The Pervert's Guide to Ideology

"We are responsible for our dreams"

2012 2h 11m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 157

Documentary

Synopsis

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A journey into the labyrinthine heart of ideology, which shapes and justifies both collective and personal beliefs and practices: with an infectious zeal and voracious appetite for popular culture, Slovenian philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek analyzes several of the most important films in the history of cinema to explain how cinematic narrative helps to reinforce prevailing ethics and political ideas.

“We are responsible for our dreams”

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Cast

Slavoj Žižek
Self - Host / Philosopher

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sophie Fiennes
Writers: Slavoj Žižek
Languages: Arabic, Czech, English, German, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish
Countries: Ireland, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 7 languages: Arabic, Czech, English, German, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Pervert's Guide Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sophie Fiennes, shot by Remko Schnorr. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Magnus Fiennes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sophie Fiennes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "We are responsible for our dreams".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sophie Fiennes directs. Remko Schnorr behind the camera. Magnus Fiennes scores. Sophie Fiennes cuts. Produced in Ireland, United Kingdom. Dialogue in Arabic, Czech, English, German, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 14 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 7 languages: Arabic, Czech, English, German, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish.
3International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom.
4Part of the "The Pervert's Guide Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Sophie Fiennes, shot by Remko Schnorr. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Magnus Fiennes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Sophie Fiennes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Marketing tagline: "We are responsible for our dreams".
9IMDB entry: tt2152198 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "cinema on cinema", "philosophy", "pop culture", "psychoanalysis".

The technical file

Cinematography: Remko Schnorr
Original score: Magnus Fiennes
Editing: Sophie Fiennes
Production design: Lucy van Lonkhuyzen
Makeup / hair: Gill Brenann
Sound: Steve Fanagan
Runtime: 131 min · 2h 11m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (2012)

Part of

The Pervert's Guide Collection

Slovenian philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek analyzes several of the most important films in the history of cinema to explain how cinematic narrative can help to understand the complicated human psyche — personal subjectivity, fantasy and reality, desire and sexuality — but also to reinforce prevailing ethics and political ideas.

Also by

Sophie Fiennes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

deepkino2025-09-18
★ 7/10
Once again collaborating with Sophie Fiennes, "The Pervert's Guide to Ideology" is a follow-up to the documentary "The Pervert's Guide to Cinema." Despite being a continuation, the program is equally, if not more, impactful due to its relentless bombardment of ideas. In it, Zizek combines the terminology of psychoanalysis with cinematic works—some less popular, others widely recognized—to dissect ideology and its illusions. Ultimately, this documentary-film feels as if it has been transformed into a series of witticisms straight from Zizek's own mind.

Production companies