MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Illusion of Control

The Illusion of Control

2021 · 94 min

A cold, cerebral thriller that keeps you uneasy, constantly second-guessing what is real and who is pulling the strings.

Directed by
Vladek Zankovsky
Genres
Thriller
Starring
Oleh Fendiura, Tatyana Konovalova, Valeriy Bassel
Tagline
Do not believe anyone, not even yourself.
Overview
Since childhood Victor perfectly manipulated others in his own interest. Until one day he discovered that his entire life Victor himself had been an object of some cleverly thought out manipulation.

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

Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Vladek Zankovsky
Genres
Thriller
Starring
Oleh Fendiura, Tatyana Konovalova, Valeriy Bassel
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • eeriestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • deception
  • identity
  • obsession
  • power
  • betrayal
Places
None
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror3
Humour2
Realism7
Romance2
Tension7
Darkness6
Complexity7
Emotional weight5

More like this

Titles like The Illusion of Control

Short film

The Illusion of Control: The Beginning

2017

A taut, disorienting short that keeps you guessing about who is really pulling the strings.

Same director: Vladek Zankovsky · Tense, dark · about deception and identity · twist ending

Also
Same director: Vladek Zankovsky
Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
6 min
Details
The Illusion of Control: The BeginningHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A Talent for Murder

2026

A slow-burning, claustrophobic duel of wits that grows steadily more unsettling as charm gives way to menace.

Tense, dark · about deception and identity

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
106 min
Details
A Talent for MurderHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Graphic Desires

2023

A sleek, uneasy watch that turns modern dating into a tense and dangerous game of obsession.

Tense, dark · about deception and obsession · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • obsession
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
Graphic DesiresHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Dead End

2019

A slow-burning psychological puzzle that keeps you guessing, with an uneasy atmosphere and a clever, deceptive plot.

Tense, dark · about deception and identity · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
77 min
Details
Dead EndHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Supermodel

2021

A sleek, uneasy cat-and-mouse game where glamour curdles into paranoia as a hidden past closes in.

Tense, dark · about deception and identity

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Details
SupermodelHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Endless Night

A sleek, uneasy psychological thriller that keeps you guessing about who is using whom.

Tense, dark · about deception and identity · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Details
Endless NightHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Divorce

A slow, uneasy watch that keeps you leaning in as quiet obsession curdles into something genuinely dangerous.

Tense, dark · about deception and identity · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Details
The DivorceHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

The Farmer

2016

A short, quietly unsettling encounter that keeps you watching for the moment the too-perfect charm starts to curdle.

Tense · about deception and identity · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • deception
  • identity
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
15 min
Details
The FarmerHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

2000

A slow-burning, claustrophobic thriller that keeps you uneasy as a stranger quietly dismantles a perfect life.

Tense, dark · about deception and identity

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
88 min
Details
Kiss Tomorrow GoodbyeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Game

1997

A tense, twisty thriller that keeps you guessing and unsettled, blurring reality and paranoia until the final reveal.

Tense, dark · about deception and identity · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
129 min
Details
The GameHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Ad Libitum

2021

A sleek, tense thriller that keeps you guessing as a journalist's pursuit of a story turns into a manipulative trap.

Tense, dark · about deception and identity · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
87 min
Details
Ad LibitumHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Mediator

2021–2024

A cold, cerebral plunge into manipulation and self-erasure, where every negotiation feels like a psychological duel you can't look away from.

Tense, dark · about deception and identity

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Seasons
3
Details
MediatorHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
Free
  • Plex
Rent or buy
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
thriller
Directed by
Vladek Zankovsky
Written by
Vladek Zankovsky
Starring
Oleh Fendiura, Tatyana Konovalova, Valeriy Bassel, Yevhen Buryi, Yurii Chulanov, Dmitry Bon, Oleksandr Polovets, Oleksii Kononenko
Runtime
94 min
Country
United Kingdom, Germany, Ukraine
Languages
Ukrainian

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikidata