deliberate backdrop

Movies with deliberate vibe

Liberal Arts

711. Liberal Arts

Romance Comedy Drama Romantic Comedy Coming-of-Age Drama
6.7

20121h 37min

United States

Director: Josh Radnor

Newly single, 35, and uninspired by his job, Jesse Fisher worries that his best days are behind him. But no matter how much he buries his head in a book, life keeps pulling Jesse back. When his favorite college professor invites him to campus to speak at his retirement dinner, Jesse jumps at the chance.

Themes

Age difference romance, Letters as intimate conduit, Retirement anxiety and purpose, Adult longing vs youth ideals, Mentorship and campus dynamics, Education and self-discovery

Available on

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

Emperor

712. Emperor

Drama History War Historical Event World War II
6.5

20121h 45min

Japan, United States

Director: Peter Webber

As the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, Gen. Fellers is tasked with deciding if Emperor Hirohito will be hanged as a war criminal. Influencing his ruling is his quest to find Aya, an exchange student he met years earlier in the U.S.

Themes

War crimes accountability, Decisions under pressure, Ceremonial power vs governance, Duty under authority, Postwar reconstruction negotiations, Personal loyalty vs public duty

Available on

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

10 Years

713. 10 Years

Comedy Drama Ensemble Comedy Coming-of-Age Drama
6.1

20121h 40min

United States

Director: Jamie Linden

A group of friends reunite ten years after their high-school graduation.

Themes

Reunion expectations vs reality, Romance amid old tensions, Economic insecurity and ambition, Closure vs continuation, Social performance under scrutiny, Loyalty amid shifting friendships

Available on

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

Hannah Arendt

714. Hannah Arendt

Drama Historical Drama
7.1

20121h 53min

Germany, France

Director: Margarethe von Trotta

A portrait of the genius that shook the world with her discovery of “the banality of evil.” After she attends the Nazi Adolf Eichmann’s trial in Jerusalem, Arendt dares to write about the Holocaust in terms no one has ever heard before. Her work instantly provokes a furious scandal, and Arendt stands strong as she is attacked by friends and foes alike. But as the German-Jewish émigré also struggles to suppress her own painful associations with the past, the film exposes her beguiling blend of arrogance and vulnerability — revealing a soul defined and derailed by exile.

Themes

Ordinary people and evil, Bureaucratic rationalization of evil, Censorship and public outrage, Journalism's role in moral debate, Memory and guilt after trauma, Exile and intellectual isolation

Available on

Apple TV
Kanopy
Hoopla
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Arthur Newman

715. Arthur Newman

Drama Relationship Drama
5.6

20121h 41min

United States

Director: Dante Ariola

A story of a man who fakes his own death and assumes a new identity in order to escape his life, who then moves in with a woman who is also trying to leave her past behind.

Themes

Deception as survival, Reinvention under pressure, Identity as adaptation, Past and death as limits, Intimate risk and attachment, Dreams and reality

Available on

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

Pieta

716. Pieta

Drama Tragic Drama
7.1

20121h 44min

South Korea

Director: Kim Ki-duk

A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Violence and coercion, Exploitation and control, Debt repayment pressure, Maternal absence, Abandonment anxiety

Available on

Google Play Movies
YouTube
The Roku Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Anna Karenina

717. Anna Karenina

Drama Romance History Historical Drama Passionate Romance
6.6

20122h 10min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Joe Wright

Anna, the wife of an influential St. Petersburg official, meets the young officer Vronsky. A sudden passion flares between them, forcing her into a difficult choice between her family and a powerful attraction that’s hard to resist.

Themes

Duty versus desire, Gendered expectations, High society pressure, Class and belonging, Romance vs propriety, Infidelity and reputation

Available on

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

Berberian Sound Studio

718. Berberian Sound Studio

Horror Drama Thriller Psychological Horror Psychological Drama
6.2

20121h 32min

United Kingdom

Director: Peter Strickland

In the 1970s, a British sound technician is brought to Italy to work on the sound effects for a gruesome horror film. His nightmarish task slowly takes over his psyche, driving him to confront his own past.

Themes

Deception and suspicion, Art vs commerce, Identity erosion under pressure, Sound as psychological pressure, Industrial pressures of filmmaking, Creative isolation in studios

Available on

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

Kon-Tiki

719. Kon-Tiki

Adventure History Exploration Adventure Biographical History
7.1

20121h 58min

Denmark, Germany

Director: Joachim Rønning

The true story about legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his epic crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947, in an effort to prove it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.

Themes

Risk and resilience, Ambition vs tradition, Theory vs evidence, Cross-cultural contact anxiety, Collective effort under pressure, Science vs belief

Available on

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

Robot & Frank

720. Robot & Frank

Science Fiction Comedy Drama Crime AI Sci-Fi
7.0

20121h 29min

United States

Director: Jake Schreier

Curmudgeonly old Frank lives by himself. His routine involves daily visits to his local library, where he has a twinkle in his eye for the librarian. His grown children are concerned about their father’s well-being and buy him a caretaker robot. Initially resistant to the idea, Frank soon appreciates the benefits of robotic support – like nutritious meals and a clean house – and eventually begins to treat his robot like a true companion. With his robot’s assistance, Frank’s passion for his old, unlawful profession is reignited, for better or worse.

Themes

Family obligation vs autonomy, Trust and manipulation, Ageing and care, Crime as bonding, Technology as companion, Memory and autonomy

Available on

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