deliberate backdrop

Movies with deliberate vibe

Life as a House

1101. Life as a House

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.4

20012h 5min

United States

Director: Irwin Winkler

When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.

Themes

Terminal illness catalyst, Building as renewal, Intergenerational responsibility, Neighborhood interference, Parental alienation, Betrayal of trust, Financial strain

Available on

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

Waking Life

1102. Waking Life

Animation Drama Fantasy Adult Animation Psychological Drama
7.7

20011h 41min

United States

Director: Richard Linklater

Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.

Themes

Posthumanity ideas, Meaning of life, Free will, Social philosophy, Philosophical discussions, Situationist politics

Available on

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

All About Lily Chou-Chou

1103. All About Lily Chou-Chou

Drama Crime Coming-of-Age Drama
7.5

20012h 26min

Japan

Director: Shunji Iwai

Charts the troubled teenage years of students Yūichi Hasumi and Shūsuke Hoshino, exploring the shifting and complex power dynamics of their relationship against the backdrop of Yūichi's love for the dreamy and abstract music of pop star Lily Chou-Chou.

Themes

Coming of age pressures, Bullying power dynamics, Junior high school hierarchies, Middle school coercion, Kendo club influence, Online belonging and pressure

Available on

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

The Royal Tenenbaums

1104. The Royal Tenenbaums

Comedy Drama Satire Family Drama
7.6

20011h 50min

United States

Director: Wes Anderson

Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary --- all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father's fault. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the story of the family's sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.

Themes

Intergenerational tension, Dysfunctional family dynamics, Overprotective parenting, Creative genius pressure, Reunion amid fracture, False illness deception

Available on

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

Lantana

1105. Lantana

Crime Drama Mystery Detective Mystery Crime Investigation Mystery
7.2

20012h 1min

Germany, Australia

Director: Ray Lawrence

Plagued with grief over the murder of her daughter, Valerie Somers suspects that her husband John is cheating on her. When Valerie disappears, Detective Leon Zat attempts to solve the mystery of her absence. A complex web of love, sex and deceit emerges -- drawing in four related couples whose various partners are distrustful and suspicious about each other's involvement.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Marital strain, Family fragility, Infidelity and trust, Grief and coping, Police investigation impact

Available on

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

Hearts in Atlantis

1106. Hearts in Atlantis

Drama Family Drama
6.9

20011h 41min

United States

Director: Scott Hicks

A widowed mother and her son change when a mysterious stranger enters their lives.

Themes

Silence and disclosure, Memory shaping identity, Trauma and recovery, Power and manipulation, Protective bonds under pressure, Outsider influence

Available on

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

What Time Is It There?

1107. What Time Is It There?

Drama Romance Bittersweet Romance Relationship Drama
7.3

20011h 56min

France, Taiwan

Director: Tsai Ming-liang

A street vendor with a grim home-life forges a connection with a young woman on her way to Paris.

Themes

Economic precarity, Time as distance, Ferris wheel image, Dual-time watch motif, Loneliness across travel, Street vendor hardship, Death in family

Available on

Universcine
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Unsaid

1108. The Unsaid

Thriller Mind Game Thriller
6.6

20011h 51min

Canada, United States

Director: Tom McLoughlin

A doctor dealing with the aftermath of his son's death tries to help a troubled young man.

Themes

Grief and guilt, Intergenerational trauma, Abuse by caretaker, Family violence impact, Manipulation through therapy, Moral injury of healers

Available on

YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Mostly Martha

1109. Mostly Martha

Romance Comedy Romantic Comedy Workplace Comedy
7.2

20011h 46min

Austria, Switzerland

Director: Sandra Nettelbeck

Martha is a single woman who lives for one passion: cooking. The head chef at a chic restaurant, Martha has no time for anything - or anyone - else. But Martha's solitary life is shaken when a fateful accident brings her sister's eight-year-old daughter, Lina, to her doorstep.

Themes

Work life balance, Grief and adjustment, Cooking as identity, Motherhood vs career, Professional transformation through pressure, Romance in the kitchen

Available on

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

The Piano Teacher

1110. The Piano Teacher

Drama Romance Psychological Drama Dark Romance
7.5

20012h 11min

France, Austria

Director: Michael Haneke

Erika Kohut, a sexually repressed piano teacher living with her domineering mother, meets a young man who starts romantically pursuing her.

Themes

Power dynamics, Age gap desire, Sexual repression, Maternal control, Consent boundaries, Artistic isolation

Available on

Apple TV
HBO Max
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.