THEME EXPLORATION

human instrumentality

39 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Mil cretins
Mil cretins
2011 · Ventura Pons
Sheep in the Box
Sheep in the Box
2026 · Hirokazu Kore-eda
Rashomon
Rashomon
1950 · Akira Kurosawa
Solaris
Solaris
1972 · Andrei Tarkovsky
Babel
Babel
2006 · Alejandro González Iñárritu
Diary of a Country Priest
Diary of a Country Priest
1951 · Robert Bresson
The Gleaners and I
The Gleaners and I
2000 · Agnès Varda
Wild Strawberries
Wild Strawberries
1957 · Ingmar Bergman
The Matrix
The Matrix
1999 · Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski
Man on Wire
Man on Wire
2008 · James Marsh
Umberto D.
Umberto D.
1952 · Vittorio De Sica
Der Angriff der Gegenwart auf die übrige Zeit
Der Angriff der Gegenwart auf die übrige Zeit
1985 · Alexander Kluge
Film Lesson
Film Lesson
1991 · Werner Herzog
En nombre de Dios
En nombre de Dios
1987 · Patricio Guzmán
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
2008 · Guillermo del Toro
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
2011 · Nuri Bilge Ceylan
12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave
2013 · Steve McQueen
Ikarie XB-1
Ikarie XB-1
1963 · Jindřích Polák
On Body and Soul
On Body and Soul
2017 · Ildikó Enyedi
The Lunchbox
The Lunchbox
2013 · Ritesh Batra
The Man Without a Past
The Man Without a Past
2002 · Aki Kaurismäki
Attenberg
Attenberg
2010 · Athina Rachel Tsangari
Cactus River
Cactus River
2012 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Eastern Promises
Eastern Promises
2007 · David Cronenberg
Los amantes pasajeros (I’m So Excited!
Los amantes pasajeros (I’m So Excited!
2013 · Pedro Almodóvar
2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968 · Stanley Kubrick
The Year of the Everlasting Storm
The Year of the Everlasting Storm
2021 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul & David Lowery & Jafar Panahi
Dersu Uzala
Dersu Uzala
1975 · —
Dimensions of Dialogue
Dimensions of Dialogue
1983 · Jan Švankmajer
Babusya
Babusya
2003 · Yuliya Shashkova
Lucky Miles
Lucky Miles
2007 · Michael James Rowland
Prisoner of the Mountains
Prisoner of the Mountains
1996 · Sergei Bodrov
Salesman
Salesman
1969 · Maysles Brothers
Streetheart
Streetheart
1998 · Charles Binamé
What a Wonderful Place
What a Wonderful Place
2005 · Eyal Halfon
Winter Flies
Winter Flies
2018 · Olmo Omerzu
Yana's Friends
Yana's Friends
1999 · Arik Kaplun
823 Hostage Crisis
823 Hostage Crisis
2026 · Tony Leung Hung-Wah
Adam's Sake
Adam's Sake
2026 · Laura Wandel
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Hideaki Anno Japan

Deconstructs anime conventions through introspective psychological exploration and experimental narrative fragmentation.

 David Cronenberg Canada

His body horror films explore how technology and external forces transform and instrumentalize the human body as a malleable object.

 Stanley Kubrick United Kingdom

His films consistently examine how institutions, systems, and technology reduce humans to functional components within larger mechanistic structures.