An optically variable element having an areal motif region having a first motif that includes multiple substructures that extend across the entire first motif and that each comprise alternatingly arranged light and dark sub-regions, each substructure being visible, when a first viewing angle (α x) lying in a first plane is varied relative to a specified illumination direction, only at exactly one of the first viewing angles (α x), and all first viewing angles (α x) being different, such that, depending on the first viewing angle (α x), the first motif is perceptible with only the corresponding substructure, the light sub-regions being arranged with a spatial frequency between 0.5/mm and 5/mm, the areal motif region comprising directionally reflective elements, the directionally reflective elements reflecting incident light in a solid angle corresponding to the first viewing angle (α x), the light sub-regions of each substructure being perceptible due to directional reflection of the corresponding directionally reflective elements, the areal motif region comprising at least one second motif that includes multiple substructures that extend across the entire second motif and that each comprise alternatingly arranged light and dark sub-regions, each substructure of the at least one second motif being visible, when the first viewing angle (α x) is varied, only at exactly one of the first viewing angles (α x) and all first viewing angles (α x) of the substructures of the at least one second motif being different, each motif being visible, when a second viewing angle (α y) lying in a second plane is varied relative to the illumination direction, only at exactly one of the second viewing angles (α y), and all second viewing angles (α y) being different, such that, depending on the first and second viewing angle (α x, α y), the corresponding motif is perceptible with only the corresponding substructure, and the first and the at least one second motif (4, 10) presenting, when the second viewing angle (α y) is changed, a cinematic effect. an areal motif region having a first motif that includes multiple substructures that extend across the entire first motif and that each comprise alternatingly arranged light and dark sub-regions, each substructure being visible, when a first viewing angle (α x) lying in a first plane is varied relative to a specified illumination direction, only at exactly one of the first viewing angles (α x), and all first viewing angles (α x) being different, such that, depending on the first viewing angle (α x), the first motif is perceptible with only the corresponding substructure, the light sub-regions being arranged with a spatial frequency between 0.5/mm and 5/mm, the areal motif region comprising directionally reflective elements, the directionally reflective elements reflecting incident light in a solid angle corresponding to the first viewing angle (α x), the light sub-regions of each substructure being perceptible due to directional reflection of the corresponding directionally reflective elements, the areal motif region comprising at least one second motif that includes multiple substructures that extend across the entire second motif and that each comprise alternatingly arranged light and dark sub-regions, each substructure of the at least one second motif being visible, when the first viewing angle (α x) is varied, only at exactly one of the first viewing angles (α x) and all first viewing angles (α x) of the substructures of the at least one second motif being different, each motif being visible, when a second viewing angle (α y) lying in a second plane is varied relative to the illumination direction, only at exactly one of the second viewing angles (α y), and all second viewing angles (α y) being different, such that, depending on the first and second viewing angle (α x, α y), the corresponding motif is perceptible with only the corresponding substructure, and the first and the at least one second motif (4, 10) presenting, when the second viewing angle (α y) is changed, a cinematic effect.