dry backdrop

Movies with dry vibe

A Dog's Will

2021. A Dog's Will

Comedy Drama Fantasy Romance Satire
8.6

20001h 44min

Brazil

Director: Guel Arraes

The lively João Grilo and the sly Chicó are poor guys living in the hinterland who cheat a bunch of people in a small town in Northeastern Brazil. When they die, they have to be judged by Christ, the Devil and the Virgin Mary before they are admitted to paradise.

Themes

Class inequality, Poverty and hunger, Deception and cunning, Dowry pressure, Religious judgment, Performative storytelling


Maelström

2022. Maelström

Drama Comedy Psychological Drama Dark Comedy
6.7

20001h 27min

Canada

Director: Denis Villeneuve

A young woman's life spirals into chaos after she is involved in a hit-and-run accident. Then she encounters a mysterious man named Evian who offers her an opportunity for redemption. Narrated by a fish.

Themes

Deception and concealment, Female agency under scrutiny, Moral ambiguity under crisis, Material success vs personal cost, Abortion and social pressure, Chance and consequence

Available on

Kanopy
Philo
Fandor Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Way of the Gun

2023. The Way of the Gun

Action Crime Drama Thriller Organized Crime
6.6

20001h 59min

United States

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Loyalty under pressure, Economic desperation, Greed versus risk, Surrogate ethics, Violence and commodification

Available on

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

Pollock

2024. Pollock

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
7.0

20002h 12min

United States

Director: Ed Harris

In August of 1949, Life Magazine ran a banner headline that begged the question: "Jackson Pollock: Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?" The film is a look back into the life of an extraordinary man, a man who has fittingly been called "an artist dedicated to concealment, a celebrity who nobody knew." As he struggled with self-doubt, engaging in a lonely tug-of-war between needing to express himself and wanting to shut the world out, Pollock began a downward spiral.

Themes

Extramarital affair consequences, Art exhibition pressure, Alcoholism and creativity, Artist biography constraints, Patron-artist power dynamics, Authenticity vs commercialism

Available on

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

Snatch

2025. Snatch

Crime Comedy Heist Dark Comedy
8.2

20001h 43min

United Kingdom

Director: Guy Ritchie

A stolen 86-carat diamond traps crooked promoters, ruthless bookies, a Russian gangster and clueless thieves in the same brutal underworld maze. As a forced boxing scam spirals out of control, every double-cross tightens the walls around them, and each man scrambles for a way out before the whole city comes crashing in.

Themes

Crime networks and corruption, Loyalty vs self-interest, Deception and disguise, Trust under pressure, Violence and coercion, Risk of quick profits

Available on

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

One Hundred Steps

2026. One Hundred Steps

Drama History Historical Drama Political History
7.5

20001h 54min

Italy

Director: Marco Tullio Giordana

Peppino Impastato is a quick-witted lad growing up in 1970s Sicily. Despite hailing from a family with Mafia ties and living just one hundred steps from the house of local boss Tano Badalamenti, Peppino decides to expose the Mafia by using a pirate radio station to broadcast his political pronouncements in the form of ironic humour.

Themes

Anti-mafia resistance, Political radicalization, Media exposure of crime, Family complicity with crime, Public protest and memory, Activism under threat

Available on

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

Nine Queens

2027. Nine Queens

Crime Thriller Drama Con Artist Crime Investigation Suspense
7.9

20001h 54min

Argentina

Director: Fabián Bielinsky

Two con artists try to swindle a stamp collector by selling him a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps, the "nine queens".

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Family inheritance pressures, Counterfeit economy and scams, Fragile justice system, Social mobility through crime, Risk and improvisation in crime

Available on

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

Shadow of the Vampire

2028. Shadow of the Vampire

Drama Horror Entertainment Industry Drama Vampire Horror
6.9

20001h 35min

Luxembourg, United Kingdom

Director: E. Elias Merhige

Director F.W. Murnau makes a Faustian pact with a vampire to get him to star in his 1922 film "Nosferatu."

Themes

Illusion vs reality, Ethical performance, Unauthorized adaptation, Creative pressure, Deception in art, Loneliness of immortality

Available on

Amazon Video
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Nurse Betty

2029. Nurse Betty

Comedy Crime Thriller Drama Romance
6.3

20001h 48min

Germany, United States

Director: Neil LaBute

What happens when a person decides that life is merely a state of mind? If you're Betty, a small-town waitress and soap opera fan from Fair Oaks, Kansas, you refuse to believe that you can't be with the love of your life just because he doesn't really exist. After all, life is no excuse for not living. Traumatized by a savage event, Betty enters into a fugue state that allows -- even encourages -- her to keep functioning... in a kind of alternate reality.

Themes

Crisis-induced fugue state, Fantasy vs reality, Deception and role-playing, Emotional labor under threat, Caregiving under danger, Public performance and identity

Available on

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

State and Main

2030. State and Main

Comedy Drama Satire Entertainment Industry Drama
6.7

20001h 46min

France, United States

Director: David Mamet

A movie crew invades a small town whose residents are all too ready to give up their values for showbiz glitz.

Themes

Showbiz pressure on community, Small town values under pressure, Creative block in writing, Film production intrusion, Romance in production, Local economy vs spectacle

Available on

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