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Best Mystery Movies When You Can’t Sleep From The 2010S Based On A True Story

These mystery films were selected by the Moviepiq editorial team for when sleep won't come. Popularity and critic scores don't factor in here. Emotional fit does.

The best mystery movies when you cant sleep from the 2010s based on a true story. Includes Shutter Island, Incendies, The Invisible Guest and more - curated ...

Late nights with no sleep call for a very specific kind of film. Absorbing enough to stop the thoughts. Good enough that you don't resent still being awake.

In retrospect, the 2010s were a decade of quiet excellence - films doing serious work without demanding credit for it.

A great mystery is built on trust. The film shows you every clue - and still manages to surprise you.

Shutter Island movie poster
1
2010 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.

Incendies movie poster
2
2010 · ★★★★☆ 8.1/10

A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.

The Invisible Guest movie poster
3
2017 · ★★★★☆ 8.1/10

Barcelona, Spain. Adrián Doria, a young and successful businessman accused of murder, meets one night with Virginia Goodman, an expert interrogation lawyer, in order to devise a defense strategy.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 movie poster
4
2013 · ★★★½☆ 7.9/10

Batman has stopped the reign of terror that The Mutants had cast upon his city. Now an old foe wants a reunion and the government wants The Man of Steel to put a stop to Batman.

The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion movie poster
5
2018 · ★★★½☆ 7.9/10

Ja-yoon is a high school student who struggles with memory loss after she endured some unknown trauma during her childhood. While trying to uncover the truth, she is unwittingly dragged into a world of crime and finds herself on a journey that will awaken many secrets hidden deep within.

What separates a good mystery from a great one is the quality of its misdirection. Every film in this list earns its twists - nothing feels cheap, nothing feels random.

Gone Girl movie poster
6
2014 · ★★★½☆ 7.9/10

With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.

Forgotten movie poster
7
2017 · ★★★½☆ 7.9/10

Jin-seok, 21-year-old, moves into a new house with his family. He suffers from a slight schizophrenia but he carries an ordinary life under the warm care of the family. His older brother Yu-seok is a decent college student, a mentor, and role model for Jin-seok. One night, his beloved brother is kidnapped by unidentified assailants before Jin-seok's eye. Jin-seok can't recognize their faces, but can remember only the VIN that matches with no car. After long silence of 19 days, suddenly Yu-seok returns home, but remembers nothing which had happened in the meantime. And soon Jin-seok feels Yu-seok is a total stranger.

Knives Out movie poster
8
2019 · ★★★½☆ 7.8/10

When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death.

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride movie poster
9
2016 · ★★★½☆ 7.8/10

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves in 1890s London in this holiday special.

Batman: Under the Red Hood movie poster
10
2010 · ★★★½☆ 7.8/10

One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code.

The best true story films don't over-dramatise. They trust that the truth is dramatic enough. These do.

Great mystery cinema changes how you watch everything else. You start looking for the clues in every story.

From the Blog

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