THEME EXPLORATION

childhood journey

40 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Kooky
Kooky
2010 · Jan Svěrák
I clowns
I clowns
1970 · Federico Fellini
The Dance of Reality
The Dance of Reality
2013 · Alejandro Jodorowsky
The Little Prince
The Little Prince
1972 · Konrad Wolf
Détour
Détour
2017 · Michel Gondry
Miracle in Milan
Miracle in Milan
1951 · Vittorio De Sica
Flowers of Shanghai
Flowers of Shanghai
1998 · Hou Hsiao-hsien
Let the Right One In
Let the Right One In
2008 · Tomas Alfredson
Past Lives
Past Lives
2023 · Celine Song
Ponyo
Ponyo
2008 · Hayao Miyazaki
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982 · Steven Spielberg
Pather Panchali
Pather Panchali
1955 · Satyajit Ray
The Silence
The Silence
1963 · Ingmar Bergman
El espiritu de la colmena
El espiritu de la colmena
1973 · Victor Erice
Wrong Move
Wrong Move
1975 · Wim Wenders
Festen
Festen
1998 · Thomas Vinterberg
Landscape in the Mist
Landscape in the Mist
1988 · Theo Angelopoulos & Theodoros Angelopoulos
Children of Heaven
Children of Heaven
1997 · Majid Majidi
Syndromes and a Century
Syndromes and a Century
2006 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Salt of this Sea
Salt of this Sea
2008 · Annemarie Jacir
Tourettes
Tourettes
1971 · David Cronenberg
Angel at Sea
Angel at Sea
2009 · Frédéric Dumont
Babai
Babai
2015 · Visar Morina
Central Station
Central Station
1998 · Walter Salles
Gypsy
Gypsy
2011 · Rachel Leah Jones
Hajime no Ippo
Hajime no Ippo
2003 · —
Pelo Malo
Pelo Malo
2013 · Mariana Rondón
The Night of the Hunter
The Night of the Hunter
1955 · Charles Laughton
The Devil's Backbone
The Devil's Backbone
2001 · Guillermo del Toro
The Plague
The Plague
2026 · Charlie Polinger
Erupcja
Erupcja
2026 · Pete Ohs
Don't Leave the Kids Alone
Don't Leave the Kids Alone
2026 · Emilio Portes
Young Mothers
Young Mothers
2026 · Jean-Pierre Dardenne
You Shall Not Sleep Tonight
You Shall Not Sleep Tonight
2026 · Luciano Montes de Oca
Bread and Alley
Bread and Alley
1970 · Abbas Kiarostami
Bullet in the Head
Bullet in the Head
1990 · John Woo
Children (, short
Children (, short
1976 · Terence Davies
Heart of Darkness (, TV
Heart of Darkness (, TV
1994 · Nicolas Roeg
Ivan’s Childhood
Ivan’s Childhood
1962 · Andrei Tarkovsky
Heartbeat
Heartbeat
2022 · Lee Chang-dong
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Hayao Miyazaki Japan

His films like 'Spirited Away' and 'My Neighbor Totoro' capture the wonder, fear, and magical transformation inherent in childhood journeys through richly imaginative worlds.

 Richard Linklater United States

His 'Boyhood' follows a child's development across 12 years in real time, intimately exploring the subtle emotional and psychological dimensions of growing up.

 Isao Takahata Japan

'Grave of the Fireflies' and 'Only Yesterday' profoundly examine childhood memories, loss, and nostalgia with poignant reflection on how formative experiences shape identity.