THEME EXPLORATION

obsession with literary success

12 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
The Smashing Machine
The Smashing Machine
2026 · Benny Safdie
Rich and Famous
Rich and Famous
1981 · George Cukor
Capote
Capote
2005 · Bennett Miller
The Last Tycoon
The Last Tycoon
1976 · Elia Kazan
Enid
Enid
2009 · James Hawes
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
1933 · Fritz Lang
Audition
Audition
1999 · Takashi Miike
Great Expectations
Great Expectations
1946 · David Lean
Dillinger Is Dead
Dillinger Is Dead
1969 · Marco Ferreri
Memento
Memento
2000 · Christopher Nolan
Senso
Senso
1954 · Luchino Visconti
Querelle
Querelle
1982 · Rainer Werner Fassbinder
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Billy Wilder Austria-USA

Explored the corrupting nature of ambition and success in Hollywood through films like Sunset Boulevard, examining how obsession destroys artists.

 François Truffaut France

Day for Night and The 400 Blows deeply examine the obsessive passion of creators and their struggle between art and personal life.

 Darren Aronofsky USA

The Wrestler and Black Swan depict protagonists consumed by obsessive quests for artistic perfection and recognition at the cost of their sanity.