On Friday, InTouch dropped a bombshell interview with Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actress who alleged she had sex with President Trump in 2006 — just a year after he married and had a child with his third wife, Melania Trump.
In the 2011 unedited interview, Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Cliffords, confirmed she had an affair with the then-reality TV star that started at charity golf tournament. According to InTouch, her account was corroborated by her ex-husband and a close friend. The magazine also said the three took polygraph tests and passed them.
The story about the fling came to prominence in recent days, after The Wall Stret Journal reported that she was paid $130,000 in October 2016 by Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen to keep quiet about the sexual encounter. News of the affair made rounds in the media world at the height of the presidential election, but outlets like Fox News opted not to publish it.
Even though Daniels was extremely candid with InTouch in 2011 (for example, she said she can describe the president's "junk" perfectly), ever since obtaining the payment in 2016, she has denied the relationship. (The White House also denies the claims.)
She seems to be sort-of capitalizing on the media attention, however. On Saturday she will appear at a South Carolina strip club, as part of the her "Making America Horny Again Tour."
Ahead, a look at some of the most interesting tidbits of Daniels' interview. We read it so you don't have to.
Trump promised he could get Daniels a slot on The Apprentice
In her interview, Daniels said that during her first dinner with Trump he said she would be a good fit for The Apprentice and that he could make that happen. She was skeptical, telling him that NBC would never allow a adult film actress to go on the show. But Trump promised he had a "wildcard" option and he would push for her to be casted. That never happened, however. In the interview, Daniels wondered if that was a bait he used in order to get her to have sex with him.
Trump's bodyguard served as a point of contact
By "Keith," Daniels was referring to Trump's longtime and loyal bodyguard Keith Schiller. Schiller joined the Trump Organization in 1999 and even followed the president to the White House — at least until last September, when he resigned from his position.
By the time Daniels met Trump in 2006, Schiller was already Trump's head of security.
Daniels remembered the sex clearly, even five years later
Daniels was very blunt in the interview about what sleeping with Trump was like. She said that she could "describe his junk perfectly" and that sex was "what you would expect someone his age to do."
The affair went on for years
In the interview, Daniels said that Trump called her regularly over the next several years. She said that even though they never had sex again after that time at the golf tournament, they met a several social events such as the Trump Vodka release party, the Miss USA pageant, and the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Trump hates sharks — a lot
Daniels said that during her meeting with Trump at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Shark Week was on and he kept talking about how he hates sharks. This small detail gives her account even more weight, since Trump's Twitter feed post-2011 shows he really, really dislikes these sea creatures.
He compared Daniels to "his daughter"
It's likely that Trump was referring to his older daughter Ivanka, since he has a long history of making unsettling comments about her and many remarks that have to do with her body or beauty. When we look at the women who he surrounds himself with, they all pretty much look the same and Daniels fits that mold. She and the first daughter are also around the same age (Daniels is 38, Ivanka is 36).
Daniels wouldn't have an affair with him again
Daniels said that even though she didn't think a lot about how Trump was cheating on his wife when he slept with her, time has given her a new perspective.
She also characterized her relationship with Trump as an ongoing fling. She told InTouch: "If I was his wife and I found out that my husband stuck his dick in a hundred girls, I would be less mad about that than the fact that he went to dinner and had like this ongoing relationship."
When asked about whether she would have sex with Trump again, she said no.
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We're well aware that the proper style-minded moniker for the winter season is "sweater weather," but, honestly, it's a misnomer. 'Cause, trust: When those winds are howling louder than your Spotify playlist and stronger than your thickest puffer coat, one sweater just isn't going to cut it. So we're declaring right here and right now that these next few months be officially renamed as " sweaterS weather."
That's right, it's time to double-down on your cardigans, your turtlenecks, and your chunky knits. And, we've got just the thing to help you do so. Here, we're presenting six ready-made outfit ideas that bring the heat by way of multiple layers — from a three-sweater all-white look to an athletic-inspired ensemble that'll win you olympic gold (or a few compliments, at the very least). This multi-sweater moment is kind of our version of the fashion turducken, and yes, we'll most definitely have seconds.
The Double Cardigan Have you noticed that cardigans are back? Or maybe, they never left in the first place? In any case, when it comes to these button-ups, the more the merrier. Make your slinky summer dresses count for winter by layering up below — and on top. Or, wear a thinner cardigan as a shirt and finish off the look with a chunkier open-front sweater.
J.Crew, $29.5, available at J.CrewProtagonist, $540, available at Net-A-PorterMango, $39.99, available at MangoH&M, $34.99, available at H&MDreamland Jewelry, $23.52, available at Dreamland JewelryJeffrey Campbell, $150, available at Shopbop
Cut-Out, But Not Cold Don't wait for spring to wear those perforated, cut-out, off-the-shoulder sweaters taking up precious real estate in your closet. Instead, layer a contrasting print turtleneck and add in easy khakis, a beret, and colorful kicks to match.
Aoelaphe, $12.99, available at AmazonMoon River, $73, available at NordstromOak + Fort, $108, available at Oak + FortForever 21, $14.9, available at Forever 21Topshop, $52, available at Topshop
Layer Long Sleeves Under Short Sleeves We're huge fans of the sweet T-shirt sweater, but, for total transparency, they can take some figuring out. Rather than let your arms turn into icicles, layer a colored turtleneck underneath to pump up the volume. This combination is perfect for a ladylike look that's polished yet unexpected.
Uniqlo, $29.9, available at UniqloTibi, $450, available at TibiMother of Pearl, $550, available at The OutnetHUE, $7, available at Lord & Taylor
Knitwear, But Make It Evening It takes you double the amount of time to get ready for a "night out" in freezing temps. And, we get it: It's hard to feel yourself when you can't feel your fingers. But that's where sleek sweater layers come in. Start with a more sheer or lurex base layer and go for a knit bustier on top. Add earrings and metallic booties, and you'll feel cool and warm at the same time.
Almost All Winter White Sometimes the right color combination means (almost) no color at all. Indeed, winter white is a nice way to say "I know what I'm doing, even in sub-zero temps." All it takes is your trusty white turtleneck (we can't overstate how much we wear ours), some comfy sweaters in muted hues, and pale accessories to make the ensemble complete. Don't worry, you can still wear your everyday black boots too.
Quinn, $138, available at QuinnBanana Republic, $39.5, available at Banana RepublicCarhartt, $128, available at CarharttASKA, $425, available at ASKAMax Mara, $3990, available at NordstromUniqlo, $29.9, available at Uniqlo
Embrace Your Inner Winter Olympics Athlete Everyone gets into the winter olympics spirit — yes, even if (like us), you're still on the bunny slopes. But, you can still look the part with athletic layers, and starting with an attitude-packed bodysuit lets you play around with cropped pieces — without sacrificing heat.
I Am Gia, $56, available at I Am GiaT by Alexander Wang, $159, available at YooxKith, $150, available at KithPoppy Lissiman, $98, available at Poppy Lissiman
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I am a feminist. I also have conflicting thoughts about the account published on babe.net over the weekend, about a 23-year-old woman’s questionably consensual experience on a date with Aziz Ansari. To me, those two statements are not mutually exclusive. And yet, I’ve spent a large chunk of the last week grappling with the question of whether or not it’s an acceptable stance to hold in public.
A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times published a controversial opinion piece headlined: “ Publicly We Say #MeToo, Privately We Have Misgivings.” In it, Daphne Merkin argued that many women who consider themselves feminists have heeded the rallying cry of #MeToo in public, while expressing views that skirted away from the party line in private. Ultimately, the piece called attention to women who felt their voices were being silenced in a conversation that should include everyone, which is why I was disappointed to see it trashed on social media —even lumped in with takedowns of Woody Allen apologists. If we’re not willing to listen to each other as we figure out how to talk about these issues, then what is the potential for sparking real change?
This isn’t about absolving Ansari, or dragging Grace, or even questioning the journalistic integrity of babe.net. This isn’t about taking a side in a debate. In the same way that this story is being used as an entry point to expand the #MeToo conversation to the power imbalances in sex and dating culture, this is an opportunity for us to explore why we’ve been so quick shut down women who voice “wrong” opinions.
And what is a “wrong” take, anyway? Is it Caitlin Flanagan’s defense of Ansari in The Atlantic, that Twitter almost unanimously declared war against over the weekend? Or Bari Weiss’ essay in the Times, which explored the issue of female agency, and was decried as victim blaming? And if those are bad, what then, do we make of the vicious email sent by babe.net reporter Katie Way in response to HLN’s Ashleigh Banfield’s criticism of “Grace,” the anonymous name given to Ansari’s accuser? The email, available in full here, and read on air by Banfield on Wednesday, includes lines like: “I hope the 500 retweets on the single news write up made that burgundy lipstick, bad highlights, second wave feminist has-been really relevant for a little while.”
Jeering at one woman for slamming another woman isn’t the most productive way to get a point across, or even figure out what the point is. But cloaked inside jibes at Banfield’s appearance is an all-too-common dismissal that anyone who disagrees with the new order of things is too old-school to matter. As Amanda Hess of the Timestweeted in response to all this: “‘second wave feminist’ has become code for ‘woman i disagree with who is older than me.’”
Like many people who make a living thinking and writing about entertainment, I’ve had to cover the issues of sexual harassment and assault that have come to dominate the news cycle in the last several months. I am proud to work for a news organization that is committed to supporting women and telling their stories. But I’m still parsing through the many complicated thoughts that come with every new allegation. There hasn’t been a moment to stop and reflect.
Perhaps that’s why we’ve seen so many think pieces on Ansari. This story feels different. So many of the previous allegations have involved clear-cut cases of workplace harassment. No woman is going to defend Harvey Weinstein, or James Toback, or Matt Lauer, or Louis C.K. As Emma Gray pointed out over at HuffPost, those were the most obvious rotten apples in a barrel that’s been decaying from the bottom up. “If the #MeToo movement is going to amount to sustained culture change ― rather than simply a weeding out of the worst actors in a broken system ― we need to renegotiate the sexual narratives we’ve long accepted,” she wrote on Wednesday. “And that involves having complicated conversations about sex that is violating but not criminal.”
Having that kind of complicated conversation only works if we entertain multiple of the narrative. The sheer number of reactions from different women, arguing a wide spectrum of ideas, points to the fact that we don’t think as one big block. So, why is it so polarizing to just come out and say that?
I understand the reluctance to engage with ideas from women who appear to be setting things back — we face enough opposition from intractable men without having to fight backlash from our own. Judy Berman, writing about the question of female agency on Refinery29 earlier this week pointed out that some of this is perhaps due to a misunderstanding of social media. “Twitter thrives on the kind of hyperbole that says, ‘all men should die,’ but means, ‘a large number of men should reflect earnestly on their actions,’ she wrote. “I’m not convinced a hashtag is the same as a pitchfork, though.”
And to a certain extent, this collective awareness is a good thing. A lot of us should think twice before weighing in on such a sensitive issue. (Case in point: Matt Damon.) But that kind of hesitation on the part of more cautious parties also means that only a handful of people get the mic, and they, in turn, become the arbiters of good taste. For centuries, those people have been men. That is now changing, and I applaud the shift — yet I still don’t feel like I have much of a place in this debate. What if I say the wrong thing?
It’s a reaction that has been shared by many of my friends, peers and colleagues in conversations over text, on Slack and through hushed whispers. Usually, it’s prefaced with a “I can’t really say this on Twitter but…” and followed by hesitation, “ums,” and questions marks. What if I don’t agree with what’s currently being trashed as “the wrong take”? Am I allowed to think this way? Am I allowed to say it? Does that make me a bad feminist?
This uncertainty is in part due to a online culture that rewards uniformity of thought. Social media is the perfect venue for virtue signaling. We like to have a bandwagon to jump on; it makes things neat and tidy, and easy to soundbite. But it also neuters real debate, which requires living in those uncomfortable grey area, rather than on black and white sides of the spectrum, hurling personal attacks at one another. This could be an opportunity to move that conversation beyond black and white sexual harassment and into a more murky — but arguably more pervasive and harmful — grey area. It’s easy to condemn major Hollywood scandals — it’s the small, everyday traumas that are harder to pin down and closer to home.
So here we are. I’m calling for an armistice. We have to accept that some of us are going to have so-called bad opinions. That’s part of having a nuanced conversation. I believe in #MeToo. I believe in Time’s Up. I believe that we are long overdue for very messy and serious conversations about the rampant power imbalances that exist in too many aspects of our society. I think that, despite its flaws, the Babe.net story has brought a crucial, and overlooked injustice to the surface. We should be talking about the pervasive and systemic problems embedded within our current dating culture. We should be teaching men that they don’t deserve sex just for being a nice guy, or saying the right things; that sex isn’t just something to be received, but also something to be given. We should be teaching women that they’re allowed to make their voices heard, and not be accommodating or silently object in situations where they feel uncomfortable.
But it seems hypocritical to tell women that our voices have value in our interactions with men, and not hear each other out when we’re all grappling with questions that have no clear answers.
So, rather than being Team Real Feminists or Team New York Times, or Team Atlantic, can we acknowledge that we’re all experiencing this massive shift in different (sometimes clumsy) ways? Maybe we have conflicting feelings and thoughts that don’t always make coherent sense. Maybe we have a different reaction to the same story a day or two after sitting with it. This does not negate our commitment to the movement or its larger message or mean we’re bad feminists. It means we are human. And if we’re going to figure out what any of this means, we’re going to have to do it together.
It's fair to say that 2017 was Rihanna's year. From Fenty Beauty's range of 40 foundation shades that set the bar on what it means to be inclusive in the beauty sphere to the holographic Galaxy collection, which landed just in time for party season, Riri sure knows what we want. After Stunna Lip Paint, a universally flattering red, came out back in November, the brand's most recent lipstick offering dropped: Mattemoiselle. The 14 new shades of lip color, from bold to even bolder, encouraged us to experiment — Rihanna-style.
So when Hector Espinal, Fenty Beauty's global makeup artist, came to London, we jumped at the chance to ask him all about them. Below, he tells us the right way to apply the lipsticks, the lowdown on Rihanna's product name choices, and what it's like working for such a game-changing brand.
Hector, talk us through Mattemoiselle...
It's Fenty's latest collection, and we're truly obsessed with it. Rihanna is known for her lipstick, so everyone expected her to come out with a range of lipsticks, which is why she wanted to take her time with them. They're based on your mood, and they're divided into three groups. The first is an array of nudes, like your Shawty, Single, and Freckle Fiesta. Next up we have the shades for when you're feeling bolder and more out-there, like Candy Venom, Saw-C, and Ma'Damn. Finally we have the colors that are very daring, very fashion week, and relate to trends. Clapback is this beautiful navy blue, Midnight Wasabi, which is one of my favorites, and Griselda, this rich, warm burgundy.
What are your application tips for the product?
I love prepping the lips with the Matchstix, our correctors that can be used for contouring or highlighting. If you have discoloration on your lips, you can neutralize it with that and it creates a soft, matte base to apply the lipstick. If you’re the type of person whose lipstick wears off quickly regardless of the formula, I like to set it with Invisimatte, which is our translucent powder. All you need is a light dust with a light, fluffy brush, to ensure durability. To paint, I like to start with the Cupid's bow. We don't have lip liners, so I take the edge of the lipstick and create a perfect line around the lips before slowly going in to saturate. Some people like to overdraw the lips, while others like to keep the same shape, but you really want to make it look defined either way.
How would you describe the formula and finish?
It's a plush matte. It's comfortable, moveable, the creamy texture feels great, and it's not drying. By plush matte I mean the feeling of your head laying on a pillow.
Some of the shades look more matte than others – why is that?
The deeper the shade, the more matte they get, because they have more color. The pigment note will naturally induce a more drying texture. That's why our foundations are so successful, because for deeper skin tones, a more drying formula works best for them due to the natural oils in their skin.
How does Rihanna come up with the names of the products?
They're all personal to her as an individual. One of the Boyz is named that because it's a flirty shade. Midnight Wasabi is when you get hungry in the middle of the night and you order sushi. Then you have Clapback. I love this story. She's known for her social media clapbacks, and her navy [her fans] are always clapping back at haters, defending her and supporting her, so she decided to name this navy blue Clapback for them.
We'd all love Rihanna's confidence, but such bold colors can feel intimidating. What are your tips for wearing these shades?
Own it! Make your lips your accessory – forget earrings. If you are doing a bold color, go for soft, matte skin, with barely anything on the eyes. But, honestly, confidence comes from within – once you have it on, own it. Rihanna is such a chameleon – something's ugly until she wears it, right? But she has fun with it. We've given you 14 colors to play with. Fenty is about wearing whatever you like – be the baddest bitch in town.
The good news is that drugstore brands have heard our cries loud and clear. Maybelline, Nyx Cosmetics, and E.L.F., to name just a few, have seriously upped the ante on their formulas and color ranges, creating quality products that give their much pricier counterparts a run for their money. Not only that, they're redesigning packaging to create products that you'll want to display on a vanity — not relegate to a side drawer.
Ahead, shop the cheap highlighter we're reaching for over our $40 pan, the lipstick we love that costs less than a movie ticket, and more of the crème de la crème of drugstore beauty.
We can't get enough of these easy-to-use, two-sided eyeshadow creams, which were finalists in our Beauty Innovator Awards. Not only are they pigmented and long-lasting, but they come in a variety of natural and bold hues.
Essie's nail polish collection is all about '90s nostalgia, so naturally the brand included a powdery blue lacquer called "As If." We love pairing it with minimal nail art.
Essie Nail Polish in As If, $9, available at Ulta Beauty.
This potted eyeliner takes all the fuss and confusion out of traditional liquid formulas. Simply press your brush against the sponge; it will pick up just the right amount of pigment for an even, crisp line.
Catrice Liquid Gel Cushion Eyeliner, $6.99, available at Ulta Beauty.
Fans of frosty metallic highlighters (you know, the ones you can see from space) will dig Wet n Wild's new Mermaid Highlighting Bar.
Wet n Wild Mermaid Highlighting Bar, $6.99, available at Wet n Wild.
E.L.F.'s Holy Smokes eyeshadow palette is everything you want in a shadow — soft, creamy, and oh-so-pigmented.
E.L.F. Mad For Matte Holy Smokes Eyeshadow Palette, $10, available at E.L.F.
Finally! A holo highlighter that doesn't cost upwards of $20. Tap Mermaid Armor (pinky-peach) onto cheekbones for a subtle look, and Electric Invasion (blue-pink) for a more obvious holographic effect.
NYX Cosmetics Strobe Of Genius Holographic Stick, $9, available at NYX Cosmetics.
We're already fans of L'Oréal's Infallible collection, but these single-pan shadows might be its best yet. A few of taps gives the prettiest all-over color.
L'Oréal Infallible Eye Paints Metallic, $9.99, available at L'Oréal.
Although this squeezable liquid lipstick isn't 100% transfer-proof, the opaque matte formula feels comfortable and balm-like on our lips all day and comes in the prettiest colors.
CoverGirl Melting Pout Liquid Lipstick in Don't Be Gelly, $7.99, available at CoverGirl.
This creamy concealer provides just the right amount of coverage to even out discoloration and minor blemishes without any cake-y build-up.
Revlon Youth FX Fill + Blur Concealer, $13.99, available at Ulta Beauty.
This creamy lipstick feels like a gloss, yet has a unique matte finish that never, ever feathers or dries.
Essence Matt Matt Matt Lip Gloss in Simply Be An Icon, $3.99, available in August at Essence.
Women of color know the struggle of finding a concealer strong enough to hide dark spots and blemishes, but this palette offers two shades for a customizable match made in heaven.
Black Radiance True Complexion Custom Concealer Dark to Deep, $6.99, available at Walgreens.
