Top 10 Lucid Dreaming Movies


Lucid dreaming has become somewhat of a zeitgeist - revealed at least in part by the growing number of lucid dreaming movies now on offer. From the dream architects of Inception, to the philosophically lucid pondering of Waking Life, to the fantastical unrealities conjured by Paprika - dream movies capture the imagination like no other, and take us on a conscious quest inside the dream world. Here are some of the best movies themed on lucidity.


Inception (2010)

Inception

Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directs an international cast in this sci-fi action that travels around the globe and into the world of dreams.

Dom Cobb is the best there is at extraction: stealing valuable secrets inside the unconscious during the mind's vulnerable dream state. His skill has made him a coveted player in industrial espionage but also has made him a fugitive and cost him dearly. Now he may get a second chance if he can do the impossible: inception, planting an idea rather than stealing one. If they succeed, Cobb and his team could pull off the perfect crime. But no planning or expertise can prepare them for a dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move - an enemy only Cobb could have seen coming.Buy Now on Amazon

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Waking Life (2001)

Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream state. He observes and later joins in on philosophical discussions on the appearance of reality, free will, our relationship with others, and the meaning of life. He eventually comes to conclude that the reason he can't wake up is that he may be dead...

Waking Life

Created using a technique called rotoscoping, the real life action is overlaid with animation. This adds to the dream-like visual effects of Waking Life. Unique in context and delivery, Waking Life was nominated for numerous film festival awards for its technical achievements.

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Vanilla Sky (2001)

Vanilla Sky

David Aames appears to lead a charmed life. Handsome, wealthy and charismatic, the young New York City publishing executive's freewheeling existence is enchanting, yet he seems to be missing something.

One night David meets Sofia, the girl of his dreams, but loses her by making a small mistake. Thrust unexpectedly onto a roller-coaster ride of romance, suspicion, love, sex and lucid dreams, David finds himself on a mind-bending journey and discovers the precious, ephemeral nature of true love. Lucid dreaming themes are present throughout this twisted sci-fi drama. Buy Now on Amazon

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The Science of Sleep (2006)

The Science of Sleep

The Science of Sleep (or La Science des Reves) is a playful romantic fantasy set inside the topsy-turvy brain of Stephane Miroux, an eccentric French man whose dreams invade his waking life.

Stephane pines for next-door neighbor, Stephanie, but she becomes confused by his childishness and shaky connection to reality. Unable to find the secret to Stephanie's heart while awake, Stephane searches for the answer in his dreams. The Science of Sleep features the concepts of lucid dreaming, false awakenings and bizarre inventions like the one-second time machine. Buy Now on Amazon

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Paprika (2006)

Paprika

Based on a novel by the noted Japanese science fiction writer Yasutaka Tsutui, the brilliant and unsettling feature Paprika is an exploration of the disturbingly permeable boundaries between dreams and reality.

Techno-geek Kosaku Tokita invented the DC Mini to allow therapists to enter a patient's dreams and explore his unconscious, but an evil cabal uses the Mini to create a mass nightmare that causes multiple suicides. Psychotherapist Atsuko Chiba uses her alter-identity, "dream detective" Paprika, to intervene. Entering the nightmare, she witness a bizarre parade of appliances, toys, and kitsch objects: all of her intelligence and imagination are needed to escape this nightmare and its perpetrators. Paprika effortlessly carries the audience between reality and fantasy: a feast for the senses.Buy Now on Amazon

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Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (2004)

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

In this movie of consciousness and memories, Joel Barish decides to have the memories of his ex-girlfriend erased - after he discovers she's already had him erased from her own memory. But midway through the procedure, he changes his mind and struggles to hang on to their experiences together.

The result is a lucid-dream-like romp through the stored unconscious memories of his life. Joel fights the eraser by mixing up memories, trying to force himself awake, and leaving subtle clues for his ex to remember him by. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) spins this idea into a funny, sad, structurally complex, and simply enthralling love story that juggles morality, identity, and heartbreak with skill. The all-star cast gives superb performances. One of my favorite movies ever with a great piano score by Jon Brion. Buy Now on Amazon

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Avatar (2009)

Avatar

Avatar showcases an imagination-rich fantasy environment, filled with alien life forms, epic landscapes and awe-inspiring robotic armies.

Why did this remind me so much of lucid dreaming? Intriguingly, the story revolves around a crippled man who goes to sleep during which his mind is scientifically transferred out-of-body... and into a blue, 12-foot alien. In this form, he explores extraterrestrial rainforests, fights savage alien beasts, flies on the backs of dragons and battles 20-foot robot walkers in the process of saving a civilization from a tyrannical invader. The central theme of altered states of consciousness and mind separating from body adheres to the notion of our minds wandering while our bodies lay asleep... Buy Now on Amazon

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What Dreams May Come (1998)

What Dreams May Come

A visually stunning metaphysical tale of life after death. Neurologist Chris and artist Annie had the perfect life until they lost their children in a car accident; they're just starting to recover when Chris meets an untimely death himself. He's met by a messenger named Albert and taken to his own personal afterlife - a freshly drawn world reminiscent of Annie's own artwork, still dripping wet with paint.

The multi textured visuals seem to have been created from a lost fairy tale. The astral world recalls the landscape paintings of Thomas Cole and Renaissance architecture complete with floating cherubs. There's no denying Eugenio Zanetti's triumphant production design and the Oscar-winning special effects, which create a fully formed universe that is at once eerie and beautiful.Buy Now on Amazon

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The Good Night (2007)

The Good Night

In this dedicated lucid dreaming movie, we take a wry look at an obsessed man who will do anything to make his passion-filled dream life a reality.

Gary Sheller is caught in a midlife crisis: dead-end job, depressing life and a deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend Dora. That is until he meets Anna - literally, the girl of his dreams. Able to see her only while asleep, Gary seeks out an expert on lucid dreaming techniques who agrees to help him carry on the most satisfying relationship of his life. But as he continues to shun reality, his waking life troubles worsen. An illuminating dark comedy. Buy Now on Amazon

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The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix

Computer hacker Neo has lived a relatively ordinary life - in what he thinks is the year 1999 - until he is contacted by the enigmatic Morpheus who leads him into the real world.

In reality, it is 200 years later, and the world has been laid waste and taken over by advanced Artificial Intelligence machines. The computers have created a false version of 20th century life - called the Matrix - to keep the human minds satisfied and use their bodies as a power source. Neo, pursued by Agents (sentient computer programs who take on human form), is hailed as The One who will lead the humans to overthrow the machines and reclaim the Earth.

The Matrix is, in essence, a shared lucid dream, guided by the Artifical Intelligence that creates the simulated reality. As Neo learns to bend these rules, he becomes increasingly lucid and aware, discovering that actually, anything is possible... Buy Now on Amazon

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About The Author

About The Author

Rebecca Casale is a lucid dreamer and a science writer with a special interest in biology and the brain. She is the founder of World of Lucid Dreaming and Science Me.