Burn After Reading
2008USA★ 6.75 pt match
What ties these together is figuring out who you are and feeling powerless. They share the same lens on class and money and corrupt institutions. The feel is the same: dark comedy, absurdist, and escalating.
The Exterminating Angel
El ángel exterminador
1962MexicoLanguage: esDirected by Luis Buñuel★ 7.9
Available in English: subtitled
After a lavish dinner party, the guests find themselves unable to depart... and, over the next few days, all of their elaborate societal pretenses and façades deteriorate as they are reduced to living like animals.
Themes and style
Tone
surrealabsurdistdark comedycold and detachedhaunting
Pacing
slow burnescalatingdreamlike
Story
survivalunravelingsiege
Emotion
figuring out who you arefeeling powerlessshameloss of innocence
Themes
class and moneycorrupt institutionsfamily dutyreligion and faith
Feel
cerebraldiscussion starterquietly hauntingrewatchable
Violence
mildWhere to watch
Hollywood films like The Exterminating Angel
If The Exterminating Angel hit you the right way, here are Hollywood films that share its DNA. Same emotional weight, same kind of stories, same kind of payoff.
Dr. Strangelove
1964USA★ 8.14 pt match
Like The Exterminating Angel, this one is rooted in feeling powerless and figuring out who you are. Both circle the same ground: corrupt institutions. Both move the same way too, dark comedy, absurdist, and escalating.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2017USA★ 8.14 pt match
They share the same lens on corrupt institutions and class and money. The feel is the same: dark comedy, haunting, escalating, and slow burn.
Trading Places
1983USA★ 7.24 pt match
Like The Exterminating Angel, this one is rooted in figuring out who you are. They share the same lens on class and money and corrupt institutions. Both move the same way too, dark comedy, absurdist, and escalating.
Bridesmaids
2011USA★ 6.53 pt match
What ties these together is figuring out who you are and shame. Both circle the same ground: class and money and family duty. Same energy: dark comedy, escalating, and escalating.
Home Alone
1990USA★ 7.53 pt match
What ties these together is loss of innocence. The world both films live in revolves around family duty and class and money. The feel is the same: dark comedy, escalating, and escalating.