7 Must-Watch Philosophical Films

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The Seventh Seal (1957)  

This is a historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Sweden during the Black Death pandemic, it tells of the journey of a man who is playing a game of chess with the personification of death, that has come to take his life.  

The Sacrifice (1986) 

This film was Andrei Tarkovsky's third film as a Soviet expatriate. It is about a middle-aged intellectual who attempts to bargain with God to stop an impending nuclear holocaust. The film also explores some religious themes. 

Pi (1998) 

The film explores themes of religion and mysticism through the story of a mathematician obsessed with finding complete order in the world while also contrasting the irrationality of humanity and the regularity of mathematics. 

Thampu (1978) 

This is a film written and directed by Govindan Aravindan. The story is of a traveling circus that visits small villages in Kerala. The film captures the transient state of melancholy and joy as magical occurrences. 

Waking Life (2001) 

This is an animated film written and directed by Richard Linklater. The story is of a young man who wanders through dreamlike realities encountering a series of people who have philosophical discussions about the nature of reality, lucid dreams, free will, and existentialism. 

Tumbbad (2018) 

It is the story of a goddess who created the entire universe and a shrine built for her first-born by a group of people who attempt to get their hands on cursed wealth. This leads to catastrophic consequences that explore human greed and imbalance. 

Nizhalkuthu (2002) 

The film explores the back and forth of human consciousness and self-destruction. The story follows the emotional turbulence of a hangman from the Travancore dynasty who used to execute people on behalf of the British.  

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