Terry Gilliam and David Cronenberg come from distinctly different conceptual backgrounds, essentially a cartoonist/satiric artist and a philosopher/writer, a "picture" guy and a "word" guy. Both come out of a mindset of the modernist/existentialist worldview but make their artwork in an ironic/postmodern world -- the filmmakers both consider the lack of meaning in the world and the powerlessness of the individual. Gilliam thinks of identity in terms of imagination; Cronenberg thinks in terms of the body's effect on the mind. The films of these artists will also be considered through their exploration of the role of the artist and the individual, the nature and forms of reality, and some psychological considerations of human identity.