MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Southland Tales

Southland Tales

2007 · 145 min

A sprawling, surreal satire that bombards you with ideas and bizarre imagery, demanding close attention and rewarding patience with a unique, polarizing experience.

Directed by
Richard Kelly
Genres
Science fiction, Thriller, Comedy
Tagline
This is the way the world ends.
Overview
Set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. Boxer Santaros is an action star who's stricken with amnesia. His life intertwines with Krysta Now, an adult film star developing her own reality television project, and Ronald Taverner, a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: Southland Tales

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

In the USNot loaded yet.
Directed by
Richard Kelly
Genres
Science fiction, Thriller, Comedy
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • absurdstrength 3 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • conspiracy
  • corruption
  • identity
  • politics
  • media
Places
  • big city
Era
near-future
Audience
adult
Form
  • ensemble
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language strong
  • Violence strong
  • Sex strong
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action6
Horror3
Humour7
Realism3
Romance4
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity9
Emotional weight6

More like this

Titles like Southland Tales

Movie

Donnie Darko

2001

A haunting, puzzle-box descent into suburban dread and cosmic mystery that lingers long after the credits.

Same writer: Richard Kelly · Satirical, dark, slow-burn · about identity · nonlinear

Also
Same writer: Richard Kelly
Via
  • satirical
  • dark
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
114 min
Details
Donnie DarkoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Fight Club

1999

A slick, aggressive descent into nihilism and self-destruction that feels like a punch to the gut, stylish and unsettling.

Satirical, dark · about corruption and identity

Via
  • satirical
  • dark
  • corruption
  • identity
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
139 min
Details
Fight ClubHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Futurama: Bender's Big Score

2007

A dense, joke-packed time-travel caper that rewards attention with clever paradoxes and a surprisingly sweet romantic core.

Absurd, satirical · about identity · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • identity
  • ensemble
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
89 min
Details
Futurama: Bender's Big ScoreHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Brazil

1985

A dizzying, funny, then crushing plunge into a bureaucratic nightmare where dreams and reality blur until you cannot tell which is which.

Absurd, satirical · about corruption and identity · nonlinear

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • corruption
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
143 min
Details
BrazilHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Digger

2026

A dizzying, furious satire that swings between absurd comedy and apocalyptic dread, leaving you unsettled and provoked.

Absurd, satirical · about corruption · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • corruption
  • ensemble
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
129 min
Details
DiggerHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

The Umbrella Academy

2019–2024

A stylish, chaotic blend of superhero action and family dysfunction, laced with dark humor and emotional gut punches.

Absurd, satirical · about identity · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • identity
  • ensemble
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
4
Details
The Umbrella AcademyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Bugonia

2025

A queasy, deadpan descent into obsession and absurdity, balancing torture and conspiracy with bone-dry comedy and sudden, shocking violence.

Absurd, satirical, slow-burn · about conspiracy

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • conspiracy
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
119 min
Details
BugoniaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

They Cloned Tyrone

2023

A jolt of sly schlocky paranoia that makes you laugh, then glance over your shoulder.

Absurd, satirical · about conspiracy and corruption · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • conspiracy
  • corruption
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
122 min
Details
They Cloned TyroneHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Suicide Squad

2021

A gleefully gory, joke-dense comic-book war movie that keeps lurching between slapstick and sudden brutal deaths.

Absurd, satirical · about corruption · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • corruption
  • ensemble
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
132 min
Details
The Suicide SquadHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

V for Vendetta

2005

A stylish, brooding thriller that blends political anger with theatrical flair, building to a cathartic explosion of defiance.

Satirical, dark · about corruption and identity · nonlinear

Via
  • satirical
  • dark
  • corruption
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
132 min
Details
V for VendettaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Idiocracy

2006

A goofy, exaggerated satire that feels like a feature-length comedy sketch, with broad humor and a surprisingly pointed message.

Absurd, satirical · about corruption and identity

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • corruption
  • identity
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
85 min
Details
IdiocracyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Deadpool & Wolverine

2024

A loud, joke-a-minute superhero romp that winks at the audience while delivering splashy action and a surprisingly sentimental buddy story.

Absurd, satirical · about identity · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • identity
  • ensemble
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
128 min
Details
Deadpool & WolverineHidden from your suggestions.

Cast

Where to watch in the US

Change country

We have not loaded where to watch in the US for this title yet. Check again in a day or two.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
science fiction, thriller, comedy
Directed by
Richard Kelly
Written by
Richard Kelly
Starring
Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake, Miranda Richardson, Wallace Shawn, Bai Ling
Music
Moby
Cinematography
Steven Poster
Runtime
145 min
Country
Germany, United States of America, France
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata