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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.

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Five movies that embrace absurdism:

Alice (Jan Svankmajer, 1988)

Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been adapted for the screen various times, resulting in an acclaimed animated Disney version, a gothic Tim Burton take, and even several silent-era interpretations. Yet, arguably, the most interesting version of the timeless story is Jan Svankmajer’s Alice, which blends stop-motion and live-action to amp up the absurdist narrative even further.

In the film, Alice interacts with various bizarre creatures and moves between human and doll form as she navigates the surreal and creepy world of Wonderland. The child’s entry into the absurd alternate reality where nothing makes sense is initially frightening, but she soon accepts this sense of absurdism as she journeys further into this odd world where everything appears to be total nonsense. Svankmajer’s film is truly bizarre and unsettling but also lots of fun, encouraging us to revel in nonsense and unpredictability.

Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)

Many of David Lynch’s movies contain elements of the absurd, with characters often succumbing to notions of meaninglessness. In his first feature, Eraserhead, the filmmaker explores the absurdist feelings felt by protagonist Henry, who feels a sense of isolation and alienation in the industrial city, which is heightened by the arrival of his grotesque child. The movie contains many bizarre moments like Henry’s head being replaced by the alien baby or a woman emerging from a radiator to sing an eerie song.

Henry should be finding purpose in fatherhood, as society expects, but he can’t. He’s scared and uncomfortable, eventually killing his baby. The whole thing is absurd, with Henry grappling with the meaning of his strange existence. Lynch once told The Los Angeles Times, "Absurdity is what I like most in life. Playing by rules made up by God knows who kinda stinks, but at the same time, it’s fun playing the game."

Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce 1080, Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1975)

Perhaps the most depressing film on this list, Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce 1080, Bruxelles, directed by Chantal Akerman, explores womanhood through an absurdist lens. The movie, which is almost three and a half hours, predominantly revolves around Jeanne carrying out household tasks, like cooking and cleaning, performing the perfect (yet miserable) role of being a woman.

By forcing us to watch Jeanne carry out mundane activities that she must do every single day for extended periods, using static shots and real-time, we are confronted with the absurdist notion that there is no real meaning to these actions. There’s an element of The Myth of Sisyphus here. Jeanne keeps on going every day, knowing that she’ll repeat these tasks all again tomorrow, the day after, and so on. Akerman points out how oppressive – and subsequently stupid and nonsensical – these patriarchal demands on women really are.

Raw (Julia Ducournau, 2016)

Julia Ducournau blended female coming-of-age with cannibalism in her debut feature Raw in 2016, resulting in an absurd take on what it means to try and fit in. The movie follows Justine, a quiet student who begins university only to discover that to be ‘initiated’ into the social sphere, newbies have to go through the school’s hazing rituals. One of these is eating raw rabbit kidneys, something she objects to because she is a vegetarian.

However, she eventually succumbs to the pressure and eats one, leaving her with an insatiable hunger for flesh. She turns to cannibalism, eating her sister’s finger, for example. Justine’s search for meaning as she attempts to enter the next stage in her life results in some very strange behaviour, with Ducournau highlighting just how absurd certain societal and gendered expectations truly are, as well as posing questions of morality through equal doses of body horror and dark humour.

The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015)

In a landscape where dating apps now prevail as the main way to find love- where looking for a potential suitor becomes transactional and game-like, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster perfectly captures the modern state of romance. The film suggests that love is increasingly becoming something that people want so that they’re not lonely. As capitalism increasingly makes us feel more isolated than ever before, we search for someone to cling to, and in The Lobster, the characters have 45 days to find a partner, or they’re cursed to live as animals.

It’s a bizarre concept and one that highlights just how absurd love in the modern age has become. It can feel impossible to find a genuine connection, and there’s a sense of pressure placed on individuals to ‘settle down’ at a certain age. The Lobster poses many questions about love, approaching it from an inherently absurd angle. How important is romantic love, really? And is the search for love inevitability futile?

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