Do you like psychological suspense movies like Black Swan? Black Swan is among the finest thrillers, with a fantastic plot that uses iconography to set the scene.
If you enjoyed Black Swan, it might be because it provided insight into the life of someone dealing with mental health issues and showed the associated difficulties.
Here are a few carefully chosen excellent movies like Black Swan for you, either in terms of metaphor, matters relating to the mind, or simply for being terrific thrillers.
1. Memento (2000)
- Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Jorja Fox, Stephen Tobolowsky
- Runtime: 113 minutes
This American modern-day thriller mystery movie, Memento, was released in 2000.
It is regarded as Christopher Nolan’s best effort as a director because of its unconventional plot and creative ideas.
In the story, Leonard is burdened with finding the individual who murdered and sexually assaulted his wife.
It is, however, complicated to locate his wife’s killer because of his rare, incurable memory loss.
Leonard can recollect specifics of his life before the accident, but he doesn’t recall what he needs to find the assaulter.
2. Nightcrawler (2014)
- Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, Bill Paxton
- Runtime: 117 minutes
Nightcrawler is one of the 2014 American thriller movies like Black Swan, written and directed by Dan Gilroy.
Despite having an $11 million production budget, the movie earned $50.56 million and was well-received by critics.
The movie star, Louis Bloom, thrives in Los Angeles by stealing small items. With a camcorder and a police scanner, he stumbles into a new vocation as a cameraman.
He makes midnight forays throughout the city in quest of spectacular and gruesome crimes.
3. Pi (1998)
- Starring: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Samia Shoaib, Pamela Hart, Ajay Naidu, Joanne Gordon, Stephen Pearlman
- Runtime: 84 minutes
The Pi was one of the debuts hit movies like Black Swan; it was also well received upon release and is today regarded as one of the most fabulous premieres of all time.
It explores issues related to arithmetic, charisma, religion, and psychological problems.
In the story, a mathematician’s problem-solving ability is hindered by crippling migraines and paranoid delusions.
He keeps digging around in his filthy Chinatown flat till one day, he comes across a strange number.
Soon after telling his mentor and another buddy about his discovery, he finds himself the focus of dishonest Wall Street agents who are determined to make money off the number.
4. Flesh and Bone (2015)
- Starring: Sarah Hay, Ben Daniels, Emily Tyra, Irina Dvorovenko, Damon Herriman.
- Runtime: 60 minutes
Flesh and Bone is a realistic picture of a professional ballet group thanks to its deep female relationships, despite its lack of humor.
It is yet another one of those insightful, psychologically driven movies like Black Swan.
Paul Grayson founded the American Ballet Company to make his imprint on the dance world after a successful ballet career.
He gets to work with Claire Robbins, a phenomenal ballerina who can achieve the spectacular but is hindered by her inner turmoil and ambitions. However, he believes she holds the answer.
5. American Psycho (2000)
- Starring: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Samantha Mathis, Matt Ross, Bill Sage.
- Runtime: 101 minutes
Adapted from Bret Easton Ellis’s same-titled novel, American Psycho is a 2000 American black comedy directed by Mary Harron.
Despite receiving conflicting reviews, the movie was a commercial success.
Patrick Bateman, a successful investment banker, keeps his psychotic persona hidden from his coworkers and friends as he goes on a murder spree under cover of the night.
This razor-sharp comedy explores the factors contributing to man’s transformation into savagery.
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
- Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Ingvar Hirdwall, Björn Granath, Lena Endre, Ewa Fröling, Marika Lagercrantz
- Runtime: 153 minutes
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an intriguing gothic thriller adapted from a book.
It is one of the movies like Black Swan because of the shadows that hover around the film’s scenery.
Henrik Vanger, a wealthy hermit from Sweden, has been seeking answers regarding the disappearance of his dear niece for over 40 years.
The circumstances convince him that one of his repulsive family members must be to blame.
To delve deeply into terrifying family secrets and identify the culprit, he engages a journalist named Mikael Blomkvist, assisted by a hacker, Lisbeth Salander.
7. 12 Monkeys (1995)
- Starring: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer
- Runtime: 129
The fun sci-fi flick 12 Monkeys, from 1995, is one of the movies like Black Swan. It has a great cast and a fantastic sequence of events.
The entire film has the effect of making viewers’ minds quiver at every turn.
James is chosen for an assignment that will take him back to the 1990s to learn more about a disease that is just beginning to spread and is threatening the world’s population.
