subtle backdrop

Movies with subtle vibe

Past Lives

1. Past Lives

Drama Romance Passionate Romance Relationship Drama
7.8
20231h 46min

Overview

Nora builds a calm, settled life in New York, then Hae Sung flies in from her past and turns every quiet routine into a storm of unfinished feelings. Across one charged weekend, husband, first love, and the woman caught between them collide in a city that suddenly feels far too small.

Themes

Intergenerational longing, Cross-cultural pressure, Memory as bond, Immigrant identity struggles, Destiny and interconnection, Marital loyalty under conflict

Available on

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

Passing

2. Passing

Drama Historical Drama
6.6
20211h 38min

Overview

In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who's passing as white.

Themes

Jealousy and trust, Interracial relationship pressures, Racial identity boundaries, Social perception and deception, Passing and belonging

Available on

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

Private Life

3. Private Life

Drama Comedy Relationship Drama
7.2
20182h 4min

Overview

Richard and Rachel, a couple in the throes of infertility, try to maintain their marriage as they descend deeper and deeper into the insular world of assisted reproduction and domestic adoption.

Themes

Family dynamics under pressure, Infertility and marriage strain, Medical and adoption pathways, Pursuit of parenthood vs finance, Donor egg ethics, Hope and disappointment cycles

Available on

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

Our Souls at Night

4. Our Souls at Night

Romance Drama Bittersweet Romance Relationship Drama
6.9
20171h 41min

Overview

Addie Moore and Louis Waters, a widow and widower, have lived next to each other for years. The pair have almost no relationship, but that all changes when Addie tries to make a connection with her neighbour.

Themes

Family obligation, Memory and regret, Intergenerational bonds, Nontraditional companionship, Aging loneliness, Social judgment, Secrecy vs visibility

Available on

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

Kodachrome

5. Kodachrome

Drama Comedy Family Drama Buddy Comedy
6.8
20171h 45min

Overview

Matt Ryder is convinced to drive his estranged and dying father Benjamin Ryder cross country to deliver four old rolls of Kodachrome film to the last lab in the world that can develop them before it shuts down for good. Along with Ben's nurse Zooey, the three navigate a world changing from analogue to digital while trying to put the past behind them.

Themes

Caregiving burden, Family estrangement, Aging and mortality, Artistic legacy, Memory through photography, Analogue to digital transition

Available on

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

Columbus

6. Columbus

Drama Relationship Drama
7.2
20171h 44min

Overview

When a renowned architecture scholar falls suddenly ill during a speaking tour, his son Jin finds himself stranded in Columbus, Indiana - a small Midwestern city celebrated for its many significant modernist buildings. Jin strikes up a friendship with Casey, a young architecture enthusiast who works at the local library.

Themes

Caregiving burden, Small-town isolation, Architecture as identity, Intercultural relationship, Dreams versus duty, Relapse and recovery

Available on

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

Faces Places

7. Faces Places

Documentary Biographical Documentary
7.8
20171h 34min

Overview

Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.

Themes

Intergenerational collaboration dynamics, Art through public portraits, Identity through mass portraits, Friendship forged on travel, Rural life as studio

Available on

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

On Body and Soul

8. On Body and Soul

Drama Romance Fantasy Bittersweet Romance Supernatural Fantasy
7.5
20171h 56min

Overview

Two introverted people find out by pure chance that they share the same dream every night. They are puzzled, incredulous, a bit frightened. As they hesitantly accept this strange coincidence, they try to recreate in broad daylight what happens in their dream.

Themes

Workplace alienation drives behavior, Suspicion erodes trust, Shared dream fosters closeness, Unspoken longing colors interactions, Desire under strain, Bodily contact anxiety arises

Available on

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

The Distinguished Citizen

9. The Distinguished Citizen

Comedy Drama Satire Relationship Drama
7.5
20161h 58min

Overview

After refusing big and prestigious awards all over the world, Mr. Mantovani, Literature Nobel Prize winner, accepts an invitation to visit his hometown in Argentina, which has been the inspiration for all of his books. It turns out that accepting this invitation is the worst idea of his life. Expect the unexpected when you have used real people as characters in your novels!

Themes

Belonging and alienation, Prestige and local life, Public recognition and scrutiny, Hometown expectations, Cultural contrast, Homecoming tension

Available on

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

A War

10. A War

Drama War Modern Conflicts Tragic Drama
7.0
20151h 55min

Overview

Company commander Claus Michael Pedersen and his men are stationed in Helmand, Afghanistan. Meanwhile back in Denmark, with a husband at war and three children missing their father, everyday life is a struggle for Claus' wife Maria. During a routine mission, the soldiers are caught in heavy Taliban crossfire. In order to save his men, Claus makes a decision that ultimately sees him return to Denmark accused of a war crime.

Themes

Work-life tension, Family resilience, Temptation and integrity, Religious coping, Moral accountability

Available on

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