THEME EXPLORATION

orphan protagonist

25 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Shrek
Shrek
2001 · Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum
2007 · Paul Greengrass
71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance
71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance
1995 · Michael Haneke
Tapage Nocturne
Tapage Nocturne
1979 · Catherine Breillat
Whiskey with Vodka
Whiskey with Vodka
2009 · Andreas Dresen
Hellboy
Hellboy
2004 · Guillermo del Toro
Rear Window
Rear Window
1954 · Alfred Hitchcock
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
1928 · William Wyler
A River Called Titas
A River Called Titas
1973 · Ritwik Ghatak
A Woman’s Story
A Woman’s Story
1963 · Mikio Naruse
Come Drink With Me
Come Drink With Me
1966 · King Hu
Follow the Star
Follow the Star
1978 · John Woo
Glumov's Diary
Glumov's Diary
1923 · Sergei Eisenstein
Her Alibi
Her Alibi
1989 · Bruce Beresford
The Earth Dies Screaming
The Earth Dies Screaming
1964 · Terence Fisher
Tom Cat Holmes and the Twilight Hotel
Tom Cat Holmes and the Twilight Hotel
1998 · Nobuhiko Obayashi
Do You Like Hitchcock?
Do You Like Hitchcock?
2005 · Dario Argento
Great Expectations
Great Expectations
1998 · Alfonso Cuarón
The Frighteners
The Frighteners
1996 · Peter Jackson
Blind Fury
Blind Fury
1989 · Phillip Noyce
Come... Kiss... Finished!
Come... Kiss... Finished!
1986 · Yannis Dalianidis
Days of Inspector Ambrosio
Days of Inspector Ambrosio
1988 · Sergio Corbucci
Hellboy
Hellboy
2019 · Neil Marshall
Spiritual Fists
Spiritual Fists
1975 · Chang Cheh
Fright Night
Fright Night
2011 · Craig Gillespie
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Hayao Miyazaki Japan

Repeatedly explores orphaned or displaced protagonists finding identity and belonging in fantastical worlds, most notably in Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

 Hou Hsiao-hsien Taiwan

Crafts intimate narratives of orphaned or abandoned children navigating poverty and social marginalization with poetic restraint in films like A Time to Live and a Time to Die.

 Lynne Ramsay United Kingdom

Examines traumatized and neglected protagonists struggling with loss and abandonment through fragmentary, visceral storytelling in We Need to Talk About Kevin and You Were Never Really Here.