The story is intriguing in that the dreadful virus can be seen not just as a danger to humanity but also as a possibility for its rescue through cleansing.
However, humankind is killing itself and is helpless against nature.
8. A Prophet (2009)
- Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif
- Runtime: 155 minutes
The unique French film, A Prophet, tells the story of a criminal’s ascent to prominence.
With many plot twists here and there, A Prophet is a movie like Black Swan and a definite blockbuster from the start.
This well-known criminal thriller centers on Malik El Djebena, a young Muslim offender who was battling to survive in a French jail.
Malik is given guidance by the ruthless Corsican mob boss, Cesar Luciani, while he is imprisoned, and he soon starts working on regular jobs for the intimidating criminal.
Malik’s ascent in the mafia ranks gives him greater authority, but it also makes him more unpopular, which leads to eventual friction with his role model.
9. Split (2016)
- Starring: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley
- Runtime: 117 minutes
Split is a movie that expands the understanding of Multiple Personality Disorder and explores the effects of such a mental condition. It is perfect for your to-watch list of movies like Black Swan.
The film concentrates on how the character’s disorder makes him a menace.
A man with various personalities kidnaps three girls and tucks them away in an unknown place.
Having 23 characters already, the girls must find a means to get away from him before the 24th personality emerges.
10. Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)
- Starring: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos
- Runtime: 180 minutes
This is yet another one of those movies like Black Swan, which upon its release, became incredibly popular and was undoubtedly one of the most sought-after movies at the time.
The film’s focus is on the transformation of Adele from a high school senior to an adult and a self-assured lady.
When Adèle meets Emma, a young lady who helps her explore desires and define herself as a woman, her life is forever altered.
It is a relatable coming-of-age thriller for young people and lovers of Black Swan alike.
11. The Prestige (2006)
- Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis, David Bowie, Piper Perabo
- Runtime: 130 minutes
The Prestige and Black Swan have the same central theme, even though The Prestige has a more complicated storyline.
Oddly enough, it was among the movies from 2006 that focused on the magical realm.
This historical drama is about two competitive magicians who were formerly partners but fell out after the sad death of an assistant during a performance.
When one of them manages to pull off the highest magic trick, teleportation, their conflict escalates further.
In the future, one of the magicians is forced into risky new research in his desperate attempt to learn the secret of the other’s routine, which ultimately pushes him to the verge of insanity.
12. Fight Club (1999)
- Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto
- Runtime: 139 minutes
Being on the list of movies like Black Swan, Fight Club is unquestionably one of the most famous and widely acclaimed films ever made.
The movie became a mainstream hit even though it had mixed reception and didn’t perform as well in ticket sales as the studio had hoped.
The plot opens up with an insomniac and depressed man encountering a bizarre soap dealer named Tyler Durden.
He ends up moving into his filthy house after his ideal apartment is ruined.
The two idle men create a hidden fight club and engage in combat with other men who are sick of leading ordinary lives.
13. Gone Girl (2014)
- Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon
- Runtime: 149 minutes
The psycho-thriller, Gone Girl, was released in 2014 and was adapted from Gillian Flynn’s 2012 book of the same name. The film features an A-list cast and several standout performances.
In the story, former New York-based author Nick Dunne and his wife appear happily married, which is not the case.
On the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary, Amy vanishes, and Nick emerges on top of the list of suspects.
The Dunnes’ portrayal of a blissful marriage breaks down as a result of the tension and media craze, raising intriguing doubts about Nick and Amy’s true identities.
14. Side Effects (2013)
- Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum
- Runtime: 106 minutes
Side Effects is next on our list of movies like Black Swan because of its thematic focus; the film lives up to its name.
In this movie, a depressed woman treats her ailment by taking experimental medications, which of course, come with some ‘side effects.’
Having been incarcerated for insider trading for the past four years, Emily Taylor anxiously awaits her husband’s release.
Finally, Martin is released from prison, but Emily still feels terrible and descends into profound despair.
After she makes an unsuccessful suicide attempt, a psychiatrist prescribes an experimental medication after trying several other options without success, and this new prescription destroys lives.
15. The Ides of March (2011)
- Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Rachel Wood
- Runtime: 101 minutes
The Ides of March is a compelling character-driven movie with a low-to-the-ground plot sequence. It is more of an excellently produced play than a political thriller.
A subordinate campaign manager for a Democratic presidential candidate must fight to protect both his image and the campaign’s reputation when dealing with corruption-related issues. Will he succeed?
