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Blow-Up poster

Movies that feel likeBlow-Up (1966)

A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he unknowingly captures a death on film.

If you loved Blow-Up, the closest films we have are Ugetsu (1953), Mirage (2018) and All the President's Men (1976). All three share Blow-Up's contemplative and twisty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Five Venoms (1978).

πŸ… 87% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.4 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Michelangelo Antonionicontemplativetwistytensedreamlike
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

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See it on the Mood Map

If Blow-Up hit the spot, these will too

Ugetsu poster
Ugetsu
1953 Β· dir. Kenji Mizoguchi
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.1fantasy Β· drama Β· mysteryMax

Contemplative where it counts, twisty underneath

The difference: Takes it somewhere less tense than Blow-Up does

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.

Mirage poster
Mirage
2018 Β· dir. Oriol Paulo
β˜… 7.4thriller Β· drama Β· mysteryNetflix

Tense and dreamlike in the same breath

The difference: Sits closer to fantasy than Blow-Up does

During a mysterious thunderstorm, Vera, a young mother, manages to save a life in danger, but her good deed causes a disturbing chain of unexpected consequences.

All the President's Men poster
All the President's Men
1976 Β· dir. Alan J. Pakula
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.9drama Β· mystery Β· thriller

One thread runs through both: burglar

During the 1972 elections, two reporters' investigation sheds light on the controversial Watergate scandal that compels President Nixon to resign from his post.

Murder on the Orient Express poster
Murder on the Orient Express
1974 Β· dir. Sidney Lumet
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.2drama Β· thriller Β· mystery

Drama built on stillness, twice over

In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.

The Five Venoms poster
The Five Venoms
1978 Β· dir. Chang Cheh
πŸ… 80%β˜… 7action Β· drama Β· mystery

Twisty mystery in both cases

A dying master sends his last student to check up on five former pupils, who each know a special style of kung-fu.

Burning poster
Burning
2018 Β· dir. Lee Chang-dong
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.4mystery Β· drama Β· thrillerRent or buy

Tense thriller, and it commits to that

The difference: 52 years apart, and the 2010s show

Deliveryman Jong-su is out on a job when he runs into Hae-mi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood. She asks if he'd mind looking after her cat while she's away on a trip to Africa. On her return, she introduces to Jong-su an enigmatic young man named Ben, who she met during her trip. One day Ben tells Jong-su about his most unusual hobby.

Le Corbeau poster
Le Corbeau
1943 Β· dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.8mystery Β· drama Β· thriller

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

Remy Germain is a doctor in a French town who becomes the focus of a vicious smear campaign, as letters accusing him of having an affair and performing unlawful abortions are mailed to village leaders. The mysterious writer, who signs each letter as "Le Corbeau" (The Raven) soon targets the whole town, exposing everyone's dark secrets.

The Tenant poster
The Tenant
1976 Β· dir. Roman Polanski
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.5thriller Β· mystery Β· drama

Both lean on dream logic more than on mystery

A quiet and inconspicuous man rents an apartment in Paris where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit hole of dangerous paranoia.

Saboteur poster
Saboteur
1942 Β· dir. Alfred Hitchcock
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.1thriller Β· mystery

Both lean on twists more than on thriller

Aircraft factory worker Barry Kane flees across the United States after he is wrongly accused of starting the fire that killed his best friend.

Joint Security Area poster
Joint Security Area
2000 Β· dir. Park Chan-wook
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.7drama Β· thriller Β· mystery

Tense drama in both cases

Two North Korean soldiers are killed in the border area between North and South Korea, prompting an investigation by a neutral body. The lead investigator (Lee Young-ae) receives differing accounts from the two sides.

The Name of the Rose poster
The Name of the Rose
1986 Β· dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud
πŸ… 74%β˜… 7.7drama Β· thriller Β· mysteryPrime Video

Both working the same mystery territory

14th-century Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and his young novice arrive at a conference to find that several monks have been murdered under mysterious circumstances. To solve the crimes, William must rise up against the Church's authority and fight the shadowy conspiracy of monastery monks using only his intelligence; which is considerable.

The Man Who Knew Too Much poster
The Man Who Knew Too Much
1934 Β· dir. Alfred Hitchcock
πŸ… 88%β˜… 6.7thriller Β· mysteryPrime VideoMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: murder

While vacationing in St. Moritz, a British couple receive a clue to an imminent assassination attempt, only to learn that their daughter has been kidnapped to keep them quiet.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Blow-Up’s defining feeling.