THEME EXPLORATION

working class aspiration

39 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Mannequin
Mannequin
1938 · Frank Borzage
Her First Mate
Her First Mate
1933 · William Wyler
Les Bonnes femmes
Les Bonnes femmes
1960 · Claude Chabrol
Plácido
Plácido
1961 · Luis García Berlanga
Morning’s Tree-Lined Street
Morning’s Tree-Lined Street
1936 · Mikio Naruse
La otra/The Other One
La otra/The Other One
1946 · Roberto Gavaldón
No Time for Love
No Time for Love
1943 · Mitchell Leisen
Up in the Clouds
Up in the Clouds
1965 · Mrinal Sen
China Is Near
China Is Near
1967 · Marco Bellocchio
Gisela
Gisela
2005 · Isabelle Stever
Macario
Macario
1960 · Roberto Gavaldon
Miracle in Milan
Miracle in Milan
1951 · Vittorio De Sica
Seven Samurai
Seven Samurai
1954 · Akira Kurosawa
Flowers of Shanghai
Flowers of Shanghai
1998 · Hou Hsiao-hsien
Notting Hill
Notting Hill
1999 · Roger Michell
Parasite
Parasite
2019 · Bong Joon-ho
Viktor und Viktoria
Viktor und Viktoria
1933 · Reinhold Schünzel
Jeanne Dielman 23 quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles
Jeanne Dielman 23 quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles
1975 · Chantal Akerman
Earth
Earth
1930 · Alexander Dovzhenko
Memories of Underdevelopment
Memories of Underdevelopment
1968 · Tomás Gutiérrez Alea
Yi Yi
Yi Yi
2000 · Edward Yang
Burning
Burning
2018 · Lee Chang-dong
Call Me by Your Name
Call Me by Your Name
2017 · Luca Guadagnino
Cold War
Cold War
2018 · Paweł Pawlikowski
Loves of a Blonde
Loves of a Blonde
1965 · Miloš Forman
Manila in the Claws of Light
Manila in the Claws of Light
1975 · Lino Brocka
The Scent of Green Papaya
The Scent of Green Papaya
1993 · Tran Anh Hung
The Silences of the Palace
The Silences of the Palace
1994 · Moufida Tlatli
To Live
To Live
1994 · Zhang Yimou
Touki Bouki
Touki Bouki
1973 · Djibril Diop Mambéty
Wild Tales
Wild Tales
2014 · Damián Szifron
Winter Sleep
Winter Sleep
2014 · Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Atlantics
Atlantics
2019 · Mati Diop
Clash
Clash
2016 · Mohamed Diab
Riff-Raff
Riff-Raff
1991 · Ken Loach
The Lunchbox
The Lunchbox
2013 · Ritesh Batra
Turkish Delight
Turkish Delight
1973 · Paul Verhoeven
From Afar
From Afar
2015 · Lorenzo Vigas
A Dedicated Machine
A Dedicated Machine
2009 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Ken Loach United Kingdom

His films consistently portray working-class struggles and aspirations with unflinching realism, examining systemic barriers to upward mobility.

 Leigh Whannell United Kingdom

Through improvisation-based narratives, he explores the hopes, disappointments, and social constraints experienced by ordinary working people.

 Hirokazu Koreeda Japan

His tender, observational style captures the dignity and quiet ambitions of marginalized workers navigating economic hardship and family obligation.