If you’re here, it means that you’ve watched Chris Nolan’s Interstellar, an amazing movie that makes us question what the foundations of our existence are, and if there is more than we now know and understand.
It also puts into perspective theoretical hypotheses about quantum physics and other concepts that are mindboggling, making you want more. But, not all movies by the same producer are alike, so we made this list of movies you should watch if you liked Interstellar.
Arrival
The Arrival is a 2016 movie that Denis Villeneuve directed. It’s a movie about a linguist who needs to decipher the visiting aliens’ language to understand why they are here. It’s the type of first contact that we’re not used to.
Usually, first contact always starts with an invasion of some kind. Here, the movie’s focus is on communication. It’s about time, memories, and choices that affect how we exist.
In the movie, time and its borders are blurred, past, present, and future are all part of a reality that can easily be understood but still needs some rethinking. Finally, the movie carries a large depth of emotion with it because of the performance of the main characters.
A Man Called Otto
I’m sure you’re asking yourself how this movie can be like Interstellar. There’s a connection between these two movies in the connection and relationships between humans, purpose and redemption, and time and legacy.
The character Otto is isolated from most of the people surrounding him. Cooper from Interstellar bases his motivation on his love for his daughter, while Otto has lost everything he loves. Still, the first contact with his neighbors can be compared to Cooper traveling through the wormhole.
The scene where Otto is angry at the new neighbor who is trying to park unsuccessfully because he has a moving trailer attached to his car.
Talk about not being ready, he could have gone with a moving company like Queens Movers they would’ve done everything, from safe loading to unloading, but Otto was angry because the new neighbor didn’t know how to park in reverse.
He was so angry that he left his comfort zone and ended up helping the new neighbors. But, the movies are also very alike in the exploration of time. While Interstellar focuses on time dilation and how time may affect existence, A Man Called Otto focuses on the interaction between past and present and how our experiences shape us. It’s a movie worth watching.
Gravity
It was released in 2013, but it leaves a lasting impression on the viewers. It’s immersive and it shows us how vast space is. The lead role is played by Sandra Bullock. She’s an astronaut who needs to face her fears.
The will of humans and the hope we muster is something that the movie tries to relay to the audience. It makes us wonder about difficult questions regarding life and death. By watching it, a viewer might wonder, “How fragile is our existence?”, definitely worth it.
Moon
Imagine being on the moon alone. This movie was directed by Duncan Jones and released in 2009. There’s a man on a base on a moon working alone, and that man starts experiencing strange things.
It’s a movie where reality is being put into question. The sanity of the main character is questionable as well, and as the story unfolds, the man starts to confront his very existence and the questions behind it.
Apart from existence, the movie works through loneliness and corporate greed. The line between man and machine is blurred, and reality is fractured, a thought-provoking movie indeed. It was released before Interstellar, but it’s much like it.
The Fountain
This movie displays the search for immortality, and it presents viewers with several scenes and settings where the protagonist transcends time and space, i.e. his soul transcends it in search of love.
At least this is what we got out of it. Three narratives are interconnected in different periods. The lines between fantasy and reality are almost non-existent. It shows us that our quest for meaning never stops.
We long for existence and emotion, and we inevitably have to face death. This movie is a masterpiece that puts all these things into perspective. Apart from that, the visuals are extraordinary and truly beautiful.
Conclusion
At this point, you might realize that only two later movies can live up to the expectations after watching Interstellar. But, there are gems from the cinematic past that will have you wanting more, and you’ll be happy you haven’t missed them.
We hope that you’ll have fun watching these movies, but remember, there are a ton more you can watch, and it’s always a good recommendation if you like a movie to look at who directed it and you might enjoy the other movies made by the same person.