Sleek Makeup is already an affordable favorite across the pond, but the brand is poised to take over the States, too. It rolled out 152 products at Ulta over the last months and this three-pan palette is one of our favorites. The pigmented powders can be mixed and matched for a custom color or worn solo.
Sleek Makeup Rekindling Blush by 3 Palette, $13.99, available at Ulta Beauty.
This finely-milled highlighting powder from British brand Model's Own is perfect for those who dig metallic in-your-face radiance.
Model's Own Sculpt & Glow Highlighter Powder. $11.99, available at Ulta Beauty.
"I'll be the first to admit that I use my glasses as a cop-out from doing my eye makeup," R29 beauty writer Khalea Underwood says. "Everything else on my face can be buffed, bronzed, and highlighted to the heavens, but I'm admittedly not that confident in my lash, liner, and shadow skills. Curvitude helped a poor soul like myself create a halfway decent wing that didn't require 120,402 cotton swabs for clean-up. If I can do it, you can, too."
Maybelline Curvitude Liner, $8.99, available at Ulta Beauty.
This purple version of Maybelline's The Colossal Big Shot Mascara has the same volumizing formula as the original, but throws a little iris-flattering color into the mix.
Maybelline The Colossal Big Shot Mascara in Poppin' Purple, $8.49, available at Ulta Beauty.
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Welcome toMoney Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.
Today: a medical assistant who makes $29,000 per year. This week, she spends some of her money on a DQ Blizzard and hair dye.
Occupation: Medical Assistant Industry: Medicine Age: 23 Location: Tampa Salary: $29,000 Paycheck (2x/month): $1,100
Monthly Expenses Housing: $675 for my share of the rent on a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment. Student Loan Payments: $150. I'm a graduate student so I'm still in school, but I pay to keep the principal down.
All Other Monthly Expenses Car Insurance: $70 Phone: $65 Netflix & Hulu: $21 Spotify: $12.99 Barre Studio: $50 Roth IRA: 4% of every paycheck
Day One
7:15 a.m. — Usually I wake up before my alarm, but today it jolts me out of a weird dream. Ugh, Monday. I roll out of bed and throw some scrubs on.
7:30 a.m. — I make oatmeal with peanut butter, honey, and cinnamon. I also pour myself a big cup of cold, black coffee. I brew a pot of coffee on Sunday nights and stick it in the fridge for a whole week. It's not an ideal system, but I prefer it 100 times more than fresh hot coffee.
7:50 a.m. — I'm out the door. Luckily, I both live and work downtown, so it's a 10-minute walk into the hospital. I like to jam out on the way there; today, it's Arcade Fire's newest album.
8:05 a.m. — I get to work early and talk to the security guard about my weekend; it's our Monday tradition. She teases me for staying in St. Pete this weekend. I traveled a lot this summer and there's a running joke between us now that I'm "always going somewhere."
8:30 a.m. — I'm a coffee fiend and usually cave to the coffee shop in our hospital on Monday mornings. I'm going to Nashville with friends in a couple of weeks, so I'm trying not to waste my money on coffee. One of my coworkers brings me a coffee without me asking because she is an angel.
12 p.m. — I meal prep for the whole week during the weekend, so I usually have all of my lunches and dinners made in advance. This saves me money and ensures that I eat clean for most of the week. For lunch today, I have a sriracha, garlic, and honey pork chop with diced sweet potatoes and asparagus.
5:15 p.m. — Done with work. I walk back and talk to my mom on the phone. Back at home, I immediately scarf down homemade peanut butter granola. I eat enough to make it a not-healthy snack anymore.
6:15 p.m. — I hit up a barre class. My studio gives me a student discount and I go enough to make it a great deal.
7:45 p.m. — Back from barre, I eat dinner: zucchini noodles with carrots, onions, and peppers in red sauce. I watch two lectures for school, text my boyfriend for a little bit, and later snack on homemade chocolate chip cookies that my Dad sent me. He got a mixer for his birthday and is so excited to make things with it.
9:15 p.m. — I make peppermint tea and slide into bed. Tomorrow is an early day.
Daily Total: $0
Day Two
5 a.m. — I wake up for work. Three days a week, I work overtime in surgery. The early mornings are brutal, but the pay is worth it. I don't have to be at the hospital until 5:30, and luckily I live close enough to basically wake up at the last possible second. I drive to work on these mornings because it's still dark outside.
5:25 a.m. — I clock into work and roll through my routine. I packed a breakfast of peanut butter granola, almonds, and blueberries and snack before patients start coming. I also chug my cold coffee from home.
8:30 a.m. — My time in the OR is complete, and I run to the other side of the hospital to get to my clinic.
8:35 a.m. — We don't have patients until 9 and I'm still hungry, so I go to the cafeteria and grab two hard-boiled eggs and a cup of ice for my coworker. With my discount it's $2.38, but I can use my hospital badge to have it payroll deducted. $2.38
11 a.m. — I've been lucky with grad school so far and haven't had to buy any mandatory textbooks ... until now. I'm in my last semester and have to buy two. I order them on Amazon Prime in between patients; my parents pay. When I started college, they told me that as long as I was in school, they'd cover my books. Yes, they're the greatest. ($170, covered by my mom)
12 p.m. — I eat my leftover zucchini noodles from last night and have lots of yummy red sauce left over, so I buy a piece of grilled chicken from the cafeteria to finish it off. It's $3.18, but payroll deducted. I also eat some blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries that I packed. $3.18
12:40 p.m. — I'm trying SO hard not to spend money on coffee, but I literally just fell asleep at my desk. Halfway to walking to the hospital coffee shop, I remember we have a lone K-cup in the office cabinet. I turn around and go back; it's good for me to get the steps anyway.
3 p.m. — The surgeon I work for hits the proverbial wall and is in desperate need of caffeine. He asks if anyone wants anything from the coffee shop and takes me with him because I'm the only one who can remember everyone's order. I get a double espresso.
5:15 p.m. — Done with patients and drive to a hot yoga class. I started doing yoga at my barre studio when I sent out my applications to medical school. I was so anxious that I stopped sleeping, and it's helped a lot so far.
7:30 p.m. — Back from yoga, showered, and I FaceTime my mom while I eat: roasted pork chop, broccoli stalks, sweet potatoes, and strawberries as a snack.
8:15 p.m. — I talk to my boyfriend while I eat a peanut butter granola bar from Trader Joe's. I get really snacky in the evenings and I'm trying to break the habit. I rationalize it by telling myself I worked it off in yoga.
9 p.m. — I need to study, but instead I watch Ali Wong: Baby Cobra while drinking peppermint tea. I'll make up for studying tomorrow. The special has some really funny and really cringeworthy parts. I pass out in bed by 10.
Daily Total: $5.56
Day Three
7:15 a.m. — No surgery for me today! I wake up extremely well-rested and make myself breakfast — oatmeal with peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, and chopped strawberries. I drink cold coffee from my fridge.
7:40 a.m. — I'm either feeling particularly ambitious or very alert because I unload and reload my dishwasher after breakfast. I'm going away to see my boyfriend this weekend and my roommate is in Nashville, so I want us to both come home to a clean apartment.
7:50 a.m. — I'm out the door and walking to work. Today's playlist is 2000s hip-hop. I get very hype to "Air Force Ones".
8:05 a.m. — I clock into work early again and head over to trauma, where I work every Wednesday morning. It started as a PRN gig, but both parties enjoyed it so much that I've stayed there permanently. There is always a pot of coffee brewed, and I drink some while I catch up with the front desk staff on hospital gossip.
10:15 a.m. — I'm starving and eat some blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries during a gap between patients.
11:30 a.m. — We've finished seeing patients and I see that John Mulaney is coming to the theater RIGHT near my apartment building. My roommate and I love him so I buy the two of us and her friend tickets as she's busy in Nashville. We can't believe our luck. She immediately Venmos me for their share. $33
12 p.m. — I eat lunch (pork chop, broccoli stalk, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes), but I'm still hungry after. I find cinnamon BelVita cookies in my backpack. I have everything in my backpack, I swear.
5:15 p.m. — Done seeing patients and I head straight to CVS. I got my hair done in February for my birthday, and while the stylist did an amazing job, I'm sick of the blonde. I'm a brunette at heart! I buy a box of light brown Revlon dye on sale. $8.52
6:30 p.m. — My hair looks good! It's a little ashy but since the dye is cheap it should fade a bit within a week. I eat dinner while my hair dries.
7:30 p.m. — I study until 10, then make peppermint tea, talk to my boyfriend for a bit, and pass out in bed.
Daily Total: $41.52
Day Four
5 a.m. — My alarm goes off and I am sad. I go through my usual routine of blind fumbling to get dressed and grab my food. I clock into work just after 5:15 and start setting up for our day of patients. After I'm finished, I watch the morning news while eating hard-boiled eggs and drinking coffee from home. I'm especially tired for some reason today.
8:30 a.m. — I leave the OR and head over to my side of the hospital for clinic. We're slammed with patients — thank the medical gods that my coffee is finally kicking in.
11:58 a.m. — We somehow finish with our patients on time! I think if I eat another pre-packed pork chop meal, I'm going to kill someone, so I grab Tijuana Flats with my coworkers. I get a blackened chicken burrito bowl and it is so good. $8.53
4:45 p.m. — Finish with our afternoon patients early, too! Sometimes, I really underestimate my doctor; he was on a roll today. I change out of my scrubs at the office and drive over to barre for a class.
6:30 p.m. — My barre instructor went rogue today and now I can't feel my legs.
7:15 p.m. — I think the burrito bowl was the cure for my brief pork chop strike, because I happily eat my usual meal this week when I get home while I FaceTime my mom. After I eat, I end up studying for a bit.
8:50 p.m. — The snack attack strikes again. I grab some blueberries and almonds while talking to my boyfriend, make myself a Sleepytime peach tea (not peppermint, wow), and scroll through social media. I fall asleep before 9:30.
Daily Total: $8.53
Day Five
5 a.m. — My last time this week waking up at 5! I have more energy today and roll through my morning routine faster than usual. I eat peanut butter oatmeal with blueberries and a cold coffee for breakfast.
5:15 a.m. — I clock into work and do my usual boring routine. I only drink about half my coffee before the patients start rolling in.
8:30 a.m. — We don't see patients on Fridays in clinic, so our schedule is massively laid back. I tell my front desk secretary I'll be late and pick up everyone a coffee and a donut from Dunkin'. I have coupons with me and get four coffees and four donuts. $5.11
8:42 a.m. — I'm back at my desk and working on getting authorizations for patient procedures. I drink my caramel iced coffee and eat my donut — old fashioned is the best.
12 p.m. — I clock out of work and go back to my apartment to deep clean and pack for my weekend trip to Gainesville. Usually, I leave at 5 but my boyfriend and I have an obligation this evening.
12:45 p.m. — Packed in my car ready to go and realize that I need gas. I get gas maybe once a month because the furthest I drive is to go to barre class. I don't even know if I'm getting a particularly good deal at this station or not. I get nine gallons. $18.19
3 p.m. — Finally with my man! We are staying at his parents' house, and we chill for a bit before his mom comes home. She arrives with strawberry popsicles.
7 p.m. — I have been waiting for this event FOREVER. My boyfriends mom is a barre instructor and they're doing a “Bring-A-Boy” class tonight. She's an insanely hard teacher, but watching my boyfriend and his dad flounder through the class is worth every ounce of pain. After, we eat soft pretzels and beer that the studio provides.
8 p.m. — His parents take us to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. I get fish tacos and we split a margarita pitcher between the table. They graciously pay.
9:30 p.m. — The combo of the margarita and my early wakeup time has me down for the count. I pass out as soon as we get back to the house.
Daily Total: $23.30
Day Six
8:30 a.m. — I wake up very well-rested. My boyfriend has breakfast plans for us, so I roll out of bed and into his car.
9:15 a.m. — Points for my boy, he takes us to a bomb Southern breakfast place. I get a biscuit with fried chicken, cheddar cheese, bacon, and sausage gravy on top. I can feel my arteries clogging as I eat it but its too good! I also get a red eye to wake myself up. $13.31
10:30 a.m. — We should be taking a carb nap but I have a molecular genetics exam in two weeks and I want to get ahead before I leave for Nashville. We go to a local coffee shop where I love to study. I order a honey and cinnamon coffee. $3.67
1:30 p.m. — We finish studying and one of my friends is in the area. We stay at the coffee shop a little longer so she can meet us there and we can catch up. She starts medical school on Monday!
2:30 p.m. — I want to go thrifting to see if there are any cute, cheap outfits I can get before my trip. After about 30 minutes of searching, I'm overwhelmed and give up. (I'm a very impatient shopper.) My boyfriend gets a pair of pants and I leave empty-handed.
5:30 p.m. — My boyfriend's father's birthday is this week, and we go out to dinner to celebrate with their friends. We tear into a seafood boil; it's more than I've eaten in a while. Again, his lovely parents treat us.
8:30 p.m. — We're absolutely stuffed from dinner but are still craving DQ blizzards. I get a small Reese's Blizzard and go back to the house to watch The Breakfast Club with my boyfriend's mom. $3.72
10 p.m. — I snuggle with my boyfriend for a bit and fall asleep before 11.
Daily Total: $20.70
Day Seven
7:30 a.m. — My boyfriend wakes me up early so I can watch him play soccer. He's pretty good (and cute), so I forgive the early morning wakeup. I eat peanut butter and honey oatmeal before we leave.
9 a.m. — It's five million degrees in Florida and there's about six inches of shade on the soccer field. I sweat my butt off spectating while my boyfriend does actual exercise. They get their asses kicked.
10 a.m. — We decide to get post-game açai bowls for breakfast. As we pull in the parking lot, I realize I don't have my wallet with me, so my boyfriend and I split a bowl that he covers.
10:30 a.m. — The açai bowl place is next to the coffee shop from yesterday, and I'm craving another honey and cinnamon coffee. I think my boyfriend notices my longing glances and offers to get me one. I accept.
11:45 a.m. — We go to a local hip grocery store to get poke bowls. While we wait for them to be made, I wander around and grab produce I'll need for the week. I end up getting broccoli, four packs of blueberries, asparagus, green beans, and peanut butter. I also cover both of our poke bowls and coffee from earlier. $34.25
1 p.m. — We finish eating lunch and sadly, I have to leave. My boyfriend will also be in Tennessee next week on a completely different trip, and we know we will see each other in Nashville at least one night.
4 p.m. — After a dramatic and awful drive home, I'm back in St. Pete. I FaceTime my mom and lay in bed to rest up before my game. I joined a co-ed softball league that plays in a park in the city. I played for 14 years, and it's great to have the game back in my life.
6 p.m. — I'm extremely lazy and drive instead of walk to the park for my softball game. I get nailed in the leg with a line drive, which quickly turns into a gnarly bruise. We lose, but I have a great time.
7:30 p.m. — I run over to Publix to get meat and fruit for the week. I didn't want to make the drive from Gainesville with poultry. I buy chicken thighs, eggs, strawberries, and arugula and get yelled at for walking around in cleats. $14.76
8 p.m. — I shower and start to cook for the week. I make a quick dinner of honey-lime-cilantro chicken with arugula and green beans and watch the sun set on the rooftop patio with my roommate while we catch up.
9 p.m. — I eat cinnamon BelVita crisps while I study with my roommate. Later, I text my boyfriend for a bit and then go to bed.
Daily Total: $49.01
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When my followers first asked me to try a "5 days of calligraphy" challenge in my YouTube series "Try Living with Lucie," I was incredibly nervous. I've never had the world's neatest handwriting, and as I binge-watched hundreds of 'how-to' videos, I thought to myself, "I'll never ever be able to do that!"
But as I've come to realize, calligraphy can be broken down to its most basic form, and at the heart of it there's one main principle: thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes.
I went to the local art store to buy some traditional calligraphy supplies (a pen holder, a set of nibs and some black ink), and I started out by practicing basic strokes. Eventually, I was forming letters and testing out different types of pens.
My exploration this week taught me that the traditional forms of calligraphy (like Copperplate or Spencarian) are not right for me; I'm more interested in learning what's referred to as 'modern calligraphy' — a type of hand-lettering with looser restrictions than traditional forms of calligraphy. After playing around with various tools, I also learned that brush pens are my personal favorite — particularly the Tombow Dual Brush Pens and Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens.
Check out the video to see my progress over the course of five days, and (now that I'm into hand-lettering and all) follow me on Instagram (@luciebfink) to see how my 2018 bullet journal is coming along.
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You might not want to say it in a corporate job interview or list it on your Hinge profile, but we're of the belief that "skin care" fully qualifies as a very important hobby. After all, skin is your largest organ and your first line of protection against everything the earth might decide to throw your way on any given day — why shouldn't it get a big chunk of attention?
Of course, you already know the basics — retinol, vitamin C, and SPF are crucial blah blah blah — so make 2018 the year you go deep. Learn what your ingredients are really doing, tend to your microbiome, consider stem cell treatments, and you just might come out the other side with your best skin ever.
Ahead, five product and procedural trends that the pros are excited about this year — and that'll put your complexion ahead of the curve.
If there are people in your friend group with skin (and an inclination to make it better), you probably know just how buzzy microneedling and so-called vampire facials are at the moment — everyone's curious whether they live up to the hype and are worth the money. (But if you need numbers: Pinterest's 2018 trend predictions report a whopping 345% increase in saves for "derma roller " over the past year.) And yet, we're only just starting to see what these techniques can do.
Plastic surgeon Matthew Schulman, MD, says combining the two — microneedling and PRP — is one of the fastest-growing non-invasive procedures, as there is virtually no downtime. In addition to the face, it's also being used on the scalp as a solution for thinning and receding hair. He and dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, both predict something more novel in the future, too: microneedling patches. "They're being developed to deliver the flu vaccine and it is just a matter of time (although it may be years) before they target aging skin," says Dr. Zeichner, who explains that the patch will be made up of slowly dissolving microneedles impregnated with the active ingredient, designed to deliver it deeper than anything you could put on topically.
If you want glowing angel baby skin, it may be worth getting over your aversion to smearing afterbirth on your face, as some of the most potent products and treatments coming out tout placental tissue and umbilical stem cells as the star ingredient. Why? "Stem cells have infinite growth and potential, and for this reason, stem cell-derived growth factors are used in skin-care products that target aging skin. These growth factors are messengers that encourage cells to grow and divide, so they help recharge old or lazy skin cells," says Dr. Zeichner.
You can go the topical route — MZ Skin, a new line by oculoplastic surgeon Maryam Zamani, MD, uses sheep placenta; Novo Solutions MD employs purified human umbilical cord cells; and, of course, plenty of serums on the market contain plant-derived stem cells designed to mimic human placenta — but those on the cutting-edge of dermatology and plastic surgery are finding human stem cells to be most effective when injected.
Plastic surgeon Rian Maercks, MD, uses amniotic tissue (sourced from women who sign a consent form authorizing the donation of their discarded umbilical cords and placenta) as a filler option in non-invasive facelift procedures he performs. "It can lead to improved skin appearance and generation of new healthy vascular tissue, for a long-lasting result that is actually the patient's own tissue. Using these natural human components gives a natural result in every sense of the word," he says.
Plastic surgeon Stephen Greenberg, MD, uses adult tissue stem cells for facial rejuvenation fat transfers, relocating them to areas on the face that show volume loss, agrees. "They provide a very soft, natural result that is often more permanent than dermal fillers," he says.
Healthy immune systems produce antibodies when they detect the presence of antigens, which can be bacteria, viruses, toxins, and foreign proteins. If all goes according to plan, the antibody gets directed to the particular antigen, neutralizes it without damaging surrounding healthy cells, and you don't get sick.
