TOPICAL INDEX
This is a general and highly imprecise index of topics in the films reviewed here. For many films a more relevant synonym might describe the topic better, but some compromises have been made to avoid redundancy.
Abstraction
A perspective that idealizes reality by simplifying it, distilling it to a perceived essence. Films listed here are generally critical of the tendency to oversimplify reality. The idea of abstraction is often opposed to the notions of real-world complexity or real-life Experience.
1943 – Day of Wrath
1950 – All About Eve
1951 – Juliette, or the Key of Dreams
1955 – Ordet
1959 – Fever Mounts at El Pao
1961 – A Woman Is a Woman
1964 – Charulata
1964 – Gertrud
1965 – Alphaville
1965 – Pierrot le fou
1966 – Made in U.S.A
1967 – 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
1967 – Weekend
1970 – Zabriskie Point
1970 – The Man Who Left His Will on Film
1982 – Blade Runner
1996 – Breaking the Waves
Ambiguity
Presentation of multiple points of view simultaneously. Films listed here call attention to their own ambiguity or to the ambiguity in a situation.
1920 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1943 – Meshes of the Afternoon
1946 – A Matter of Life and Death
1947 – The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
1958 – Le beau Serge
1961 – La notte
1961 – Last Year at Marienbad
1966 – Persona
1967 – 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
1970 – The Man Who Left His Will on Film
1975 – India Song
1980 – The Shining
1993 – Antareen
2013 – Enemy
2018 – Burning
2022 – No Bears
Arrogance
Films about how people assume powers of judgment incommensurate with their powers of understanding. When arrogance enters important decisions that affect others it is often described as “playing God”. See also Pride.
1939 – Idiot’s Delight
1943 – Day of Wrath
1949 – The Third Man
1959 – Pickpocket
1969 – The Structure of Crystal
1972 – Solaris
1974 – Chinatown
1987 – Full Metal Jacket
1996 – Breaking the Waves
1998 – The Truman Show
2000 – Dancer in the Dark
2003 – Dogville
2006 – The Boss of It All
2014 – Wild Tales
Art
Films that define creative expression, describe the role of the artist, or prescribe conditions for making creative works. Many of these, especially the Godard films, are critical of the concept of art. See also Cinema, Hollywood, Creativity, and Realism & Artifice.
1932 – The Blood of a Poet
1932 – Vampyr
1934 – L’Atalante
1946 – Beauty and the Beast
1950 – Orphée
1950 – All About Eve
1958 – Conflagration
1962 – Vivre sa vie
1964 – Band of Outsiders
1964 – Gertrud
1965 – Pierrot le fou
1966 – Andrei Rublev
1972 – Cries and Whispers
1989 – Roselyne and the Lions
1989 – The Cook the Thief His Wife and Her Lover
2006 – The Boss of It All
2011 – Melancholia
Childhood
Films about the experience or universal qualities of being a child. See also Family and Growing Up.
1932 – I Was Born, But…
1939 – The Wizard of Oz
1949 – The Third Man
1950 – Les enfants terribles
1951 – Early Summer
1955 – Pather Panchali
1987 – Where Is My Friend’s Home?
2006 – Pan’s Labyrinth
Cinema
Films that comment on general qualities of movies, define the particular power of movies, or theorize about what makes a movie work. See also Art, Hollywood, and Realism & Artifice.
1920 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1923 – Warning Shadows
1926 – Exit Smiling
1927 – Sunrise
1950 – All About Eve
1952 – 5 Fingers
1961 – La notte
1961 – A Woman Is a Woman
1964 – Band of Outsiders
1965 – Pierrot le fou
1965 – I Knew Her Well
1966 – Persona
1966 – Blow-Up
1972 – The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
1972 – Nathalie Granger
1976 – Heart of Glass
1978 – The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting
1989 – Roselyne and the Lions
2006 – The Boss of It All
2011 – The Day He Arrives
Colonialism
Films about the effects of countries controlling populations beyond their borders.
