Obsession Movies

From Sam Mendes, starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley
Rated R

American Beauty is a dark comedy-drama film written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes. It follows Lester Burnham, an advertising executive and mid-life crisis sufferer who quits his job and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. He develops an infatuation with his daughter's friend Angela and starts working at a fast-food restaurant. His relationship with his wife and daughter becomes strained as they adjust to his sudden changes. Along the way, Lester discovers the beauty of life that had escaped him before. The film also examines the dysfunctional suburban American lifestyle, consumerism, and the fetishization of youth and beauty. It was widely praised and won several Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor.

From Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore
Rated PG

Vertigo is a classic psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It follows the story of a retired police detective, John "Scottie" Ferguson (James Stewart), who is hired by an old friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), to investigate the strange behavior of his wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak). As Scottie follows Madeleine around San Francisco, he soon finds himself obsessively in love with her. After a tragic incident, Scottie is unable to let go of his obsession, and he becomes increasingly determined to recreate the perfect woman in the form of Judy Barton (Kim Novak). As his obsession increases, Scottie's mental state deteriorates, and soon he finds himself in a dangerous and dizzying spiral of obsession, madness, and death. Vertigo is a powerful film that explores themes of love, obsession, and mortality.

From Rob Reiner, starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen
Rated R

Misery is a psychological horror film directed by Rob Reiner. It follows novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) who is rescued from a car crash by his self-professed number one fan, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). Wilkes takes him to her isolated house, where she begins to nurse him back to health. As Paul begins to recover, he realizes that Annie is not who she claims to be and that she has sinister intentions. He must fight for his life as she holds him captive and inflicts her own twisted form of justice. The film explores the power of obsession and the human capacity for cruelty.

From David Fincher, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards
Rated R

Zodiac is a 2007 American drama-mystery thriller film directed by David Fincher based on the true story of the unsolved case of the Zodiac Killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and 1970s. The film follows a newspaper cartoonist, Robert Graysmith (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), and a pair of police inspectors, David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards), as they investigate the series of murders and try to identify the killer. The film also follows the personal lives of the investigators as the case becomes an obsession for them and threatens to ruin their careers and relationships. The film was a critical and commercial success, receiving positive reviews and earning more than $84 million at the box office.

From Stanley Kubrick, starring Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Todd Field, Sydney Pollack
Rated R

Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama/mystery film directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The story follows the married couple, Bill and Alice Harford, as they navigate their way through the complexities of relationships and fidelity. After a heated argument between the couple, Bill embarks on a night-long odyssey of sexual and moral discovery. Along the way, he encounters a series of bizarre and surreal encounters, including an underground secret society, mysterious masked figures, and an orgy in a lavish mansion. In the end, Bill and Alice must confront the true nature of their relationship and the consequences of their past indiscretions.

From Anthony Minghella, starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett
Rated R

From Jeff Nichols, starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Tova Stewart
Rated R

From Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis
Rated R

From David Slade, starring Patrick Wilson, Elliot Page, Sandra Oh, Odessa Rae
Rated R

From Adrian Lyne, starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer, Ellen Latzen
Rated R

From Clint Eastwood, starring Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch
Rated R

From Paul McGuigan, starring Josh Hartnett, Diane Kruger, Matthew Lillard, Rose Byrne
Rated PG-13

From Mark Romanek, starring Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Dylan Smith
Rated R

From Adrian Lyne, starring Jeremy Irons, Dominique Swain, Melanie Griffith, Frank Langella
Rated R

From Curtis Hanson, starring Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson
Rated R

From Alexandre Aja, starring Cécile de France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon, Franck Khalfoun
Rated R

From Jon Amiel, starring Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney, William McNamara
Rated R

From Miguel Arteta, starring Mike White, Chris Weitz, Lupe Ontiveros, Beth Colt
Rated R

From John Schlesinger, starring Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, Michael Keaton, Mako
Rated R

From Barbet Schroeder, starring Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Peter Friedman
Rated R

From Jonathan Kaplan, starring Kurt Russell, Ray Liotta, Madeleine Stowe, Roger E. Mosley
Rated R

From James Foley, starring Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petersen, Amy Brenneman
Rated R

From Joseph Ruben, starring Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin, Kevin Anderson, Elizabeth Lawrence
Rated R

From John Schlesinger, starring Sally Field, Kiefer Sutherland, Ed Harris, Olivia Burnette
Rated R

From Michael Cristofer, starring Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie, Thomas Jane, Jack Thompson
Rated R