Antibodies have long been used in medical research and application, usually extracted from the blood of rabbits (which is costly and far from cruelty-free), but now the skin-care world is starting to look at how to use the technology to treat conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and acne, according to Dr. Greenberg. "They allow for delivery of actives to the skin in ways not done before," adds Dr. Zeichner, who predicts they'll be used to reverse signs of aging in the future.
One new brand that's leading the charge is Adsorb Beauty, a skin-care line out of Japan that uses antibodies humanely extracted from the egg yolk of ostriches, which have one of the strongest immune systems of any living animal. The antibodies work by targeting ceramidase, an enzyme that disrupts your body's natural ceramide production and causes moisture retention levels to drop, so skin stays plump and hydrated.
Yes, it sounds like something you'd call the IT department for, and the explanation of what the microbiome is (the natural colonization of bacteria that's found on the skin, according to dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD) doesn't make it any sexier, but paying attention to yours could be the difference between a clear, healthy complexion and breakouts, dryness, and irritation.
Microbes, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and itsy-bitsy, microscopic mites live on your skin — that's a fact of life. And while that might make you want to scratch your face off, don't, because the goal is not to destroy the “bad” bacteria — like P. acnes and S. aureus (which are associated with acne and atopic eczema, respectively) — and replace them with “good” bacteria. Rather, it's bacterial diversit y, and a healthy balance of all the microbes — even the ones with a bad reputation.
Brands are making it easy to care for your microbiome by developing skin-care lines that specifically address the sensitive composition of it and don't strip your skin of the microbes it actually needs. La Roche-Posay's Toleriane line, for example, incorporates prebiotics as “food for bacteria,” based on the brand's research of bacterial diversity. Dermalogica is also working with bioactives that support the microbiome while targeting stress and environmental factors.
Topical alternatives to injectable dermal fillers are saturating the market and will continue to get more effective in the coming years as the demand for non-invasive solutions increases, especially among millennials. On shelves now, look for Dior's new Capture Youth Plump Filler Age-Delay Plumping Serum, which combines hyaluronic acid molecules of different weights to target moisture levels on the surface and deeper into skin layers, and Demarche Labs' Fullfill Hyaluronic Acid Topical Wrinkle Filler, a highly effective line-smoothing serum that comes recommended by multiple derms.
In not-quite-topical-but-hardly-invasive news, experts are excited about innovations like Juvéderm Volite, a skin-conditioning hyaluronic acid gel which works on the surface level to improve hydration, uneven texture, and elasticity. According to Dr. Greenberg, a typical treatment involves about 100 tiny injections (this isn't your deep, cheekbone-lifting filler) and lasts for nine months. Currently, it's only available in Europe, but some predict it'll be hitting the U.S. soon.
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You know you're a '90s kid if you can still recite all of the lyrics to "Under the Sea" like it's 1989. And if you've done so, then do not pretend you didn't drape a red T-shirt around your head as an impromptu Ariel wig at some point in time. Even though we'll never turn down a Little Mermaid binge sesh, we've got a few real-life mermaids to look to these days: the Kardashian sisters.
Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney have all rocked tight, perm-style curls that somehow merge casual beach vibes and the spirit of the seventies at the same time. "2018 will be the year of texture," celebrity hairstylist Justine Marjan, who works with the Kardashians, tells us. "Expect to see a lot more fun looks with waves, curls, and natural hair this year!" And Hollywood's already gotten a head start. See how the Kardashians, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj, and more are riding this wave.
For definition like J.Lo's, Marjan uses a 1-inch GHD curling iron to create ringlets in alternate directions. She sprays R & Co.'s Viscous Hairspray as a finishing touch, then uses a flat iron to relax the curl a bit.
Photo: Via @jlo.
However, the true key to undoing your waves artfully (as modeled on Demi Lovato) is lightly back brushing each section, per Marjan's instruction.
Photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage.
For a wet look like Kourtney Kardashian's, scrunch in a sea salt spray (pick one that's right for your texture here)...
Photo: Via @kourtneykardash.
... Or just get your hair wet at the beach, like Duckie Thot did.
Laverne Cox usually opts for blonde curls, but for a recent photoshoot with We The Urban, she gave a "a different visual vibe" with wet, bronde waves.
Photo: Via @lavernecox.
You don't always have to use lots of heat to set your spirals. If you've already been blessed with curls (or have wavy extensions, like Nicki Minaj), spritz a liberal amount of shine spray and let your texture flourish.
Photo: Via @nickiminaj.
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The last time I rode horses I was shopping in the children's section of the shoe store. But that didn't stop me from stealing my mom's vintage cowboy boots when I was home for the holidays. Because yes, there are certainly functional elements to cowboy boots for those that rodeo, live on farms, or, you know, ride horses on the regular. But, for those of us in New York City — and other non-rural locales — they're still a must-have during thick-sock season. Or, at least, they're starting to be.
Inspired by the spring 2018 runways of Calvin Klein, Margiela, and R13, we've rounded up 15 pairs of cowboy boots to shop for now. And there are a bunch of iterations to choose from — from tall cherry red, to ankle-high all-white, to glossy croc prints in cropped silhouettes. Feel free to do your best Jessica Simpson impression when they arrive in the mail — just remember to make it fashun.
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Everyone knows if you want to know the truth about a beauty product, you head to the reviews section. Like a brutally honest friend, this is where people hold nothing back. Does that one lip gloss attract hair like a Venus flytrap? Will this foundation camouflage better than FaceTune? If you've got a question, they have the answers. But there's one brand with customer reviews on a whole other level: Fenty Beauty.
Since the line dropped late last year, every single one of its products has accumulated hundreds of rave reviews — some of which are downright hilarious. So, we decided to round up the best of the best to help you decide which highlighter or matte lipstick you should stock up on next.
Click ahead for the funniest, and most helpful, Fenty Beauty reviews the internet can offer. Enjoy.
"Excellent. Marvelous. Awesome. Fabalous [ sic]. Exceptional. Inspirational. Trend setting. Beautiful. Flawless. A look. A lifestyle. Fenty Beauty." — LUVURIRI
"I mean . . . I'm trying to be humble but I can't. I'm fly. I only need one application on my face and it looks like I've been blessed. Like... I drink my water, mind my bidness [sic], and only get petty when it's well deserved. I walk around looking like a life-size Academy Award. If you don't stop and ask me what am I using for my skin, then you're just a hater 'cause I'm stopping traffic. I'm getting invited to all the cookouts, your boyfriend, his brother AND his best friend want to holler at me but I'm faithful to my man. My man is trying to find a way to love me a little less but he can't cause I'm even more elevated. And I'm just steady blessing his life. What can I say? #440 was good to me. I already have great skin... but now... it's like it ain't safe for me to walk down these streets anymore. I'm too fly to walk with common folk now... Bless up. And I mean that in the most humblest way possible." - EDEN
"Ok I was confused at first...I went with husband [ sic] to try this palette in person and swatched all the shades on my arm & noticed how sheer the colors were.. so I passed on it.. Later we went out to eat at chillis ate fajita nachos and drank a few margaritas then I began to notice how pretty the glitters were shining on my arm swatches..altho the colors faded.. the glitter looked multi colored and pretty..." -rachluv512
FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA, $59, available at Sephora
"This is why Rihanna is Rihanna! Okay. So forget anyone who says that this product is not a five star because ya'll.... they are ly-ing!!!! This is da bomb! Wa gwahhnn ri! First off, the color pay off is ri-dic-u-lussttt [ sic]! With one swipe I was able to get my entire lip colored and with full pigmentation." - bobtheboss
FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA, $24, available at Sephora
"It's like Pokemon, you gotta cath [sic] them all!" - PITANAMBU
FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA, $24, available at Sephora
"GURL THE PIGMENT!!!! I can't Riri! I LITerally can't. These are shades that I would feel uncomfortable in, but with my dark tone and your formula... THEY MATCH OKAY. LORD baby Jesus. I don't regret buying these. Also the packaging, TO DIE FOR. So cute." - Kathleen MD
FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA, $18, available at Sephora
"Rihanna did what every mother does with bomb mac and cheese and put her foot in this ENTIRE line. But, this foundation is life in a bottle!" - FABIENNE
"I kept going back and forth on this highlight. Asking myself 'do I really need another highlight??' I swatched it in store and patted it onto my cheek bones. Although it was beautiful... I still wasn't sure if I NEEDED it. My husband and I went to dinner and while we were sitting there he said "your glowing" [ sic] I dropped my fork! Lol I told him to take me back to Sephore because I'm buying the darn highlight." - freshface 1010.
"Holy moly: So I bought the matchstix in chili mango because I was feeling fiesty [ sic] but then I got nervous because I didn't think I'd be able to pull it off. I. WAS. WRONG. It looks SOOOOO good. I'm a 360 in the foundation (which I'm waiting for the restock, helloooo) just to get an idea of my skin tone. It's a perfect highlight/blush." — ADU3
FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA, $25, available at Sephora
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Have you ever fallen down a shopping rabbit hole? You know, when one awesome brand leads you to another with a similar aesthetic, and then another, and then another? That's basically what happens when we shop onTictail. Every two weeks, we'll be teaming up with the site — which makes it easy to discover emerging brands from around the world — to unearth a selection of labels you probably don't know about, but definitely should. Prepare to open a LOT of browser tabs.
Scandinavian fashion is notorious for its "Where did you get that?" cool-factor — it's a sense of style that's equally as luxurious as it is laid-back. The key? Never, ever looking like you tried. Of course, it's no easy feat to hit that nail on the head. And while the finished product might look simple and easy to emulate, the pieces to help you truly get that Scandi-approved vibe are harder to find than you might think.
So we went straight to the source. Ahead, we asked our friends at Tictail, a company founded by Swedes, to point us toward some of the best Scandinavian-made buys on the platform right now. From menswear-inspired trousers to accessories that make even the simplest of outfits shine, here's 10 pieces that'll bring a little bit of Stockholm (or Oslo, or Copenhagen) to wherever in the world you are.
“Norwegian designer Christina Ledang dishes out high-fashion duds that are completely on-trend, yet 100% wearable. These pink pants manage to be both comfy and chic — a signature Scandinavian style combination.”
“While we’re on the subject of effortless style, add this hat, made by CTH Ericson of Sweden, for a look that’s sure to turn heads. (See what we did there?)”
“Dainty hoops are a must-have accessory this winter — and will be this spring, too. I love this faux double hoop, which adds a little extra something to an otherwise no-frills style.”
“Our favorite Scandi style icons seem to be experts at balancing soothing neutrals with bright pops of color. This pink metallic skirt would pair perfectly with black tights and an oversized coat.”
You've seen them on your favorite Danish Instagram girls, paired cleverly with "grandpa" sneakers and puffer coats. You've noticed them in many a street-style round-ups, brushing the tops of calf-height sock boots, heck or layered over a pair of frayed denim. By now, you've likely spotted them in what feels like every store and on every site. And whether you blame it on that widely worn — and even more-widely knocked-off — Vetements dress, or the current fad of returning to ruffly gentility, the floral dress is quickly becoming the 2018 uniform of the fashion set.
You may tell yourself florals are reserved strictly for spring and summer, but the long-sleeved, midi-length, oftentimes ruffled iteration is actually just what we need to get through winter in something — anything! — other than a turtleneck and jeans. And since it will be just as relevant come spring as it is right now, we've compiled a monster list of 100 of the ultimate frocks that'll take you through the season — nay, the year — in style.
The Brands That Started It All Gucci's Alessandro Michele turned us on to an obsession with flora and fauna we didn't even know we had. It's this aesthetic, among others, that's propelled the floral-dress craze into what we know and love today.
The Money-Savers Because, of course, trends tend to have an expiration date, there's no need to shell out rent-level amounts of money to wet your feet with florals. These budget-friendly picks do just the job for your closet and your wallet.
The Layerable Wonders Over an oxford shirt, a turtleneck, jeans, trousers, and beyond, these versatile wardrobe additions have endless styling potential.
The Dark Romantics Deep, dark, and complex florals are a nice switch from saccharine, pastel pieces. Plus, they're perfectly appropriate for the winter chill.
The Office-Approved Picks Leave the high slits and super-sheer numbers for your days off, and stick with these work-ready, HR-friendly options for your 9-to-5.
Deodorant isn't the sexiest beauty product in the world, and sneaking a swipe of it at your office desk is just about as discrete as catching an emergency whiff of your underarm. Thankfully, there's now a solution that we can't believe no one thought of sooner: Secret Freshies, the world's first miniature, sphere-shaped deodorant. The tiny ball — which looks a little like our favorite lip balm s — makes applying deodorant on-the-go (and in general) way easier.
Janine Miletic, marketing director at P&G, tells Refinery29 that in addition to consumer feedback about wanting a more transportable stick, the inspiration also came from female customers telling the brand that it was too difficult to shove a normal-sized deodorant underneath their shirts or around their necklines. You're preaching to the choir, sister.
The four new Freshies from Secret are the exact same formulas as the brand's classic sticks, but fit as comfortably in a gym bag or clutch as your favorite lip balm. Just make sure you don't mix up the two...
Secret Freshies in Chill Ocean, $4.99, available in March at mass retailers.
Secret Freshies in Cool Waterlily, $4.99, available in March at mass retailers.
Secret Freshies in Luxe Lavendar, $4.99, available in March at mass retailers.
Secret Freshies in Paris Rose, $4.99, available in March at mass retailers.
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"I wish more men liked to switch it up, but it just hasn't been in the cards," Mèche stylist Aaron King reports from L.A. But that hasn't stopped him, and many more stylists, from easing their clients into fresh lengths, shapes, and styles as we enter the new year.
Maybe you, or someone you know, needs a fresh 'do — so we checked in with the pros for a look into what 2018 holds for men who want to break out of the mold and try something different, whether that's going long, embracing their natural texture, or just trying a new neckline. (Baby steps are okay, too!)
Longer Lengths
For Sal Salcedo, a top hairstylist in L.A., this will be the year of length. He predicts that as women go shorter, men will go longer — and it will just continue from there. "A lot of my male clients are at least growing their top a little longer, if not in the process of growing out their hair altogether. I wouldn’t be surprised if a hippie movement revives, or if California surfers and skaters are the inspiration."
When it comes to curls, our experts say to let 'em grow! Salcedo wears his own defined and springy — and he's not the only one.
For those with a tighter curl pattern, cop soccer player Marouane Fellaini's look. He trusts hairstylist Shai Amiel to keep his long, bouncy curls in tip-top shape. Those on the same path should ask for a soft, rounded shape that's trimmed while dry to maintain the integrity of the cut.
Longer On The Top/Shorter On The Sides
This classic shape will continue to be popular — but you can expect the tops to get longer as more men choose to showcase their natural texture. Salcedo says that many of his clients are looking to DJ Jamie Jones for inspiration.
Photo: Courtesy of Sal Salcedo.
"We’re starting to see men braiding their hair, more curiosity with locs, etc.," Salcedo adds. We're loving musician Jonathan Singletary 's look.
With this cut, there's plenty of room for detailing and creativity, which Atlanta's Dre The Barber is known for.
Men with wavy hair will also benefit from growing out their strands. Hairstylist Melissa Hoyle suggests asking for lots of length on top and a more grown-in look on the sides.
King says he's also been making tweaks to the popular style on his L.A. clients by leaving the edges raw and untailored. "It looks more effortless and not as manufactured," he says.
Pro tip: It's "not as achievable with clippers," so make sure you go to someone who knows what they're doing — and bring an inspiration image (like this one).
Exhibit B for this look: A less structured fade that still looks modern and sharp.
'90s-Inspired Cuts
For dudes with straight hair, Salcedo predicts a '90s resurgence. "It's a curtain haircut," he says. "Think young Leo, Johnny, or Brad."
Of course, not everyone will want to go long this year — and Spoke & Weal's bicoastal team says a sharp and totally symmetrical buzz cut will be just as popular. This one was crafted by Chicago-based stylist Samuel Venchus.
The Wildcard: Bangs
Behold: male baby bangs. It looks like everyone will be wearing this trend in 2018 — including the guys, predicts Spoke & Weal 's Javan Stone.
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In skin care as in life, there's often a line drawn into the sand between the things you truly need (shoes on your feet, a roof over your head) and things that are more a form of pleasant diversion than they are useful (Gucci loafers, a brownstone with an out-of-use but still very chic fireplace on which to arrange your collection of vintage perfume bottles). But why separate everything into boxes of novelty versus necessity when you can have both? Go to the intersection of the frivolous and the functional, and that's where you'll find LED light masks.
LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode, a kind of electronic device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. These masks, then, harness the power of those light emissions and use them to treat skin in various ways, depending on which type of light — and what sort of results — you're going for. "Red and blue light are the most commonly used wavelengths in treating skin," says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD. Red is anti-inflammatory, and can help to encourage collagen production for plumper, more youthful skin; blue kills acne-causing bacteria, and helps to curtail the inflammation known to cause breakouts. (There's also green and yellow, both of which may be helpful in treating redness and pigmentation.)
At one time, anything involving red light or LED may have sounded like something best left to a licensed electrician — but any skin-care savant with their ear to the ground is probably already aware of not only the role light can play in a treatment, but also the fact that you can administer them safely and easily at home with one of the several options available on the market. "The Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Mask really brought light-based technology to the masses, as it was never previously available at that price point," Dr. Zeichner says. At $35 for the Jason-style mask itself and the included activator (good for 10 uses, after which you'll need to replace it for $15), there's little downside to giving the drugstore gadget a try.
The same cannot be said for the other buzzy model, the one that celebrities can't get enough of: the Deesse Pro LED Mask, a favorite of facialist-to-the-stars Shani Darden, which you can add to your at-home arsenal for a cool $2,300. With a price difference that staggering, it's hard not to wonder what, exactly, could warrant a roughly 6,570% increase in cost from one LED mask to the next. In this case, it turns out that there is some veracity to the old adage of "you get what you pay for." More than just a matter of marketing strategy, the varying prices are dependent not just on the type of technology used, but also what the mask is actually made of.
"The light may be similar, but the materials used to make the mask itself, and the ability to specify different light wavelengths, strengths, and treatment times results in a significant increase in cost," Dr. Zeichner explains. The more advanced the technology, and the higher the quality of the material, the more expensive the mask — which seems fair enough. And if you found yourself falling in love with LED treatments after having them performed by a professional and want the same effects at home, or if you've just got (a lot of) cash to burn, the higher-end models may be worth it: Their strength, Dr. Zeichner says, is comparable to what you can get from some in-office procedures.
But nobody should go broke trying to chase the light-therapy dragon, nor should you assume that just because Jessica Alba swears by a fancy LED mask, it'll give you glowing A-lister skin, too. "I always think it's important to have a dermatologist on board to make sure that light therapy is really the best option for whatever your skin issue is," Dr. Zeichner says. "In some cases, LED light is not ideal and other lasers may be better; in other cases, a topical treatment is ideal." So unless you're absolutely certain you want to put your money where your LED mask is, give the $35 one a whirl and pocket the rest. $2,300 is a hell of a lot of money... and, come to think of it, might just cover the security deposit on that pre-war two-bedroom with the ornamental fireplace.
As anyone who has read her autobiography I, Tina, or watched the film adaptation, What’s Love Got to Do With It?, knows, Turner was abused for years by her ex-husband, Ike Turner. People knew it was happening and accepted it because he was the man who collected their checks and led the band. Before their relationship ended, she tried to commit suicide. When she left him, people asked her why it took so long. Her story isn’t that different from many women in similar situations, famous or not. What makes it truly extraordinary was her second chapter, after Ike, in which she became an international success story as a solo act. She proved that she was the star in their relationship, while he became a punch line. Turner was both a seasoned performer and an exceptional talent when her comeback was launched, and she managed to make a lot of money. Sadly, when it comes to the music industry, that seems to be the bottom line: ethics are nice, but the bottom line is what matters.
The music business has always had a big problem: From the days of Chuck Berry to Pete Townshend to Michael Jackson to Ian Watkins to Chris Brown, music labels consistently continued to support artists who are known to do harm to women — in many cases, choosing its bottom line over their safety. Some of them may be idols of yours, or favorite artists, or people whose music has become the soundtrack of your life. Reconciling this with the fact that they've all been accused of either rape, assault, abuse, or harassment in a court of law is complicated, messy, and uncomfortable.
It is easy for me to set aside or boycott the music of many of the major offenders. Like Michael Jackson, who was once at the cutting edge with “Thriller,” many of them have become eclipsed in my day-to-day music consumption by newer artists who are the current innovators. Like Chris Brown, some of them are artists who made perfectly respectable pop hits that I didn’t pay much attention to — until they were outed as serial abusers with more serious, deep-seated issues. Or, like The Who, they were before my time and, while they had a few singles I liked, they never infiltrated my life in playlists and mixtapes. But taking a moral stance becomes a lot more painful, and personal, when I'm asked to look at the actions of someone whose work is beloved to me: David Bowie.
What does it say about me that I enjoyed the art of a person who would do such a thing?
I practice conscious consumerism in most areas of my life. I don’t eat at Chick-fil-A, and I don’t shop at Hobby Lobby or Walmart. I don’t stay at hotel chains owned by Trump. Until now, I’ve only evaluated the art I consume with one question in mind: Do I like it? The outing of terrible men in Hollywood, tech, and politics has made me reconsider this. I decided that I needed to be more informed about the artists behind the music I love — but beyond that, the people who stand to profit from it.
Which brings me back to Bowie, who allegedly committed statutory rape against a pair of underaged girls in the '70s. If even one is too many, as so many have said when expressing outrage about Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., Kevin Spacey, and Roy Moore, then one is too many for Bowie, too. Statutory rape is a crime we can all draw a line in the sand on, no matter the era or the perpetrator. Having sex with children is wrong; that is why there is an age of consent. Where I, and many others, stumble, is on the question of what this means for Bowie’s music.
At first, I tried to grapple with that question, as I’ve read others do with the work of many now-fallen men. Eventually, I came to the realization that, for me, it doesn’t diminish the art itself, though it has diminished the value of the art to me personally. It does leave me with an even more terrifying thought: What does it say about me that I enjoyed the art of a person who would do such a thing?
The statutory rape committed by Bowie came to light after one of the women, Lori Mattix, told her story to Thrillist in 2015. It wasn’t an accusation in the wake of the #MeToo movement. It was presented as the victorious confession of a groupie, in which she told the story of losing her virginity to Bowie in the early '70s during a threesome with Sable Starr when they were both 15. In her account, she says she waved off a potential encounter with him at 14 because, though he made a move and she “had probably kissed boys by that point,” she “wasn’t ready for David Bowie.” Five months later, when he toured back through L.A., he had his bodyguard (described as a “huge Black guy”), call her and invite her to dinner with him. She went and brought Starr, saying, “I figured that she would sleep with him while I got to hang out and have fun.” Not exactly the actions of someone who is looking to have a sexual encounter, right?
Everything about the set-up here feels like a man in great power using it to coerce young women into having sex with him, which is a common thread through many of the stories of groupies from the ‘60s and ‘70s. This power dynamic is why I threw I’m With the Band, arguably the definitive groupie memoir, across the room about five times while I was reading it — it knocks the idea into women that they should be the muses to rock stars, rather than being the rock star themselves.
In Mattix’s story, there are drugs, celebrities, a posh hotel room, a physical moment of confrontation with someone who objects to Bowie’s look, a kimono, and more drugs. Mattix flips the script and says she felt turned on by him because he was “beautiful and clever and poised,” which I’m sure he was. Nothing she did was against her will and they continued seeing each other intermittently, she said, for the next 10 years.
When questioned about whether or not the power imbalance between them seemed problematic to her, Mattix said, “I was an innocent girl, but the way it happened was so beautiful. I remember him looking like God and having me over a table. Who wouldn’t want to lose their virginity to David Bowie?” Mattix went on to have a years-long relationship with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, which he did his best to keep out of the public eye because she was underage and, even then, it was illegal.
The Thrillist story, which was released only two months before Bowie passed, didn’t make much of a splash at the time. Thrillist republished the interview after his death in January 2016, and a slew of think pieces were quickly published. The national dialogue about the systematic abuse of women was completely different then. Many of the response articles spent paragraphs either debating if we should object to the autonomy of Mattix, who remembers the incident with joy, or inspecting her credibility and attempting to debunk her account. Few of them spend much time analyzing what it means about Bowie, his legacy, or how we feel about his music.
It matters because Mattix’s story makes me wonder what could have turned out differently if there was a better representation of women in rock back then. Janis Joplin and Grace Slick were anomalies. They weren’t encouraged to be in the band or to rock. That was a masculine role. By the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the women of rock (and the women of pop, who took the aesthetic of being a rock star into that genre) had fought tooth and nail for every bit of autonomy they claimed. When it comes to representation, we’re still paying the price today for those antiquated views about femininity. It’s why there is a serious gender parity problem in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Not only are there significantly less female artists who meet the criteria for induction, but the ones who do are frequently overlooked by both the nominating and voting bodies because their contributions to the cannon are seen as lesser. If you don’t believe me, consider Stevie Nicks. She was inducted with her band Fleetwood Mac, but she's a singular source of inspiration as a solo performer and songwriter to countless female musicians and an icon to millions. She has never even been nominated for a solo induction into the Hall. There are dozens of examples like that; she’s simply one of the most egregious. If women don’t see models, then fewer women think they can aspire to, and when women don’t see fellow women’s achievements awarded, it further dissuades them. It makes me question if the way we thought about women “in those times” and how we think of them now has fundamentally changed at all.
Bowie’s repellent moral decision was one I didn’t know how to deal with when it became a discussion point after his death. It was floated in pieces as an asterisk on his career that we should all give some thought to, but I found it hard to do when the news of his passing was fresh. Now it feels like a reflection on my willingness to accept the narrative that femininity is supposed to be soft, to sound high-pitched. That it is less likely to be rock music, which is masculine and aggressive. That women aren’t as likely to be genius visionaries like so many men are, or that they aren’t as equipped to be the voice of a generation and the catalyst for change. I was willing to let Bowie’s actions go because his music is important enough to excuse them. That tells me I’ve been putting too much value on the artistic contributions of men, at the expense of women.
I also can’t stop thinking about it because the number of men accused of sexual misconduct keeps growing every day. But the number of those accused in music who faced repercussions remains tiny. After publicist Heathcliff Berru was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women at the beginning of 2016, and was removed as head of his company, the floodgates did not open. In July, journalist Jim DeRogatis broke the news that R. Kelly is still abusing young women — a story he reported on for nine months, on a beat he’s been writing about since he got an anonymous tip in 2000. Kelly faced lawsuits from various women throughout the early 2000s, until he was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008. The story resurfaced in 2013. In all that time, his label and his publisher have continued to support him and release his material.
The music business hasn’t faced the same sort of reckoning that Hollywood, the media industry, or even the food industry has, yet. Of the big three outlets breaking most of these stories of abuse allegations, the New York Times and the New Yorker haven’t turned their eyes to the music industry yet. The Los Angeles Times discovered allegations against Russell Simmons in the course of their reporting on movie producer Brett Ratner, busting open a damn of misconduct accusations spanning decades against the grandfather of hip hop. Goldenvoice talent booker Sean Carlson was also outed as an abuser and fired. Jon Heely, the director of music publishing at Disney, was charged by police with sexual abuse of minors (he is currently suspended without pay pending the investigation.) Warner Bros. Records EVP of A&R Jeff Fenste r and a second, unnamed WBR exec were subject to disciplinary action after being accused of misconduct (Fenster is stepping down from the company.) Country publicist Kirt Webster stepped away from his firm following allegations, but he denies any wrongdoing. It was uncovered that Berklee College of Music, a mining field for talent in the industry (and John Mayer and Charlie Puth’s alma mater), has fired 11 faculty members for sexual assault over the past 13 years, creating a culture of abuse. Those stories are far from covering every abusive man in the music industry. There are still plenty of men I know about from the whisper network, with whom women don’t let other women be left alone.
In the New York Times, Jon Caramanica detailed how the hip hop charts this year brought wins for abusers currently facing criminal charges for sex and/or domestic abuse, including XXXTentacion, Kodak Black, and 6ix9ine. The former managed to land a deal said to be worth $6 million with Caroline Records while in the midst of gruesome allegations that he assaulted and beat his pregnant girlfriend. Maybe listeners don’t know what these emerging artists are accused of, or maybe they don’t care. It’s just a stream, right?
While I’m not ready to absolve all music fans of the obligation to be conscious consumers, Caramanica raises a fair point: quite a lot of music streaming is passive, delivered via autoplay or programmed playlists that are simply consumed without much thought, while the labels who control their streaming rights and the publishing companies who collect money on their behalf continue to passively pull in bank. Unlike in other industries, no musician who was accused of sexual misconduct last year was truly canceled. When Louis C.K. admitted the allegations against him were true, FX erased his credits on multiple shows and dropped their overall deal with him while HBO removed his original content from their streaming platform (Netflix and Hulu did not). After Buzzfeed dropped yet another dossier on R. Kelly, one in a string of allegations of misconduct throughout his career, his tour was canceled by Live Nation in the face of public outcry. However, he was not dropped by his label or publisher, and his catalog lives on Spotify, YouTube, and other streaming platforms, slowly collecting money while the heat on him dies down. Those checks cash just fine.
If consumers and critics don’t feel an obligation to hold artists accountable for their actions, record labels won’t either. And there will never be a reckoning in music. We won’t ever have to negotiate who goes away and when do they get to come back. Women, both artists and fans, will get the message that it’s business as usual. It leaves the door open, signaling that it is still okay to value women less, pay them less, and give them less representation. I, for one, am done with it. I will be conscious of my consumerism and criticism of music because the value of a talented man is no longer worth all the women it means we lose, isolate, and disenfranchise.
I’ve come to two conclusions. First, I don’t have any appetite to listen to Bowie’s music. That can be how I feel without impacting the influence he has had on music at large, or on my life in particular; I just want to turn his voice down. I don’t need to stream his music. I don’t need to buy the latest box set. I don’t need to see the next biopic. Second, as I turn down the volume on his voice, I can replace it with the voices of women — which, in the end, is what should come of all these outings. These days I find myself gravitating to the weird wonderfulness of Björk, Kate Bush, Margo Price, SZA, and Tina Turner. I find myself going through NPR’s 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women, listening to those I know and those I ignored. I’ve been wondering which women we didn’t take seriously enough in the history of music and which talents we’ve underrated and let waste away.
The sexiest movies aren't necessarily lurking in the adults-only section of HBO — or in the deleted archives of one's browser history. Often, the steamiest films are mainstream. Whether a flick actually features a crazy-hot love scene or a more innocent tryst between a forbidden couple, it's perfectly acceptable to find these movies tantalizing. Let's be real: That was totally the filmmaker's point.
As a celebration of the sexiest films to ever grace the big screen, we've rounded up a collection of movies that have a history of encouraging sexy thoughts. While turn-ons are as varied as people are, these movies certainly attempt to evoke certain feelings in all of us.
Is it hot in here? Nope, it's just these movies. Click through to read about the sexiest movies to inspire endless fantasizing.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith(2005)
Brangelina is no longer, but this movie about married assassins on assignment to kill one another retains its sizzle.
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Chloe(2009)
Catherine (Julianne Moore) suspects that her husband, David (Liam Neeson), is having an affair, so she has the bright idea of trying to get a call girl, Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), to seduce him. As a result, their entire lives spiral out of control, leading to a love triangle with dark, erotic thriller vibes.
In The Cut(2003) In erotic thrillers, people get together who normally never would in real life. For example, an English teacher (Meg Ryan) willingly has an affair with a stranger (Mark Ruffalo), whom she suspects of murder.
The Lost Boys(1987)
Vampire movies were sexy long before Twilight. In this movie, two brothers move to a quiet town in California. One falls in with the nerds. The other, with an actual gang of vampires. The sexiest moment of this movie must, inevitably, has to be the oiled-up sax man who's been a cultural trope since.
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She's Gotta Have It(1986)
Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) chooses that she's just not going to choose. Instead of settling down with one man, Nola dates three. Three decades after his seminal movie came out, Spike Lee adapted She's Gotta Have It for a Netflix series.
Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock
Call Me By Your Name(2017)
Elio (Timothee Chalemet) and David (Armie Hammer) have a breathtaking romance over one Italian summer, and you'll never look at peaches the same way again.
Something New(2006)
For the past few years, Kenya McQueen (Sanaa Lathan) has been focused on furthering her career, not on love. Her friend sets her up with an architect, Brian (Simon Baker) — but Kenya balks when she finds out he's white. She runs into Brian later on, and a relationship develops despite Kenya's hesitation. Then, another man comes into Kenya's life: Mark Harper (Blair Underwood), who's everything she'd envision for herself. This is a far smarter love triangle movie than most you've seen before.
The Reader(2008)
This is mostly a dark movie, with a dash of sexiness. When he's a teenager, Michael Berg (David Kross) has an affair with an older woman, Hanna (Kate Winslet). Then, she disappears. Michael finds out why, years later, when he sees Hannah being tried for her Nazi war crimes.
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In the Realm of the Senses(1976)
The only adjective you really need to describe this movie is sexy. Super, super sexy. The beautiful, artistic movie takes place in 1930s Japan, and is about a passionate and destructive affair between Sada Abe (Eiko Matsuda) and her employer, Kichizo Ishida (Tatsuya Fuji). It features unstimulated (aka real) sex.
Desert Hearts(1986)
In the year 1935, Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) drives to Reno, Nevada so she can expedite her divorce process. While lounging around for the six-week period required for residency, Vivian strikes up a friendship with Cay Rivvers (Patricia Charbonneau), which, to Vivian's surprise becomes something more than friendship.
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Young & Beautiful(2013)
Losing her virginity unlocks something inside of Isabelle (Marine Vacth). She begins to quite willingly work as a prostitute. "It was like a game," she says. It's a game until one of her clients passes away, and her parents find out about her double life led in the name of sexual awakening.
Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 & Vol. 2
You read that right: Volumes one and two. It takes self-proclaimed nymphomaniac Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) two full length movies in order to fully retell a lifetime's worth of sexual exploits to a stranger who finds her beaten-up in an alley, and brings her home for recuperation.
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A Royal Affair(2012)
In 18th century Denmark, Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (Alicia Vikander) is forced to marry the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark (Mikkel Folsgaard), because back then, women were convenient alliance-forming pawns. A doctor, Johann Friedrich Strunsee (Mads Mikkelsen), is brought on to care for the king. Finally meeting someone she likes in that castle, Caroline and the liberal-minded Johann start a passionate affair
Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock
Cheri(2009)
In Paris at the turn of century, a retired courtesan (Kathy Bates) enlists the help of her old colleague, Lea (Michelle Pfeiffer), with a parenting problem. Charlotte's son, Cheri (Rupert Friend), is a difficult, stubborn, thorn in her side — and a virgin. Lea's brought on to teach Cheri the ways of the world. Charlotte never intended on Lea and Cheri's relationship blossoming into something like love, yet that's what happens, despite their 20-year age gap.
Poison Ivy(1992)
Drew Barrymore plays a seductress named Ivy, and Ivy becomes poison for the Cooper family. Seeking a stable home life, Ivy very creepily ingratiates herself into the Cooper family by seducing the father. Then, she attempts to off the mother, and frame the daughter. It's sexy in an erotic thriller sort of way.
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From Dusk Till Dawn(1996)
We'll sell you on the sex appeal of this vampire film quickly. Salma Hayek plays a vampire goddess named Santanico Pandemonium who specializes in a "snake dance," and is but one vampire working in a bar straight out of True Blood.
Joyce Podell/Los Hooligans/A Band Apart/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
Dangerous Liasions(1988)
Two bored French aristocrats decide to cause trouble by playing games of manipulation and seduction. If you like Cruel Intentions, watch this movie — they're based off the same novel.
Snap Stills/REX/Shutterstock
In the Mood For Love(2000)
Two neighbors in Hong Kong find that their lonely lives adhere to a similar schedule. They spark up an intimate friendship, especially after confessing that their spouses are both having an affair. While they feel lust for each other, they want to be better than their cheating spouses. So, In the Mood For Love is steeped in unfulfilled and aching sexual tension, which is undeniably its own brand of sexiness.
Dirty Dancing(1987)
Rarely are summer flings are productive as the one between Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze). In addition to giving Baby the strength to rise above her judgmental family, she learns to dirty dance. The tangible chemistry between Grey and Swayze spread sex appeal all over the dance floor.
Titanic(1997)
In actuality, the iconic love story between Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) is chaste, compared to some of the other selections on this list. But the palpable sexual tension, combined with one steamy handprint on a car, makes Titanic one of the sexiest (and saddest) movies ever.
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Kiss Me(2011)
Frida goes to her father's wedding with her fiancé, and finds herself thrown for a loop. She's inexplicably, totally, and completely attracted to her soon-to-be stepmother's daughter, Mia. Kiss Me should be a fixture in the forbidden love genre.
The Lover(1992)
In this film based on the famous novel by Margeurite Duras, a French teenager and a wealthy older Chinese man in 1920s French Indochina carry out an affair in seedy corners of Saigon. The jig's almost up on their forbidden relationship. But when will it end, and how?
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My Golden Days(2015)
Of course a film about a middle-aged French anthropologist remembering his first love is going to be steamy. The lush, romantic film is actually a prequel to the 1996 three-hour epic, My Sex Life or...How I Got Into An Argument," which is all about the French academic's present-day life. My Golden Days explains how he became such a romantic idealist.
Adore(2013)
Robyn Wright and Naomi Watts' characters grow up in idyll on the Australian coast. When they grow up, they raise their beautiful sons in adjacent beautiful homes. Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.
And then, the women start sleeping with each others' sons. Still beautiful? Up to you to decide.
Troy(2014)
Only Hollywood could take The Iliad, strip it of its poetry and literary significance, and make it an excuse for Orlando Bloom, Eric Bana, and Brad Pitt to prance around on horseback.
My Beautiful Laundrette(1985)
In a rough neighborhood of London, Omar Ali (Gordon Warnecke) inherits a laundromat from his uncle. Then, Omar is beat up by a gang of racist kids — the leader of whom is, surprisingly, Omar's ex-lover, Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis). Despite Johnny's connection to the group, he and Omar rekindle their relationship. This acclaimed, heartening movie about love against the odds features what may be the best ear lick of all time.
Body Heat(1981)
Set in Florida during an intense heatwave, this is a movie about passion, heat, crime, and a lot of sweat. Ned Racine (William Hurt), a shy lawyer, starts a passionate affair Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), the wife of a big shot businessman. Ned teams up with one of his criminal clients to kill Matty's husband, so the two can run off together. Of course, Ned finds himself way over his head. Not even the hottest sex can save him now.
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Boogie Nights (1997)
What else do you expect from a movie about Mark Wahlberg trying to break into the adult film industry?
Out of Sight(1998)
What happens when you pit George Clooney's notorious bank robber against J-Lo's Federal Marshal on the hunt? Chemistry, of course. In addition to being steamy, this witty movie received almost universal acclaim from critics.
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Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love(1996)
You'd expect that a movie with the title "Kama Sutra" would be sexy, and trust us — it delivers. Set in 16 century India, Kama Sutra is about two childhood friends who become sexual rivals in their womanhood. Tara becomes engaged to the king, and her best friend Maya is groomed into becoming his mistress. This cannot end well, though at least there are drawn-out sex scenes along the way.
