THEME EXPLORATION

small-town versus big-city

37 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Dersu Uzala
Dersu Uzala
1975 · —
Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke
1997 · Hayao Miyazaki
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
2000 · Yoshiaki Kawajiri
State of Fear
State of Fear
1990 · Janusz Kijowski
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
2009 · Terry Gilliam
Francisco Perales, Luis García Berlanga , Madrid, Cátedra
Francisco Perales, Luis García Berlanga , Madrid, Cátedra
1997 · Luis García Berlanga
Tokyo-ga
Tokyo-ga
1985 · Wim Wenders
Elmer’s Candid Camera
Elmer’s Candid Camera
1940 · Chuck Jones
The Holy Mountain
The Holy Mountain
1973 · Alejandro Jodorowsky
The Ghost and the Darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness
1996 · Stephen Hopkins
Shoah
Shoah
1985 · Claude Lanzmann
Alphaville
Alphaville
1965 · Jean-Luc Godard
Dust in the Wind
Dust in the Wind
1986 · Hou Hsiao-hsien
Like Water for Chocolate
Like Water for Chocolate
1992 · Alfonso Arau
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
1927 · F. W. Murnau
Close-Up
Close-Up
1990 · Abbas Kiarostami
El espiritu de la colmena
El espiritu de la colmena
1973 · Victor Erice
Roma
Roma
2018 · Alfonso Cuarón
The Shop on Main Street
The Shop on Main Street
1965 · Ján Kadár
Amarcord
Amarcord
1973 · Federico Fellini
Loves of a Blonde
Loves of a Blonde
1965 · Miloš Forman
Touki Bouki
Touki Bouki
1973 · Djibril Diop Mambéty
Werckmeister Harmonies
Werckmeister Harmonies
2000 · Béla Tarr
Distant
Distant
2002 · Nuri Bilge Ceylan
A Better Tomorrow II
A Better Tomorrow II
1987 · John Woo
The Leopard
The Leopard
1963 · Luchino Visconti
Insignificance
Insignificance
1985 · Nicolas Roeg
Cape Fear
Cape Fear
1962 · J. Lee Thompson
Blue Propeller
Blue Propeller
2013 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Cosmopolis
Cosmopolis
2012 · David Cronenberg
2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968 · Stanley Kubrick
Accused
Accused
1964 · Anubhuti Kashyap
Corn Island
Corn Island
2014 · Giorgi Ovashvili
Restoration
Restoration
2011 · Yossi Madmoni
Sisu
Sisu
2022 · Jalmari Helander
The Marginal Ones
The Marginal Ones
1978 · Mrinal Sen
Bunny!!
Bunny!!
2026 · Trấn Thành
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
David Lynch United States

His films like 'Blue Velvet' and 'Twin Peaks' reveal the darkness and psychological complexity hidden beneath small-town Americana, contrasting small-town isolation with urban sophistication.

 Ken Loach United Kingdom

His socially conscious films such as 'Kes' and 'I, Daniel Blake' explore the struggles of working-class individuals in small towns and cities, examining how geography shapes economic hardship.

 Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan

Films like 'Shoplifters' and 'Our Little Sister' intimately examine family bonds and community in small towns, often contrasting them with the alienation of urban life.