There’s not much that more frustrating than going to the movies, hoping to be entertained and/or amused, enlightened, etc, and walking out two-plus hours later without one single clue what you just watched.

It feels like a waste of money and time, and not only that, it can force us to wonder whether we’re just not smart enough to figure it out.

If it makes you feel any better, at least in the case of these 11 movies, you’re not alone if you’re still totally baffled what it was about.

11. 8 1/2

This film about filmmaking wanders through reality, imagination, and dreams, and you’ll really have to try hard to keep up.

Image Credit: The Cinemaholic

10. Synecdoche, New York

I don’t think this movie is meant to be for everyone, but also…it might not be quite as smart as it wants to be.

Image Credit: The Cinemaholic

9. Stalker

This dark film with an insistence on self-reflection isn’t obvious at first glance…and maybe not at the second or third, either.

Image Credit: The Cinemaholic

8. Eraserhead

David Lynch’s first film put him on the map, but looking back, the best was definitely yet to come.

Image Credit: The Cinemaholic

7. The Mirror

If you’re interested in Soviet politics you might want to attempt to parse this one – it’s all about memories that are real, and some that have been re-made over time.

Image Credit: The Cinemaholic

6. Interstellar

You’ll do better with this one if you sit back and enjoy it, and don’t expect the science to make sense.

Image Credit: The Cinemaholic

5. 2001: Space Odyssey

This might have been too gargantuan an effort, even for the talented Kubrick.

Image Credit: The Cinemaholic

4. Upstream Color

This surrealist venture isn’t what it first appears, but if you have the patience to unravel it during more than one viewing, you might “get” it eventually.