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Carol(2015)
This gorgeous period piece tells the story of a timid shopgirl who becomes romantically involved with a wealthy housewife. The movie's sexiest moment comes when a couple takes a road trip away from Carol's husband and steam up a motel room. What makes Carol a great film, however, are the satisfying journeys of self-discovery that both women embark on.
Wilson Webb/Killer Films/The Weinstein Company/REX/Shutterstock
Original Sin Sure, the movie was slammed by critics. But upturned noses can't take away from the crazy chemistry between leads Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas in this period piece set in Cuba during 19th century Spanish rule.
Lourdes Grobet/MGM/REX/Shutterstock
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) The artist-and-his-muse archetype gets revamped in this Woody Allen flick. The Spanish setting is romantic enough, but all bets (and clothing items) are off when you add in the allure of the painter, his colorful past lover, and the promise of a new one.
9 1/2 Weeks (1986) If there's anything sexier than Mickey Rourke as a Wall Street mogul having an affair with Kim Basinger, we've yet to find it. This movie upped the ante on what erotic means in Hollywood.
I Am Love (2009) Visually stunning, I Am Love is one of those movies you can't look away from. The veneer of the perfect family, under the guise of bougie Italian culture, is questioned in this battle over old and new. The meal scene is a must.
Y Tu Mamá También (2001) Two teens embark on a road trip when they encounter a stunningly free-spirited woman who helps them discover intimacy and themselves.
Unfaithful (2002) This movie, despite how disastrous Diane Lane's affair is, will make you want to pull your lover into the nearest restaurant bathroom and get it on immediately.
Malèna (2000) It should go without saying that Monica Bellucci's mere presence amps the sensuality of any film to new heights. But, this coming-of-age tale demystifies the act of growing up and into one's own sexuality.
Bound (1996) Whoever said a sexy movie needed a heteronormative seduction story hasn't seen the Wachowskis' crime thriller. Two femme fatales are better than one.
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Photo: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures.
Weekend (2011) This movie from Looking creator Andrew Haigh is a watershed for queer cinema. Not only does it present an insightful story about a homosexual romance without ostentatious stereotypes, it presents gay sex as perfectly normal.
The Dreamers (2003) Though the film treads the incest line, The Dreamers prompts audiences to question sex with people outside of their "type." Plus, Eva Green just exudes sexuality.
Love & Basketball (2000) For once, a movie that focuses on the reactions to sex and sexuality rather than the actual act. Love & Basketball made it feel like the first time.
The Piano Teacher (2001) Dark, but moving, The Piano Teacher doesn't shy away from the shame that sex can generate. There's something inherently sexy about that kind of rawness.
Basic Instinct (1992) Everyone knows this movie for Sharon Stone's interrogation scene, but the sex scene is also incredible. Even more than that, Stone's entire aura is divinely sexy.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) So, their actual marriage has gone to hell. But these two gifted us one of the hottest angry sex scenes, ever. Plus, who doesn't want to watch Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt cinematically get it on?
Elles (2011) Juliette Binoche is the definition of French chic. Her portrayal of a woman seeking to rediscover her sexuality through researching prostitutes is as inspiring as it is enticing.
Betty Blue (1986) An erotic drama that opens with an in-your-face sex scene, Betty Blue presents sex without any gimmicks. The most shocking thing about the sexuality is how not shocking it actually is.
A Single Man (2009) Tom Ford's screen adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel is far and away the most sexed-up title on this list. However, it's sexier than the rest because Tom Ford has his hand in every bit of this film. Everything from the styling, set design, soundtrack, and coloring is sleek. This is eye candy.
Breathless (1960) Jean-Luc Godard's debut feature film is one of the reasons we're all slightly obsessed with the effortlessly cool French look and life.
Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013) This French film explores a romance between two young women and shows the excitement of experiencing true intimacy for the first time. Check it out for the sweet romance, stay for the sexy, sexy scenes.
Mulholland Drive (2001) Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring find very sexy romance as they attempt to solve a bizarre mystery in David Lynch's steamy neo-noir.
Savages (2012) Is it hot in here, or is it just the polyamorous relationship between the three beautiful leads? Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson play marijuana farmers who get tangled up in a Mexican drug cartel — but not before getting tangled up in one another.
Brokeback Mountain (2005) Yes, this movie is devastating, but you also can't find two better-looking guys than Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal to hook up in a tent.
Closer (2004) Closer isn't filled with sex scenes, but the deep kisses and smoldering looks exchanged between the four gorgeous actors are enough to get anyone hot and bothered.
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WARNING: So many spoilers ahead! Plot twists unraveled. Endings revealed. Proceed at your own risk.
March 16 marks the 15th anniversary of the release of Christopher Nolan’s Memento, one of the greatest mindfuck movies of all time. What makes something a quality mindfuck movie? Sometimes, it’s a twist ending that seems to come out of nowhere and truly shocks you, because the reveal means you have to go back and rethink everything that happened during the course of the entire movie.
Take The Sixth Sense, for example. After you found out that Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) was dead the entire time, you had to recall every scene in which you thought Dr. Crowe interacted with characters besides Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment). Nope; it turns out he only interacts with Cole after he gets shot in the beginning of the movie. He really has been dead the whole time. M. Night Shyamalan, you trickster, you.
Other times, a movie fucks with your head from beginning to end. It leads you one way, then swerves sharply to the left. The plot isn't remotely linear, although it appeared to be (ahem, Triangle). Or you can’t even figure out what’s going on at all. Think Christopher Nolan’s Inception, or Shane Carruth's Primer.
And then there are psychological thrillers like Black Swan and The Machinist, which trap the viewer inside a character’s breakdown without providing a complete picture of what’s happening. In the words of U2, “Now you're stuck in a moment, and you can’t get out of it.” Also in the words of U2: "Don't say that later will be better," because you'll be obsessing about what happened in that goddamn movie you just watched. (Sidenote: Is Bono a mindfuck movie prophet? Please discuss.)
But when it comes to this magical mindfuckery that makes you wonder what you just watched for hours on end, why would you ever want to want to get out of these moments?
And one more reminder that there are MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD — so major you may as well call them majorettes and stick 'em in front of a marching band twirling batons.
Arrival(2016) Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner Directed by: Denis Villeneuve Written by: Eric Heisserer
Arrival begins with the appearance of 12 gigantic spaceships in far-flung locations around the world. After some time, it becomes clear that these spacecrafts aren't bearing weapons — but why are they there? Louise (Amy Adams) is a renowned linguist, and is recruited to try and communicate with these aliens. She leaves behind her lonely life, populated only by the memories of her young daughter's illness and subsequent death. Louise and her partner, played by Renner, make breakthroughs in the intentions of these mysterious, looming creatures, that somehow connect back to Louise's daughter.
Alias Grace(2017) Starring: Sarah Gadon, Edward Holcroft Directed By: Mary Herron Written By: Sarah Polley
If you're in the mood for a mind-bending work of pop culture, then Alias Grace is a great slow-burning, long-running option. Over the course of six episodes, Alias Grace brings the notorious double-murder that captivated Canada's attention in 1843 to life. Mainly, the show fixates on the figure of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), who may have orchestrated the crime, or may have been completely innocent, depending on what you think a 16-year-old girl is capable of. Gadon's performance will have you reeling.
Frailty Starring: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey Directed by: Bill Paxton Written by: Brent Hanley
Fenton Meeks (Matthew McConaughey) goes to the F.B.I. with a story of two boys look up to their father. They live with him. They trust him. And then, he becomes convinced that he's a messenger of God, a conduit through which his plan will be enacted. Somehow, this story relates to the Bureau's investigation for a serial killer who goes by the name of "God's Hands."
Gerald's Game(2017) Starring: Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood Directed by: Mike Flanagan Written by: Mike Flanagan
Gerald and his wife, Jessie, take a romantic retreat to try to inject some life back into their marriage. He convinces her to try out handcuffs. Then, wen she's strapped to the bed, Gerald goes into cardiac arrest...and dies. After hours chained up, Jessie begins to hallucinate. The shadowy man that comes to her bed, though – he is no vision.
Gone Girl(2014) Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike Directed By: David Fincher Written By: Gillian Flynn
On the surface, Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) have the perfect marriage. But all's not well in the kingdom of Denmark — or, in this case, we should say Carthage, Missouri. On their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing inexplicably, and leaves Nick as the prime suspect. As with the novel, the film shifts between perspectives of the two people in the marriage. Things are not as they seem in the disappearance or in the marriage.
Asylum Seekers(2009) Starring: Pepper Binkley, Bill Dawes, Judith Hawking Directed By: Rania Ajami Written By:Rania Ajami, Jake Pilikian
In this weird little indie, six people try to escape from the mundanity of their daily lives by checking into a mental asylum. The problem? There's only room for one of them. They'll have to compete to prove which is the most mentally unstable, and thus worthy of entering the psychiatric hospital.
The Illusionist(2006) Starring: Ed Norton, Jessica Biel Directed by: Neil Burger Written by: Neil Burger, Steven Millhauser
This movie is often lumped with Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, since they're both period piece magician films. But The Illusionist has a twist of its own. Edward Norton plays Eisenheim the Illusionist in Vienna in the year 1889. He was locked in a love triangle with the Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary (casual) and a woman named Sophie (Jessica Biel), as he tells the Vienna's Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti), who's inspecting Eiseinheim's role in Sophie's death. Uhl thinks he has figured out what happened between Sophie, Leopold, and Eisenheim, but he forgets that he's dealing with an illusionist. There are things Eisenheim will continue to reveal over the course of his retelling, twists that he designed long ago.
Split(2017) Starring: James MacAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan Written by: M. Night Shyamalan
Kevin (James McAvoy) is a handful to deal with, perhaps because he has 23 personalities. He kidnaps three teenagers, subjecting them to the full gamut of his mental state. "Dennis" is Kevin's dominant personality, but there's one who has yet to emerge. And that personality wants control.
Of course, since it's a Shyamalan movie, lots of violent and fascinating twists follow that set Split up for a sequel.
Sliding Doors Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah Directed by: Peter Howitt Written by: Peter Howitt
Sliding Doors is the most philosophical rom-com around. Depending on whether Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) manages to board a London tube train, her life branches off into wildly different directions. In one reality, Helen gets on the train, and catches her boyfriend with another woman. In another, she misses the train, and continues to be betrayed by him. Eventually, these two realities intertwine in a bittersweet way. Sliding Doors is a reminder that our life paths are shaped by insignificant decisions, which eventually have massive repercussions. Think of that next time you get on a subway.
Mother!(2017) Starring: Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lawrence Directed by: Darren Aronofsky Written by: Darren Aronofsky
This is a two-hour long mind bend. Aronofsky didn't make Mother! to give audiences an enjoyable movie experience. Instead, Mother!, the story of a woman married to an older artist in an old house, is designed to make you uncomfortable. As you watch Jennifer Lawrence's character unspool house's that's changing in wild ways, you might lose your grip, too.
Coherence(2014) Starring: Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon Written By: James Ward Byrkit Directed By: James Ward Byrkit
A comet flies overhead while a group of friends are at a dinner party. This cosmic phenomenon has big effects on the neighborhood. The comet actually rearranges different realities, so that people can quickly cross from one dimension to another. When the eight party members explore the neighborhood after the power goes out, they don't realize that they're actually crossing over into multiple realities, and meeting other version of them selves. Eventually, this intertwining will cease. Which reality will they get stuck in?
Equally astounding is how the film was made. Each day, the actors received a notecard with some rudimentary direction and motivation for their characters. And then, everyone just acted. No script. No special effects. Just real people, acting, and blowing your mind.
A Tale of Two Sisters Starring: Yum Jung-Ah, Soo-jung Lim Written By: Kim Jee-woon Directed By: Kim Jee-woon
This Korean thriller has everything you could want in a mind f*** movie. A beautifully decorated house with skeletons in every closet. A family with secrets. Many, many questions of identity.
The story starts when teenager Su-mi (Yeom Jeong-ah) is released from a mental institution, and moves back home with her sister, Su-yeon (Su-jeong Lim) and their father. Their father has recently remarried the former nurse of their biological mother. The surreal events that follow are based loosely on a traditional Korean folktale.
Altered States Starring: William Hurt Directed by: Ken Russell Written by: Paddy Chayefsky
This Harvard professor is extremely devoted to his studies. Perhaps too devoted, considering Eddie Jessup's (William Hurt) studies are the effects of hallucinogenic drugs in curing psychological conditions, like schizophrenia. As he continues to flip-flop between sensory deprivation and hallucinations, the real world literally starts to become a palette upon which he casts his imagination. With its visual pyrotechnics and sound effects, this experimental film pulls viewers into Eddie's reality, or lack thereof.
The Shining(1980) Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelly Duvall Directed by: Stanley Kubrick Written by: Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson
While a staple of the horror movie genre, The Shining is, at its core, a mind-blowing movie of the psychological thriller genre — plus some ghosts. After getting the bright idea to move his family to a Colorado resort in winter, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) descends into madness. As he stalks the hallways creepily, his young son begins to have psychic premonitions indicating that the Overlook Hotel itself is preying on its new, unwanted inhabitants.
The Skin I Live In(2011) Starring: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar Written by: Pedro Almodóvar
When you see an Almodóvar film, you know to expect a certain level of weirdness — typically in uncommon relationship pairings and deep, twisted histories between people. In his take on a psychological thriller, Almodóvar keeps those elements (especially the deep, twisted histories) and cranks them up to terrifying heights. In the film, Banderas plays a plastic surgeon, Robert Legard, intent on developing a synthetic skin able to save the lives of burned victims, since his own wife had died of burns. With the help of his faithful servant, Legard takes a woman named Vera captive to function as his in-house lab rat. As the movie proceeds, you see that Vera's relationship to Legard is far more complicated than just prisoner and captive. Unweaving The Skin I Live In 's many plot twists would require a thesis. Better to watch and bite your nails yourself.
Sound Of My Voice (2012) Starring: Brit Marling, Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicious Directed by: Zal Batmanglij Written by: Brit Marling, Zal Batmanglij
This 2012 thriller starring Brit Marling will send you reeling. The film also stars Christopher Denham and Nicole Vicious as two journalists Peter and Lorna who attempt to infiltrate an insular cult in order to take it down. Marling plays Maggie, the leader of the cult. Maggie is from the year 2054, and she's here to collect a group of people to save the future world. Her followers wear all white and perform a super-secret special handshake. She's also wanted for several felonies.
The mind fuckery in this movie never allows you to decide if Maggie is lying or not. First, you're with Peter and Lorna, doubting this snake oil-peddler. But when Peter starts to buy into Maggie's narrative, you begin to doubt your own conviction. Maybe Maggie is from the future.
The moment of decision occurs when Maggie instructs Peter to kidnap a little girl — the girl is allegedly Maggie's mother. Will he comply? Yes. And then the big shocker happens: the little girl knows the cult's secret handshake. Ostensibly, the girl taught it to Maggie at some point in the future.
But before you can say, "gee, that was a whammy," Maggie is arrested, courtesy of Lorna. And you, the viewer, still don't know who was lying and who was crazy.
Primal Fear(1996)
Starring: Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
A meek, young altar boy with a stutter is charged with the murder of an archbishop. Martin Vail, a Chicago defense attorney who likes a challenge, agrees to take Aaron Stampler's case — though the evidence is racked up against Stampler. As the case proceeds, Vail uncovers that Stampler was part of a sex ring the Archbishop was running. After years of abuse, Stampler developed a violent alter ego named Roy, who carries out the murder.
After the judge finds Stampler not guilty by reason of insanity, Stampler reveals that Roy isn't his alter ego. Aaron is. The stutter and the meekness was all a front.
Blade Runner (1982)
Starring: Harrison Ford
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Written by: Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, based on a novel by Phillip K. Dick
In this distant future, androids, called replicants, are physically indistinguishable from humans. They can only be rooted out through the Voight-Kampff interrogation system, a series of questions replicants are incapable of answering.
Replicants aren't allowed on earth, but sometimes they escape their off-world colonies and seek refuge amongst humans. People like Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) are blade-runners, and it's their job to sniff out replicants. While he's on his biggest mission yet, Deckard falls for a highly advanced replicant — so human he begins to doubt his entire society's system.
The ambiguous ending implies that Deckard may be an android himself.
The Lobster(2016)
Starring: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz
Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Written by: Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou
In this dystopian future, all individuals unable to find a long-term relationship are turned into animals. Single stragglers are sent to the Hotel, where they're supposed to find a partner within 45 days, or be sent into the Woods in their new beastly state. Colin Farrell plays David, a man at the Hotel who decides to join the loners, people who drop out of society and abstain from sex. How you read the film's ambiguous ending determines how you feel about love, relationships, and sacrifice.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez
Directed by: Guillermo Del Toro
Written by: Guillermo Del Toro
Five years after the Spanish Civil War, a girl named Ofelia becomes pulled into a fantasy world outside her doorstep. In a twist straight out of Narnia, she's led to a labyrinth, where she meets a wily faun and lots of other unforgettable creatures. The faun swears that Ofelia is actually a princess, but in order to unlock her status, she has to complete a series of tasks.
Meanwhile, Ofelia's pregnant mother becomes sicker and sicker. Her sadistic army captain of a step-father becomes meaner and meaner. And the fantasy world becomes incredibly dark.
The Truman Show (2013)
Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris
Directed by: Peter Weir
Written by: Andrew Nicchol
Truman Burbank has lived his entire life in the quintessence of small-town America. His community is tight-knit and supportive, and everyone plays their roles. That's because, of course, they're all playing roles. Truman is the only non-actor in the reality TV show about his life. Slowly, he begins to put the pieces together — and then he'll do anything to get out, and trod a world that's much better than he ever could've imagined.
Even more mind-blowing than The Truman Show 's plot are its implications. What if everyone you know is in on the joke?
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Directed by: Charlie Kaufman
Written by: Charlie Kaufman
This is an indie film with the mantra, "art imitates life imitates art, and repeat." In Synecdoche, New York, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Caden Conrad, a troubled theater director who throws himself into a strangely realistic theater piece. In a warehouse in Manhattan, a group of actors live out their fictionalized, constructed lives. Soon, the warehouse takes on the realism of the bustling city outside. The years pass. The plot grows convoluted. Caden hires doppelgangers for the actors to make the endeavor even more hectic. As Caden loses his mind, who will be there to give the play direction?
A Scanner Darkly(2006)
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Winona Ryder
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Written by: Richard Linklater
Based on the mind-bending novel by William S. Gibson, this movie uses an uncanny animation technique to capture the interplay between reality and unstable mental states. A Scanner Darkly is set in a totalitarian state in the future, after America has lost the war on drugs. Over 20% of the population is hooked on a drug called Substance D. In response, the government has developed an underground network of informants to try to infiltrate the drug supply chain.
Detective Bob Arctor is a cog in this machine, assigned to immerse himself in the shady underworld. But once he's in with the addicts, it's impossible to stop becoming hooked himself. At the New Path recovery center, Bob begins to lose his identity and experience schizophrenic behavior.
Spider(2002)
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gabriel Byrne
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Written by: Patrick McGrath
After years in a sanitarium, Denis Cleg moves to a halfway house for the mentally disturbed. And for an hour and a half, we enter into the suffering, shifty mindset of a man trying to piece together a formative memory from this childhood. In flashbacks, Denis sees his father, his mother, the prostitute with whom his father is involved, and a younger version of himself. Within Denis's mind, the four characters go through a choreography of remembrance. What are the events that led to his mother's murder? You'll find out the answer to that question in this psychological thriller, but it's not the twist that'll stay with you. Denis's twisted perspective will haunt you.
