measured backdrop

Movies with measured vibe

Shotgun Stories

1271. Shotgun Stories

Drama Thriller Family Drama Revenge Thriller
7.1

20071h 32min

United States

Director: Jeff Nichols

Shotgun Stories tracks a feud that erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Southeast Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family.

Themes

Family loyalty under strain, Cycles of kin violence, Abandonment and blame, Intergenerational mistrust, Fragile ceasefire and restraint, Territorial protectiveness

Available on

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

Michael Clayton

1272. Michael Clayton

Drama Thriller Crime Legal Drama Political Thriller
7.2

20072h

United States

Director: Tony Gilroy

A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit.

Themes

Legal ethics under pressure, Deception and cover-up, Business ethics, Corporate malfeasance, Power and influence, Class action stakes

Available on

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

Estômago: A Gastronomic Story

1273. Estômago: A Gastronomic Story

Drama Comedy Mystery Crime Dark Comedy
7.8

20071h 53min

Brazil, Italy

Director: Marcos Jorge

In a dog-eat-dog world, Raimundo Nonato has found an alternative way to move ahead: he cooks. No matter what social strata this deceptively innocent young man inhabits, he hones his skills and sharpens his knives—and then he falls in love. Jorge's nimble comic fable provides a smartly constructed gastronomic allegory for ambition and survival.

Themes

Class inequality through aspiration, Power through mastery, Survival through craft, Institutional hierarchy and loyalty, Deception as social tool, Mobilization via skill


Things We Lost in the Fire

1274. Things We Lost in the Fire

Drama Tragic Drama
7.1

20071h 53min

United States

Director: Susanne Bier

A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. As he gradually turns his life around, he helps the family cope and confront their loss.

Themes

Caregiving under pressure, Grief drives connection, Fragile household boundaries, Addiction and accountability, Absence and presence in family life, Surrogate family formation

Available on

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

Lust, Caution

1275. Lust, Caution

Action Drama Romance Thriller Spy Action
7.5

20072h 38min

China, Hong Kong SAR China

Director: Ang Lee

During World War II, a secret agent must seduce and assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai.

Themes

Power dynamics and coercion, Deception and betrayal, Loyalty vs duty, Love under occupation, Sexual politics under war, Clandestine resistance operations

Available on

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

Into the Wild

1276. Into the Wild

Adventure Drama Survival Adventure Coming-of-Age Drama
8.0

20072h 28min

United States

Director: Sean Penn

With winter closing in and his supplies nearly gone, a young drifter in the Alaskan wild races to outlast the cold, the hunger, and his own past—alone in a broken-down bus at the edge of the world.

Themes

Search for belonging, Self-sufficiency vs society, Isolation vs connection, Disillusionment with progress, Rebellion against modern life, Quest for meaning

Available on

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

You, the Living

1277. You, the Living

Drama Comedy Music Satire Narrative Musical
7.4

20071h 29min

Denmark, France

Director: Roy Andersson

In the Swedish city of Lethe, people from different walks of life take part in a series of short, deadpan vignettes that rush past. Some are just seconds long, none longer than a couple of minutes. A young woman remembers a fantasy honeymoon with a rock guitarist. A man awakes from a dream about bomber planes. A businessman boasts about success while being robbed by a pickpocket, and so on. The absurdist collection is accompanied by Dixieland jazz and similar music.

Themes

Absurdity through vignettes, Humor through deadpan, Existence through dreams, Fragile happiness, Desire through misdirection, Alienation in routine

Available on

Amazon Video
Filmin
Curzon Home Cinema
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Katyn

1278. Katyn

Drama History War Historical Event World War II
7.0

20072h 2min

Poland

Director: Andrzej Wajda

On September 1st, 1939, Nazi Germany invades Poland, unleashing World War II. On September 17th, the Soviet Red Army crosses the border. The Polish army, unable to fight on two fronts, is defeated. Thousands of Polish men, both military and government officials, are captured by the invaders. Their fate will only be known several years later.

Themes

Loyalty under occupation, Memory through testimony, State oppression and loyalty, Propaganda vs memory, Wartime displacement and loss

Available on

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

Outlaw Jesse James is rumored to be the 'fastest gun in the West'. An eager recruit into James' notorious gang, Robert Ford eventually grows jealous of the famed outlaw and, when Robert and his brother sense an opportunity to kill James, their murderous action elevates their target to near mythical status.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Idolization vs distrust, Jealousy and ambition, Pursuit of bounty, Performative violence, Fame vs mythmaking

Available on

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

Eastern Promises

1280. Eastern Promises

Thriller Crime Mystery Organized Crime Investigation Suspense
7.6

20071h 40min

Canada, United Kingdom

Director: David Cronenberg

A Russian teenager living in London dies during childbirth but leaves clues in her diary that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Power under threat, Mob family loyalty, Female agency under duress, Institutional complicity, Trafficking and exploitation

Available on

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