measured backdrop

Movies with measured vibe

The Rewrite

901. The Rewrite

Romance Comedy Romantic Comedy Workplace Comedy
6.3

20141h 47min

United States

Director: Marc Lawrence

An Oscar-winning writer in a slump leaves Hollywood to teach screenwriting at a college on the East Coast, where he falls for a single mom taking classes there.

Themes

Professor authority tension, Teaching as transformation, Single mom mentorship, College setting pressures, Undergraduate student potential, Ethical boundaries in teaching

Available on

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

Winter Sleep

902. Winter Sleep

Drama Relationship Drama
8.0

20143h 16min

Türkiye, France

Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Aydın is a hotel owner and a retired actor in rural Turkey. As winter emerges he begins navigating the conflicts within the relationships with his wife, sister and existence.

Themes

Marital strain, Wealth disparity, Rural isolation, Gender roles, Retirement and purpose, Charity and obligation

Available on

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

The Rover

903. The Rover

Crime Drama Organized Crime Tragic Drama
6.4

20141h 43min

Australia

Director: David Michôd

Ten years after a severe economic collapse in the western world, lawlessness reigns and life is cheap. Eric is a lone drifter, and his car is his only possession. When a gang steals it, Eric comes across the injured Rey, left behind by the car thieves. The pair form an unlikely and uneasy alliance.

Themes

Loyalty under duress, Desolate frontier violence, Uneasy alliances, Post-collapse scarcity, Moral ambiguity in lawlessness, Survival versus humanity

Available on

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

The Fault in Our Stars

904. The Fault in Our Stars

Romance Drama Bittersweet Romance Tragic Drama
7.6

20142h 6min

United States

Director: Josh Boone

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 Normal Heart

905. The Normal Heart

Drama Historical Drama
7.9

20142h 12min

United States

Director: Ryan Murphy

The story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation's sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.

Themes

Community organizing under crisis, Gay health activism, Medical uncertainty and response, Public health denial, Media coverage barriers, Stigma and solidarity

Available on

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

Cold in July

906. Cold in July

Drama Thriller Revenge Thriller
6.7

20141h 49min

France, United States

Director: Jim Mickle

While investigating noises in his house one balmy Texas night in 1989, Richard Dane puts a bullet in the brain of a low-life burglar. Although he’s hailed as a small-town hero, Dane soon finds himself fearing for his family’s safety when Freddy’s ex-con father rolls into town, hell-bent on revenge.

Themes

Revenge cycle, Identity deception, Family under siege, Private justice vs law, Ambiguous heroism, Collateral violence

Available on

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

The Wonders

907. The Wonders

Drama Family Drama
6.7

20141h 52min

Germany, Italy

Director: Alice Rohrwacher

In the Tuscan countryside, a family of traditional honey farmers struggles to make ends meet. The household consists of only daughters—four of them—led by the eldest, Gelsomina, who takes on the responsibilities of the family. When a small boy is sent to stay with them for rehabilitation, their routine is disrupted. As financial troubles threaten their home, Gelsomina sees an opportunity in a reality TV contest searching for 'Italy’s Most Traditional Family.' Willing to expose their secluded life for the prize money, she clashes with her father’s rigid ways in a bid to secure their future.

Themes

Economic precarity, Intergenerational conflict, Family duty vs aspiration, Gendered labor in rural life, Public scrutiny and contest pressure, Authenticity under performative demands

Available on

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

Words and Pictures

908. Words and Pictures

Comedy Drama Romance Romantic Comedy Relationship Drama
6.6

20141h 51min

Australia, Canada

Director: Fred Schepisi

An art instructor and an English teacher form a rivalry that ends up with a competition at their school in which students decide whether words or pictures are more important.

Themes

Words versus images, Artistic restraint vs impulsivity, Education under reputation pressure, Creativity under criticism, Disability and artistic production, Public scrutiny and school politics

Available on

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

The Homesman

909. The Homesman

Western Drama Revisionist Western Historical Drama
6.6

20142h 2min

United States, France

Director: Tommy Lee Jones

When three women living on the edge of the American frontier are driven mad by harsh pioneer life, the task of saving them falls to the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy. Transporting the women by covered wagon to Iowa, she soon realizes just how daunting the journey will be, and employs a low-life drifter, George Briggs, to join her. The unlikely pair and the three women head east, where a waiting minister and his wife have offered to take the women in. But the group first must traverse the harsh Nebraska Territories marked by stark beauty, psychological peril and constant threat.

Themes

Trauma and resilience, Violence and survival, Authority and betrayal, Gendered duty, Prairie isolation, Frontier independence

Available on

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

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them

910. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them

Drama Tragic Drama
6.3

20141h 59min

United States

Director: Ned Benson

A New York couple's relationship is tested after the loss of their child. This film is the wide-released combination of the original two :him and :her volumes that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

Themes

Memory loss, Grief and relational strain, Loss as catalyst, Deception and distance, Couple dynamics under grief, Financial stress and instability

Available on

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