Guillermo Del Toro, James Mangold, and More Reveal the Images That Inspire Them

On Sunday night, Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) posed a question to his directing peers on Twitter: What images inspire you? Tagging such distinguished names as Guillermo Del Toro and Rian Johnson, his thread swiftly took off, with filmmakers sharing the visuals from film and other mediums that have stayed with them—and, even better, sharing thoughts on exactly why. Among the works cited: Gravity, James and the Giant Peach, and Salvador Dalí’s Lobster Telephone. Below is a sampling of the thread.

Del Toro also chimed in with some personal thoughts on his relationship to images in film and beyond, unpacking his motivations in alternately sad and beautiful fashion.