie sick, chosen, or both? The movie shrugs, hands you a philosophy book, and lets “Mad World” do the talking. By the way, it’s okay to not “get it” on your first or even fifth pass.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick made a movie that evolves from prehistoric apes to homicidal AI to a cosmic screensaver and dares you to keep up. You won’t hear much dialogue, the visuals are mesmerizing, and HAL 9000 has better diction than most of humanity. The “what the hell did I just watch?” energy peaks with a star-gate trip that doubles as a museum piece. Was someone being born? Reborn? Or was it all some trip induced by aliens? Nobody knows, but feel free to throw your theory into the hat.