deliberate backdrop

Movies with deliberate vibe

291. A Dark Place

A Dark Place
Thriller Mystery Investigation Suspense Investigation Mystery
6.2
20181h 29minUnited Kingdom, United States
Director: Simon Fellows

Overview

When a young boy turns up dead in a sleepy Pennsylvania town, a local sanitation truck driver, Donald, plays detective, embarking on a precarious and obsessive investigation to prove the boy was murdered.

Themes

Moral ambiguity of justice, Small-town paranoia, Obsessive investigation, Child abuse consequences, Evidence tracing tension, Mistrust of authorities

Available on

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

292. Never Look Away

Never Look Away
Drama Romance History Historical Drama Bittersweet Romance
7.7
20183h 9minGermany, Italy
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Overview

German artist Kurt Barnert has escaped East Germany and now lives in West Germany, but is tormented by his childhood under the Nazis and the GDR regime.

Themes

Abuse of power, State censorship of art, Fugitive romance under regimes, Artistic voice under repression, Familial legacy and trauma, Resilience through migration

Available on

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

293. Free Solo

Free Solo
Documentary Adventure Sports Documentary Adventure Epic
8.1
20181h 40minUnited States
Director: Jimmy Chin

Overview

Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history.

Themes

Pressure of performance, Fear and risk management, Solitary pursuit and isolation, Human limits and resilience, Ethics of filming danger, Preparation under scrutiny

Available on

Netflix
Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

294. Balloon

Balloon
Thriller Drama History Political Thriller Historical Drama
7.5
20182h 5minFrance, Germany
Director: Michael Herbig

Overview

Two families attempt a daredevil plan to escape the GDR with a homemade hot air balloon, but it crashes just before the border. The Stasi finds traces of this attempt to escape and immediately starts investigations, while the two families are forced to build a new escape balloon. With each passing day the Stasi is closer on their heels – a nerve-wracking race against time begins.

Themes

Resourcefulness under constraint, State coercion and control, Coordinated risk taking, Escape under surveillance, Fear and paranoia, Interfamily solidarity under pressure

Available on

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

295. Border

Border
Fantasy Drama Crime Supernatural Fantasy Psychological Drama
7.0
20181h 50minDenmark, Sweden
Director: Ali Abbasi

Overview

When a border guard with a sixth sense for identifying smugglers encounters the first person she cannot prove is guilty, she is forced to confront terrifying revelations about herself and humankind.

Themes

Deception and trust, Moral ambiguity under pressure, Otherness and belonging, Boundaries of humanity and myth, Marginalization of outsiders, Trauma and retaliation legacy

Available on

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

296. UFO

UFO
Science Fiction Thriller Mystery Alien Contact Sci-Fi Investigation Suspense
6.2
20181h 28minUnited States
Director: Ryan Eslinger

Overview

A college student, who sees a UFO, uses his exceptional math skills to investigate the sighting with his friends while the FBI follows closely behind.

Themes

Airport pressure point, Professor-guided inquiry, Mathematics-driven analysis, Ufo sighting interpretation, Open-ended investigation, Airport-centric collaboration

Available on

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

297. High Life

High Life
Science Fiction Drama Mystery Space Sci-Fi Family Drama
5.7
20181h 53minFrance, Germany
Director: Claire Denis

Overview

A father and his daughter struggle to survive in deep space where they live in isolation.

Themes

Moral ambiguity under duress, Control and coercion, Reproductive ethics in space, Technocratic ambition, Exploitation under isolation, Survival at the edge

Available on

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

298. The Kindergarten Teacher

The Kindergarten Teacher
Drama Psychological Drama
6.7
20181h 36minCanada, Israel
Director: Sara Colangelo

Overview

Lisa Spinelli is a Staten Island teacher who is unusually devoted to her students. When she discovers one of her five-year-olds is a prodigy, she becomes fascinated with the boy, ultimately risking her family and freedom to nurture his talent.

Themes

Poetry class dynamics, Creative exploitation risk, Teacher student relationship pressure, Family expectations pressure, Ambition vs duty

Available on

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

299. Life Itself

Life Itself
Drama Romance Family Drama Passionate Romance
6.9
20181h 58minSpain, United States
Director: Dan Fogelman

Overview

As a young New York couple goes from college romance to marriage and the birth of their first child, the unexpected twists of their journey create reverberations that echo over continents and through lifetimes.

Themes

Abuse and resilience, Intergenerational trauma, Legacy and inheritance, Unreliable narration, Intercultural relationships, Fractured family ties, Memory versus reality

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.

300. Colette

Colette
Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
6.7
20181h 52minUnited Kingdom, United States
Director: Wash Westmoreland

Overview

After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as Willy, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels.

Themes

Class inequality, Social climbing, Creative labor, Abusive marriage, Gendered power, Artistic autonomy, Exploitation in relationships

Available on

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