1947 – Black Narcissus
1960 – The Cloud-Capped Star
1963 – The Servant
1966 – Black Girl
1966 – The Battle of Algiers
1975 – India Song
1993 – Antareen
2005 – Caché
Courage
A strength of spirit that overrides fear and other obstacles. Listed films define or model the trait, or comment on its absence.
1932 – Vampyr
1939 – The Wizard of Oz
1942 – La nuit fantastique
1942 – Holiday Inn
1954 – The Naked Jungle
1955 – Ordet
1956 – The Burmese Harp
1976 – Heart of Glass
2013 – The Counselor
2015 – The Martian
2022 – No Bears
Creativity
Films about creativity as a phenomenon or as a personality trait. See also Art.
1966 – Andrei Rublev
1976 – Heart of Glass
2000 – Dancer in the Dark
2011 – Melancholia
2011 – The Day He Arrives
2018 – Burning
Destructiveness
Films that analyze the causes of destructiveness, reveal destructive patterns, or show how destructive impulses can be re-channeled.
1943 – Meshes of the Afternoon
1950 – Les enfants terribles
1958 – Conflagration
1969 – Topaz
2015 – The Martian
Detachment
Films about how people are separated from the people and life around them.
1932 – Vampyr
1945 – Detour
1959 – Fever Mounts at El Pao
1959 – Pickpocket
1962 – The Exterminating Angel
1965 – Simón of the Desert
1966 – Andrei Rublev
1970 – La rupture
1975 – India Song
2011 – The Day He Arrives
Economics
Films that touch heavily on the production, distribution, and balance of goods, services, and wealth.
1930 – Earth
1936 – Modern Times
1940 – Rebecca
1944 – Laura
1949 – A Letter to Three Wives
1955 – Pather Panchali
1958 – Cairo Station
1959 – Fires on the Plain
1960 – Plein soleil
1962 – L’eclisse
1963 – The Big City
1966 – Seconds
1982 – Veronika Voss
1983 – L’argent
1989 – The Cook the Thief His Wife and Her Lover
2018 – Burning
Empathy
Films about the importance of understanding and compassion toward other beings. See also Goodness and Sociopathy & Psychopathy.
1926 – Exit Smiling
1931 – City Lights
1941 – The Assassination of Père Noël
1949 – Such a Pretty Little Beach
1953 – Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday
1959 – Night Train
1965 – I Knew Her Well
1966 – Black Girl
1970 – La rupture
1982 – Blade Runner
2017 – Get Out
Environmentalism
Films about the need to preserve and nourish the natural world, including the atmosphere, land, and oceans. See also Nature.
1954 – The Naked Jungle
2015 – The Martian
Espionage
Films about the practice, importance, and hazards of gathering international intelligence. Not all spy movies on the site are listed here, only those that focus on spying as a topic.
1935 – The 39 Steps
1966 – The Quiller Memorandum
1969 – Topaz
Experience
Films about the value of lived reality, usually in contrast to some idea of Abstraction.
1951 – Juliette, or the Key of Dreams
1959 – Hiroshima mon amour
1960 – L’avventura
1964 – Red Desert
1966 – Seconds
1970 – The Man Who Left His Will on Film
1982 – Blade Runner
Failure
Films that put the imperfection of human endeavors, or the importance of self-worth, in perspective, or that suggest how to move beyond failure.
1926 – Exit Smiling
1959 – Floating Weeds
1966 – Andrei Rublev
1972 – Nathalie Granger
2001 – Mulholland Drive
2006 – Inland Empire
2007 – In the City of Sylvia
2014 – Wild Tales
2015 – The Martian
Family
Films about the immediate or extended family unit, especially relations between parents and children. See also Childhood and Marriage.
1932 – I Was Born, But…
1943 – Day of Wrath
1948 – Les parents terribles
1949 – Late Spring
1953 – Tokyo Story
1955 – Pather Panchali
1959 – Floating Weeds
1960 – Devi
1961 – The End of Summer
1972 – Cries and Whispers
2011 – Melancholia
Fantasy
Films that define, critique, or shed insight on the phenomenon of imaginary wish fulfilment. See also Self-Deception.
