THEME EXPLORATION

childhood psychology

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
The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing
2012 · Joshua Oppenheimer
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
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
Paprika
Paprika
2006 · Satoshi Kon
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
Runaway
Runaway
1958 · Ritwik Ghatak
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Hayao Miyazaki Japan

His films explore childhood wonder, trauma, and coming-of-age through deeply psychological narratives that examine how children perceive and navigate complex emotional worlds.

 Guillermo del Toro Spain/Mexico

He consistently uses childhood perspectives and magical realism to investigate psychological resilience, imagination as coping mechanism, and the impact of external trauma on young minds.

 Céline Sciamma France

Her films intimately document childhood psychology through nuanced character studies of identity formation, desire, social belonging, and the internal emotional lives of young protagonists.