Unusual Storytelling

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Director: Woody Allen

A creative filmmaker who loves to create unusual worlds, Allen accomplished one of his masterpieces with this magical film. An American writer is visiting Paris with his fiancée and some relatives, and finds himself getting lost - not geographically, but in the past of the city. A wonderful story showing some of the history and rich culture of Paris, while being also very funny and charming. Owen Wilson is convincing in an unusual role for him, and Rachel MacAdams is very funny and upstaged only by the great French actresses Marion Cotillard and Léa Seydoux.

Hero (2002)

(original title: Ying Xiong)

Director: Yimou Zhang

A film with an incredible cinematography and one of the most beautiful uses of colour, Hero is a cinematic masterpiece. A nameless soldier in Ancient China is granted an audience with the king after defeating some renowned warriors. The story is told in a linear fashion regarding the soldier and the king, but including very long flashbacks detailing the encounters with the warriors. This results in an interesting narrative, which is intricate and also visually separated. Besides martial arts star Jet Li in the leading role, this film boasts some of the greatest Chinese actors of our time, Ziyi Zhang, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. 

Inception (2010)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cinematic genius Nolan has created a world in which a group of creative minds is making money from a very unusual way of stealing: they steal information from brains. In an especially difficult challenge, they attempt to affect someone's mind by influencing it while he is sleeping. This leads to an incredible storytelling on many levels, while also creating incredible images on the screen. Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of his best performances, and the is supported by the likes of Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)

(also known as Amélie or Amélie de Montmartre)

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

The beloved tale of Amélie, a young waitress in Paris, who helps others in very creative ways. While the main plot is told chronologically, there are many visual excursions following her thoughts and memories. This underlines the quirky nature of both the protagonist and film overall, and creates a charming narrative. The film was so successful also beyond France's borders, that its star Audrey Tautou became globally famous.

Boyhood (2014)

Director: Richard Linklater

This touching film shows the growing up from childhood into adulthood of a boy, which is not very spectacular in itself. How this is done - namely with the same actors filmed over an unusually long duration for a feature film - creates much of the film's magic, as you the him and his family evolve and grow. The main star is the titular boy, played by Ellar Coltrane, and besides that Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette co-star, as well as the director's daughter Lorelei Linklater.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Director: Danny Boyle

This film's great structure was already given by its novel of origin, Q & A by Vikas Swarup (which is of course worth reading). It tells the story of a teenager from the slums of Mumbai, who is on the TV show "Who wants to be a millionaire?". Every time a new question is asked on the show, a flashback reveals how the contestant learned something about this topic. It creates an interesting suspense and allows the audience to experience parts of his incredible life. This film brought Dev Patel and Freida Pinto into the spotlight with great performances.

Lola Rennt (1998)

(also known as Run Lola Run)

Director: Tom Tykwer

The eponymous Lola is the girlfriend of a small-time gangster who get into trouble. She needs to rustle up a large amount of money is a short time duration to stop him from doing something reckless, hence the running in the title. This German production was a great success, not only due to its stars Franka Potente and Moritz Bleibtreu. The most interesting element is the storytelling, which actually is a plot with several possible outcomes, influenced by some small incidences which change the course of events. Worth watching especially for this interesting twist.

Memento (2004)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Another masterpiece by Nolan, this film is a classic among creative storytelling films. Usually counted as a Neo Noir due to its dark cinematography, this film is both visually and narratively very intricate. Without revealing too much, I just want to say that it's dealing with a man suffering from memory loss who wants to investigate some event of the past, and is struggling to piece things together. The way his story is told is amazing, and this film is a must for every film fan, with Guy Pearce and Carrie-Ann Moss starring convincingly.

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Director: Kenneth Lonergan

A family story in Boston with an unexpected twist, this film hits hard emotionally. The protagonist is a lone wolf working as a janitor in Boston, who need to relocate to take care of his nephew after his brother passes away unexpectedly. This opens up not only the challenges of raising a teenager, but also brings back some memories from his past. The way this is done is very interesting and heart-wrenching, and won an Oscar for the best original screenplay as a result. Casey Affleck won an Oscar for his performance, and his wonderful co-stars Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges earned nominations as well.

Fight Club (1999)

Director: David Fincher

Another masterpiece from the group of films one should not spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it. Just watch it, is my main piece of advice! In a nutshell, it's a film about an underground fight club, but it really is about much more. And once again, the storytelling is very unusual and clever, making this into a surprising cinematic experience. Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham-Carter give great performances that are truly memorable.