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You get some popcorn and press "play." As the film is rolling, you suddenly realize that particular shot… you’ve seen it somewhere before. Call it déjà vu or a glitch in the matrix, but what if sometimes, it’s actually true?

This Twitter thread initiated by @THECOCODIARY compiled some of the most interesting examples of artistic references spotted in movies—from cult films that bear a striking resemblance to the surreal paintings of Rene Magritte, to Lars von Trier’s scene from Melancholia looking as if was taken from the iconic painting by John Everett Millais, Ophelia.

The thread has since gone viral with 133.9k likes and 36.8k retweets, and Bored Panda reached out to its author Coco, who said it started with a post she saw last year about The Lighthouse and its art references. “I started doing research to see if other movies had references too. And I found a lot, a lot of movies and references. I didn’t want to keep this little discovery for myself, so I created this thread.”

Read the full interview below, and don’t forget to upvote your favorite references shared in the thread.

Discover more in People Believe They've Noticed Art References In Popular Movies, Share 30 Side-By-Side Pics On Twitter

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Side-by-side image comparing art references in popular movies showing a woman by stairs and red curtains in both scenes.

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    Side-by-side comparison of a movie scene and an art painting highlighting art references in popular movies on Twitter.

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    Side-by-side comparison of a scene from Pennies From Heaven and Edward Hopper's Nighthawks showing art references in popular movies.

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    The author of the viral thread, Coco, said that she couldn’t believe the thread would blow up as much and as fast as it did. “The thread even appeared on my dearest friend’s timeline. I guess it’s the power of Twitter to make everything viral!”

    When asked whether Coco thinks the references were coincidental or deliberate, she said that the ones inspired by René Magritte's and Vincent Van Gogh's paintings were probably done on purpose. “Throughout my research, I realized how much René Magritte inspired the cinema industry. I think also that some of them are simply coincidental, and aren’t they fascinating?”

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    Coco’s favorite references are the ones from The Truman Show and The Fifth Element. “It's just genius to choose Architecture au clair de lune by René Magritte for this scene with Jim Carrey going up the stairs.” Moreover, “Jean-Paul Gaultier for his spring/summer 1998 collection was fully inspired by Frida Kahlo’s unique style. And I’m convinced that he was inspired by her for Leeloo’s (Milla Jovovich’s character) costume.”

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    Side-by-side images showing art references in popular movies with a woman looking into a mirror reflecting her face.

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    Side-by-side images showing art references in popular movies, featuring a scene from A Clockwork Orange and Van Gogh painting.

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    Side-by-side images showing art references in popular movies, featuring The Truman Show and a René Magritte painting.

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    Side-by-side images showing art references in popular movies, featuring a scene inspired by Escher's Relativity staircase.

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    Side-by-side comparison of a scene from Shutter Island and Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss showing art references in movies.

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    #9

    Side-by-side images comparing a scene from Wolf Hall and Hans Holbein’s portrait, showing art references in movies.

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    Side-by-side comparison of a scene from Mad Max Fury Road and Salvador Dalí's surreal painting Los Elefantes showing art references in movies.

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    #11

    Side-by-side comparison of a movie scene from Inherent Vice and Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper art reference.

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    Side-by-side comparison showing art references in popular movies featuring Forrest Gump and Christina's World painting.

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    #13

    Side-by-side comparison of art references in popular movies showing Hulk 2003 and Atlas Farnese sculpture.

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    Side-by-side comparison of a movie scene and a classical painting showing art references in popular movies on Twitter.

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    Side-by-side comparison of art references in popular movies showing a man and woman overlooking foggy, rocky landscapes.

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    Side-by-side image comparing a scene from Empire of the Sun and Norman Rockwell’s Freedom from Fear painting.

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    #17

    Side-by-side image comparing a scene from Marie Antoinette movie with the Napoleon Crossing the Alps painting, showing art references.

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    Side-by-side image showing art references in popular movies with a scene from Malèna and a painting by René Magritte.

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    Side-by-side images showing art references in popular movies with a scene from Lust for Life and Van Gogh painting.

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