From ballerinas and actors to business moguls and jazz musicians, everyone has an Achilles’ heel. In mythology, it is the vulnerable tendon that destroys the invulnerable body. In cinema, it is the constant search for more. A hunger that turns into a strong belief, which becomes an obsession that destroys the protagonist from within. This article explores a list of twelve films where characters, across decades and genres, obsess over ambition, perfection, truth, and jealousy, leading them to greatness or ruin.

Black Swan - Dir. Darren Aronofsky - Horror/Drama - 2010 The story of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), the Swan Queen, a ballerina in a New York City ballet, whose complete devotion to her profession and perfection over her craft turns into self-annihilation. As the ballet company’s artistic director, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), replaces his prima ballerina for the opening production of “Swan Lake,” with Nina as his first choice. On the verge of stardom, her obsession with a flawless performance pushes her to the limit as her reality begins to slip.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu - Comedy/Drama - 2014 How do you stay relevant when the world is moving faster than you can imagine? How do you break away from being a “has been”? Birdman tells the story of former superhero cinema superstar Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) as he attempts to revive his fading career through playwriting, directing, and starring in an ambitious Broadway production. As the opening night approaches, he not only has to deal with his pursuit for artistic relevance, validation, and legacy, but also a newly hired noncompliant actor (Edward Norton), his carefree whiny daughter (Emma Stone), and his tenuous relationships with his girlfriend (Andrea Riseborough) and ex-wife (Amy Ryan). His devotion to his craft turns him into a more altruistic man and brings the worst of his personal psychological troubles to surface.

Soul - Dir. Pete Docter - Family/Fantasy - 2020 Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is a middle school band teacher whose love for jazz has not gotten him as far in life as he expected when he was a child. His flaw is his idealized belief that purpose equals worth. After a successful audition that would land him a role at one of New York’s greatest Jazz Clubs, he passes away after an accident, separating his soul from his body. In his journey through the afterlife, he learns what he missed the most in life by pursuing his ideals, such as the small joys of living, the relationships he holds with others, and the beauty in everyday experiences.

The Red Shoes - Dir. Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell - Romance/Musical - 1948 A classic drama from the 1940s by Powell and Pressburger tells the story of Vicky Page (Moira Shearer), a young aspiring ballet dancer torn between her dedication to her dance and the man she loves. Unable to reconcile both, her ideal of balancing her desires carries serious consequences.

There Will Be Blood - Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson - Thriller/Drama - 2007 The tale of ruthless silver miner Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his pursuit of oil. After hearing about an oil deposit in a little town in 1920s California, he projects a trustworthy image of himself and his son, H.W. Plainview (Dillon Freasier) as a self-made family man. His pursuit of becoming an oil tycoon masks his deep insecurity, misanthropy, and moral bankruptcy.

Ed Wood - Dir. Tim Burton - Comedy/Drama - 1994 Director and Hollywood outcast Ed Wood (Johnny Depp) tries to fulfill his dreams despite being “the worst director of all time.” He has a desperate need to make films and be seen as a great auteur, but his blind optimism (shared by the band of misfits surrounding him) and lack of talent overshadow his dreams.

Being John Malkovich - Dir. Spike Jonze - Comedy/Fantasy - 1999 Failed puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is stuck in a dead-end job and loveless marriage with his wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz). One day at work, he discovers a portal that leads directly and literally to the head of actor John Malkovich. What was a fun experience at first soon becomes an addiction. His need and obsession to escape his own mediocrity and become someone more successful, talented, and admired makes him abandon his moral boundaries and lose his sense of self.

Certified Copy - Dir. Abbas Kiarostami - Romance/Drama - 2010 While in Tuscany to promote his book, middle-aged English writer James Miller (William Shimell) meets French art dealer Elle (Juliette Binoche). During their time together, they become caught in an existential performance. Are they strangers, or long-married couples pretending to be strangers? Or are they strangers slipping into the roles of lovers? Their vulnerability stems from a desperate attachment to their roles, a craving for certainty and sincerity in a world full of copies – of art, relationships, and identity – and a tendency to avoid pain by performing intimacy.

Burning - Dir. Lee Chang-dong - Mystery/Thriller - 2018 Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in) is a delivery man floating through life with little agency and concern. He is underemployed, emotionally disconnected, and unsure of his place in the world. One day, he runs into Hae-mi (Jun Jong-seo), who used to live in his neighborhood. After her trip to Africa, she introduces Jong-su to Ben (Steven Yeun). Jong-su uses Ben to project meaning onto everything: Ben’s smile, his silence, his wealth. Jong-su also becomes obsessed with Haemi’s disappearance, not just out of love but from a growing need to assert himself to matter. His downfall is driven by class envy, jealousy, and projection.

Eyes Wide Shut - Dir. Stanley Kubrick - Mystery/Thriller - 1999 After Manhattan doctor Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) hears his wife’s admission of unfulfilled longing for another man, his fragile sense of masculinity is punctured and confronted by fantasy and powerlessness. He embarks on a night-long surreal odyssey through the city, filled with temptation, ritual, danger, and a need to reassert dominance. His flaws lie in his naïve understanding of the elite power structures he brushes against and his pursuit of meaning and consequence in the blurred space between dream and reality.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder - Romance/Drama - 1974 Made as an homage to Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows, Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul tells the tale of Emmi Kurowski (Brigitte Mira), a lonely old German cleaning lady, and Ali (El Hedi ben Salem), a young Moroccan immigrant worker. The two fall in love and get married spontaneously, trapping their relationship in the critical gaze of their neighbors. Their relationship soon becomes tested not by societal racism and ageism but by how deeply those forces shape their behaviors. As they start to internalize the gaze and the judgment of others, their need for social acceptance erodes genuine love.

The Conformist - Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci - Thriller/Drama - 1970 Bertolucci’s dazzling creation is perhaps one of the most important films of our time. Marcello Clerici (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is a weak-willed Italian man desperate to blend in socially, politically, and sexually. His moral cowardice - disguised as sophistication - prompts him to join Mussolini’s fascist regime not out of belief but out of a desire to belong and be considered normal.