His protagonists are systematically stripped of agency and choice, forced into nightmarish circumstances that unfold regardless of their resistance or wishes.
Michael Haneke AustriaHe specializes in ordinary people thrust into situations beyond their control, where passivity and helplessness become central to the narrative's disturbing impact.
David Fincher United StatesHis characters are frequently ensnared by external forces and their own circumstances, discovering they have far less control over events than they believed.