Vivarium (2019)

"Vivarium" (2019) earns its place on the list of best mystery movies through its unsettling and pervasive sense of bewilderment. The film plunges Gemma and Tom into a surreal, prefabricated suburban nightmare, trapping them in a labyrinthine housing development called Yonder. The central mystery revolves around the inexplicable circumstances of their imprisonment, the enigmatic nature of the child they are forced to raise, and the true purpose of this bizarre environment. As the couple struggles to decipher the rules and origins of their confinement, the film slowly unravels a chilling, symbolic puzzle about societal pressures, the anxieties of parenthood, and the cyclical nature of existence, leaving the audience with lingering questions long after the credits roll. Beyond the immediate plot of escape, "Vivarium" excels as a mystery because it delves into the unknown corners of the human condition. The film uses its otherworldly setting to explore the deeper mysteries of existential dread, the suffocating predictability of routine, and the inherent uncertainties of life choices. Each detail, from the unsettling repetition of the houses to the child's bizarre behavior, serves as a clue to a larger, almost Lovecraftian horror. The film isn't interested in providing simple answers, but rather in provoking contemplation on the unknowable forces that shape our lives, solidifying its position as a thought-provoking and deeply unsettling addition to the mystery genre.