1924 – Sherlock Jr.
1939 – The Wizard of Oz
1944 – Laura
1954 – Rear Window
1961 – Last Year at Marienbad
1964 – Charulata
1983 – The Moon in the Gutter
1986 – Blue Velvet
1993 – Antareen
1998 – The Truman Show
1999 – Eyes Wide Shut
2001 – Mulholland Drive
2006 – Pan’s Labyrinth
2006 – Inland Empire
2014 – Wild Tales
2018 – Burning
Feminism
Films about the oppression, liberation, standing, or self-actualization of women, especially in a family or social context. See also Masculinity.
1943 – Meshes of the Afternoon
1960 – Les bonnes femmes
1962 – Cléo from 5 to 7
1965 – I Knew Her Well
1966 – Black Girl
1967 – 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
1972 – The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
1977 – Baxter, Véra Baxter
1988 – Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Freedom
Films about the value of freedom, the agony of confinement, how liberty may be won, or how it is restricted from without or from within.
1959 – Pickpocket
1960 – Les bonnes femmes
1962 – The Exterminating Angel
1993 – Antareen
2017 – Get Out
Glamor
Films that describe the desires and effects associated with artificially exalted representation, especially of the self. Most of these films critique either the impulse to seek glamor, or the desire to possess a glamorous person.
1941 – I Wake Up Screaming
1945 – Mildred Pierce
1950 – Sunset Boulevard
1960 – Devi
1983 – The Moon in the Gutter
1989 – Rosalyne and the Lions
2001 – Mulholland Drive
Globalization
Films about the process or effects of increasing global interdependence and the mixing or homogenization of cultures worldwide.
1949 – Late Spring
2016 – Arrival
2022 – No Bears
Goodness
Films that define, describe, comment on, or model virtuous thought and behavior. See also Empathy, Guilt & Innocence, and Sociopathy & Psychopathy.
1936 – Mr. Thank You
1947 – Monsieur Verdoux
1951 – Diary of a Country Priest
1960 – The Cloud-Capped Star
1965 – I Knew Her Well
1966 – Au hasard Balthazar
1971 – A Clockwork Orange
1983 – L’argent
1983 – Nostalghia
1986 – The Sacrifice
1987 – Where Is My Friend’s Home?
1996 – Breaking the Waves
2000 – Dancer in the Dark
2003 – Dogville
Growing Up
Films about the process of personal development and maturity. See also Childhood and Incest, which covers juvenile sexuality and the Freudian model of development.
1939 – The Wizard of Oz
1949 – The Third Man
1962 – Knife in the Water
1971 – A Clockwork Orange
1983 – The Moon in the Gutter
1986 – Blue Velvet
2018 – Burning
Guilt & Innocence
Films about the weight of the past on a person’s conscience, self-image, or personality. See also Goodness.
1920 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1941 – Ladies in Retirement
1941 – I Wake Up Screaming
1945 – Spellbound
1949 – The Third Man
1955 – Death of a Cyclist
1958 – Le beau Serge
1960 – Plein soleil
1966 – Black Girl
1970 – Le boucher
1970 – La rupture
1995 – La cérémonie
2003 – Matchstick Men
2005 – Caché
Heroism
Films that analyze or critique the desire to appear heroic.
1920 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1924 – Sherlock Jr.
1932 – Vampyr
1960 – Psycho
1983 – The Moon in the Gutter
2018 – Burning
History
Films that characterize, comment on, or interpret long-past events, a major span of historical time, or historical patterns. Not included are films that use a historical setting to characterize or comment on the present. Films that are concerned mainly with their own time are not included even if that time belongs to a long-ago history. See also Nationhood and Time & Eternity.
1935 – The 39 Steps
1949 – Late Spring
1951 – Juliette, or the Key of Dreams
1961 – The End of Summer
1963 – The Servant
1966 – Black Girl
1966 – Time Walks Through the City
1967 – Weekend
1976 – Heart of Glass
1980 – The Shining
1982 – Veronika Voss
1989 – The Cook the Thief His Wife and Her Lover
2007 – In the City of Sylvia
2013 – Enemy
Hollywood
Films about the influence and effects of the movie industry, especially the way it shapes people’s desires, aspirations, and self-image. In many cases Hollywood stands for the larger world of global entertainment media. See also Cinema and Art.
