THEME EXPLORATION

man vs. system

35 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Die Hard
Die Hard
1988 · John McTiernan
Flowers of Shanghai
Flowers of Shanghai
1998 · Hou Hsiao-hsien
Umberto D.
Umberto D.
1952 · Vittorio De Sica
The Death of Mr Lazarescu
The Death of Mr Lazarescu
2005 · Cristi Puiu
Schrei aus Stein (Scream of Stone)
Schrei aus Stein (Scream of Stone)
1991 · Werner Herzog
Capernaum
Capernaum
2018 · Nadine Labaki
Another Round
Another Round
2020 · Thomas Vinterberg
Divergent
Divergent
2014 · Neil Burger
Collective
Collective
2019 · Alexander Nanau
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
2016 · Taika Waititi
Riff-Raff
Riff-Raff
1991 · Ken Loach
The Insult
The Insult
2017 · Ziad Doueiri
2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968 · Stanley Kubrick
Corn Island
Corn Island
2014 · Giorgi Ovashvili
Dersu Uzala
Dersu Uzala
1975 · —
Anatomy of Hell
Anatomy of Hell
2004 · Catherine Breillat
Sisu
Sisu
2022 · Jalmari Helander
Frankenstein
Frankenstein
1931 · James Whale
Bandar
Bandar
2026 · Anurag Kashyap
Jaws
Jaws
2026 · Steven Spielberg
Kensuke's Kingdom
Kensuke's Kingdom
2026 · Neil Boyle
Saptadingar Guptodhon
Saptadingar Guptodhon
2026 · Dhrubo Banerjee
Alone Across the Pacific
Alone Across the Pacific
1963 · Kon Ichikawa
Bread and Alley
Bread and Alley
1970 · Abbas Kiarostami
Il Lungo Silenzio
Il Lungo Silenzio
1993 · Margarethe von Trotta
Thunder Over Mexico
Thunder Over Mexico
1933 · Sergei Eisenstein
Victory of Women
Victory of Women
1946 · Kenji Mizoguchi
Dredd
Dredd
2012 · Pete Travis
The Staffroom
The Staffroom
2021 · Sonja Tarokić
Boomerang!
Boomerang!
1947 · Elia Kazan
Duvar
Duvar
1983 · Yílmaz Güney
Gli imbroglioni
Gli imbroglioni
1963 · Lucio Fulci
Mountain Vigil
Mountain Vigil
1964 · Artavazd Pelechian
Paloma herida
Paloma herida
1963 · Emilio “Indio” Fernández
Stefania
Stefania
1966 · Yannis Dalianidis
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Ken Loach United Kingdom

His films document how institutional systems—welfare, employment, healthcare—systematically fail ordinary people struggling for dignity.

 Yorgos Lanthimos Greece

He explores how individuals are shaped, controlled, and often destroyed by oppressive social structures and arbitrary rules through surreal, confrontational narratives.

 Andrey Zvyagintsev Russia

His work examines individuals crushed by bureaucratic systems, authoritarian power structures, and the moral bankruptcy of institutions in modern society.