A collection of films that inspired me, with stills and a link to watch each one. These were chosen more for their visual language than plot and tend towards being more atmospheric in approach. I’ve included some interesting details about the cinematography and filming process for each one. Hope you enjoy :)

Paris, Texas (1984) - Wim Wenders

Paris, Texas is a melancholy neo-Western with lurid Americana charm. The film follows Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton) as he wanders through dusty, desolate stretches of West Texas. The muted landscapes are sharply contrasted with the neon road-side motels and bright colors worn by the characters, creating a visual tension that’s both surreal and unmistakably American.

Filmed largely in Fort Stockton and Marathon in the Trans-Pecos region, the movie captures the Southwest in a way that feels like a vivid memory. Cinematographer Robby Müller shot the film on Arriflex 35 BL3 cameras with Zeiss Super Speed lenses on 35mm film in a spherical format. Fun fact: Ry Cooder, who composed the soundtrack, revealed that they recorded the desert’s natural sounds and, after discovering the wind was in the key of E, tuned the instruments to match the landscape.

At its heart, Paris, Texas is a story of lost love and reconnection, told through some of the most striking visuals in modern American cinema.

To watch Paris, Texas, click here.

La Haine (1995) - Mathieu Kassovitz

La Haine is a politically charged film following three friends from the projects outside of Paris as they face violent encounters with the police. The cast features a mix of professional actors, including leads Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, and Saïd Taghmaoui, along with real kids from the low-income banlieue districts, all set against the fiery backdrop of the French riots.

The compositions are well thought out, but stills don’t fully capture the grit and energy of the film. The camera is constantly moving and tracking the characters, and DP Pierre Aïm contributed several technically impressive maneuvers, including an iconic reverse dolly zoom and one of the first drone shots captured with a Flying-Cam. It was originally shot on 35mm color Kodak film using Arriflex cameras and lenses, but was converted to black and white before release to give it a timeless, documentary feel.

To watch La Haine, click here.

Enter The Void (2009) - Gaspar Noé

Warning: Light-sensitive viewers may want to avoid this film, as there are rapidly flashing lights throughout.

Enter the Void is a disorienting visual trip through the seedy underworld of Tokyo. Told through the eyes of two troubled siblings bound by shared trauma, Oscar (Nathaniel Brown) and his sister Linda (Paz de la Huerta), the story launches viewers on a psychedelic rollercoaster.

The film opens with a reference to The Tibetan Book of the Dead, hinting at its deeper themes of impermanence and the cyclical nature of life. These ideas are echoed visually through disembodied camera movement and looping sequences that mimic death and rebirth.

Director Gaspar Noé operated the camera himself for most of the film, capturing Oscar’s perspective in a way that visually conveys shifting states of consciousness. The movie was shot on both Super 16 and Super 35 formats using Kodak Vision3 film stock, with a combination of Aaton XTR Prod and Arricam LT cameras.

Noé pushes cinematic boundaries with inventive camera work and creative visual effects, making the film worth watching for its formal experimentation alone. He uses sensory overload to create a visceral experience, often lingering on graphic and traumatic scenes well past the point of comfort. But if you can sit with the intensity, Enter the Void becomes strangely beautiful; a haunting exploration of the human experience.

To watch Enter the Void, click here.

Parthenope (2024) - Paolo Sorrentino

Parthenope is a surreal Italian drama named after the mythological siren whose story is tied to the city of Naples. In mythology, Parthenope was said to have thrown herself into the sea after failing to seduce Odysseus, and her body washed ashore where Naples now stands. The film takes this myth as a symbolic backdrop, following a woman named Parthenope (Celeste Dalla Porta) who spends her entire life in the city. Her story unfolds more as a series of impressions than a traditional narrative, layering moods and memories into a portrait of life shaped by currents of desire.

A recurring visual theme in the film is water, reinforcing the siren metaphor. It appears not only in the landscape but also in smaller, more intimate details: beads of sweat on the characters’ faces or glowing droplets on Parthenope as she emerges from an ocean swim. She moves through life at a languid pace, and the film itself feels dreamlike, often using slow motion to heighten the sense of headiness.

The compositions are intentional and often symmetrical, with dramatic wide shots of the waterfront and crumbling architecture. The use of color and texture is especially striking. Each character’s home has a distinct palette and mood, with peeling walls and billowing curtains adding to the atmosphere. The film begins with a sense of innocence and natural earthiness, but as it goes on Parthenope encounters an increasingly freakish cast of characters. Cinematographer Daria D’Antonio shot the film on an ARRI ALEXA 35 with ARRI Signature Prime and Signature Zoom lenses.

Interestingly, the wardrobe was designed by Anthony Vaccarello, creative director of Saint Laurent, as part of YSL’s new art cinema production company. The clothing worn by the characters are art pieces in themselves, often becoming focal points within the scenes.

To watch Parthenope, click here.

The Virgin Suicides (1999) - Sofia Coppola

The Virgin Suicides is another languid, atmospheric film about five teenage girls growing up in suburbia under the weight of suffocating religious repression at home. Set in 1970s Michigan, it follows the lives of the Lisbon sisters through the distant perspective of neighborhood boys who remain haunted by their story. This film is a cult classic, marking Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut and featuring Kirsten Dunst in one of her earliest and most memorable roles as Lux Lisbon.