1924 – Sherlock Jr.
1939 – The Wizard of Oz
1941 – I Wake Up Screaming
1942 – Holiday Inn
1945 – Mildred Pierce
1945 – Detour
1950 – Sunset Boulevard
1950 – All About Eve
1960 – Devi
1966 – Made in U.S.A
1967 – 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
1970 – Zabriskie Point
1982 – Blade Runner
1983 – The Moon in the Gutter
1986 – Blue Velvet
1998 – The Truman Show
2001 – Hannibal
2001 – Mulholland Drive
2003 – Matchstick Men
2006 – Inland Empire
Incest
Films about the influence and effects of sexual bonds developed within a family, particularly the juvenile sexual attachment to a parent when it’s carried into adulthood. The film’s view of sexuality may draw from the Freudian model of development or from classic literature. See also Growing Up for films that take a more general approach to childhood or adolescent development.
1938 – The Lady Vanishes
1940 – Rebecca
1943 – Shadow of a Doubt
1945 – Mildred Pierce
1948 – Les parents terribles
1950 – Stage Fright
1950 – Les enfants terribles
1951 – Strangers on a Train
1954 – Rear Window
1958 – Vertigo
1960 – Devi
1960 – Psycho
1971 – A Clockwork Orange
1983 – The Moon in the Gutter
1986 – Blue Velvet
2006 – Dry Season
2018 – Burning
Intellect
Films about the value, necessity, nature, or overestimation of cognitive mental faculties.
1939 – The Wizard of Oz
1946 – The Big Sleep
1950 – Born Yesterday
1966 – The Quiller Memorandum
Intimacy
Films that define, model, or reveal insight about extraordinarily close relationships.
1948 – Les parents terribles
1952 – The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice
1953 – Roman Holiday
1957 – Wild Strawberries
1964 – Gertrud
1972 – The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
2000 – Italian for Beginners
2003 – Matchstick Men
Language
Films about the power of words or syntax, and how they affect the ways people think and live.
1943 – Day of Wrath
1961 – A Woman Is a Woman
1963 – Les carabiniers
1964 – Charulata
1965 – Alphaville
1966 – Made in U.S.A
1967 – Weekend
1970 – Zabriskie Point
1986 – The Sacrifice
1996 – Breaking the Waves
2016 – Arrival
Loneliness
Films about the pain of social isolation, personal rejection, or lack of companionship.
1926 – Exit Smiling
1941 – The Sea Wolf
1941 – Ornamental Hairpin
1941 – I Wake Up Screaming
1943 – Meshes of the Afternoon
1943 – Day of Wrath
1949 – Such a Pretty Little Beach
1950 – Sunset Boulevard
1950 – All About Eve
1951 – Juliette, or the Key of Dreams
1957 – Wild Strawberries
1958 – Cairo Station
1958 – Conflagration
1959 – Hiroshima mon amour
1959 – Night Train
1959 – Pickpocket
1960 – L’avventura
1964 – Gertrud
1965 – I Knew Her Well
1966 – Black Girl
1966 – The Quiller Memorandum
1968 – 2001: A Space Odyssey
1972 – The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
1975 – India Song
1977 – Baxter, Véra Baxter
1993 – Antareen
2000 – Italian for Beginners
2001 – Mulholland Drive
2003 – Matchstick Men
2007 – In the City of Sylvia
2011 – Melancholia
2011 – The Day He Arrives
2018 – Burning
Marriage
Films about the relationship between a married couple, usually with a strong focus on the challenges of married life. Several films that feature married relationships are omitted if the relationship is incidental to the movie’s purpose. See also Family.
