You are trapped in a dark cave, chained up and forced to look forward onto a wall in front of you, and you have been in this position since your birth. On this wall, you see shadows of figures and objects illuminated by a fire positioned behind you. Sound familiar? One of the oldest thought experiments in philosophy's history, Plato's allegory of the cave serves as a vehicle to help his audience imagine a world or reality outside the one they know.
Nearly all philosophy is indebted to Plato in one way or another, so unsurprisingly many films allude to him and to his cave allegory in particular. In what is to follow, I list 10 great films that feature Platonic cave allegories. I limit this list to one film per director, though many of these directors have several great platonic films. What films would you add to this list?
