deliberate backdrop

Movies with deliberate vibe

Jackie

421. Jackie

Drama Historical Drama
6.6

20161h 40min

United States, France

Director: Pablo Larraín

Overview

An account of the days of First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, in the immediate aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963.

Themes

Grief under public scrutiny, Family duty vs personal healing, Legacy versus memory, Coping through substances, Ritual mourning and ceremony, Media control and release

Available on

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

The Promise

422. The Promise

History Romance Drama Historical Event Passionate Romance
6.1

20162h 13min

Spain, United States

Director: Terry George

Overview

Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, a love triangle develops between Mikael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated artist Ana, and Chris, a renowned American journalist based in Paris.

Themes

Duty versus desire, Family obligation, Collective trauma, Ethnic persecution, Displacement and refuge, Resilience under crisis

Available on

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

A United Kingdom

423. A United Kingdom

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
6.9

20161h 51min

Czechia, France

Director: Amma Asante

Overview

The inspiring true story of Seretse Khama, the King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams, the London office worker he married in 1948 in the face of fierce opposition from their families and the British and South African governments. Seretse and Ruth defied family, Apartheid and empire - their love triumphed over every obstacle flung in their path and in so doing they transformed their nation and inspired the world.

Themes

Colonial pressure dynamics, Interracial marriage politics, Local resource ownership, Racial policy instability, Independence negotiation tension, Royal legitimacy conflict

Available on

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

Lion

424. Lion

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
8.0

20161h 58min

Australia, United Kingdom

Director: Garth Davis

Overview

A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

Themes

Adoption and belonging, Displacement and identity, Memory and mapping, Caregiving and trauma, Obsessive searching, Family loss and hope

Available on

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

Rules Don't Apply

425. Rules Don't Apply

Romance Comedy Drama Romantic Comedy Entertainment Industry Drama
5.7

20162h 7min

United States

Director: Warren Beatty

Overview

It's Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey, under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes, arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes, who is engaged to be married to his seventh grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious Methodist. Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes' number one rule: No employee is allowed to have any relationship whatsoever with a contract actress. Hughes' behavior intersects with Marla and Frank in very separate and unexpected ways, and as they are drawn deeper into his bizarre world, their values are challenged and their lives are changed.

Themes

Public image pressure, Loyalty under scrutiny, Secrecy and reputation, Class tension vs ambition, Romance under contract, Control of talent, Religious virtue vs fame

Available on

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

Manchester by the Sea

426. Manchester by the Sea

Drama Tragic Drama
7.8

20162h 18min

United States

Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Overview

After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised.

Themes

Guilt and memory, Grief and responsibility, Addiction and sobriety, Guardianship burdens, Community belonging vs alienation, Past trauma shaping choices

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

In This Corner of the World

427. In This Corner of the World

Drama Animation Romance War History
7.8

20162h 10min

Japan

Director: Sunao Katabuchi

Overview

Japan, 1943, during World War II. Young Suzu leaves her village near Hiroshima to marry and live with her in-laws in Kure, a military harbor. Her creativity to overcome deprivation quickly makes her indispensable at home. Inhabited by an ancestral wisdom, Suzu impregnates the simple gestures of everyday life with poetry and beauty. The many hardships, the loss of loved ones, the frequent air raids of the enemy, nothing alters her enthusiasm…

Themes

Family resilience, Wartime rationing, Domestic labor under war, Postwar rebuilding, Adoption as survival, Air raid drills

Available on

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

Arrival

428. Arrival

Drama Science Fiction Mystery Alien Contact Sci-Fi Investigation Mystery
7.9

20161h 56min

United States

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Overview

Alien ships arrive at multiple locations around the world. The U.S. government sends a team of scientists, led by a linguist and a physicist, to one of the ships to try to understand the visitors’ true purpose—before supporters of a military solution provoke a war.

Themes

Alien language tool, Time-manipulation perception, First contact implications, Extraterrestrial technology impact, Linguist driven inquiry, Spacecraft based collaboration

Available on

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

100 Meters

429. 100 Meters

Comedy Drama Everyday Life Drama
7.5

20161h 48min

Spain

Director: Marcel Barrena

Overview

Based on the incredibly true story of a Spanish man with Multiple Sclerosis who tried to finish an Iron-Man: 3,8km swimming, 180km cycling and 42 running. And he was told that he could not make 100 meters.

Themes

Limits challenged by determination, Physical perseverance under disability, Adversity and endurance, Disability and self-identity, Perception of ability, Biography-driven resilience

Available on

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

Lavender

430. Lavender

Drama Thriller Mind Game Thriller Psychological Drama
5.4

20161h 32min

Canada, United States

Director: Ed Gass-Donnelly

Overview

A photographer struggling with memory loss discovers her pictures may indicate something sinister is hitting close to home.

Themes

Deception and suspicion, Memory as evidence, Relationship strain and resilience, Memory loss and self-recovery, Female empowerment under pressure, Family trauma and secrecy

Available on

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