tense backdrop

Movies with tense vibe

A rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring a new hope to the galaxy.

Themes

Against the odds, Space battle presence, Rebel solidarity, Space opera motifs, Alien language hints, Space travel ambitions

Available on

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

Ballerina

1612. Ballerina

Animation Adventure Comedy Family Family Animation
6.8

20161h 29min

Canada, France

Director: Eric Summer

In 1879 Paris, a young orphan dreams of becoming a ballerina and flees her rural Brittany for Paris, where she passes for someone else and accedes to the position of pupil at the Grand Opera house.

Themes

Class tension, Mentorship and talent, Deception for entry, Rivalry and legitimacy, Ambition and sacrifice, Performative pressure

Available on

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

Personal Shopper

1613. Personal Shopper

Drama Mystery Thriller Mystic Mystery Psychological Drama
6.1

20161h 46min

Belgium, Czechia

Director: Olivier Assayas

Maureen, mid-20s, is a personal shopper for a media celebrity. The job pays for her stay in Paris, a city she refuses to leave until she makes contact with her twin brother who previously died there. Her life becomes more complicated when a mysterious person contacts her via text message.

Themes

Agency under pressure, Desire vs restraint, Grief and longing, Celebrity culture critique, Deception through anonymity, Spectral interference

Available on

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

Realive

1614. Realive

Science Fiction Bio-Genetic Sci-Fi
5.9

20161h 52min

Belgium, France

Director: Mateo Gil

Marc, a successful, ambitious man, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and is given a few months to live. Unable to accept death, he decides to cryogenically freeze himself. The love of his life is devastated. Seventy years later, Marc becomes the first cryogenic resuscitated person in history. But this doesn't happen in the idealized way he dreamt of.

Themes

Dependence on technology, Longing and belonging, Meaning and memory, Time as commodity, Corporate control of life, Mortality versus autonomy

Available on

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

Lady Macbeth

1615. Lady Macbeth

Drama Historical Drama
6.8

20161h 26min

United Kingdom

Director: William Oldroyd

England, 19th century. Young Katherine is married off by arrangement to a much older man. Later she meets a worker on her new husband’s estate, and a romance sparks between them.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Isolation and confinement, Patriarchal control, Female agency under oppression, Inheritance and property, Arranged marriages

Available on

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

Hidden Figures

1616. Hidden Figures

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
7.8

20162h 7min

United States

Director: Theodore Melfi

The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

Themes

Merit versus bias in evaluation, Racial and gender segregation, Access to education and training, Credit and authorship disputes, Barriers to advancement, Perseverance under systemic pressure

Available on

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

Spectral

1617. Spectral

Science Fiction Thriller Action Alien Invasion Sci-Fi Military Action
6.3

20161h 49min

Hungary, United States

Director: Nic Mathieu

A special-ops team is dispatched to fight supernatural beings that have taken over a European city.

Themes

Survival under siege, Artificial life and humanity, Military tech ethics, Institutional decision making, Control of unknown power, Weaponization of science

Available on

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

Two Is a Family

1618. Two Is a Family

Drama Comedy Family Drama Buddy Comedy
7.3

20161h 58min

France, United Kingdom

Director: Hugo Gélin

A man without attachments or responsibilities suddenly finds himself with an abandoned baby and leaves for London to try and find the mother. Eight years later after he and his daughter become inseparable Gloria's mother reappears.

Themes

Single parent resilience, Unconventional family bonds, Custody dispute dynamics, Imagined maternal figure, Language barrier adaptation, Illness stakes

Available on

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

Infinity Chamber

1619. Infinity Chamber

Science Fiction Mystery Thriller AI Sci-Fi Computer Threat Thriller
6.2

20161h 43min

United States

Director: Travis Milloy

A man trapped in an automated prison must outsmart a computer in order to escape and try and find his way back to the outside world that may already be wiped out.

Themes

Repetitive cycles of captivity, Memory manipulation tension, Confinement by automation, Resilience under isolation, Hopelessness in detention, Distrust of synthetic overseers

Available on

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

The Eyes of My Mother

1620. The Eyes of My Mother

Drama Horror Psychological Horror Psychological Drama
6.2

20161h 16min

United States

Director: Nicolas Pesce

A young, lonely woman is consumed by her deepest and darkest desires after tragedy strikes her quiet country life.

Themes

Violence and control, Isolation and attachment, Domestic space as prison, Trauma inheritance, Obsessive caretaking, Creation of chosen family

Available on

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