Postmodernism & the Movies

As Nietzsche pointed out, the arts often reflect what is occurring in culture and the direction of culture. Many contemporary movies reflect postmodern themes. This page provides recommendations of movies with strong postmodern themes. On this page there is only a very brief review. Over time, I hope to add additional more in-depth analyses of selected movies from this page. Please check back for additional recommendations and more detailed reviews.

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	The Matrix Trilogy may be the quintessential postmodern movie event. If you liked the movie, I highly recommend purchasing this DVD set which provides many reviews and documentaries on the movies. This includes commentaries by the likes of Ken Wilber and other well-known scholars. Added 9/30/05
	What the Bleep Do We Know!? is part documentary, part film. The basic theme of the movie is an exploration of quantum physics. For those interested in the themes discussed on this web site, this really is a must-see movie. Added 9/30/05
	The Dark City is another thought provoking postmodern movie. As the title suggests, it is a bit of a dark movie. It explores themes of what it means to be human and free will. In addition to seeing postmodernism in the themes of the movie, you can also see many forms of postmodern architecture and art in the film if you watch closely. Added 9/30/05
	Crash is a very powerful movie which deals with many important issues, including diversity issues. This is a movie everyone should watch! Added 12/11/05
	Tone of social constructivism run throughout 13 Conversations About One Thing. It’s both enjoyable and thought-provoking. Added 9/30/05
	Being John Malkovich is an odd, quirky movie yet still deals with some issues related to the question of ‘what is real?’ Added 9/30/05
	The Passion of Ayn Rand really deals more with modernism than postmodernism. Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, was one of the more extreme examples of modernism. She advocated strongly for objectivism. The movie is a story of her life and describes a position quite in contrast to postmodernism. Added 9/30/05
	Blade Runner has been considered the first, or at least the first influential, postmodern movie. Step back and watch this one from the perspective of the art and also from the philosophical perspective. Added 10/9/05