Dark City was one of my very first movie obsessions. I saw Alex Proyas’ dark sci-fi tale multiple times in the theater, and it was one of the earliest DVDs that I ever bought.

In a city plunged into perpetual darkness, men in black run experiments on the sleeping citizens while literally reshaping the city. But when one of the city’s inhabitants awakens during one of these experiments with strange powers, he’s soon on the run from both the men in black and the police even as he tries to recollect his memories and reunite with his wife.

Dark City casts a near-total spell over the audience thanks to its immaculate production design, which drew inspiration from both German Expressionism and American noir, resulting in a city that’s as familiar as it is alien. Every single frame of Dark City is suffused with enough atmosphere for ten such movies, and I love getting lost within its labyrinthine corners whenever I watch it.