What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedColossal
Nacho Vigalondo · Film · 2017
If you loved Colossal, start with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Rachel Bloom, 2015) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Colossal across media.
What hooked you in Colossal was the way external catastrophes serve as visceral metaphors for the messy, internal process of psychological healing.
Books on the same thread
Annihilation
Jeff VanderMeer · Book · 2014
Explores: Environmental Collapse, Exploration, Identity.
Much like Colossal, this story uses strange, otherworldly phenomena to mirror internal fragmentation, forcing you to confront how your environment reflects the deepest, most difficult parts of your identity.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. · Book · 2015
Shares a thread with Colossal: Mental Health.
If you were drawn to the serious mental health subtext in Colossal, this book provides the clinical foundation for understanding how trauma manifests physically and shapes our daily reality.
The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath · Book · 1972
Explores: Mental Illness, Depression, Suicide.
This classic captures the same raw descent into a mental breakdown seen in Colossal, offering an unflinching look at the internal isolation that often accompanies a loss of self.
The Grinding
Matt Dinniman · Book · 2013
Explores: Collective consciousness, Infection horror, Existential dread.
This narrative mirrors the urban catastrophe found in Colossal, emphasizing how the loss of individual autonomy can ripple outward to physically consume and redefine the world around you.
Series on the same thread
Russian Doll
Natasha Lyonne · Series · 2019
Shares 3 threads with Colossal: Self-Destruction, Existential Crisis, Dark Comedy.
Nadia’s surreal time loop acts as a perfect companion to the premise of Colossal, as both protagonists must navigate their own self-destruction to find a path toward genuine redemption.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Rachel Bloom · Series · 2015
Shares 2 threads with Colossal: Mental Health, Dark Comedy.
Rebecca Bunch shares the impulsive, high-stakes trajectory of the lead in Colossal, exploring how a desperate search for external validation often masks a deeper, more complex internal crisis.
Westworld
Jonathan Nolan · Series · 2016
Explores: Artificial Intelligence, Existentialism, Free Will vs. Determinism.
Similar to the way Colossal questions personal responsibility, this show interrogates the nature of free will and the moral consequences of our actions within a controlled, artificial environment.
Monster
Series · 2004
Explores: Moral Dilemma, Existentialism, Nature vs. Nurture.
This psychological thriller echoes the existential weight of Colossal, centering on how one person's past and choices can irrevocably alter the lives of everyone they encounter in the present.
Podcasts on the same thread
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Team Coco & Earwolf · Podcast · 2026
Explores: parasocial relationships, professional intimacy, self-deprecating humor.
This podcast explores the same sense of isolation found in Colossal, examining how high-profile figures struggle to form authentic connections while trapped in their own complex professional identities.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
These cinematic audio stories mirror the experimental spirit of Colossal, using unique narrative structures to probe the human condition and the moral ambiguity inherent in our everyday lives.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Colossal a movie about a supernatural monster or a psychological breakdown?
Colossal is a 2017 film that blends both elements. The narrative centers on a woman who discovers that the catastrophic events occurring are directly connected to the personal mental breakdown she is currently experiencing, linking the external destruction to her internal struggle.
What is the central premise of the film Colossal?
The central premise of Colossal involves a woman who realizes that severe, large-scale catastrophic events are somehow being manifested through the mental breakdown she is suffering from. The film explores this mysterious connection between her psychological state and the disasters occurring in the world.
Who directed the 2017 film Colossal?
The film Colossal was directed by Nacho Vigalondo. Released in 2017, the movie explores the unique connection between a woman's internal mental breakdown and the catastrophic events that occur as a result of her personal experience.
Does Colossal focus on the link between mental health and external events?
Yes, Colossal focuses on that specific link. The story follows a woman who discovers that the severe catastrophic events happening are somehow connected to the mental breakdown she is suffering from, making her internal state the catalyst for the external chaos depicted in the film.