THEME EXPLORATION

fairy tale vs reality

29 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
The Matrix
The Matrix
1999 · Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski
Avalon
Avalon
2001 · Mamoru Oshii
Hansel & Gretel
Hansel & Gretel
2007 · Yim Pil-sung
Immersion
Immersion
2023 · Takashi Shimizu
The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing
2012 · Joshua Oppenheimer
Primary Colors
Primary Colors
1998 · Mike Nichols
Close-Up
Close-Up
1990 · Abbas Kiarostami
El espiritu de la colmena
El espiritu de la colmena
1973 · Victor Erice
Alice
Alice
1988 · Jan Švankmajer
Barbie
Barbie
2023 · Greta Gerwig
Altered States
Altered States
1980 · Ken Russell
Blue
Blue
2018 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Barbe bleue
Barbe bleue
2009 · Catherine Breillat
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1920 · —
Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth
2006 · Guillermo del Toro
The World
The World
2004 · Jia Zhangke & Wang Xiaoshuai
Guru
Guru
2026 · Yann Gozlan
Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Now You See Me: Now You Don't
2026 · Ruben Fleischer
Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience
Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience
2026 · Paul Dugdale
The Devil's Bride
The Devil's Bride
2026 · Azhar Kinoi Lubis
Blow-Up
Blow-Up
1966 · Michelangelo Antonioni
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
2016 · Ang Lee
Castaway
Castaway
1986 · Nicolas Roeg
Francisco Perales, Luis García Berlanga , Madrid, Cátedra
Francisco Perales, Luis García Berlanga , Madrid, Cátedra
1997 · Luis García Berlanga
Le voci di dentro
Le voci di dentro
2014 · Paolo Sorrentino
O Lucky Man!
O Lucky Man!
1973 · Lindsay Anderson
Riten
Riten
1969 · Ingmar Bergman
The Truman Show
The Truman Show
1998 · Peter Weir
53 Wars
53 Wars
2018 · Ewa Bukowska
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Guillermo del Toro Mexico

His films like 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'The Shape of Water' weave magical fairy tale elements into dark, realistic historical contexts to explore how fantasy becomes a refuge from brutal reality.

 Joachim Trier Denmark

He systematically deconstructs romantic idealism and fairy tale narratives in works like 'Dancer in the Dark' and 'Breaking the Waves' by colliding them with uncompromising realism and suffering.

 Hayao Miyazaki Japan

His animated masterpieces ('Spirited Away,' 'Howl's Moving Castle') blur the boundary between magical wonder and environmental/social reality, showing how transcendence and earthly concerns coexist.