A Scanner Darkly
Everything is not going to be OK.
Directed by Richard Linklater
Produced by Warner Independent Pictures, Thousand Words
A paranoid, philosophically dense descent into identity dissolution and surveillance dystopia, where the line between observer and observed collapses.
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
Clusters
Where to watch
Questions people ask
Is A Scanner Darkly sad? Yes, very. More sad than 96% of films.
Is A Scanner Darkly scary? Yes, very. More frightening than 95% of films.
Does A Scanner Darkly end with hope? No. Less hopeful than 91% of films.
Is A Scanner Darkly easy watching? Not especially. Less comforting than 74% of films.
Is A Scanner Darkly violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Written about
- The Three-Year EchoFinding
- What a Director Actually DecidesFinding
Cinnamon Score
How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
Familiar shape, done well.
How unlike any other film this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Everything like A Scanner Darkly, and what each one shares →
Like A Scanner Darkly
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as A Scanner Darkly
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like A Scanner Darkly, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like A Scanner Darkly, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like A Scanner Darkly, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
