10 Movies & Shows Like Needle in a Timestack

Description: A dark exploration of how small changes in the past can lead to drastically different futures, often with tragic consequences.

Fact: The film has multiple endings, each showing a different outcome based on the protagonist's choices. The director's cut is notably bleaker than the theatrical version.

Description: A low-budget, high-concept film that delves into the technical and ethical complexities of time travel with a realistic, almost documentary-like approach.

Fact: Made for just $7,000, the film's dense, technical dialogue and nonlinear plot have made it a cult favorite. The director also starred in and edited the film.

Description: Explores the complexities of love and relationships through the lens of involuntary time travel, focusing on how temporal displacement affects personal connections.

Fact: Based on the best-selling novel by Audrey Niffenegger. The film's unique portrayal of time travel avoids typical sci-fi tropes, focusing instead on emotional impact.

Description: A tightly-wound thriller where a man's accidental trip into the past spirals into a series of increasingly dire and interconnected events.

Fact: The entire film was shot in sequence to maintain continuity. It's known for its clever, puzzle-like structure that rewards multiple viewings.

Description: A philosophical drama that explores the implications of immortality and the passage of time through dialogue-driven storytelling.

Fact: The film was written in the 1960s but not produced until decades later. It was shot in just one location with a minimal budget, relying entirely on its script's strength.

Description: A sci-fi thriller that uses a repeating time loop to solve a mystery, blending suspense with philosophical questions about reality and identity.

Fact: The film's concept was inspired by quantum physics theories. It was shot in just 25 days, with a budget significantly lower than typical Hollywood sci-fi films.

Description: Examines the consequences of altering timelines through a gritty, action-driven story where assassins confront their future selves.

Fact: Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play the same character at different ages. The film uses minimal CGI, relying on practical effects for its time-travel sequences.

Description: A heartfelt story that blends romance with time travel, emphasizing how small changes in the past can profoundly affect the present and future relationships.

Fact: Initially marketed as a romantic comedy, the film delves deeper into themes of family and mortality. The time travel rules are intentionally kept simple to focus on emotional storytelling.

Description: A mind-bending narrative involving time loops and identity, where the protagonist's actions across different timelines create a complex, self-referential paradox.

Fact: Adapted from Robert A. Heinlein's short story 'All You Zombies.' The film's twist is considered one of the most intricate in time-travel cinema.

Description: A psychological sci-fi film that examines alternate realities and the fragility of human relationships when faced with cosmic anomalies.

Fact: The actors were given minimal direction and often didn't know what would happen next, creating genuine reactions. Much of the dialogue was improvised.