1923 – Warning Shadows
1927 – Sunrise
1932 – Red-Headed Woman
1940 – Rebecca
1943 – Meshes of the Afternoon
1943 – Shadow of a Doubt
1945 – Brief Encounter
1949 – A Letter to Three Wives
1949 – Late Spring
1952 – The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice
1953 – Ugetsu monogatari
1954 – The Naked Jungle
1954 – Rear Window
1961 – La notte
1961 – Last Year at Marienbad
1962 – Knife in the Water
1963 – The Big City
1964 – Charulata
1964 – Marnie
1964 – Gertrud
1967 – 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
1969 – Topaz
1996 – Breaking the Waves
1999 – Eyes Wide Shut
2003 – Matchstick Men
2011 – Melancholia
2013 – Enemy
2014 – Wild Tales
2016 – Arrival
Masculinity
Films about the nature of manhood and the hazards of being a man or relating to one. See also Feminism.
1932 – Red-Headed Woman
1953 – Ugetsu monogatari
1958 – Cairo Station
1962 – Knife in the Water
1974 – Chinatown
1987 – Full Metal Jacket
2006 – Dry Season
2013 – Enemy
Memory
Films about the value or nature of memory, or about the effects of forgetting.
1935 – The 39 Steps
1945 – Spellbound
1951 – Juliette, or the Key of Dreams
1957 – Wild Strawberries
1959 – Hiroshima mon amour
1964 – Marnie
1972 – Solaris
1983 – Nostalghia
2007 – In the City of Sylvia
Modernity & Tradition
Films about the evolution and stability of cultures or societies, with special attention to what’s old and what’s new. See also Time & Eternity.
1936 – Modern Times
1949 – Late Spring
1952 – The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice
1958 – The Eighth Day of the Week
1959 – Floating Weeds
1961 – The End of Summer
1964 – Red Desert
1966 – Time Walks Through the City
1967 – 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
1988 – Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
1996 – Breaking the Waves
2007 – In the City of Sylvia
Nationhood
Films about the specific character of a country, often either celebrating or criticizing that character, or putting it in perspective. See also Politics.
1935 – The 39 Steps
1938 – The Lady Vanishes
1941 – The Assassination of Père Noël
1942 – Saboteur
1942 – La nuit fantastique
1942 – Holiday Inn
1943 – Goupi Mains Rouges
1943 – The Hand of the Devil
1943 – Lumière d’été
1945 – Dead of Night
1949 – Late Spring
1950 – Born Yesterday
1953 – Ugetsu monogatari
1955 – Death of a Cyclist
1960 – The Cloud-Capped Star
1961 – The End of Summer
1965 – Pierrot le fou
1965 – Made in U.S.A
1966 – The Battle of Algiers
1966 – Time Walks Through the City
1970 – Zabriskie Point
1975 – Barry Lyndon
1980 – The Shining
1982 – Veronika Voss
1987 – Full Metal Jacket
1988 – Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
1993 – Antareen
1999 – The Wind Will Carry Us
2000 – Dancer in the Dark
2003 – Dogville
2007 – In the City of Sylvia
2017 – Get Out
Nature
Films in which nature inserts itself as an alternative or corrective to civilized or human ways. See also Environmentalism.
1943 – Day of Wrath
1954 – The Naked Jungle
1963 – Winter Light
1970 – Zabriskie Point
1987 – Where Is My Friend’s Home?
1994 – The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Order & Disorder
Films that assert a faith in an underlying order in life, nature, or the universe, or which describe a dialectic between extremes of order and disorder.
1932 – I Was Born, But…
1939 – Midnight
1948 – Les parents terribles
1959 – Floating Weeds
1963 – Les carabiniers
1972 – The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
Ordinariness
Films about the value or role of ordinary life, usually in opposition to some idea of becoming special.
1938 – The Lady Vanishes
1939 – The Wizard of Oz
1940 – Rebecca
1941 – Ornamental Hairpin
1941 – I Wake Up Screaming
1942 – Saboteur
1942 – Holiday Inn
1943 – Shadow of a Doubt
1944 – Laura
1945 – Mildred Pierce
1949 – The Third Man
1950 – Stage Fright
1950 – Orphée
1970 – La rupture
1979 – Stalker
1983 – The Moon in the Gutter
1999 – Eyes Wide Shut
2003 – Matchstick Men
2006 – Pan’s Labyrinth
Personality
Films that define the essence of an individual person, or which describe the motivations that form a unique character.
