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story Intersecting Stories - list of films

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Flicker Pictures

At the moment I'm tinkering with a new feature script premise that would be one of those films where several story lines overlap, intersect and collide with one another throughout the course of the movie. I've seen a bunch like Short Cuts, Crash, 21 Grams, and want to watch more for research.

I think the genre of my script would be in the vicinity of a thriller, mystery with a splash of horror.

If you have the chance, add some titles here for me to check out. Thanks!
 
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Often these are ensemble cast stories.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films,_shows,_plays_and_operas_with_an_ensemble_cast

Contagion
Syriana
Mars Attacks
Dune
Traffic
The Fifth Element

Weakly
12 Monkeys
Natural Born Killers



Do you know if you want to spend the majority of the time on a central group of characters with strong side stories that intersect/converge, such as The Fifth Element, or spread it out pretty evenly across all sub-stories, such as Crash or Syriana?
 
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"Go" is a really fun movie. It's Doug Liman's highly-underrated follow-up to "Swingers", and I think you could describe it as "Pulp Fiction" meets "Dazed and Confused".

Other than "Go", I can't think of any that haven't been named already. If you're really digging deep, I guess you could look at movies in which there are two stories that collide. "Inglorious Basterds" comes to mind.
 
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Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. I'm going to check out the titles I haven't yet seen. It's helping me get a better idea of what intersecting stories mean for everyone as well as shedding some light on what I *think* I want to do... I think. ;)

Do you know if you want to spend the majority of the time on a central group of characters with strong side stories that intersect/converge, such as The Fifth Element, or spread it out pretty evenly across all sub-stories, such as Crash or Syriana?
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Good question, Ray. Since I'm trying to craft somewhat of a mystery/head-scratcher, an actor playing a character in one story may very well end up becoming someone completely different in another and vice versa, so it would probably be more of a collection of sub-stories that create a whole experience (whopefully). Less ensemble acting together, more performances segmented and spread apart.

For example... I might take a character in one, borrow a key prop from another, and use a recurring location from several to create a cohesive collection of 'shorts' that all sing together and harmonize. So when it all comes full circle at the end, the reveal not only feels satisfying but makes thematic sense; a bit of a "Keyser Söze moment".

Tall order, I know, and I'm not positive I can make it all work, but I might give it a go.

There will probably be dreams involved, distorted reality, foggy memories, and a form of storytelling involved, like a character relaying a story to another.

I just came across this one via Netflix that I hadn't heard about. Will add it to the list.

The Air I Breathe
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485851/

We'll see. I'm probably biting off way more than I can chew. Oh, did I tell you the tile is THE KITCHEN SINK? :D
 
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Thanks, Paul.

It just dawned on me that a film like The Fountain might be a jumping off point, too. Those stories don't intersect but are certainly connected. So maybe the trick is to experiment with intersecting, overlapping, and connecting...

Still figuring it out! The input is helping. :yes:
 
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I just recently saw this and it does this very well. It's called "Twenty Bucks" and was directed by Keva Rosenfeld with a star studded cast. It's very well done with intersecting stories, characters that share only one thing in common, a twenty dollar bill that passes through many hands. Available through Netflix.
 
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FantasySciFi said:
I just recently saw this and it does this very well. It's called "Twenty Bucks" and was directed by Keva Rosenfeld with a star studded cast. It's very well done with intersecting stories, characters that share only one thing in common, a twenty dollar bill that passes through many hands. Available through Netflix.
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Thank you! I've been trying to remember the name of that! Pleasantly surprised by that one. Also very fond of Magnolia and Love Actually. I'd almost want to add Night on Earth (because it's a great film), but it's not really intersecting stories...just stories that happen one night. The Fountain is also brilliant and beautiful.

For a short form/creepy version, check out the music video for Level 42's "Something About You". Seriously, a mellow pop/soul song should NOT have a video that creepy. I love it!
 
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Crash was a big hit and deservedly so.

Does Traffic qualify as this type of narrative? Also an excellant film as I remember it. Been a while, though. Hey, Soderbergh is one of the great filmmakers, no?

Though it was a sensation, I haven't seen it yet. But isn't Babel one of this type of narrative?

I'm glad I'm not the only one who values Magnolia.

Sort of Shortbus too. I know it has its haters. But I'm one of its lovers. Well, it involves the storylines of multiple characters whose lives intersect somewhat at the Club Shortbus.

And what about Mulholland Drive? I really have no idea what's reality and what's not, but it seems to weave together different lives of different characters while bending reality and begging the question what is real and what is dream...or nightmare?


Thanks for the tip on Twenty Bucks, FS, but when I search netflix or Amazon streaming it doesn't come up as available. =(
 
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yeah, definitely aiming for less real human drama and more weird... surreal... mysterioso...

so I'm thinking I was off the mark by describing the approach as "intersecting", but it was a good place to get the spitball rolling! :)
 
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Seraphim Falls has a weird, surreal, mysterioso final act that comes out of nowhere, I thought anyway. And, I liked it.

Wasn't In the Mood for Love a little bit surreal, mysterioso? And even more so 2046.

Does The Box have some of these qualities you're looking for? But then I think all of its surrealness and mysteriso is ironed out by its pat, preachy ending/moral of the story is... Bleh.

Been a very long time since I saw it, but does Akira Kurosawa's Dreams have some of this? =)
 
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