matter-of-fact backdrop

Movies with matter-of-fact vibe

Beware the Slenderman

1. Beware the Slenderman

Documentary Crime True Crime Documentary Serial Killer Crime
6.2
20161h 55min

Overview

In this horrifyingly modern fairytale lurks an online Boogeyman and two 12-year-old girls who would kill for him. The entrance to the internet quickly leads to its darkest basement. How responsible are our children for what they find there?

Themes

Media framing of crime, Online influence on youth, Parental responsibility in digital age, Online communities and harm, Creepypasta culture and fear, Peer pressure within internet folklore

Available on

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

99 Homes

2. 99 Homes

Drama Psychological Drama
7.1
20151h 52min

Overview

After his family is evicted from their home, proud and desperate construction worker Dennis Nash tries to win his home back by striking a deal with the devil and working for Rick Carver, the corrupt real estate broker who evicted him.

Themes

Eviction pressure, Finances under stress, Foreclosure economy, Motel precarity, Predatory real estate

Available on

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

13 Minutes

3. 13 Minutes

History Drama Political History Historical Drama
7.0
20151h 54min

Overview

The breathtaking story of a man who nearly would have changed the world. In 1939, when Hitler tricked millions of people at the height of his power, radical Georg Elser — disparaged as an assassin — is one of the greatest resistance fighters.

Themes

Secrecy and suspicion, State coercion and torture, Resistance under oppression, Risk in solitary action, Legacy of resistance, Opposition to tyranny

Available on

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

Overview

Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa’s oldest national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, and a contested ground among insurgencies seeking to topple the government that see untold profits in the land. Among this ongoing power struggle, Virunga also happens to be the last natural habitat for the critically endangered mountain gorilla. The only thing standing in the way of the forces closing in around the gorillas: a handful of passionate park rangers and journalists fighting to secure the park’s borders and expose the corruption of its enemies. Filled with shocking footage, and anchored by the surprisingly deep and gentle characters of the gorillas themselves, Virunga is a galvanizing call to action around an ongoing political and environmental crisis in the Congo.

Themes

Conservation under threat, Armed conflict pressure, Oil-driven exploitation, Watchful journalism, Biodiversity protection, Governance and corruption

Available on

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

Big Driver

5. Big Driver

Crime Mystery Thriller TV Movie Revenge Thriller
5.6
20141h 27min

Overview

Tess Thorne, a famous writer, is determined to seek revenge on the man who brutally assaulted and raped her on a desolate New England road.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Trauma and resilience, Family involvement in crime, Vigilantism and consequences, Media blame and sensationalism, Survivor agency under pressure

Available on

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

Annabelle

6. Annabelle

Horror Supernatural Horror
5.5
20141h 39min

Overview

A couple begins to experience terrifying supernatural occurrences involving a vintage doll shortly after their home is invaded by satanic cultists.

Themes

Haunted domestic space, Possession of objects, Ritual intervention limits, Parental protection under threat, Cult influence on family, Sacrifice and atonement

Available on

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

Shrew's Nest

7. Shrew's Nest

Horror Thriller Drama Psychological Horror Psychological Drama
6.7
20141h 31min

Overview

Spain, 1950s. Montse's agoraphobia keeps her locked in a sinister apartment in Madrid and her only link to reality is the little sister she lost her youth raising. But one day, a reckless young neighbor, Carlos, falls down the stairwell and drags himself to their door. Someone has entered the shrew's nest... perhaps he'll never leave.

Themes

Caregiver burden, Deception and secrecy, Abuse and coercion, Family trauma legacy, Unhealthy attachment dynamics, Agoraphobic confinement

Available on

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

Human Capital

8. Human Capital

Drama Relationship Drama
7.2
20131h 51min

Overview

The destinies of two families are irrevocably tied together after a cyclist is hit off the road by a jeep in the night before Christmas Eve.

Themes

Care decisions under pressure, Interconnected families, Social disruption from accident, Fateful collision, Public perception and liability, Privilege and responsibility

Available on

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

An Adventure in Space and Time

9. An Adventure in Space and Time

Drama Entertainment Industry Drama
8.2
20131h 23min

Overview

Actor William Hartnell felt trapped by a succession of hard-man roles while wannabe producer Verity Lambert was frustrated by the TV industry's glass ceiling. Both of them were to find unlikely hope and unexpected challenges in the form of a Saturday tea-time drama. Allied with a team of unusual but brilliant people, they went on to create the longest running science fiction series ever made.

Themes

Gender barriers in media, Creative ambition under constraint, Industry gatekeeping and opportunity, Collaborative creativity under pressure, Legacy dynamics and succession, Audience reception risk

Available on

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

Overview

A defense attorney begins to suspect that her client, who is charged with the murders of a vacationing family, might be more than meets the eye.

Themes

Mistrust of authority, Duty versus loyalty, Lawyer ethics under pressure, Genetic fate anxiety, Transformation as threat, Conspiracy under surveillance

Available on

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