I think that there should be more films that change genre in the middle of their story.
There are hardly any examples for movies that start out with one genre but suffenly change their tone entirely unexpectedly. At least once I would like to see a film that tells a family drama, then suddenly turns into a science fiction piece when somebody discovers a door into a parallel universe or something. Being John Malkovich comes close in a way. And that is part of why I like its weirdness. But it doesn't change it's mood, story telling style or subject matter at all at the time it gets weird.
There is a difference between a movie that changes its genre in the middle and a movie you watch expecting a different genre from what it's actually in. But that can work to give you the same confusing surprise. For example when I watched Victoria (2015) for the first time without knowing anything about it, I expected a mellow love story between a big-city boy and a foreigner new in the city and country. Everything was pointing towards this being the story of the film. And it is. But it's embedded in a crime story with more action than I saw coming. This dichotomy shaped my viewing experience very much, making it a trip where enything could happen and many extreme and unexpected things did happen.
I'll try to make a list of film that are actually split into two different genres. I don't know yet if I will find more than one.
- Mickibo and Me (2005) - The lighthearted, childlike look at the political and social situation in of the young central characters' surrounding are what makes this story so nice to watch. Even as an adult who knows what's going on, it's easy to dismiss the anguish portrayed and focus on the adventue that the two kids are having. In the end the harsh reality comes too close to the story telling lead character to ignore it anymore. While I'd clearly classify the whole movie as a comedy, the sudden shift in tone for the tragic ending hits all the more and made me cry vewyond the closing credits.