What is an Experimental Film? (With Best Examples)

There are a lot of different films out there. If you live in the US, you are probably accustomed to linear storytelling and the three-act structure along with the traditional filmmaking techniques that go along with that. However, there are many other types of filmmaking out there that don’t follow the traditional Hollywood method. One of those different types of filmmaking is experimental. In this blog post, we go through what experimental films are and list the best experimental films to watch on Reveel.

The Definition of Experimental Films

Experimental films can be difficult to define. Many people view experimental films as being surreal or incoherent. While experimental films can be those things, they do not solely define what is experimental and what isn’t.

Experimental filmmaking can be defined as films that challenge aspects of the conventional filmmaking process by pushing boundaries and exploring new filmmaking methods. The experimental film genre is very broad but has characteristics that are consistently found throughout.

• Non-linear narratives
• Small budget
• Has surreal or abstract elements
• Critiques of culture, politics, or art

Nonlinear Narratives

Typically, film storylines contain events that happen in chronological order. These are called linear storylines. Nonlinear storylines are the opposite, defined as a film storyline that contains events that are not presented in chronological order. Christopher Nolan has become famous for his films that have nonlinear storylines like Memento.

Small Budget

Experimental films don’t follow traditional Hollywood filmmaking conventions and usually have less of an audience. Because of this, experimental filmmakers don’t get funding from large production companies and have smaller budgets than conventional films. However, independent funding also gives the filmmaker creative freedom to make the film they want to make without studio interference.

Has Surreal or Abstract Elements

It’s a frequent misconception that surreal films are inherently experimental. Surrealism has many elements found in experimental films, but not all surrealism is experimental. Experimental films often play with reality and perception to the point of disorienting the viewer. This can be with sound, visuals, or even story. However, the context for the surreal qualities is important when defining if it is experimental. For example, I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Charlie Kaufman is a surreal film but not experimental.

Critiques of culture, politics, or art

Films are a way for filmmakers to communicate their perspectives of the world and experimental films are no different. Many experimental films are direct or indirect critiques of culture, politics, or art. These films challenge the status quo and offer a new perspective in a way that is polarizing and compelling to watch.

Best Experimental Films on Reveel

1. T H E M

Humans live in a comfortable dream that repeats itself. They control the dream. They were humans once too. Some humans wake up, most don’t. Daniel wakes to be told that things could be different. Daniel believes it. For a while at least. A unique experimental sci-fi that tells a mysterious and deeply philosophical story.

Watch T H E M For Free on Reveel

2. Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus

Martin is on the run because he tried to fight the system. Sara is a conceptual artist. Together they join a revolutionary commune in the countryside, with the police on their trail.

Watch Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus For Free on Reveel

3. Anamnesis

Josh Mccausland wrote and directed a striking film that visually depicts the hardships of having Alzheimer’s Disease. The short film is a one-take and has many artistic elements that are more abstract in nature.

Anamnesis is a film that dives into a man’s conscious and unconscious mind as the physical and imagined world blends in front of him through his struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Watch Anamnesis For Free on Reveel

4. The Blissful Accidental Death

This compelling animation provides one of the most unique cinematic experiences you will ever have. The film is a tribute to Romanian art in the 20th century and the beautiful life of painter Medi Wechsler Dinu. The Blissful Accidental Death is the most memorable experimental film on Reveel.

The Blissful Accidental Death is about a drawing found in an antique shop that makes a young man start an unusual journey to find the truth about it.

Watch The Blissful Accidental Death For Free on Reveel

5. Aždaja / The Dragon

This award-winning short film has some of the most beautiful animations that you’ll come across. The story is based on the legend of the serpent-like dragon creature dwelling in remote Bosnian mountains. It’s an abstract film that has many interpretations.

In a small Bosnian village, hidden amongst steep mountain cliffs, throughout the centuries, the ritual of the Great Dragon summoning takes place every spring. The Great Dragon is the village guardian. As time goes by, the ritual gradually changes and loses its strength. The village is no longer hidden. Strange new beliefs and deities take over its people…

Watch Aždaja / The Dragon For Free on Reveel

6. Glitch Noir

Glitch Noir is a short film created by Cody Healey-Conelly by combining 2D scans of comic books with glitch textures, creating a visually unique dystopian animation.

The film takes place in a paranoid world where warfare has been automated. It follows a nameless protagonist as he sifts through the cracks and crevices of the global stream in a search to find the missing son of a client.

Watch Glitch Noir For Free on Reveel.