THEME EXPLORATION

royal duty vs personal desire

38 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick
2022 · Joseph Kosinski
Shipmates Forever
Shipmates Forever
1935 · Frank Borzage
The Queen
The Queen
2006 · Stephen Frears
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
2002 · John Kafka
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl
2008 · Justin Chadwick
A Royal Makeover
A Royal Makeover
2023 · Damián Romay
From Mayerling to Sarajevo
From Mayerling to Sarajevo
1940 · Max Ophüls
Kartavya
Kartavya
2026 · Pulkit
The Concubine
The Concubine
2012 · Kim Dae-seung
Audition
Audition
1999 · Takashi Miike
Blue Is the Warmest Color
Blue Is the Warmest Color
2013 · Abdellatif Kechiche
Cat People
Cat People
1942 · Jacques Tourneur
Like Water for Chocolate
Like Water for Chocolate
1992 · Alfonso Arau
Scenes from a Marriage
Scenes from a Marriage
1973 · Ingmar Bergman
Querelle
Querelle
1982 · Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Summertime
Summertime
1955 · David Lean
The Killer
The Killer
2023 · David Fincher
Das Hofkonzert
Das Hofkonzert
1936 · Douglas Sirk
The Human Surge 3
The Human Surge 3
2024 · Eduardo Williams
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2000 · Ang Lee
Ixcanul
Ixcanul
2015 · Jayro Bustamante
The Assassin
The Assassin
2015 · Hou Hsiao-hsien
The Square
The Square
2017 · Ruben Östlund
Zama
Zama
2017 · Lucrecia Martel
Caramel
Caramel
2007 · Nadine Labaki
Emerald
Emerald
2007 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Laberinto de pasiones
Laberinto de pasiones
1982 · Pedro Almodóvar
Chico
Chico
2001 · Ibolya Fekete
Better Go Mad in the Wild
Better Go Mad in the Wild
2025 · Miro Remo
City on Fire
City on Fire
1987 · —
Gypsy
Gypsy
2011 · Rachel Leah Jones
Hibiscus Town
Hibiscus Town
1988 · Xie Jin
Ip Man
Ip Man
2008 · Wilson Yip
Red Bells
Red Bells
1982 · Sergey Bondarchuk
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
The Marginal Ones
The Marginal Ones
1978 · Mrinal Sen
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Pedro Almodóvar Spain

His films consistently explore the tension between societal expectations and individual emotional fulfillment, particularly in intimate relationships.

 Wong Kar-wai Hong Kong

He masterfully examines duty versus desire through visually poetic narratives of lovers caught between social obligation and romantic yearning.

 Yorgos Lanthimos Greece

His provocative works systematically deconstruct institutional power structures and societal rules imposed against authentic human desire and autonomy.