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Meshes of the Afternoon poster

Movies that feel likeMeshes of the Afternoon (1943)

A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.

If you loved Meshes of the Afternoon, the closest films we have are Ugetsu (1953), Fanny and Alexander (1982) and The Tenant (1976). All three share Meshes of the Afternoon's twisty and dreamlike 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… 100% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Maya Derentwistydreamlikemelancholy
8 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Criterion Channel Β· Shudder

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If Meshes of the Afternoon hit the spot, these will too

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

The same mix in both: twists, then dream logic

The difference: Takes it somewhere less melancholy than Meshes of the Afternoon 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.

Fanny and Alexander poster
Fanny and Alexander
1982 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.1fantasy Β· drama Β· mysteryMax

Both lean on melancholy more than on mystery

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Meshes of the Afternoon does

As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.

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

One thread runs through both: suicide

The difference: 33 years apart, and the 1970s show

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

The Vanishing poster
The Vanishing
1988 Β· dir. George Sluizer
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.6thriller Β· mystery

Twisty fantasy in both cases

The difference: Easier on the dream logic than Meshes of the Afternoon

Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation when they stop at a busy service station. Saskia is abducted in broad daylight and three years pass with no answers or closure surrounding her disappearance. Rex has nearly given up all hope when he suddenly begins receiving letters from her abductor.

Lantana poster
Lantana
2001 Β· dir. Ray Lawrence
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.2crime Β· drama Β· mystery

Mystery built on melancholy, twice over

The difference: Made in the 2000s, in a different era of the craft

Plagued with grief over the murder of her daughter, Valerie Somers suspects that her husband John is cheating on her. When Valerie disappears, Detective Leon Zat attempts to solve the mystery of her absence. A complex web of love, sex and deceit emerges -- drawing in four related couples whose various partners are distrustful and suspicious about each other's involvement.

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

Dreamlike fantasy, and it commits to that

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

The Last Wave poster
The Last Wave
1977 Β· dir. Peter Weir
πŸ… 78%β˜… 6.9drama Β· mystery Β· fantasyMax

Common ground: dreams

A Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal people in a ritualised taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing truths about himself and premonitions.

A Dark Song poster
A Dark Song
2016 Β· dir. Liam Gavin
πŸ… 91%β˜… 6.2horror Β· fantasy Β· mystery

Mystery with a pulse of twists, in both cases

A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.

Before I Fall poster
Before I Fall
2017 Β· dir. Ry Russo-Young
πŸ… 64%β˜… 6.4drama Β· fantasyStarz

The same preoccupation in both: suicide

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Samantha Kingston has everything. Then, everything changes. After one fateful night, she wakes up with no future at all. Trapped into reliving the same day over and over, she begins to question just how perfect her life really was.

Winter Light poster
Winter Light
1963 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 77%β˜… 8drama

Fantasy built on melancholy, twice over

A Swedish pastor fails a loving woman, a suicidal fisherman and God.

Emerald Green poster
Emerald Green
2016 Β· dir. Felix Fuchssteiner
β˜… 5.9fantasy Β· action Β· mystery

Both run dreamlike where it counts

Emerald Green is the stunning conclusion to Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red Trilogy, picking up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.

Blow-Up poster
Blow-Up
1966 Β· dir. Michelangelo Antonioni
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.4drama Β· mystery Β· thriller

Mystery of the same temperament

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.

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The best-reviewed films that share Meshes of the Afternoon’s defining feeling.