Absurdist philosophy takes an existentialist look at life, acknowledging that despite the innate human desire to find meaning, the harsh reality is that there’s not much point to anything. Absurdists are fascinated by the contrast between humanity’s want for something to hold onto—a sense of purpose—and the inevitable realisation that everything amounts to very little.

Novels and plays like Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot are prime examples of absurdist literature which convey feelings of isolation, a search for meaning, and the intrinsic strangeness of life. Then there’s the work of Albert Camus, who explored similar themes in philosophical works like the fictional The Stranger and the essay The Myth of Sisyphus.

In the latter, he identifies Sisyphus’ repetitive action of rolling a boulder up a hill – only for it to roll back down – as a metaphor for human existence, stating that we must revolt rather than surrender to life’s absurdity. Certain filmmakers have explored the idea of rebelling against absurdity, and some have explored surrendering to it, using bizarre cinematic techniques to communicate such themes.

Below are five films that depict the innate absurdities that define our lives. They leave us to question whether certain behaviours are inevitably pointless or if the best thing we can do is embrace them.

They are:

  • Alice (Jan Svankmajer, 1988)
  • Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)
  • Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce 1080, Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1975)
  • Raw (Julia Ducournau, 2016)
  • The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015)