tender backdrop

Movies with tender vibe

Ricki and the Flash

1. Ricki and the Flash

Comedy Drama Music Family Drama Narrative Musical
6.0
20151h 40min

Overview

Meryl Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Returning home, Ricki gets a shot at redemption and a chance to make things right as she faces the music with her family.

Themes

Absent parenting consequences, Fame vs family duty, Romantic betrayal, Financial precarity, Family hostility and acceptance, Generational tensions

Available on

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

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

2. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Drama Comedy Coming-of-Age Drama Awkward Comedy
7.7
20151h 45min

Overview

A socially invisible senior hides in a bubble of parody films and closed bedroom doors, convinced distance keeps him safe. When his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia, his carefully built isolation cracks, and he scrambles to turn their awkward new bond into the one story he doesn’t know how to control.

Themes

Friendship under strain, Melancholy with humor, Coming of age under illness, Art as coping mechanism, Mortality awareness in youth, Selflessness vs self-interest

Available on

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

Love, Rosie

3. Love, Rosie

Romance Drama Comedy Romantic Comedy Coming-of-Age Drama
7.1
20141h 42min

Overview

Rosie spends her life chasing the perfect future and the perfect friendship with Alex. But every choice that protects one seems to shatter the other. When their paths finally collide again, does she risk the life she built to find out if they were always meant for more than friends?

Themes

Friendship vs romance, Long-term friendship, Parental responsibilities, Competing commitments, Life-path choices, Unplanned romance

Available on

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

When Marnie Was There

4. When Marnie Was There

Animation Drama Family Mystery Anime
7.6
20141h 43min

Overview

Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.

Themes

Appearance versus reality, Unseen family ties, Foster care payments, Memory across generations, Trust and secrecy, Loneliness and belonging

Available on

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

Wish I Was Here

5. Wish I Was Here

Drama Comedy Family Drama Awkward Comedy
6.6
20141h 47min

Overview

Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, father and husband, is 35 years old and still trying to find a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he'd always dreamed he'd be as a little kid. When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids and the only available public school is on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn't find.

Themes

Homeschooling versus private schooling, Economic pressures on education, Faith and practical ethics, Pursuit of uncertain career, Family obligations under stress, Caregiving across generations

Available on

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

And So It Goes

6. And So It Goes

Comedy Drama Romance Romantic Comedy Family Drama
5.9
20141h 34min

Overview

Nobody likes self-centered realtor Oren Little, and he prefers it that way. He's deliberately mean to anyone who crosses his path and wants nothing more than to sell one final house and retire. His life turns upside-down when his estranged son drops off a granddaughter he never knew existed. Suddenly left in charge of her and with no idea how to take care of a child, he pawns the girl off on his neighbor, Leah -- but he eventually learns how to open his heart.

Themes

Grandparent grandchild relationship, Elderly loneliness, Self-centered real estate agent, Estranged son impact, Neighbor relationship

Available on

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

Song of the Sea

7. Song of the Sea

Family Animation Fantasy Family Animation Mythological Fantasy
8.0
20141h 34min

Overview

The story of the last Seal Child’s journey home. After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.

Themes

Grief and memory, Isolation on remote island, Silence and communication, Family duty vs longing, Folklore vs reality, Sea as home and threat

Available on

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

Boyhood

8. Boyhood

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.9
20142h 46min

Overview

The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.

Themes

Economic precarity, Parental conflict and abuse, Stepfamily adjustment, Divided family dynamics, Ambition and guidance, Adolescence and experimentation, Nostalgia and growth

Available on

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

The Fault in Our Stars

9. The Fault in Our Stars

Romance Drama Bittersweet Romance Tragic Drama
7.6
20142h 6min

Overview

In a world where every breath feels borrowed, a sharp-tongued girl with cancer meets a boy who refuses to treat her like she’s fragile. As their shared obsession with one haunting novel pulls them across an ocean to confront its reclusive author, they discover the story waiting for them is far more dangerous than the one on the page.

Themes

Friendship under pressure, Memory and longing, Coming of age under crisis, Care as mutual reliance, Terminal illness in youth, Deception in communication

Available on

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

The Way He Looks

10. The Way He Looks

Drama Romance Coming-of-Age Drama Coming-of-Age Romance
7.9
20141h 36min

Overview

Leonardo is a blind teenager dealing with an overprotective mother while trying to live a more independent life. To the disappointment of his best friend, Giovana, he plans to go on an exchange program abroad. When Gabriel, a new student in town, arrives at their classroom, new feelings blossom in Leonardo making him question his plans.

Themes

Coming of age pressure, Disability as catalyst, Overprotective parenting constraint, Lgbt relationship navigation, Independence vs dependence, Friendship vs romance tension, Peer teasing and acceptance

Available on

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