creative crisis

16 movies and shows

8½

Thu, 14 Feb 1963

Guido Anselmi, a film director, finds himself creatively barren at the peak of his career. Urged by his doctors to rest, Anselmi heads for a luxurious resort, but a sorry group gathers—his producer, staff, actors, wife, mistress, and relatives—each one begging him to get on with the show. In retreat from their dependency, he fantasizes about past women and dreams of his childhood.

Knight of Cups

Thu, 10 Sep 2015

Rick is a screenwriter living in Los Angeles. While successful in his career, his life feels empty. Haunted and confused, he finds temporary solace in the decadent Hollywood excess that defines his existence. Women provide a distraction to his daily pain, and every encounter brings him closer to finding his place in the world.

Nine

Thu, 03 Dec 2009

Arrogant, self-centered movie director Guido Contini finds himself struggling to find meaning, purpose, and a script for his latest film endeavor. With only a week left before shooting begins, he desperately searches for answers and inspiration from his wife, his mistress, his muse, and his mother.

Pain and Glory

Fri, 22 Mar 2019

Salvador Mallo, a filmmaker in the twilight of his career, remembers his life: his mother, his lovers, the actors he worked with. The sixties in a small village in Valencia, the eighties in Madrid, the present, when he feels an immeasurable emptiness, facing his mortality, the incapability of continuing filming, the impossibility of separating creation from his own life. The need of narrating his past can be his salvation.

Based on a True Story

Wed, 01 Nov 2017

Delphine is the author of an autobiographical novel that has become a bestseller. Exhausted by the promotional tour, just when she feels out of place, paralyzed by the idea of having to start writing again, she meets Elle, a young, attractive, intelligent, intuitive woman who seems to understand her better than anyone.

Hollywood Ending

Fri, 03 May 2002

Woody Allen stars as Val Waxman, a two-time Oscar winner turned washed-up, neurotic director in desperate need of a comeback. When it comes, Waxman finds himself backed into a corner: Work for his ex-wife Ellie or forfeit his last shot. Is Val blinded by love when he opts for the reconnect? Is love blind when it comes to Ellie's staunch support? Literally and figuratively, the proof is the picture.

Alex in Wonderland

Tue, 22 Dec 1970

Bohemian Alex Morrison has just finished directing his first feature length movie. In its previews, the movie is considered a critical, artistic and surefire commercial success. As such, Alex seemingly has his choice of what his next project will be. As he makes the rounds both in the Hollywood community and European movie centers for ideas, he fantasizes about movie scenarios of those everyday situations he is in.

Quartzo

Mon, 01 May 2023

Ariel is a painter who finds herself stuck in a creative slump that threatens her sanity. Meanwhile, her ego takes the shape of an Astronaut, looking for something that might awaken her from this creative and psychological state

8 Things

Fri, 28 Jan 2022

8 things that you don't know about men. Years after “happily ever after,” five old friends grapple with new midlife crises: Ricky’s in a creative slump, Jarosław battles panic attacks, Filip’s risking it all on the stock market, Stefan struggles with his temper, and Kordian mourns a broken heart, while only Tomasz still fearlessly chases his dreams, landing him in fresh trouble. When their worlds collide again alongside returning partners Basia and Zosia, and a mysterious newcomer, Pestka—they’re swept into chaotic adventures that test the strength of their bond and remind them what true friendship means.

Looking away

Invalid Date

Colin is a painting student in Italy, introverted and suffering from a void in his life. He no longer paints. One weekend, he decides to return to France to spend a day with his friends whom he has not seen for a long time. But this little party will not go as hoped. The gap that has grown between him and them continues to widen, to the point where continuing to look away is no longer possible.

Schism

Tue, 01 Feb 2022

Génesis

Sun, 01 Jun 2025

In an inner world suspended between oblivion and creation, a female figure moves through a dreamlike space where forgotten ideas take shape. Genesis is an experimental piece that explores the journey toward the origin of an idea — of oneself.

Scenārija terapija

Thu, 21 Nov 2024

Aspiring screenwriter Annie confronts her fears, doubts, and creative blocks, which stand in the way of her goal. It’s a compelling story for anyone who has faced anxiety and struggles with themselves, especially those in creative professions who balance inspiration and burnout on a daily basis.