Like
Buddhism and
Hinduism,
gnosticism claims that this
reality is an
illusion.
However gnosticism goes further, actually depicting the
god of
creation (
Demiurge,
rex mundi /
Saklas /
Yaldabaoth) as a
mad scientist and
mankind as a bungled
experiment.
He is a a pseudo-God who entraps the souls of men in sleep. The forces of sleep are so overwhelming, they can only be overcome by means of special insight
Gnosis.
Gnostic Cinema is a
genre of movies that revolves around this subject. Themes often include
cosmic conspiracies,
parallel universes,
amnesia,
self creation/
escape and
paranoia.
Here's a list of movies with a Gnostic flavor:
Being John Malkovich,1999 ,dir.
Spike Jonze, writer
Charlie Kaugman.
Barton Fink, 1991, dir.
Joel Coen, writers
Ethan and
Joel Coen
Blade Runner, 1982, dir.
Ridley Scott, writers
Philip K. Dick
Brazil, 1985, dir.
Terry Gilliam, writers
Terry Gilliam,
Charles McKeown and
Tom Stoppard
Dark City, 1998, dir.
Alex Proyas, writer
Alex Proyas.
eXistenZ, 1999, dir.
David Cronenberg, writer
David Cronenberg
Fearless, 1993, dir.
Peter Weir, writer
Rafael Yglesias.
Fight Club, 1999, dir.
David Fincher, writer
Chuck Palahniuk
Jacob's Ladder, 1990, dir.
Adrian Lyne, writer
Bruce Joel Rubin.
Pleasantville, 1998, dir.
Gary Ross, writer
Gary Ross.
Lola Rennt, 1998, dir.
Tom Tykwer, writer
Tom Tykwer.
The Game, 1997, dir.
David Fincher, writers
John D. Brancato,
Michael Ferris.
The Matrix, 1990, dir.
Andy & Larry Wachowski.
The Thirteenth Floor, 1999, dir.
Josef Rusnak, writer
Daniel F. Galouye
The Truman Show, 1998, dir.
Peter Weir, writer
Andrew Icol.
Total Recall, 1990, dir.
Paul Verhoeven, writer
Philip K. Dick
They Live, 1988, dir.
John Carpenter, writer
Ray Nelson
Tron, 1982, dir.
Steven Lisberger, writers
Steven Lisberger &
Bonnie Macbird
Vanilla Sky, 2001, dir.
Cameron Crove, writer
WGA
What Dreams May Come, 1998, dir.
Vincent Ward, writer
Richard Matheson