1949 – A Letter to Three Wives
1952 – 5 Fingers
1957 – Wild Strawberries
1964 – Marnie
1966 – Persona
1975 – The Passenger
1982 – Blade Runner
Politics
Films about ideology and the wielding or competition for governmental power. See also Nationhood.
1938 – The Lady Vanishes
1939 – Idiot’s Delight
1941 – The Sea Wolf
1941 – The Assassination of Père Noël
1943 – Goupi Mains Rouges
1943 – The Hand of the Devil
1943 – Lumière d’été
1950 – Born Yesterday
1955 – Pather Panchali
1958 – The Music Room
1959 – Fever Mounts at El Pao
1966 – The Battle of Algiers
1966 – Made in U.S.A
1971 – A Clockwork Orange
1987 – Where Is My Friend’s Home?
1989 – The Cook the Thief His Wife and Her Lover
2001 – Hannibal
2005 – Caché
2016 – Arrival
Pride
Films that specifically analyze or describe the effects of inflated self-worth, including vanity. See also Arrogance.
1941 – The Sea Wolf
1941 – Ladies in Retirement
1950 – Sunset Boulevard
1958 – The Music Room
1962 – Cléo from 5 to 7
1965 – Simón of the Desert
1966 – Andrei Rublev
1968 – 2001: A Space Odyssey
1970 – La rupture
2006 – Pan’s Labyrinth
2011 – The Day He Arrives
Racism
Films that expose, analyze, or describe attitudes and judgments based on racial differences.
1942 – Holiday Inn
1943 – I Walked with a Zombie
1946 – A Matter of Life and Death
1962 – L’eclisse
1966 – Black Girl
1970 – Zabriskie Point
1971 – Whity
1980 – The Shining
2000 – Dancer in the Dark
2003 – Dogville
2005 – Caché
2017 – Get Out
Realism & Artifice
Films that raise questions about the validity of depicting the real world, either unfiltered or filtered through unreality. See also Art and Cinema.
1920 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1949 – Such a Pretty Little Beach
1960 – Plein soleil
1964 – Red Desert
1998 – The Truman Show
2022 – No Bears
Religion
Films that promote, critique, or transform ideas taken from systems of religious belief.
1930 – Earth
1951 – Diary of a Country Priest
1953 – Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday
1955 – Ordet
1955 – Pather Panchali
1956 – A Man Escaped
1960 – Devi
1963 – Winter Light
1965 – Simón of the Desert
1965 – I Knew Her Well
1966 – Au hasard Balthazar
1966 – Andrei Rublev
1983 – L’argent
1983 – Nostalghia
1986 – The Sacrifice
1996 – Breaking the Waves
Romanticism
Films about the idealization of life or of human relationships. Most of these are critiques of the impulses that motivate romantic ideas.
1932 – Vampyr
1945 – Brief Encounter
1947 – The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
1950 – Orphée
1961 – Last Year at Marienbad
1964 – Charulata
1964 – Gertrud
1993 – Antareen
Self-Deception
Films about the mind’s power or tendency to construct a false reality. See also Fantasy.
1920 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1932 – Red-Headed Woman
1945 – Brief Encounter
1950 – Sunset Boulevard
1953 – Ugetsu monogatari
1958 – Cairo Station
1958 – The Music Room
1960 – Plein soleil
1961 – Last Year at Marienbad
1970 – La rupture
1983 – The Moon in the Gutter
2001 – Mulholland Drive
2005 – Caché
2011 – The Day He Arrives
2013 – Enemy
Sexual Orientation
Films about people’s orientation toward their preferred erotic objects, or in which this orientation is a major source of ambiguity. The topic includes homosexuality, heterosexuality, bisexuality, queer sexuality, and asexuality, as well as expressions of particular sexuality through culture. Films are listed here only when sexuality is a major issue that contributes to understanding the film, not when it’s presented matter-of-factly.
