THEME EXPLORATION

childhood promises

34 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
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
The Miracle of Marcelino
The Miracle of Marcelino
1990 · Ladislao Vajda
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
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
Floating Clouds
Floating Clouds
1955 · Mikio Naruse
Syndromes and a Century
Syndromes and a Century
2006 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Angel at Sea
Angel at Sea
2009 · Frédéric Dumont
Babai
Babai
2015 · Visar Morina
Kooky
Kooky
2010 · Jan Svěrák
My Life in Pink
My Life in Pink
1997 · Alain Berliner
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
Ivan’s Childhood
Ivan’s Childhood
1962 · Andrei Tarkovsky
Heartbeat
Heartbeat
2022 · Lee Chang-dong
Maranhão ’66
Maranhão ’66
1966 · Glauber Rocha
Runaway
Runaway
1958 · Ritwik Ghatak
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Hayao Miyazaki Japan

His films consistently explore the tension between childhood innocence and adult responsibilities, with characters bound by promises made in youth that shape their entire lives.

 Richard Linklater United States

His 'Before' trilogy and 'Boyhood' deeply examine how childhood dreams and promises evolve, haunt, and define people across their lifespans.

 Guillermo del Toro Mexico

His films like 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'The Shape of Water' blend childhood wonder with darker realities, exploring how childhood promises become acts of resistance and redemption.