THEME EXPLORATION

masculinity and violence

44 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Raging Bull
Raging Bull
1980 · Martin Scorsese
The Cool World
The Cool World
1964 · Shirley Clarke
Irreversible
Irreversible
2002 · Gaspar Noé
Bleeder
Bleeder
1999 · Nicolas Winding Refn
Audition
Audition
1999 · Takashi Miike
Dillinger Is Dead
Dillinger Is Dead
1969 · Marco Ferreri
The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing
2012 · Joshua Oppenheimer
71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance
71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance
1994 · Michael Haneke
Querelle
Querelle
1982 · Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Oldboy
Oldboy
2003 · Park Chan-wook
A City of Sadness
A City of Sadness
1989 · Hou Hsiao-hsien
Beau travail
Beau travail
1999 · Claire Denis
A Letter to Uncle Boonmee
A Letter to Uncle Boonmee
2009 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Once Were Warriors
Once Were Warriors
1994 · Lee Tamahori
Wild Tales
Wild Tales
2014 · Damián Szifron
City of God
City of God
2002 · Fernando Meirelles
American Psycho
American Psycho
2000 · Mary Harron
Force Majeure
Force Majeure
2014 · Ruben Östlund
Naked
Naked
1993 · Mike Leigh
The Milk of Sorrow
The Milk of Sorrow
2009 · Claudia Llosa
We Need to Talk About Kevin
We Need to Talk About Kevin
2011 · Lynne Ramsay
A History of Violence
A History of Violence
2005 · David Cronenberg
Ali Zaoua Prince of the Streets
Ali Zaoua Prince of the Streets
2000 · Nabil Ayouch
Bullhead
Bullhead
2011 · Michaël R. Roskam
Cabaret Balkan
Cabaret Balkan
1998 · Goran Paskaljević
From Afar
From Afar
2015 · Lorenzo Vigas
Matador
Matador
1986 · Pedro Almodóvar
The Sin
The Sin
1965 · Henry Barakat
Gimme Shelter
Gimme Shelter
1970 · Maysles Brothers
Injustice
Injustice
2025 · Max Boekbinder & Jim Batt
Patrick
Patrick
2019 · Tim Mielants
Manodrome
Manodrome
2023 · John Trengove
Stepbrothers
Stepbrothers
1958 · Miyoji Ieki
Undertow
Undertow
2009 · Javier Fuentes-León
The Almost Man
The Almost Man
2012 · Martin Lund
Utøya: July 22
Utøya: July 22
2018 · Erik Poppe
A Touch of Sin
A Touch of Sin
2013 · Jia Zhangke
Ghost in the Cell
Ghost in the Cell
2026 · Joko Anwar
Kattalan
Kattalan
2026 · Paul George
Scary Movie
Scary Movie
2026 · Michael Tiddes
On the Road
On the Road
2026 · David Pablos
The Long Walk
The Long Walk
2025 · Francis Lawrence
Hello, Late Homecomers
Hello, Late Homecomers
1978 · John Woo
Il bell’Antonio (le Bel Antonio/Bell’Antonio
Il bell’Antonio (le Bel Antonio/Bell’Antonio
1960 · Mauro Bolognini
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
David Fincher USA

His films like Fight Club and Se7en deconstruct toxic masculinity through psychologically violent narratives that question male identity and aggression.

 Werner Herzog Germany

He explores the primitive, destructive nature of masculine will and violence in films like Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo, examining obsession and brutality.

 Gaspar Noé France

His provocative films like Irréversible and Climax confront masculine violence and sexual aggression with unflinching formal intensity.