bleak backdrop

Movies with bleak vibe

Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends

1051. Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends

Action Adventure Fantasy Martial Arts Action Adventure Epic
7.5

20142h 15min

Japan

Director: Keishi Otomo

Shishio sets sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the government. In order to stop him, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Political upheaval, Mentor training, Duty versus survival, Will to live, End of an era

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Drop

1052. The Drop

Drama Crime Organized Crime
7.0

20141h 46min

United States, United Kingdom

Director: Michaël R. Roskam

Bob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost.

Themes

Moral ambiguity, Crime under pressure, Trust and betrayal, Economic coercion, Neighborhood loyalty, Deadly consequences

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Tribe

1053. The Tribe

Drama Crime Organized Crime Coming-of-Age Drama
7.0

20142h 12min

Ukraine

Director: Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi

Deaf-mute Sergey enters a specialized boarding school for the deaf. In navigating through the school's hierarchy, he encounters a corrupt underbelly of criminality, known as The Tribe. By participating in several robberies, he gets propelled higher into the organization, when he meets one of the Chief’s concubines Anya, and unwittingly breaks all the unwritten rules of the group."

Themes

Adolescence under pressure, Power and coercion, Gang hierarchy dynamics, Violence in youth, Exploitation and prostitution, Misfit isolation

Available on

Google Play Movies
YouTube
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Good Lie

1054. The Good Lie

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.4

20141h 50min

India, Kenya

Director: Philippe Falardeau

A young refugee of the Sudanese Civil War who wins a lottery for relocation to the United States with three other lost boys. Encountering the modern world for the first time, they develop an unlikely friendship with a brash American woman assigned to help them, but the young man struggles to adjust to this new life and his feelings of guilt about the brother he left behind.

Themes

Displacement and adaptation, Employment and housing pressures, Relocation to western nation, Sibling solidarity under hardship, Deception in aid, Refugee system dynamics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Maze Runner

1055. The Maze Runner

Action Mystery Science Fiction Thriller Dystopian Sci-Fi
6.8

20141h 53min

United States, United Kingdom

Director: Wes Ball

One day, a young boy named Thomas wakes up among a group of other teenagers who have learned to survive in an enclosed space. He remembers nothing except his name. The teens have been living like this for years and are trying to find a way out of the maze that surrounds them.

Themes

Memory loss under pressure, Survival through cooperation, Group dynamics under stress, Authority versus rebellion, Isolation within confinement, Manipulation through experimentation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Peacock Premium
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Magical Girl

1056. Magical Girl

Drama Thriller Family Drama Domestic Thriller
7.2

20142h 7min

France, Spain

Director: Carlos Vermut

The father of a terminally ill girl is determined to grant his daughter's last wish, a ridiculously expensive collectors' costume from a Japanese TV series. The request will drive him into a journey within his city's dark underbelly.

Themes

Deception and blackmail, Gendered exploitation, Economic coercion, Power abuse and manipulation, Illness-driven desperation, Exploitation and commodification, Vulnerability under threat

Available on

Movistar Plus+
Apple TV
Movistar Plus+ Ficción Total
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Cake

1057. Cake

Drama Tragic Drama
6.4

20141h 42min

United States

Director: Daniel Barnz

After having visions of a member of her support group who killed herself, a woman who also suffers with chronic pain seeks out the widower of the suicide.

Themes

Addiction and relapse, Caregiver boundary tensions, Shared loss empathy, Isolation and connection, Chronic pain coping, Grief driving dependency

Available on

Apple TV
Plex Channel
Darkroom
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Beyond the Reach

1058. Beyond the Reach

Thriller Survival Thriller
5.6

20141h 35min

United States

Director: Jean-Baptiste Léonetti

A high-rolling corporate shark and his impoverished young guide play the most dangerous game during a hunting trip in the Mojave Desert.

Themes

Deception and blackmail, Survival under threat, Coercive power dynamics, Violence and control, Trust and loyalty under pressure, Wealth vs poverty

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Captive

1059. The Captive

Drama Thriller Crime Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller Psychological Drama
5.9

20141h 52min

Canada

Director: Atom Egoyan

Eight years after the disappearance of Cassandra, some disturbing incidents seem to indicate that she's still alive. Police, parents and Cassandra herself, will try to unravel the mystery of her disappearance.

Themes

Deception and coercion, Surveillance intrusion, Family strain and blame, Trauma and captivity, Protection versus exploitation, Public scrutiny and justice

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Salt of the Earth

1060. The Salt of the Earth

Documentary Biographical Documentary
8.4

20141h 50min

Italy, France

Director: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

During the last forty years, the photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the continents, in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity. He has witnessed the major events of our recent history: international conflicts, starvations and exodus… He is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, of the wild fauna and flora, of grandiose landscapes: a huge photographic project which is a tribute to the planet's beauty. Salgado's life and work are revealed to us by his son, Juliano, who went with him during his last journeys, and by Wim Wenders, a photographer himself.

Themes

Labor and exploitation, Displacement and exile, Documentary photography as witness, Human impact of conflict, Land restoration and renewal, Indigenous resilience and tradition

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.