The Machinist (15)

The Machinist is the film for which Christian Bale lost so much weight he looked like a skeleton. He plays Travis, a chronic insomniac who has not slept in a year and is being stalked by a mysterious stranger who causes him to have an accident at work which leads to a co-worker losing an arm. His support network consists of a prostitute played by Jennifer Jason Leigh who offers to give up her "career" for him and a waitress with a young son.

Travis sits up nights weighing himself to chart his decline and sitting at the counter of an airport diner not eating pie. He slowly tries to unravel the mystery of his stalker (who nobody else can see) and slowly, the reasons for his insomnia and his physical and mental decline are revealed.

This is a supremely strange psychological thriller and it's impressive for the physical lengths which Bale went to in order to portray his character. Beyond that, although it's a bit slow for the first hour, it is a gripping and unique story which maintains its mystery right up to the very end.