The cinematography is subtle, yet rich with detail. The production design reflects Coppola’s fondness for complex mise-en-scène, filled with religious iconography and objects tied to teenage girlhood. This attention to detail extends to the performances—awkward dialogue and lingering glances accurately capture the naive gestures of adolescence. Cinematographer Ed Lachman created two distinct visual worlds: magentas and blues for the girls trapped inside their home and warmer tones for the boys observing from the outside. The film was shot primarily on 35mm Kodak Vision 320T 5277 stock with a spherical format, adding to its natural and timeless quality.

To watch The Virgin Suicides, click here.

Masculin Fémenin (1966) - Jean-Luc Godard

Masculin Féminin is a classic work of French New Wave cinema, unfolding in 15 loosely connected vignettes. The story centers on Paul (Jean-Pierre Léaud), a young idealist recently out of military service, and Madeleine (Chantal Goya), an aspiring pop singer. Their romantic relationship is at the core of the film, but it drifts in and out of focus as Godard explores the broader dynamics between men and women in 1960s France.

What makes this film so compelling is how natural it feels. There is an honesty in the performances and dialogue that still resonates today. The characters' body language and interactions feel organic and nuanced, as if we are watching real people rather than actors playing roles. Goya was a French pop star with no prior acting experience, which adds to the film’s authenticity. Godard also avoided using a traditional script, relying instead on handwritten notes and sketches he often prepared the night before filming.

Cinematographer Willy Kurant shot hand-held on 35mm Kodak 4X film using a Mitchell camera, pushing the 400 ASA stock to create striking high-contrast black-and-white images. Godard instructed him “not to frame too well,” so while the compositions are pleasing, nothing feels overly staged or artificial.

To watch Masculin Féminin, click here.

This Mubi interview with cinematographer Willy Kurant explains the filming process in depth.

Apocalypse Now (1979) - Francis Ford Coppola

Apocalypse Now follows a river journey from Vietnam into Cambodia undertaken by Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), who is on a secret mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a Special Forces officer accused of murder. The cast also includes Laurence Fishburne, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, and Harrison Ford, and the soundtrack is filled with late ‘60s rock classics that perfectly capture the era.

This is one of the first movies I ever considered a favorite. The jungle scenery and hazy atmosphere draw you in like a fever dream. I first saw it as a teenager, before I knew anything about photography or filmmaking, but I remember feeling mesmerized by the double exposure of palm trees and explosions at the beginning of the film.

The cinematography was done by Vittorio Storaro, a legendary Italian cinematographer who made his American film debut with Apocalypse Now and won his first Academy Award for it. Storaro’s main photographic concept for the film was about one culture superimposing itself on another, reflected in his use of deep blacks, often created with harsh lighting. He also conveyed the conflict of cultures by creating visual tension between artificial and natural light. The film was primarily shot on a combination of Arriflex 35 BL and 35-IIC cameras with anamorphic lenses, using 35mm Eastman 100T 5247 film, while newsreel scenes were captured on Arriflex 16 ST with 16mm film.

I am still deeply impressed by the visual elements in the movie and often find myself gravitating toward some of the same components in my own work, such as surreal lighting and a sense of drifting through chaos.

To watch Apocalypse Now, click here.

If you’re interested in how the film was made, the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse chronicles all of the chaos that occurred behind the scenes.

I also enjoyed reading this interview with Vittorio Storaro, published by the American Society of Cinematographers.

Knight of Cups (2015) - Terrence Malick

Knight of Cups is an atmospheric, stream-of-consciousness meditation on the meaning of life. The title refers to a tarot card that signifies a romantic adventurer guided by emotions, mirroring the main character, Rick (Christian Bale), a hedonistic screenwriter drifting through Los Angeles. The film is structured as a series of chapters featuring Rick at different phases of his life, searching for meaning through romantic connections with a multitude of women. Some of his lovers are played by other all-star actors, including Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki used super wide-angle lenses with deep focus to create a distinctive view of Los Angeles. Arri and Panavision cameras captured the film on 35mm and 65mm stock, while GoPro and Red cameras were used for some digital sequences. Lubezki is renowned for his signature style of shooting with very wide-angle lenses, often between 12mm and 21mm, which allows him to capture both the subject and their environment in a single unbroken shot, enhancing the sense of immersion.

The narrative unfolds through fragmented scenes and often relies on voice-over rather than traditional dialogue. Although a script was written, Bale never received any pages, and other actors only got snippets of internal monologue for each shooting day. Malick’s process included throwing new characters into scenes without telling the other actors in advance and recording voiceovers in unconventional places like vans or roadsides to add dimension to the audio.

To watch Knight of Cups, click here.

Saltburn (2023) - Emerald Fennell

Saltburn is a vivid portrait of obsession and privilege, with a colorful, immersive palette and bold cinematic elements. It follows Oxford student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), who becomes obsessed with wealthy and popular classmate Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). The cinematography beautifully captures the opulence of Felix’s lavish country estate and the moral depravity of its inhabitants.

Cinematographer Linus Sandgren shot the film on 35mm Kodak Vision3 film (50D, 200T, and 500T) using Arriflex and Panavision cameras. The production used a 1.37:1 aspect ratio to create compositions that feel like paintings, enhancing the intimacy of close shots and the voyeuristic perspective on the characters.

The film draws inspiration from Caravaggio’s intense realism and Peter Greenaway’s visual style, balancing formal framings with a modern visual language. Saltburn turns classical gothic and vampire influences on their head, incorporating inventive lighting techniques while pushing the story into darker, more provocative territory.

To watch Saltburn, click here.

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Visually Inspiring Movies