Movie

Symbol

2009 · 93 min

A bewildering, hilarious puzzle that keeps you guessing, mixing slapstick surrealism with unexpected warmth.

Directed by: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy
Starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto, David Quintero, Carlos C. Torres

Overview: A Japanese man in polka-dot pajamas wakes up in a room with no doors. Meanwhile, a middle-aged Mexican wrestler prepares for his most challenging match ever.

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

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

Directed by: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy
Starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto, David Quintero, Carlos C. Torres

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: absurdstrength 3 of 3
whimsicalstrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
satiricalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: identity
isolation
family
obsession
faith
Places: single country house
big city
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
ensemble
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	3
Horror	2
Humour	8
Realism	4
Romance	1
Tension	5
Darkness	4
Complexity	8
Emotional weight	5

Titles like Symbol

Movie

Big Man Japan

2007

A droll, deadpan mockumentary that wrings quiet absurdity and melancholy from a second-rate superhero's mundane struggles.

Same director: Hitoshi Matsumoto · Absurd, whimsical · about identity and isolation

Also: Same director: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Via: absurd
whimsical
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 113 min

Details

Big Man JapanHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Coco

2017

A gorgeously colourful, music-filled adventure that turns death into something tender, building to an ending that reliably leaves you quietly sobbing.

Whimsical, warm · about identity and family

Via: whimsical
warm
identity
family
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 105 min

Details

CocoHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Iceberg

2005

A quirky, nearly wordless comic drift through cold obsession, played with deadpan physicality and a quietly sad undertow.

Absurd, whimsical · about identity and isolation · nonlinear

Via: absurd
whimsical
identity
isolation
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 84 min

Details

IcebergHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

R100

2013

A surreal, deadpan provocation that veers from cringe comedy to violent absurdity, demanding patience and rewarding it with bewildering meta-jokes.

Same writer: Hitoshi Matsumoto · Absurd · about identity and family · nonlinear

Also: Same writer: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Via: absurd
identity
family
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 100 min

Details

R100Hidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Two Rémi, Two

2015

A quirky, low-key French comedy where an ordinary life is disrupted by a doppelganger, blending dry wit with existential unease.

Absurd, whimsical · about identity and isolation · nonlinear

Via: absurd
whimsical
identity
isolation
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 62 min

Details

Two Rémi, TwoHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Holy Motors

2012

A surreal, dreamlike ride through shifting identities and bizarre performances that is inventive, unsettling, and strangely moving.

Absurd, whimsical · about identity and isolation · nonlinear

Via: absurd
whimsical
identity
isolation
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 115 min

Details

Holy MotorsHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Being John Malkovich

1999

A giddy, unsettling head-trip that keeps shifting under you, funny and sad and strange at once.

Absurd · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via: absurd
identity
obsession
nonlinear
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 113 min

Details

Being John MalkovichHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Daaaaaalí!

2024

A playful, disorienting romp through surreal encounters that keeps you amused and slightly off-balance.

Absurd, whimsical · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via: absurd
whimsical
identity
obsession
nonlinear
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 78 min

Details

Daaaaaalí!Hidden from your suggestions.

TV series

No sé bailar

1999

A gentle, dreamy comedy that drifts between everyday life and playful fantasy, inviting you to share a film lover's small obsessions.

Absurd, whimsical · about identity and family · nonlinear

Via: absurd
whimsical
identity
family
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 1

Details

No sé bailarHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Survive Style 5+

2004

A kaleidoscopic, darkly funny ride through interlocking absurdities that demands close attention and rewards with surreal visual flair.

Absurd, whimsical · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via: absurd
whimsical
identity
obsession
nonlinear
Pacing: brisk
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 120 min

Details

Survive Style 5+Hidden from your suggestions.

Movie

ZOKKI

2021

A patchwork of odd, funny and quietly sad vignettes that drifts between deadpan comedy and sudden unease, rewarding patience with small strange pleasures.

Absurd, whimsical · about identity and isolation · nonlinear

Via: absurd
whimsical
identity
isolation
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 113 min

Details

ZOKKIHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Chiles xalapeños

2008

A wry, patchwork portrait of city life that drifts between absurdity and everyday melancholy, asking you to piece its scattered stories together.

Absurd · about identity and isolation · nonlinear

Via: absurd
identity
isolation
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 92 min

Details

Chiles xalapeñosHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: comedy, fantasy
Directed by: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Written by: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Mitsuyoshi Takasu
Starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto, David Quintero, Carlos C. Torres, Luis Accinelli, Lilian Tapia, Ivana Wong Yuen-chi, Adriana Fricke, Salam Diagne
Music: Yasuaki Shimizu
Runtime: 93 min
Country: Japan
Languages: Russian, Japanese, English, Spanish

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

Symbol

How it feels

More like this

Titles like Symbol

Where to watch in the UK

Details