The Matrix(2013)
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fisburne
Directed by: Lana and Lily Wachowski
Written by: Lana and Lily Wachowski
Neo lives through every 1990s kid's nightmare: finding out that he's living, essentially, in The Sims. Our trusty protagonist discovers that everything he thinks of as "reality" is actually a video game-esque simulation. Once he realizes that nothing is real, then everything (including dodging bullets) is possible.
But The Matrix recognizes the burden of such knowledge. In one of cinema's most iconic scenes, Neo is offered the red pill to proceed on his journey, or the blue pill to forget and go back to the way he was. Neo chooses the red pill; the rest is movie history.
The Fountain (2006)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Written by: Darren Aronofsky
We can tell you what happens in The Fountain, but we can’t confirm what actually happens.
This intricate magical romantic drama interweaves three storylines separated by centuries and miles. In the first, Hugh Jackman plays Tom Creo, a 21st century doctor losing his wife, Izzi (Rachel Weisz), to cancer. Tom’s consumed with finding a cure using samples from “The Tree of Life,” a species found in South America, and forgoes quality time with Izzi for time in his lab.
While he’s in the lab, Izzi takes to the pen and writes a story about a conquistador, Tomas Verde, searching for the Tree of Life for Queen Isabella. But Izzi doesn’t have time to finish the story — she asks him to finish it. While they stare at the stars, Izzi imagines they’ll meet, once again, the stars. Appropriately, the final narrative is set in deep space, with an astronaut named Tommy.
But we’ve laid things out in an easy way. In truth, nothing is told in chronological order, not even the storylines themselves. The three storylines are confusingly connected and difficult to unweave.
Acknowledging the infinite interpretative possibilities of the movie, Aronofsky said, “[The film is] very much like a Rubik's Cube, where you can solve it in several different ways, but ultimately there's only one solution at the end.” He believes the film is about coming to terms with your own death. It’s a beautiful film, if a grim message.
Timer(2009)
Starring: Emma Caulfield, Michelle Borth
Directed by: Jac Schaffer
Written by: Jac Schaffer
What if you could count down to the exact moment you’d meet your soulmate? People in this alternate reality can opt into just that. When a TiMER device is implanted, a countdown begins to establish just that. Oona O’Leary, Timer ’s protagonist, faces an uncommon quandary: her TiMER is blank, which means her soulmate — whoever he is — has yet to get his TiMER implanted.
Steph, her roommate and sister, has a TiMER that indicates she won’t meet her soulmate until she’s 43. She’s been seeing Dan, a widower who doesn’t have a TiMER so not to cheapen his marriage.
Instead of twiddling her thumbs until Mr. Right comes around, Oona dates off the TiMER. She falls for Mikey, a supermarket clerk with a countdown of four months.
After a while, Oona and Steph decide to get their TiMERs removed irrevocably. At that precise moment, though, Oona's countdown suddenly starts, meaning that her soul mate has finally gotten his TiMER. It’s the night of Oona and Steph’s birthday, and Dan, the widower, is there. As soon as she sees Dan, her own TiMER goes off. Feelings will be stepped on — what’s a girl to do?
While
Mr. Nobody (2004) Starring: Jared Leto, Diane Kruger, Rhys Ifans Directed by: Jaco Van Dormael Written by: Jaco Van Dormael
In this sci-fi-meets-coming of age movie, we see the three different paths that Jared Leto’s character’s life could have taken. A nine-year-old boy stands on a platform facing an impossible choice. He chooses to go with his mother; he chooses to go with his father; he chooses to run away. What happens next? Each path has its glories and its difficulties, and Nemo explores them all.
The film is narrated by Nemo Nobody, the man the little boy becomes, on his 118th birthday. In a sexless, ageless world, Nemo is the last living relic of the world as it was, and he’s able to track the permutations of his life. A journalist attempts to get to the truth of his story: which life did Nemo truly live? The answer will surprise you.
Mr. Nobody is an astounding, visually stunning movie that doesn’t shy away from toying with our existential quandaries, and the infinite paths of "what if."
Shutter Island (2010) Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Emily Mortimer Directed By: Martin Scorsese Written By: Laeta Kalogridis, Dennis Lehane
Listen, put a few characters in a hospital for the criminally insane, and some mind-fuckery will occur. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a U.S. Marshall (well) in this Martin Scorsese flick. He and his new partner Chuck (played by Mark Ruffalo) investigate an escapee named Rachel Solando, who once killed her three children.
The plot twist in this series is pretty predictable: the detective is actually the patient. Surprise! Leonardo DiCaprio's stubborn Boston boss is imprisoned in the mental hospital because he killed his manic depressive wife. Cheery, no? The "investigation" was just an exercise concocted by the doctors at the asylum to help the patient escape his paranoia. The final scene of the movie implies that DiCaprio's character will soon have a lobotomy, so at the very least, there's a happy ending.
Triangle (2009) Starring: Melissa George, Joshua McIvor, Jack Taylor, Liam Hemsworth Directed By: Christopher Smith Written By: Christopher Smith
Ah, the best mind-fuckery relies on weird time jumps, and Triangle has time jumps a-plenty. The story opens like any other horror film. A few friends go yachting and end up in dangerous territory. They jump ship — literally — and head to a different ship, which ain't so friendly.
The big reveal: the "abandoned" ship forces everyone into a time loop. Events keep repeating themselves, and each time they do, a new incarnation of the person appears. As in, by the end of the film, the main character Jess (Melissa George) has at least 10 other Jesses to reckon with.
If you're still confused after viewing the movie, you're not alone. There's a 15-minute explainer on YouTube if you have the quarter hour to spare.
The Prestige (2006) Starring: Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Christian Bale, Rebecca Hall Directed by: Christopher Nolan Written by: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Before there was Westworld, there was The Prestige, the movie that made absolutely no sense until it all made sense. Borne from the bananas brain of the Nolan brothers, the film focuses on two magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale.) After coming up together as young magicians, the two engage in a violent rivalry.
The big "huh?" of the film lies in Borden's "transported man" trick. Borden falls under the stage, and appears somewhere else in the theater entirely. Wow! Magic! Angier seeks to duplicate this trick, and he ultimately does by enlisting the help of Nikola Tesla. (Fun fact: David Bowie plays Tesla.)
Tesla invents a machine that clones Angier. Here's how it works: the magician clones himself. The original Angier drops beneath the stage into a water tank, where he drowns. The clone appears somewhere else in the theater, wowing the audience. Okay, cool trick, but the cost is high. Every time Angier completes the trick, he kills himself, or a version of himself. The eye-opening visual of the film occurs when Borden chances upon all the water tanks that contain versions of Angier's dead body. Damn.
Oh, but there's another twist. Want to know how Angier completed the trick? You may have seen this coming — I certainly didn't, but my father did. Angier had a twin the whole time, which is the oldest mind-fuck trick in the book. Nolan elevates that particular trick, which can seem a little cheap, by involving two separate women, both in love with Angier. The end of the movie reveals that the two women were actually in love with separate men, not the same man. (Mind. Blown.)
After Hours (1985) Starring: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Linda Fiorentino, Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin Directed by: Martin Scorsese Written by: Joseph Minion
Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) just really, really wants to go home. But this is New York City after hours, and only the weirdest and wackiest things happen.
Hackett is a word processor (back in the 1980s, when jobs like that actually existed). He's bored by the corporate drudgery and the uptown apartment that bookend his days. When he meets a Marcy, a woman at a diner who seems to like the same books as him, he's intrigued. Later that night, he calls Marcy up and takes a cab downtown to meet her in Soho. That's when the fun begins.
Everything goes from bad to worse for Hackett. First his cash flies out of the cab window, then he's freaked out by Marcy's weirdly intense roommate, Kiki. When he finally gets Marcy alone, she's busy rubbing some weird burn ointment on her body (but he can't really tell why). Soon enough he gets fed up and leaves. When he feels bad and returns a few hours later, Marcy has killed herself. So now he's broke, tired, and kind of on the lam, eventually taking refuge in a dive bar. Just as the Tim, the barkeep, agrees to lend Paul some money, it turns out the bartender's girlfriend killed herself in apartment in Soho. Yep, that's right: Marcy.
But Tim is a nice guy, and says that Hackett can have some cash if he runs around the corner to Tim's apartment to grab his keys to the bar's register. Twist: there's been a series of robberies in the building, so when Tim's neighbors see Paul, they assume he's the burglar, fresh from a robbery. Paul narrowly escapes their clutches, but the neighbors organize into a witch hunt, putting up posters all around the neighborhood. He then tries to hide out at a Soho nightclub, where Kiki told Marcy she'd head later.
From there, things only get weirder. One woman hits on Paul, another screams at him. When Paul asks a random guy on the street if he can crash at his apartment, the bespectacled man thinks Paul is trying to seduce him.
Finally — finally! — Paul escapes the mob and ends up in the backseat of the van of the real robbers. He's embalmed in a papier-mâché statue (that's how he escaped the mob), and falls out of the truck bed. Where does he end up? At the golden gates of his midtown office building.
Se7en(1996) Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow Directed by: David Fincher Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker
William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is a careful, wise detective who is just a few days away from retiring. He's assigned to take a young rookie under his wing and show him the ropes of the gritty metropolis that's their turf. The young investigator, David Mills (Brad Pitt), is short-tempered and impatient, but eager to learn and get his hands dirty.
The pair slowly stumble upon a series of murders all bound by one familiar thread: the seven deadly sins. An obese man was forced to eat himself to death (gluttony); a defense attorney has his insides taken out (greed). Soon enough, Somerset and Mills find a good lead. A man named John Doe (Kevin Spacey) has been checking out library books about serial murders. They settle on him as their prime suspect and try to track him down as the murders continue.
After the fifth murder, a bloodied man meets Mills and Somerset at the police station, identifying himself as John Doe. He's been peeling off the skin on his fingertips all along, so it's impossible to perfectly ID his prints, but the men are convinced it's him. He promises to lead both detectives to the final two victims, but under very specific terms or he'll plead insanity.
Per Doe's instructions, the two detectives accompany their captive to a remote desert location. A delivery truck meets them, handing Somerset a box. Inside is the head of Mills' wife (Gwyneth Paltrow). When Doe brags about killing her and says that she was secretly pregnant, and he killed her out of his own envy. Mills weeps and hold Doe at gunpoint. Somerset protests, but he shoots him six times. Doe is the final death of the seven, because he forced Mills to give into his own wrath.
Hard Candy (2005) Starring: Ellen Page, Patrick Wilson, Sandra Oh Directed by: David Slade Written by: Brian Nelson
Patrick Wilson plays Jeff, a photographer with a thing for teenage girls. He's charming and good looking, but the set up is as creepy as it sounds. Jeff preys on young girls, messaging them online and cultivating fake relationships that he seems to hope will end with real sexual favors.
Hayley is the latest girl talked into meeting him in person. But Hayley, who wears a notable red sweatshirt, has a plan of her own. She knows of Jeff's past transgressions with his victims, and she's decided to put a stop to it.
Jeff, it turns out, doesn't just flirt with underage girls. He also rapes and kills them, according to Hayley's spying. When he lures her back to his apartment, she drugs and tortures him to get information about a dead teenage girl whose death she suspects he had a hand in.
The tension in Hard Candy mounts with an eerie quickness, mostly because of the shifting power dynamic between Jeff and Hayley (the former thinks he's in control, the latter always is).
The Invitation (2016) Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Michiel Huisman, Tammy Blanchard, Emayatzy Corinealdi Directed by: Karyn Kusama Written by: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
It's been two years since a tragic accident killed Will (Marshall Green) and Eden's (Blanchard) young son in their Hollywood Hills home. Their marriage soon dissolved and, in an effort to move on, lost touch with one another. The movie begins with Will driving to his old house with his new girlfriend Kira (Corinealdi) — they've been invited to a dinner party, even though he hasn't heard from his ex-wife or her new husband in months.
Things start out warm enough, even as the stylishly modern house manages to dig up pained memories for Will. Then, out of the corner of his eye Will notices Eden's new husband David (Huisman) casually lock doors and cabinets. There are other couples there (old friends of Will and Eden's when they were married), good food, ritzy wine... it's a nice enough evening, albeit a bit awkward. Suddenly, the tone shifts. This isn't a reunion, it's a recruiting session for a cult.
A new, unfamiliar guest arrives. Everyone nestles into the living room and David asks them to keep an open mind as they watch a documentary of sorts. In the movie, a creepy pastor talks a dying woman through the end of her life. The couples all recoil, until the unfamiliar guest gives a kind of testimonial about loving his dead wife so much, and how this quasi-spirituality helped him overcome her death. The twist? He was the one who went to prison for killing her.
From there, Kusama perfectly manipulates the tension. Doors lock and unlock, and Will confronts Eden about blocking out their son's death between flashbacks of their former life together. In the thrilling climax they sit down to dinner. Eden serves a special drink. Will can't take it anymore — he demands everyone throw it out, and begs his girlfriend to leave with him. Just as he seems crazy, someone takes a sip and dies instantly. Will was right, the drink was poison.
The "invitation" was really an entry into a murder-suicide pact. Will and his girlfriend run frantically through his old house to escape Eden and David's wrath.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis Directed by: Mike Nichols Written by: Ernest Lehman
Married couple George (Burton) and Martha (Taylor) arrive home from a party. Martha informs George that she’s invited a younger couple that she met there — Nick (Segal) and Honey (Dennis) — over for more drinks. Everyone is already quite drunk, but George and Martha get increasingly more drunk and verbally abusive towards one another.
Honey says that Martha told her about she and George’s son upcoming 16th birthday. This angers George. Honey runs to the bathroom to throw up from drinking too much. The night goes on and on with more upsetting moments.
George and Martha engage in a series of increasingly escalating games of psychological manipulation that makes their guests feel more and more uneasy. Finally, it becomes clear to Nick and Honey that the overarching game is for George and Martha to invent more and more details about their imaginary son, but to never mention his existence to anyone else. It seems that Martha lost this round, because she answers the title question, saying "I am."
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester Directed by: Stanley Kubrick Written by: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clark
As one Reddit commenter summarizing the movie very succinctly describes it, “Black box gives superpowers. Black box plus monkey equals human. Human plus black box equals star baby. Star baby is awesome.” To expand on that a little, watch the four videos on the website Kubrick 2001, which delve into how it’s not just the monolith (black box) that speeds along evolution, it’s actually the discovery and improved development of functional tools that advances first apes, and then the human race.
The question is, though, what are the three monoliths that appear in the film — one one Earth, one on the Moon, and one on Jupiter? Since they have right angles, they aren’t naturally occurring in nature. As Roger Ebert wrote in 1968, “Who put [the monolith] there? Intelligent beings since it has right angles and nature doesn't make right angles on its own.” The monoliths are merely a device Kubrick uses to advance the plot, Ebert argues.
It’s not just the monoliths’ possible meaning that throws viewers into a quandary. The ending of 2001: A Space Odyssey usually confuses viewers the most. After Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dulles) defeats HAL 9000, the supercomputer that conspired to take over the humans’ spaceship, he receives a signal from the monolith on Jupiter. Bowman travels toward the monolith only to be captured by a vortex of light.
Rather than finding himself in a sort of Gravity situation, which viewers could much more easily understand (we all know that a human left adrift in space would just perish among the glowing stars and big, black holes of nothingness), Bowman winds up in a bedroom. He watches his older self eat his final meal and die in the bed. Bowman becomes one with this older version of himself. After he dies, another monolith appears by his bed. He reaches for it and becomes the “starchild,” a glowing fetus that is transported by float beside planet Earth.
“Now where did the bedroom come from? My intuition is that it came out of Kubrick's imagination; that he understood the familiar bedroom would be the most alien, inexplicable, disturbing scene he could possibly end the film with. He was right. The bedroom is more otherworldly and eerie than any number of exploding stars, etc.,” Ebert writes by way of explanation.
It’s quite the trip.
Soylent Green (1973) Starring: Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Leigh Taylor-Young Directed by: Richard Fleischer Written by: Stanley R. Greenberg
Altered States (1980) Starring: William Hurt, Blair Brown Directed by: Ken Russell Written by: Sidney Aaron, Paddy Chayefsky
Edward Jessup (Hurt) is a Harvard scientist who starts experimenting with sensory deprivation tanks. He wants to take his work further, though, so he starts working with psychedelic mushrooms — only the type he uses makes everyone who takes them have the exact same trip.
One night while tripping balls in his tank, Jessup reverts back to the state of a Simian man. He climbs out of the tank and wreaks havoc on the lab and the campus security guards. A pack of wild dogs chases him to a local zoo, where he eats a sheep for his dinner. Jessup then returns to his human form.
His experiments transform him into increasingly troubling altered states. In one instance, he’s basically primordial soup; in another, he’s a vortex of light similar to the ones in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The only thing that can bring Jessup back from these states is his wife, Emily (Brown). She starts going through these altered states with him; sort of like the ying to his yang, or the fire to his brimstone.
In Jessup’s final experiment, he becomes a sort of pre-life protoplasm. His wife is the flesh into which the protoplasm fuses, and together, they form human life. It’s through this melding that they emerge whole, and Jessup learns to value his own humanity as well as his wife (they had been on the brink of divorcing).
Videodrome (1983) Starring: James Woods, Deborah Harry, Peter Dvorsky Directed by: David Cronenberg Written by: David Cronenberg
Max Renn (Woods) runs a Toronto TV station that airs sleazy shows (softcore porn; hardcore violence), but he’s always looking for the next sensational phenomenon. His coworker Harlan (Dvorsky) is responsible for pirating signals from other broadcast stations, and he picks up a show called Videodrome that he thinks is coming from Malaysia. On Videodrome, anonymous victims are brutally tortured before they’re murdered in a chamber. Then, Randy Jackson says, “A little pitchy, dawg.” (That last part isn’t true.)
Max thinks Videodrome is the future of TV and orders Halan to start pirating it for their station. He also gets Nicki Brand (Harry), a radio host, to sleep with him after she admits she’s turned on by the events depicted on Videodrome. Around the same time, a pop-culture analyst named Professor Brian O'Blivion (Jack Creley), who only appears on TV but is never seen in real life, predicts that television will one day supplant human life.
Harlan tells Max that the signal had actually been scrambled, and Videodrome ’s broadcast is really coming from Pittsburgh. Nicki goes there to audition to be on the show, which Max actually believes is fake. When Nicki doesn’t come back to Toronto, Max gets in touch with a feminist pornographer (Lynne Gorman), who tells him that Videodrome isn’t fake. It’s not just a TV show, either, it’s a political movement that Professor O’Blivion is behind.
Max finds O’Blivion’s office, The Cathode Ray Mission, and discovers that it provides homeless people with shelter, food, and water as long as they watch television, which was part of O’Blivion’s vision for the future. He’s actually been dead for over a year, though, and what people have been watching are hours of video he pre-taped in the event of his demise. O’Blivion’s socio-political movement, the Videodrome, is a war for the minds of North Americans.
The means of mind control is, of course, television; namely, viewing the Videodrome TV program. The show carries a signal that gives viewers malignant brain tumors. Max, who viewed Videodrome, also starts having hallucinations during which he thinks there’s a VCR in his stomach. O’Blivion didn’t want it to be used this way, though, but when he tried to stop his partners from doing so, they killed him.
Harlan actually showed Max Videodrome in order to get him to put it on the air as part of a government conspiracy to eradicate North America of homeless people. They insert a tape into the VCR in Max’s stomach (which has become real) that makes Max murder his coworkers. When he’s about to kill Professor O’Blivion’s daughter (Sonja Smits), who’s trying to stop the government’s plan to eliminate the poor, she’s able to reprogram him to instead kill Harlan, who’d been part of the government conspiracy to put Videodrome on the air.
Max shoots Harlan, then runs to an abandoned harbor. Nicki shows up on a television, saying that in order to completely defeat Videodrome, he has to "leave the old flesh behind." On the same television, we see Max shooting himself in the head. The set explodes, but when it does, it leaves behind bloody, human intestines. We then see Max, who watched the version of himself on TV shoot himself, do the same thing.
Jacob’s Ladder(1990) Starring: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello Directed by: Adrian Lyne Written by: Bruce Joel Robbin
The movie starts during the Vietnam War, where an American soldier named Jacob (Robbins), loses most of his unit during an attack. He runs into the jungle and gets stabbed by a bayonet.
When he wakes up four years later, he’s on the subway in New York City reading Albert Camus' The Stranger. Jacob is living with his girlfriend Jezzie (Peña) in Brooklyn, but he remembers having a wife and three sons, the youngest of which died before the war.
Jacob keeps having disturbing experiences and seeing demons everywhere, until he’s contacted by a comrade from his old unit who went catatonic during the attack in Vietnam. The comrade recovered and is now living in NYC, but he's killed when his car explodes. At his funeral, the surviving members of Jacob’s platoon say that they’ve all been having horrible experiences.
They hire a lawyer to investigate what happened to them, but after he reads their military files that say the platoon was never actually in combat, and that the soldiers had been discharged due to psychological reasons, he backs out of the case.
All of Jacob’s comrades stop pursuing the case, but he continues his search for the truth. This gets him thrown in a car and taken to a hospital, where doctors tell him that he’s already dead.
When Jacob leaves the hospital, Michael Newman (Matt Craven), the man who treated him back in Vietnam, confesses that he was a chemist who had designed “the Ladder,” a drug that triggered aggression. A large dose had been given to Jacob’s unit, and they had actually attacked one another. Jacob recalls being bayoneted in the jungle, only this time he can see an American soldier wielding the bayonet.
Now that he knows what truly happened, Jacob feels at peace. He returns to his family’s apartment, where he sees his dead son Gabe at the bottom of the stairs. Gabe takes his hand and leads him up the stairs towards a bright light. In the final scene, Jacob is in a triage tent, where military doctors declare him dead.
The Usual Suspects(1995) Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri Directed by: Bryan Singer Written by: Christopher McQuarrie
While being questioned about his role in a gun battle and drug bust gone wrong, Roger “Verbal” Kint manages to convince police that he should be let off scot-free. After he leaves the station and drops his limp, his interrogators look around the room and realize that the story Verbal concocted was based entirely on objects and names he glimpsed around the room.
Kint is actually Keyser Söze, the mastermind behind the whole scheme that led to the firefight on the ship. As he says, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.”
Cube (1997) Starring: Maurice Dean Wint, Nicole de Boer, Nicky Guadagni, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller Directed by: Vincenzo Natali Written by: André Bijelic, Graeme Manson, Vincenzo Natali
Imagine five prisoners being stuck inside a constantly shifting, intricately booby-trapped, complexly mathematical Rubik’s Cube. They have no idea how they got there. They think they need to somehow escape in order to survive.
That’s what Cube is about, except in the end, the sole survivor ascends into a bright light. So, is the cube purgatory? A classic prisoner’s dilemma? Cube will give you a lot to think about.
The Sixth Sense(1999) Starring: Bruce Willis, Hayley Joel Osment Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan Written by: M. Night Shyamalan
A child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe (Willis) and his wife (Olivia Williams) return home from an event where he was being honored. A former patient of Crowe’s is waiting in their bathroom. He shoots Crowe and then kills himself.
The movie cuts to the following autumn, when Dr. Crowe starts working with 9-year-old Cole Sear (Osment), who claims he can see dead people and also has trouble in social situations. Malcolm works with Cole to develop his gift for communicating with the dead, but the doctor grows increasingly distant from his wife. They never talk anymore.
Eventually, Malcolm realizes what happened. He was actually killed the night he was shot. He hasn’t been able to leave the land of the living because he wants to let his wife know that she never came second to his work, and that he also can’t forgive himself for failing to help the patient who killed both Malcolm and himself. Cole really does see dead people.
Fight Club (1999) Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter Directed by: David Fincher Written by: Jim Uhls
The first rule of fight club is, of course, that you don’t talk about fight club. The second rule is that you disregard that one for the purposes of this roundup, with apologies to David Fincher and Chuck Palahniuk, the author of the novel upon which the film is based.
In this nihilistic tale, an unnamed insomniac office drone (Norton) meets a rebellious soap-maker named Tyler Durden (Pitt) on a plane. The two move into a dilapidated house on the edge of town and start an underground fight club that turns into a nation-wide organization called Project Mayhem, which protests capitalism and corporate organizations.
Eventually, the narrator realizes that Tyler Durden is merely a dissociation of his own personality. He discovers that as Tyler, he’s been plotting to destroy credit card companies by blowing up their office buildings. The narrator finally shoots himself in the cheek, killing his projection of Tyler. The film ends with the narrator and his sort-of girlfriend Marla (Bonham Carter) watching the city fall to the Pixies' “Where Is My Mind.”
Memento (2000) Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss, Joe Pantoliano Directed by: Christopher Nolan Written by: Christopher Nola, Jonathan Nolan
Leonard Shelby (Pearce) suffers from anterograde amnesia, which means he can’t create or store new memories. This is making it difficult to track down the man he’s certain raped and murdered his wife (Jorja Fox). To make things even more confusing, the film is told through black-and-white and color sequences, and it’s not clear to the audience which come first chronologically. It’s also unclear which characters Shelby can trust — or if he’s even trustworthy himself.
Session 9 (2001) Starring: David Caruso, Peter Mullan, Stephen Gevedon, Josh Lucas Directed by: Brad Anderson Written by: Brad Anderson, Stephen Gevedon
This movie was filmed in a real mental hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts, which just adds to the authentic, chilling vibe you’ll have while watching. An asbestos removal crew (Caruso, Mullan, Gevedon, Lucas, Brendan Sexton III) is tasked with cleaning an abandoned mental hospital. While on the job, they discover a box that contains tapes of nine interview sessions with a patient named Mary Hobbes.
Hobbes has dissociative identity disorder, and she has three personalities besides her own. Of these, she only displays two of them — “the Princess,” who is childlike and innocent, and Billy, who is protective and childlike. Hobbes’ third personality, Simon, is so hidden that the Princess doesn’t know anything about her, and Billy is afraid of him.
Everything starts to unravel when one of the men goes missing, and the ninth session tape is cut short, so they don’t know what happened with Mary, the Princess, Billy, and Simon. Eventually, it’s revealed that there might not be a Mary, and that Simon actually lives inside one of the men tasked with cleaning the asylum, and some members of the cleaning crew aren’t even real — they’re projections of his imagination. He murders some of the real men, though, because of course this movie is terrifying.
Mulholland Drive (2001) Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring Directed by: David Lynch Written by: David Lynch
This one’s kind of tough to explain in a simple plot synopsis, especially since there’s been so much debate about whether or not the first half of the film is actually a dream sequence. This October 2001 Salon article provides a thorough analysis of not only the film’s plot, but also what the fuck it all means. Or at least what the writers think it means, because they’re still unable to explain things like the mysterious box.
Lynch originally wrote Mulholland Drive as a television pilot for ABC. Therefore, there might actually be some storylines in the film that leave questions left unanswered, since Lynch would have been able to get to them in the longer time that a TV series allots for storytelling.
In this January 2002 article from The Guardian, however, five top film critics couldn’t come to a consensus as to whether or not the film was divided into two halves, with one being a dream and one grounded in the reality of what actually happened when Diane (Watts) put a hit on her girlfriend Camilla (Harring). Diane’s actions drive her to commit suicide.
Still, the film might be intended as a larger commentary on how Hollywood places women in boxes, only allowing ingénues to look one way, while women become disposable and easily replaceable when they reach a certain age. That might just be the most important mindfuck Mulholland Drive gives to viewers.
Donnie Darko (2001) Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore Directed by: Richard Kelly Written by: Richard Kelly
A high school student named Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is woken up by a monstrous rabbit who calls himself Frank. The rabbit leads Donnie outside and says the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. When Donnie returns home, he discovers that a jet engine crashed into his bedroom while he was out with Frank.
When Donnie describes Frank to his therapist (Katharine Ross), she tells his parents that he’s suffering from daylight hallucinations, which can be symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. Donnie confesses to flooding his school and burning down a motivational speaker’s (Patrick Swayze) house.
Finally, it’s the day Frank prophesied the world would end. A vortex forms above the Darko house while Donnie is driving in the nearby hills. He watches an airplane fall from the sky. The events from the last 28 days start to replay in reverse chronological order. When they reach day 1, Donnie is back in his bed, laughing maniacally as a jet engine crashes into his room. Donnie dies instantly.
When he dies, all of the people with whom Donnie Darko interacted during the last 28 days start to wake up with disturbed looks on their faces. Characters who met and interacted during the course of the movie revert to being strangers, although they feel as though they know each other. They just can’t remember where or when they might have met.
Vanilla Sky(2001) Starring: Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz Directed by: Cameron Crowe Written by: Cameron Crowe
Roger Ebert described Vanilla Sky perfectly in December 2001, “ Vanilla Sky, like the 2001 pictures Memento and Mulholland Drive before it, requires the audience to do some heavy lifting. It has one of those plots that doubles back on itself like an Escher staircase. You get along splendidly one step at a time, but when you get to the top floor you find yourself on the bottom landing. If it's any consolation, its hero is as baffled as we are; it's not that he has memory loss, like the hero of Memento, but that in a certain sense he may have no real memory at all.”
Vanilla Sky plays not only with linear structure, but with mixing dreams and reality, forcing viewers to question what’s real, what’s not, and whether or not reality is entirely subjective and surreal. It’s best to watch it rather than read a plot summary, really, but know that Tom Cruise jumps off a building at one point, and not in his usual badass Mission: Impossible type of way.
Oldboy (2003) Starring: Choi Min-sik, Kang Hye-jung Directed by: Park Chan-wook Written by: Hwang Jo-yoon, Im Joon-hyeong, Park Chan-wook
Business man Oh Dae-su (Min-sik) is arrested for drunken and disorderly behavior in 1988. He misses his daughter’s 4th birthday because he is in jail. While his friend who picks him up from the police station is talking to Dae-su’s wife, he is kidnapped.
Dae-su is imprisoned with no human contact for 15 years in a hotel-like prison. He’s sometimes gassed with a mind-altering drug. Dae-su shadowboxes to pass the time. He has no contact with his captors, nor does he ever learn the reason for his kidnapping.
Fifteen years later, Dae-su is released onto a rooftop. His captor gives him a suit and some money, but he also calls and taunts him. Dae-su then befriends a young chef named Mi-do (Hye-jung), who takes him to her apartment after he collapses at her sushi restaurant.
Dae-su wants to track down his daughter, but all he can find out is that she was adopted by a Swedish couple. He turns his attention to his captor’s identity. He finally learns that his name is Lee Woo-jin (Yoo Ji-tae). Woo-jin gives Dae-su an ultimatum: If Dae-su can figure out why Woo-jin kept him captive in the next five days, Woo-jin will kill himself. If Dae-su doesn’t succeed in finding out, Woo-jin will have Mi-do — with whom Dae-su has begun an emotional and sexual relationship — killed.
Dae-su remembers that he and Woo-jin went to the same high school, and that he saw an incestutous encounter between Woo-jin and his sister Soo-ah. Dae-su spread the rumor about their relationship around the school, not knowing they were related. Soo-ah committed suicide after the rumor made the rounds.
Dae-su admits to Woo-jin that he drove his sister to commit suicide. Woo-jin tells Dae-su that his revenge has been meticulous and carefully plotted. First, he captured Dae-su and kept him in prison for 15 years, periodically administering hypnotic drugs. Then, he planted the false evidence that Dae-su’s daughter had been kidnapped by a Swedish couple. In reality, Dae-su’s daughter is none other than Mi-do. Woo-jin drove Dae-su to commit incest with his own daughter, and he plans to tell Mi-do what has happened as well.
Dae-su begs Woo-jin to spare Mi-do from learning this information. Dae-su cuts out his tongue to show that he will never convey this information, or any other secrets, himself. Woo-jin says he will heed this request, leaves, and shoots himself.
Dae-su goes to a hypnotist to have the memories of committing incest with his daughter erased, but afterward, Mi-do finds him and tells him she loves him. He smiles when he hears this, but then his smile is replaced by a pained expression, as if he’s remembering what he went to the hypnotist to forget.
The Machinist (2004) Starring: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh Directed by: Brad Anderson Written by: Scott Kosar
A machinist named Trevor Reznik (Bale) is suffering from severe insomnia and has become extremely emaciated. Trevor is also troubled by mysterious Post-It notes that appear on his fridge, which have a game of Hangman on them. It starts to affect his work to the point where one of his coworkers (Michael Ironside) loses his arm in a machine accident. His coworkers blame Trevor for the accident, but he blames a mysterious new machinist named Ivan (John Sharian) that only Trevor seems to know about.
Trevor does have some brief moments of relief. He spends time with Stevie (Leigh), a prostitute, who enjoys his company. He meets a waitress named Maria (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón) at the airport diner he frequents and takes Maria and her son Nicholas (Matthew Romero) to a carnival. At the carnival, though, Nicholas has a seizure in a funhouse.
Trevor thinks all of these mysterious events are part of an elaborate plot to drive him insane. His life begins to fall apart even more: He explodes at a coworker and gets fired. He doesn’t pay his utility bill, and the electricity in his apartment is turned off. He thinks blood is seeping out of his freezer.
Trevor thinks that Ivan is the source of his problems, so he goes to the DMV to track him down using his license plate number. They refuse to give it to him, so he goes to the police, saying that he was a victim of a hit and run, and that Ivan was the perpetrator. When Trevor gives the police Ivan’s license plate number, they tell him that the car to which that plate matches is registered to Trevor, not the mysterious Ivan.
Eventually, Trevor pieces together the details of what happened. There is no Maria, nor is there a Nicholas. He was the one who hit a boy who looked identical to Nicholas a year ago — which his mother (who looked exactly like Maria) witnessed — and then drove away. At the time, Trevor looked much healthier. The guilt over the hit and run is what led him to his current emaciated, insomniac state. The mysterious Post-It notes have actually been coming from him (he’s been dissociating), and the hangman game spells out “KILLER.”
The movie ends with Trevor going to the police to confess his crime. They lead him to a cell, and he falls asleep for the first time since the accident.
Primer (2004) Starring: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden Directed by: Shane Carruth Written by: Shane Carruth
Primer is considered one of the most confusing movies of all time. People have even mapped out the various timelines in an attempt to explain the plot. Writer/director/star Shane Carruth has a degree in mathematics and is a former engineer, so the film delves into complex temporal anomalies.
Two engineers named Aaron (Carruth) and Abe (Sullivan) create a person-sized box in which a human can travel through time. They try to carefully map out rules for their time traveling to avoid meeting their past or future selves and messing up the past, present, or future.
Abe and Aaron’s different personalities lead to confrontations over how they should use the box and the way in which their collaboration in the experiment should play out. They try to use their time traveling ability to make profitable stock trades, but their future selves keep appearing in their present timelines, causing increasingly escalating problems in their lives. They also cause trouble in other people’s lives; for example, Abe’s girlfriend Rachel (Samantha Thomson) almost gets shot.
During an epilogue, it’s revealed that multiple versions of Aaron still exist, and at least one future version is colluding with the original one. Abe, on the other hand, wants to keep his present self in the dark about what Future Abe knows. In the final scene, Aaron is directing the construction of a warehouse-sized box.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(2004) Starring: Kate Winslet, Jim Carrey Directed by: Michel Gondry Written by: Charlie Kaufman
Joel (Carrey) and Clementine (Winslet) meet on a train from Montauk to Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York. What they don’t know is that they’ve met before. They were even in a relationship before, but Clementine hired a firm called Lacuna, Inc., to erase her memories of their relationship after a fight, and when Joel heard about this, he decided to do the same.
Joel doesn’t want Clementine to be erased from his memory, though, and he struggles to preserve the moments they had together by hiding them deep in his subconscious. The last thing he can remember her saying is to meet him in Montauk.
After they meet again on the train, they discover their Lacuna records. Even though they know they dated, broke up, and had their relationship erased from their minds before, they decide to give it another chance.
Atonement (2007) Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan Directed by: Joe Wright Written by: Christopher Hampton
This adaptation of Iwan McEwan’s novel of the same name earns a spot on the mindfuck movies list simply because of how it completely rips the rug out from under you at the end. There you are, thinking Briony (played by Ronan at 13, Romola Garai at 18, and Redgrave as an older woman) is writing this story to atone for her huge lie, and there's going to be a romantic, happy ending. That lie being how she falsely accused Robbie Turner (McAvoy) of raping Briony’s visiting cousin Lola (Juno Temple), which completely ruined not only his life, but that of her sister Cecilia (Knightley).
The incident tears Briony and Cecilia’s family apart, because Cecilia stands by Robbie; knowing he’s been falsely accused. Years later, Briony describes visiting Robbie and Cecilia, who are now married, to apologize. Cecilia says she can never forgive her, while Robbie demands Briony tell both her family and the authorities what really happened. Even if Briony were to tell the authorities; however, nothing could be done, because Lola actually married her rapist (Benedict Cumberbatch).
Decades pass, and Briony is now an author. Her final novel (she is dying of vascular dementia) is called Atonement. She gives an interview about the book in which she reveals that it’s only semi-autobiographical. While most of the beginning is true to life, the part where she visits Cecilia and Robbie is fabricated. Briony was never able to visit them to ask for forgiveness because they never met again after Robbie left to fight in World War II. He died at Dunkirk, and Cecilia died shortly after during The Blitz. Oh cruel, cruel fate.
Triangle (2009) Starring: Melissa George, Michael Dorman Directed by: Christopher Smith Written by: Christopher Smith
Jess (Melissa George) goes on a boat trip with a group of friends. The boat capsizes in a storm, and the group survives by climbing on the upturned vessel. They spot an ocean liner and board it, only to find it deserted. Jess experiences a flash of déjà vu once on board the ship, and she also gets the feeling that there’s someone else there.
One by one, the members of the group begin to die. Some of them are shot by a mysterious masked shooter, who then chases Jess, but she’s able to push the shooter overboard.
After everyone in her group dies, and Jess is left alone, she hears yelling. She sees herself and the others alive again. They’re standing on the capsized boat in the same position they were in before they boarded the ocean liner. Jess realizes that she’s stuck in a time loop, and she’s actually the figure on the ship who killed her friends.
Inception (2010) Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Directed by: Christopher Nolan Written by: Christopher Nolan
Dominick Cobb (DiCaprio) and his team enter the dreams of executives to steal corporate secrets. In the big heist depicted in the movie, the team has a new type of challenge: plant an idea into a CEO’s (Cillian Murphy) subconscious, which the businessman (Ken Watanabe) tasking them with the job calls inception.
Cobb is also struggling with guilt over the death of his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard), who committed suicide after the two spent 50 years in a shared dreamscape and couldn’t distinguish between dreams and reality when they woke up. Cobb’s guilt causes problems with his team’s current mission, because he keeps projecting Mal into dreamscapes.
As the team travels into deeper and deeper levels of the dream labyrinth architected by Ariadne (Page), there’s more room for error, which obviously occurs. After Inception came out, people spent hours trying to map out the various levels of the dream landscapes into which the team traveled. Finally, Christopher Nolan released his hand-drawn version of the map to help viewers understand.
Audiences were also confused by the film’s ending. The movie’s last shot is of Cobb’s totem — an object the dream-invaders use to determine if they’re still in a dream or back in reality — a spinning top. If the top keeps spinning, he’s probably stuck in someone else’s dream. If it stops, he’s back in reality. Inception ends before we can see what happens to the top. Does it keep spinning, or does it fall?
