THEME EXPLORATION

personal obsession

39 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
The Smashing Machine
The Smashing Machine
2026 · Benny Safdie
The Killer
The Killer
2023 · David Fincher
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
2004 · Stephen Hopkins
The Big Year
The Big Year
2011 · David Frankel
The Perfect Fishplate
The Perfect Fishplate
2005 · Na Hong-jin
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
1933 · Fritz Lang
Audition
Audition
1999 · Takashi Miike
Great Expectations
Great Expectations
1946 · David Lean
Dillinger Is Dead
Dillinger Is Dead
1969 · Marco Ferreri
Scenes from a Marriage
Scenes from a Marriage
1973 · Ingmar Bergman
Querelle
Querelle
1982 · Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Senso
Senso
1954 · Luchino Visconti
Black Swan
Black Swan
2010 · Darren Aronofsky
Chungking Express
Chungking Express
1994 · Wong Kar-wai
Burning
Burning
2018 · Lee Chang-dong
The Secret in Their Eyes
The Secret in Their Eyes
2009 · Juan José Campanella
Ixcanul
Ixcanul
2015 · Jayro Bustamante
The Assassin
The Assassin
2015 · Hou Hsiao-hsien
The Cremator
The Cremator
1969 · Juraj Herz
The Square
The Square
2017 · Ruben Östlund
Tony Manero
Tony Manero
2008 · Pablo Larraín
A Dangerous Method
A Dangerous Method
2011 · David Cronenberg
Caramel
Caramel
2007 · Nadine Labaki
Emerald
Emerald
2007 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In
La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In
2011 · Pedro Almodóvar
Anthony Zimmer
Anthony Zimmer
2005 · —
Chico
Chico
2001 · Ibolya Fekete
Dil Se..
Dil Se..
1998 · Mani Ratnam
Gypsy
Gypsy
2011 · Rachel Leah Jones
Hibiscus Town
Hibiscus Town
1988 · Xie Jin
Ip Man
Ip Man
2008 · Wilson Yip
Murder, My Sweet
Murder, My Sweet
1944 · Edward Dmytryk
Orpheus
Orpheus
1950 · Jean Cocteau
Perfect Blue
Perfect Blue
1997 · Satoshi Kon
State of Fear
State of Fear
1990 · Janusz Kijowski
The Art of Negative Thinking
The Art of Negative Thinking
2007 · Bård Breien
Summer with Hope
Summer with Hope
2022 · Sadaf Foroughi
Winchester '73
Winchester '73
1950 · Anthony Mann
29
29
2026 · Rathna Kumar
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
David Fincher USA

His films obsessively dissect psychological fixations and compulsive behavior through meticulous narratives like Se7en and Zodiac.

 Darren Aronofsky USA

He explores destructive personal obsessions with visceral intensity in films like Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream.

 Michael Haneke Austria

His austere films examine obsessive desire and psychological breakdown with uncompromising precision, notably in The Piano Teacher.