deliberate backdrop

Movies with deliberate vibe

When the Last Sword Is Drawn

1051. When the Last Sword Is Drawn

Action Drama History Historical Drama Epic Action
7.4

20032h 17min

Japan

Director: Yojiro Takita

Kanichiro Yoshimura is a Samurai and Family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the the low pay he receives from his small town clan, he is forced by the love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support them.

Themes

Loyalty to clan and family, Economic precarity and duty, Memory-guided decisions, Loyalty vs family tensions, Migration for higher pay, Upheaval-era dynamics


Love Liza

1052. Love Liza

Comedy Drama Dark Comedy Tragic Drama
6.9

20021h 30min

United States, France

Director: Todd Louiso

Following the unexplained suicide of his wife Liza, website designer Wilson Joel turns to huffing gasoline fumes and remote control gaming while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law.

Themes

Grief and coping, Addiction as escape, Isolation after loss, In-law tension, Suicide aftermath, Degradation of lifestyle

Available on

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

The Hours

1053. The Hours

Drama Psychological Drama
7.5

20021h 54min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Stephen Daldry

The story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.

Themes

Suicide as turning point, Meaning within home life, Depression and social pressure, Family life versus independence, Empowerment through literature, Homelessness and displacement

Available on

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

Gangs of New York

1054. Gangs of New York

Drama History Crime Historical Drama Social History
7.5

20022h 48min

United States, Italy

Director: Martin Scorsese

In early 1860s New York, Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon is released from prison and returns to the Five Points, seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting, a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He knows that revenge can only be attained by infiltrating Cutting's inner circle. Vallon's journey becomes a fight for personal survival and to find a place for the Irish people.

Themes

Immigrant identity and belonging, Class disparity in urban politics, Corruption and political manipulation, Factional loyalty and betrayal, Violence and crowd dynamics, Power and legitimacy in street networks

Available on

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

Solaris

1055. Solaris

Drama Science Fiction Mystery Psychological Drama Investigation Mystery
6.2

20021h 39min

United States

Director: Steven Soderbergh

A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.

Themes

Perception vs reality, Grief and memory, Artificial companionship, Haunted memory and guilt, Isolation and lack of agency, Ethics of scientific experimentation

Available on

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

The Emperor's Club

1056. The Emperor's Club

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
6.9

20021h 48min

United States

Director: Michael Hoffman

William Hundert is a passionate and principled Classics professor who finds his tightly-controlled world shaken and inexorably altered when a new student, Sedgewick Bell, walks into his classroom. What begins as a fierce battle of wills gives way to a close student-teacher relationship, but results in a life lesson for Hundert that will still haunt him a quarter of a century later.

Themes

Private school culture, Donor influence in education, Merit vs favoritism, Academic integrity, Power and mentorship dynamics, Reputation and legacy

Available on

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

Far from Heaven

1057. Far from Heaven

Drama Romance Psychological Drama Dark Romance
7.3

20021h 47min

United States

Director: Todd Haynes

In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife's life is upended by a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in society.

Themes

Suburban pressure, Marital crisis, Gay stigma, Racial boundaries, Gender role expectations, Rumor and social scrutiny

Available on

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

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

1058. Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

Comedy Drama Romance Dark Comedy Tragic Drama
6.8

20021h 51min

Denmark, France

Director: Lone Scherfig

The strange comedy film of two close brothers; one, Wilbur, who wants to kill himself, and the other, Harbour, who tries to prevent this. When their father dies leaving them his bookstore they meet a woman who makes their lives a bit better yet with a bit more trouble as well.

Themes

Nontraditional family dynamics, Mental health struggle, Caregiving under pressure, Pursuit of connection, Illness and resilience

Available on

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

Spider

1059. Spider

Drama Mystery Thriller Psychological Drama Unreliable Perspective Mystery
6.7

20021h 38min

France, United Kingdom

Director: David Cronenberg

A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.

Themes

Perception vs reality, Asylum dependence, Halfway house confinement, Past haunts the present, Memory distortion under stress

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Fandango At Home
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Morvern Callar

1060. Morvern Callar

Drama Psychological Drama
6.8

20021h 37min

United Kingdom, Canada

Director: Lynne Ramsay

After her boyfriend commits suicide, a young woman attempts to use the unpublished manuscript of a novel and a sum of money he left behind to reinvent her life.

Themes

Friendship under strain, Performative authorship and ambition, Grief and reinvention, Economic leverage and mobility, Isolation and autonomy, Deception and identity

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
The Roku Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.