Nolan finally explained the ambiguous ending during the commencement speech he delivered to Princeton’s class of 2015. He said it didn’t matter if Cobb was awake or dreaming, because he’d been reunited with his children, which is all he really wanted. “He was in his own subjective reality. He didn’t really care any more, and that makes a statement: perhaps, all levels of reality are valid,” Nolan said.
Black Swan(2010) Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Vincent Cassel Directed by: Darren Aronofsky Written by: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin
Nina Sayers (Portman) has spent her entire life striving to be a perfect ballerina. It’s an obsession fueled by her stage mother (Hershey). When Sayers is cast as the White Swan in her company’s upcoming production of Swan Lake opposite a more easygoing newcomer (Mila Kunis) as the Black Swan, she begins to have a complete mental, emotional, and physical breakdown.
Monsieur Oscar (Lavant) appears to be a regular businessman until he enters a limo in the morning after having breakfast with his wife and children. Once in the car, he receives a dossier from his driver, Madame Céline (Scob), and takes off his banker disguise. He puts on a different costume; now, Oscar is an elderly beggar who walks the streets of Paris, asking for money.
Oscar is actually an actor, but his roles exist in the real world. Throughout the day, he returns to the limousine for more assignments from Céline. These take him everywhere from a motion-capture studio to a high-fashion photoshoot with a top model (played by Eva Mendes).
Even when Oscar gets physically injured while in character, he’s unscathed when he returns to the limo. At times, he interacts with characters that look identical to ones he played earlier in the day. Towards the end of the day, he meets a woman named Léa (L'Homea), who calls him “uncle.” Oscar pretends to die, and Léa cries.
At this next appointment, Céline pulls the car up next to an identical limo. Inside is a woman named Eva (Kylie Minogue), with whom it’s implied Oscar actually has a child. However, Eva appears to be an actress like Oscar, and she tells him that she has an appointment. She’ll be stepping into the role of a flight attendant who spends her final night in an empty building with a man. Oscar leaves the building so that Eva can meet up with the man, but he then sees the two jump to their deaths. Oscar cries as he runs past their bodies and gets in the limo.
At his last appointment, Céline hands Oscar a dossier saying that he’ll be going to “your house” to meet up with “your wife” and “your daughter.” When he goes inside; however, his wife and child are actually chimpanzees.
Now that the day is over, Céline takes the limo to the Holy Motors garage, which is filled with many limousines of the same make and model. She leaves for the night after covering her face with a mask. After Céline is gone, the cars start talking to each other, worrying about becoming obsolete.
Upstream Color (2013) Starring: Shane Carruth, Amy Seimetz, Thiago Martins Directed by: Shane Carruth Written by: Shane Carruth
Yup, it’s another Shane Carruth mindfuck masterpiece. In this one, a man called the Thief (Martins) kidnaps Kris (Seimetz) at a nightclub and drugs her. He keeps her in a hypnotic state of distraction, using techniques like getting her to transcribe Henry David Thoreau’s Walden on a paper chain. The Thief starves Kris so that he can infect her with a type of live larva that he harvests from blue orchids. He also manipulates her into liquidating her home equity and giving him the money.
When the Thief drops Kris off at her home, she wakes up ravenous with roundworms crawling under her skin, which she tries to remove with a kitchen knife. She fails at this.
A man called the Sampler (Andrew Sensenig) lures Kris to his farm so he can transfer the roundworms from her body a young pig’s. Again, Kris wakes up with no memory of what has happened to her. When she gets home, she sees the blood on her sheets from when she tried to remove the worms. Scared, she calls the police, but she hangs up because she’s not sure what she would tell them happened. Kris tries to return to work, but she gets fired after her unexcused absence. She tries to buy food at the grocery store, but the Thief has stolen all of her money.
One year later, Kris encounters a man named Jeff (Carruth) on a train, and the two have an almost telepathic connection. When they spend the night together, they realize they have identical scars — they were both infected by the larva and then had the roundworms removed, but they also have no memory of this happening. Like Kris, Jeff also had his personal funds stolen by the Thief. He then lost his job after trying to embezzle money from his brokerage firm to cover his tracks.
Kris and Jeff also have a telepathic connection with the pigs that received their worm transfusions, although they don’t know this. That’s another part of the worm-pig-orchid cycle, as Shane Carruth calls it. The Sampler is able to check in on people who are telepathically connected with the pig’s lives, and he writes songs about them. He sells these songs through a company called the Quinoa Valley Rec. Co.
When one of the pigs gets pregnant, Kris thinks she's pregnant. The doctor tells her she isn’t; she actually had endometrial cancer, which was removed, and is now infertile. When the pig gives birth, the Sampler throws her piglets into a sack, which he tosses into the river.
This sends Kris and Jeff into a deep depression. They turn against everyone else in their lives and hunker down in Kris’ house, expecting the worst. While this is happening, we see the sack with the piglet’s corpses, from which a blue substance — the same blue as the orchids the Thief extracted the larva from in the beginning — is traveling upstream into the surrounding waters. Orchids are growing out of the water, and farmers are collecting the blue flowers to sell.
Kris, Jeff, and the Sampler slowly start to remember the things that have happened to them. Kris starts mumbling Walden. In a dream, the three of them sit down together and discuss being aware of each other before the Sampler has a heart attack. Back in reality, Kris and Jeff are on the pig farm. She shoots the Sampler, and he dies.
Kris and Jeff find records of everyone who has been drugged the way they were and get them to come to the farm by sending them copies of Walden. They remodel the farm and start providing a better life for the pigs. No more pigs are drowned, so the Thief has no more blue orchids from which to get larva and start the worm-pig-orchid cycle again.
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Growing up is hard to do. Before "adulting" — that is, clumsily impersonating our role models and pretending we have our lives together — became a buzzword, we "came of age." The action is still the same: staying out too late and trying to "find ourselves," or building a new life in a strange city.
The best thing about coming-of-age movies is that you can watch them and get a better understanding of yourself today. The awkwardness of getting older is more than acne and puberty, and more than the milestones of academic life. Growing up is about looking around and piecing together what you want and don't want, who is and isn't worth listening to, where you do and don't feel safe. Whether you're working through these internal dilemmas in someone else's house — in a family home or with a band on tour — or in your first apartment, it's all tough.
These are the best coming-of-age movies we can think of. And while many such stories are about love, we've culled a list of films that have a little more to offer than a traditional romance, because you don't have to fall in love to find yourself. "Coming of age" isn't about meeting the person you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with, but deciding what you want to spend the rest of your life as.
Keep checking back before your next movie night. We'll be adding new movies to this list regularly.
The Royal Tenenbaums(2001)
As kids, Chas (Ben Stiller), Richie (Luke Wilson), and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) Tenenbaum were all geniuses in their respective fields. But their prodigal abilities wore off as they reached adulthood. Now dysfunctional adults, the three Tenenbaum children are forced to grapple with their parents' strangeness, their childhood, and the way that their dreams didn't seem to pan out. Their droll, melancholy story is told with the kind of brilliant specificity only Wes Anderson can pull off.
Boyz n the Hood(1991)
After getting into a violent fight at school, ten-year-old Tre is sent to live with his father in Los Angeles. Tre's father (Lawrence Fishburne) tries to lay out the rules of the rough neighborhood to prepare Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.) for incidents that he's confident Tre will encounter. In their hood, violence is a fact of life. Boyz in the Hood is based on director and screenwriter John Singleton's childhood in L.A.
My Friend Dahmer(2017)
This isn't quite a coming-of-age story — it's a coming-of- serial killer story. Derf Backderf happened to go to school with a young Jeffrey Dahmer, who would go on to murder legion young men beginning shortly after graduation. In a graphic novel, Backderf recalled his impressions of Dahmer. This movie, starring Ross Lynch as Dahmer, will seriously unsettle you.
Call Me By Your Name(2017)
Each year, Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and his parents spend the summer at their Italian villa, along with a visiting scholar his father has chosen. The summer Elio is 17, David (Armie Hammer), an American, comes to stay. What happens next will twist your heart until it drips...peach juice? Elio experiences a longing so pure, so aching that you'll be 17 again just by staring at it.
Lady Bird(2017)
Lady Bird's looking for reinvention — that's why she's switched from her given name, Christine, to the kookier Lady Bird. She's in her final year at Catholic high school in Sacramento. But before she can leave it all behind, Lady Bird has to get through a year in high school. This movie takes all the staples of a coming-of-age movie, like relationships and friendships and mothers and awkward time in-between life phases, and makes them truer.
Okja(2017)
Ten-year-old Mija grew up in the idyllic South Korean countryside caring for Okja, a massive, pig-like creature. Then, she discovers that Okja's actually the prototype for a (nutritious) product thought up by a massive meat company, the Mirando Corporation. Mija is willing to square off against corporate America to save her friend. Outside of her town, Mija learns about how the "real" world, aka the capitalist system, works — and won't accept it.
It(2017)
Granted, It is one terrifying movie. But when you're not jumping out of your seat with terror at Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgård), you'll be laughing at the hilarious, earnest interactions of the kids in the Losers Club. It is like a mash-up of Stranger Things, Stand By Me, and your worst nightmares.
Riding around town on their bikes, the kids in the Losers Club experience the summer of our imaginations. No rules, no adults, just boundless possibility, with the stormclouds of growing up gathering in the distance.
Stand By Me(1986)
The group of friends in Stand By Me are still kids by their end of their trek to find the supposed dead body in the woods. But like the kids in Stranger Things, they emerge altered from their brush with the adult world of death and strangeness. Childhood will never be the same after realizing its permanence.
Stand By Me does its magic best when viewed by an adult. Instead of a coming-of-age tale, Stand By Me is a becoming-a-kid-again tale. You'll remember, briefly, the world as you once saw it.
Mustang(2016)
After neighbors catch them playing a harmless game with boys, five orphaned sisters in Turkey face outsized punishment. Their conservative grandmother keeps them on house arrest, and mounts a plan to get her granddaughters in marrying shape. But the sisters won't submit to their family's oppressive plan for them without scheming first.
Narrated by the youngest sister, Mustang shows five young women on the cusp of a great and terrible change. This is the story of childhood's forced end.
Little Women(1994)
There's no more iconic coming-of-age story than Little Women, which tracks the lives of the four March sisters. Plus, it features a very, very young Christian Bale.
Sing Street(2016)
The year is 1985. The place, Dublin. Conor's (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) parents are fighting. His new school is run by a strict madman. Bullies chase him into bathrooms. So, he does what any boy with a lot of feelings and a musical ear would: start a band. Coming of age was never so catchy.
The Spectacular Now(2013)
Young love's the topic of so many films, but rarely is it handled with this earnest, authentic grace. While The Spectacular Now plays into the trope of a bookish girl dating a bad boy, Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller bring a three-dimensional intensity to their young passion that'll make you ache for your own high school loves.
Mr. Nobody
This mind-bending movie is unlike any other coming-of-age film ever made.
Nemo Nobody is 118 years old, and the last mortal member of the human race. In honor of his birthday, he tells a reporter of his childhood and looks back at the pivotal moment in their childhood. A boy is on a train tracks. He can choose to go with his mother on the train, his father on the tracks, or run away. From there, Mr. Nobody sees the infinite trajectories of his life.
The Way Way Back (2013)
14-year-old Duncan’s summer down the Jersey shore with his mom and her skeevy boyfriend is not shaping up to be any fun at all. Desperate to get out of the house, Duncan takes a job at Water Wizz water park and finds a friend in the park’s overly friendly manager. The trials and tribulations of young teenage-dom have never been so endearing. Plus, seeing Steve Carrell play a villain is worth the watch.
Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
Alfonso Cuarón directed what is now considered a seminal classic coming-of-age film. The title roughly translates to "and your mother, too," a version of an insult tagline. (Think: "your mom ____.") The film follows Tenoch (Diego Luna) and Julio (Gael García Bernal), two teenage boys, as they take their life on the road. The friendship gets knotty when they invite Luisa, a beautiful mysterious woman — there's always one of those — to join them, sowing discord in their friendship.
Elvis Mitchell, writing in The New York Times, called the movie, "fast, funny, unafraid of sexuality and finally devastating."
Whale Rider (2002)
Keisha Castle-Hughes received an Academy Award nomination for her role as the plucky Paikea, a young Maori girl struggling to come to terms with her patrilineal tribe.
Paikea, called Pai, is a direct descendant of the current chieftain. The only problem: she's a girl. To make matters worse, Pai had a twin stillborn brother. By tradition, her late brother should be chief. Pai's grandfather won't acknowledge her — until she rides the whale, that is.
Whale Rider succeeds by taking the harrowing process of growing up and transposing it onto the strict rules of tradition. In order to grow, Pai must subvert tradition. Breaking the boundaries of her tightly-wound society is Pai's coming-of-age ordeal, and every moment of this New Zealand film will have you on edge.
Boyhood(2014)
Boyhood is the coming-of-age film that literally came of age. Filmed over 12 years, the movie follows Mason (Ellar Coltrane) as he traipses through adolescence. At the conclusion, Mason leaves for college, his "boyhood" coming to a close as the credits roll.
Richard Linklater's film is remarkable because it danced between fiction and reality. We are watching a fiction, but the actors — including Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Lorelei Linklater — are subject to the very real effects of time.
Nothing truly remarkable happens in the film, which lasts a generous 3 hours, but that's exactly the point. This bildungsroman is about the slow churn of self-discovery and the patience that it requires.
Almost Famous (2000)
Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) said it best: “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool.”
William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is very, very uncool. So when the precocious teen gets a chance to profile an up and coming rock band for Rolling Stone, he jumps at it. There’s the obvious career boost, of course, but also the thrill of the road paired with the rock’s outlaw fantasy.
Cross crossing the country, director Cameron Crowe’s protagonist gets a lesson in reporting — no one is ever a reliable source on their own life — but also in friendship. He’s quickly smitten with Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), a young blonde fangirl who is low key sleeping with the band’s lead singer. Penny is troubled and flighty, and William is the only one who really cares about her. But even he tries to consume her free spirit. "I always tell the girls, never take it seriously," Penny explains once. "If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt, if you never get hurt, you always have fun. And if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends. "
The Fits (2016)
Toni (Royalty Hightower) is an 11-year-old tomboy that doesn't know how to be a teenage girls. As girls her age have their first awkward crushes, she hangs out with her brother, watching him flirt with girls, laugh with his friends, and train to be a boxer. She's modeled her life after his, until now: Toni is transfixed by the cool girls, ones who seem unbothered by insecurities like her own.
So Toni skips her brother's boxing lessons, and instead tries out for the local rec center's dance team. She watches them, and mimics their femininity. When an eerie sickness starts to spread other girls on the team, she hopes she's not affected by the same convulsions.
There's a certain amount of suspense to this movie — what disease causes these girls to shake and shiver without warning? Where did it start, and how is it being transmitted? But its heart is in Toni's coming of age story as she begins to understand gender performance, and her place as a young woman in her community.
Brooklyn (2015)
Brooklyn is a 1950s immigrant story that starts out simple enough: Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) has just moved from Ireland to the borough (against her mother’s better judgement) for a better life. She leaves the ship that brought her to America’s shores, ready to find the American promise she’s heard so much about. In a strange city with rowdy Americans, she’s lonely enough to sob into her own sheets. She might not have left a full life beyond, but it was a satisfying one.
Soon enough, she meets Tony (Emory Cohen), a boyishly handsome Italian guy at a Catholic mixer. For a while, Brooklyn masquerades as a love story: The pair sweetly fall in love and plan a life together. Then a tragedy at home in Ireland requires Eilis to return to her sleepy hometown.
And this is when Brooklyn gets really great: It takes meeting a boy at home (Domhnall Gleeson) to put in perspective how much Eilis has accomplished. She’s built herself a life in Brooklyn, through long days and lonely nights. The crux of the movie is the crossroads of coming of age: Looking in the mirror and deciding between the self you’ve grown out of and the self you’ve grown into.
Splendor In The Grass (1961)
This classic, directed by Elia Kazan, is most famous for being the first American movie to feature French kissing onscreen. Outside of the Natalie Wood-Warren Beatty lip action, though, it’s a touching story of desire, resistance, and how jarring it is to realize your parents are imperfect — and maybe even deeply flawed.
The story is set in 1920s Kansas, and Bud Stamper (Beatty) and Deanie Loomis (Wood) are in love. He’s the football hero, heir to an oil fortune; she’s a good girl, dutiful daughter to a humble grocery-owning family. There’s no way (or reason) to put it delicately: Kissing isn’t enough anymore. These high school seniors are ready to do the thing they’re taught good girls aren’t supposed to want and good boys aren’t supposed to ask for: have sex.
The central conflict is that Deanie and Bud are trapped within puritanical conventions about sexuality and womanhood that no one can explain, but that are rigidly abided by. Some of what the movie has to say about sex isn’t as potent so many decades later. But the larger questions about parents who love you but can’t listen or raise or relate to you — and how we’re tasked with loving them through it — remain.
An Education (2009)
When Jenny (Carey Mulligan) meets David, she’s a small-town girl with dreams of Oxford. She’s clever, accomplished, and bored. He’s older, curiously smooth, and fun. The pair doesn’t have a lot of natural chemistry, but the idea of the relationship is alluring, and David brings her into a world of luxury, teasing her with a trip to Paris. Jenny trades her textbooks for kitten heels. “My choice is to do something hard and boring for the rest of my life,” Jenny tells her teacher, choosing to set aside her studies, “or to go to Paris. And have fun!”
But the adult relationship requires Jenny to grow up in ways she didn’t expect. Loving David might not come saddled with Proust or Saussure, but their life together still has strings attached. As the girlish cello-playing student, Jenny saw past them. As the woman Jenny grows into, she sees through them.
Girlfight (2000)
Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez) is a troubled teen climbing her way out of the disorder of her high school life. She has a problem with fighting. In school and at home, her temper is always dragging her into trouble. After spending a few moments in the boxing ring by chance, she’s hooked. The aggression is exciting, and the discipline of the sport anchors her in the midst of the chaos of her life.
It’s important that boxing is what wins Guzman’s interest. The sport is ruled by testosterone and physicality. To the men and boys who surround her, Guzman's entrance into the boxing gym upsets their masculine power. “This is a story about a girl growing up in a macho society and, far from being threatened by its values, discovering she has a nature probably more macho than the men around her,” wrote Roger Ebert at the time of the film’s release. “Since the movie (written, directed, and produced by women) is deeply aware of that theme, it's always about more than boxing.”
The Diary Of A Teenage Girl (2015)
Minnie Goetze just had sex for the first time in her life. That’s not a secret — it’s one of the first lines in the movie. Her excitement is infectious as we watch her life play out and listen as she confides to her tape-recorder diary. Her commentary details the smallest, most intimate moments with a boy she likes.
The boy in question, however, is a man: Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård) is the boyfriend of Minnie’s lonely, wayward mother (Kristen Wiig). Their love isn’t pure, but Skarsgård strikes a balance between creepy and coyish. We don’t realize he’s a bum until Minnie does. The movie ultimately belongs to Minnie, because every scene is anchored by Bel Powley’s performance. The camera watches her explore her sexuality without exploiting her teenage lust.
The Kids Are All Right (2010)
By the time we meet parents Nic and Jules (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore), the fractures in their family have bubbled to the surface. Only on the surface is this a movie about a family with two moms, or about what happens when an “unconventional” family opens their doors to their sperm donor. A coming-of-age story is at the root of the plot: Nic and Jules's kids, two California teens in most respects — one headed to college, the other trying to define his life outside of “jock” and “kid brother" — are piecing together their origin story, and their entire family is growing past it.
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