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)
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.
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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...
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)
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.
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The Science of Sleep (2006)
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.
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Paprika (2006)
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.
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Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (2004)
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.
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Avatar (2009)
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...
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What Dreams May Come (1998)
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.
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The Good Night (2007)
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.
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The Matrix (1999)
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...
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RELATED: 10 More Lucid Dreaming Movies
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.