1920 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1945 – Brief Encounter
1994 – The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Sociopathy & Psychopathy
Films about individual and societal response to individuals with an innate lack of empathy or an inability to sympathize with others. See also Empathy.
1940 – Rebecca
1941 – The Sea Wolf
1950 – All About Eve
1971 – A Clockwork Orange
1986 – Blue Velvet
2001 – Hannibal
2013 – The Counselor
Time & Eternity
Films about a particular view of time, or which contrast different aspects of time (e.g. linear, cyclical, eternal). See also Modernity & Tradition.
1927 – Sunrise
1932 – I Was Born, But…
1936 – Modern Times
1942 – Holiday Inn
1942 – Casablanca
1943 – Goupi Mains Rouges
1945 – Dead of Night
1949 – Late Spring
1950 – Sunset Boulevard
1951 – Early Summer
1952 – The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice
1953 – Ugetsu monogatari
1953 – Tokyo Story
1957 – Wild Strawberries
1958 – The Eighth Day of the Week
1959 – Night Train
1959 – Floating Weeds
1960 – Les bonnes femmes
1961 – La notte
1961 – The End of Summer
1962 – Cléo from 5 to 7
1964 – Gertrud
1966 – Time Walks Through the City
1970 – La rupture
1972 – Cries and Whispers
1988 – Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
1993 – Antareen
2006 – Pan’s Labyrinth
2007 – In the City of Sylvia
2016 – Arrival
Truth
Films that take a philosophical approach to the accurate perception of reality, or in which characters are defined by their relation to the truth.
1939 – Idiot’s Delight
1946 – The Big Sleep
1953 – Roman Holiday
1955 – Death of a Cyclist
1958 – Le beau Serge
1961 – A Woman Is a Woman
1962 – Cléo from 5 to 7
1972 – Solaris
Vision
Films about the act of apprehending reality, usually promoting an intense or hyper-aware view of the world.
1931 – City Lights
1941 – The Maltese Falcon
1947 – Black Narcissus
1959 – Hiroshima mon amour
1960 – L’avventura
1961 – La notte
1962 – L’eclisse
1964 – Red Desert
1965 – Pierrot le fou
1966 – Blow-Up
1967 – 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
1969 – The Structure of Crystal
1970 – Zabriskie Point
1972 – Nathalie Granger
1974 – Chinatown
1975 – The Passenger
1975 – India Song
1977 – Baxter, Véra Baxter
2000 – Dancer in the Dark
2017 – Get Out
War
Films that express thoughts about armed conflict. Some of these analyze the impulses that lead to war; others offer warnings or advice on preparing for war or living through wartime; and others are meant to promote healing or introspection after (or even during) a war. Not all of these are set on battlefields, and several films with battle scenes are not included.
1939 – Idiot’s Delight
1941 – Ornamental Hairpin
1942 – Holiday Inn
1942 – Casablanca
1945 – Dead of Night
1946 – A Matter of Life and Death
1946 – Green for Danger
1953 – Ugetsu monogatari
1956 – The Burmese Harp
1959 – Hiroshima mon amour
1959 – Fires on the Plain
1963 – Les carabiniers
1966 – The Battle of Algiers
1986 – The Sacrifice
1987 – Full Metal Jacket
2006 – Dry Season
2016 – Arrival
Wonder
Films that promote or express or describe an attitude of conscious but self-effacing immersion in the world and marveling at the nature of reality beyond the confines of the self.
1939 – Idiot’s Delight
1953 – Tokyo Story
1955 – Pather Panchali
1960 – L’avventura
1961 – La notte
1962 – L’eclisse
1964 – Red Desert
1965 – Pierrot le fou
1966 – Blow-Up
1967 – 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
1968 – 2001: A Space Odyssey
1969 – The Structure of Crystal
1970 – Zabriskie Point
1970 – The Man Who Left His Will on Film
1972 – Solaris
1972 – Nathalie Granger
1975 – The Passenger
1975 – India Song
1977 – Baxter, Véra Baxter
1979 – Stalker
1982 – Blade Runner
2007 – In the City of Sylvia