deliberate backdrop

Movies with deliberate vibe

211. Beasts Clawing at Straws

Beasts Clawing at Straws
Mystery Thriller Crime Drama Organized Crime
7.0
20201h 48minSouth Korea
Director: Kim Yong-hoon

Overview

A struggling restaurant owner, caring for his sick mom, finds a bag of cash in a sauna locker, while a customs officer gets into trouble when his girlfriend runs off with money he borrowed from a loan shark.

Themes

Transactional relationships, Deception and betrayal, Economic desperation, Debt and coercion, Debt to loan shark, Social precariousness, Bag of money pressure

Available on

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

212. The Photograph

The Photograph
Drama Romance Passionate Romance Family Drama
6.1
20201h 46minUnited States
Director: Stella Meghie

Overview

When famed photographer Christina Eames dies unexpectedly, she leaves her estranged daughter, Mae, hurt, angry and full of questions. When Mae finds a photograph tucked away in a safe-deposit box, she soon finds herself delving into her mother's early life -- an investigation that leads to an unexpected romance with a rising journalist.

Themes

Memory as legacy, Long distance commitment, Parental lineage, Art vs romance, Archival legacy, Identity through photograph

Available on

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

213. The Assistant

The Assistant
Drama Professional Drama
6.3
20201h 28minUnited States
Director: Kitty Green

Overview

A searing look at a day in the life of an assistant to a powerful executive. As Jane follows her daily routine, she grows increasingly aware of the insidious abuse that threatens every aspect of her position.

Themes

Abuse of power, Gendered power dynamics, Barriers to reporting, Toxic workplace culture, Ambiguous moral climate, Corporate complicity

Available on

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

214. His House

His House
Drama Horror Psychological Drama Psychological Horror
6.4
20201h 33minUnited Kingdom, United States
Director: Remi Weekes

Overview

After making a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, a young refugee couple struggle to adjust to their new life in a small English town that has an unspeakable evil lurking beneath the surface.

Themes

Confinement and control, Refugee precarity, Assimilation pressures, Racism and isolation, Trauma across borders, Hauntings and debt

Available on

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

215. The Social Dilemma

The Social Dilemma
Documentary Drama Social & Political Documentary Political Drama
7.6
20201h 34minUnited States
Director: Jeff Orlowski

Overview

This documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.

Themes

Surveillance capitalism, Advertising-driven engagement, Algorithmic manipulation, Social isolation risk, Digital addiction cycle, Media manipulation tactics

Available on

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

216. The Last Full Measure

The Last Full Measure
Drama Action War Vietnam War Historical Drama
6.8
20201h 50minUnited States
Director: Todd Robinson

Overview

The incredible true story of Vietnam War hero William H. Pitsenbarger, a U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen medic who personally saved over sixty men. Thirty-two years later, Pentagon staffer Scott Huffman investigates a Congressional Medal of Honor request for Pitsenbarger and uncovers a high-level conspiracy behind the decades-long denial of the medal, prompting Huffman to put his own career on the line to seek justice for the fallen airman.

Themes

Duty under fire, Based on true story, True story grounding, Vietnam war context, Valor and sacrifice, Political infighting

Available on

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

217. Swallow

Swallow
Drama Thriller Horror Psychological Horror Psychological Drama
6.5
20201h 35minUnited States, France
Director: Carlo Mirabella-Davis

Overview

Hunter, a newly pregnant housewife, finds herself increasingly compelled to consume dangerous objects. As her husband and his family tighten their control over her life, she must confront the dark secret behind her new obsession.

Themes

Mental illness stigma, Patriarchal control, Medical deception, Class and privilege imbalance, Domestic confinement, Pregnancy pressure

Available on

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

218. Just Mercy

Just Mercy
Drama Crime History Legal Drama Biographical History
7.6
20192h 17minUnited States
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Overview

The powerful true story of Harvard-educated lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned — including Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them.

Themes

Racial injustice under law, Coercion-driven testimony reversal, Appeal and retrial pressure, Advocacy confronting system bias, Disenfranchised seeking equality, Media scrutiny shaping juries

Available on

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

219. Pinocchio

Pinocchio
Drama Family Fantasy Dark Fantasy
6.3
20192h 4minItaly, France
Director: Matteo Garrone

Overview

In this live-action adaptation of the beloved fairytale, old woodcarver Geppetto fashions a wooden puppet, Pinocchio, who magically comes to life. Pinocchio longs for adventure and is easily led astray, encountering magical beasts, fantastical spectacles, while making friends and foes along his journey. However, his dream is to become a real boy, which can only come true if he finally changes his ways.

Themes

Belonging from novel roots, Calm guidance through schooling, Whimsical book temptations, Responsibility through work, Education as compass from children's book, Growth inspired by novel

Available on

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

220. Seberg

Seberg
Thriller Drama Political Thriller Political Drama
6.0
20191h 43minUnited States, United Kingdom
Director: Benedict Andrews

Overview

An ambitious young FBI agent is assigned to investigate iconic actress Jean Seberg when she becomes embroiled in the tumultuous civil rights movement in late 1960s Los Angeles.

Themes

Surveillance overreach, Civil rights pressure, Media manipulation, Privacy erosion, Institutional coercion, Personal vulnerability

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.