Postmodernism
Skepticism toward grand narratives, emphasis on subjectivity, irony, and the constructed nature of reality
Primary Examples(20)
White Noise
Consumer culture and death anxiety
Adaptation
Self-referential narrative about adaptation
Asteroid City
Play-within-film-within-play structure
Barbie
Self-aware brand critique
Being John Malkovich
Identity as performance and commodity
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Genre-blending multiverse chaos
Fight Club
Consumer critique; fractured identity
Hamilton
Hip-hop reimagining of history
Inglourious Basterds
Cinema as weapon; alternate history
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Pastiche of martial arts and westerns
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Spaghetti western conclusion
Memento
Fractured narrative; unreliable memory
Pulp Fiction
Non-linear structure; pop culture pastiche
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Video game aesthetic
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Multiverse narrative; destiny critique
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Multiverse; meta-superhero
Stranger Than Fiction
Metafiction; character aware of author
The Big Lebowski
Noir parody; aimless hero
The Matrix
Simulated reality; constructed identity
The Truman Show
Constructed reality; media critique
Secondary Influences(24)
Little Women
Non-linear adaptation
V for Vendetta
Identity as symbol
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Self-aware genre deconstruction
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Alternate history; genre pastiche
The Prestige
Narrative as magic trick
Ready Player One
Meta-references and pastiche
American Beauty
Critique of suburban American dream
Reservoir Dogs
Non-linear crime narrative
Avengers: Endgame
Meta-narrative culmination of franchise
Back to the Future
Self-aware genre playfulness
The Sixth Sense
Unreliable perception narrative
Shaun of the Dead
Self-aware genre playfulness
Blade Runner
Fragmented identity; corporate dystopia
Django Unchained
Genre pastiche and anachronism
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fragmented nonlinear narrative
Snatch
Fragmented crime narrative
A Fistful of Fingers
Self-aware comedic pastiche
Forrest Gump
Historical pastiche; unreliable narrator
The Usual Suspects
Narrative deception
Hot Fuzz
Self-aware genre pastiche
Inception
Reality layers; unreliable perception
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Multiverse nostalgia
The Wolf of Wall Street
Unreliable narrator; American dream parody
Trainspotting
Choose life monologue