THEME EXPLORATION

survival against the odds

31 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
2012 · Gary Ross
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
2015 · Wes Ball
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
2016 · Vincent Kesteloot
Vesper
Vesper
2022 · Kristina Buožytė & Bruno Samper
Anthem: Conviction
Anthem: Conviction
2019 · Neill Blomkamp
The Hungarian Dressmaker
The Hungarian Dressmaker
2024 · Iveta Grófová
The One
The One
2022 · Dmitriy Suvorov
Occupation
Occupation
2018 · Luke Sparke
The Gleaners and I
The Gleaners and I
2000 · Agnès Varda
Barry Lyndon
Barry Lyndon
1975 · Stanley Kubrick
Alphaville
Alphaville
1965 · Jean-Luc Godard
The Time of the Wolf
The Time of the Wolf
2003 · Michael Haneke
The Raid Redemption
The Raid Redemption
2011 · Gareth Evans
Capernaum
Capernaum
2018 · Nadine Labaki
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
2022 · Guillermo del Toro
Mad Max 2
Mad Max 2
1981 · George Miller
Force Majeure
Force Majeure
2014 · Ruben Östlund
Grave of the Fireflies
Grave of the Fireflies
1988 · Isao Takahata
Leviathan
Leviathan
2014 · Andrey Zvyagintsev
Theeb
Theeb
2014 · Naji Abu Nowar
The Goat Horn
The Goat Horn
1972 · Metodi Andonov
Decameron
Decameron
2020 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Donbass
Donbass
2018 · Sergei Loznitsa
Life of Pi
Life of Pi
2012 · Ang Lee
Mongol
Mongol
2007 · Sergei Bodrov
Nine Lives
Nine Lives
1957 · Arne Skouen
Black God White Devil
Black God White Devil
1964 · Glauber Rocha
End of the Lonely Farm Berhof
End of the Lonely Farm Berhof
1984 · Jiří Svoboda
Gojira
Gojira
1954 · —
Hibiscus Town
Hibiscus Town
1988 · Xie Jin
Hi, Tereska
Hi, Tereska
2001 · Robert Gliński
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Werner Herzog Germany

His films obsessively chronicle human perseverance against nature's indifference and impossible circumstances, from mountaineers to visionary dreamers facing insurmountable odds.

 Alejandro González Iñárritu Mexico

His visceral narratives pit vulnerable individuals against brutal systems and their own psychological limits, exploring survival through moral and physical extremity.

 Bong Joon-ho South Korea

He masterfully weaves survival struggles against systemic inequality and environmental catastrophe into darkly imaginative narratives that examine class and human resilience.