There is a sharp divide between the comfortable life at the tops of massive skyscrapers and the world of those who keep the dark machinery turning beneath the ground. This German Expressionist classic by Fritz Lang brings to the silver screen people struggling to breathe in the shadow of massive machines and a class-based social structure. The tension between the exploited workers in the underground tunnels and the city’s rulers heralds an impending social explosion. Embracing the darkest tones of science fiction aesthetics, this dystopia lays bare—in a cold and detached tone—the wounds inflicted on the human spirit by an increasingly mechanized world.

7 wins & 6 nominations total