deliberate backdrop

Movies with deliberate vibe

The Battery

701. The Battery

Drama Horror Zombie Horror Sports Competition
6.3

20121h 41min

United States

Director: Jeremy Gardner

In rural Connecticut, baseball players Ben and Mickey are trying to survive a zombie plague. They are forced to form a battery: a catcher and a pitcher who work together to outwit the batter, the one who hits the ball. And the batter in this case just happens to be a zombie. Tough Ben and gentle Mickey frequently disagree on the best way to go about the situation. Then they suddenly hear a human voice through their walkie-talkies. Is salvation nearby, like Mickey thinks, or is Ben’s suspicion justified?

Themes

Trust vs suspicion, Fragile alliances, Survival horror under pressure, Isolation amidst danger, Zombie apocalypse resilience, Routine as coping

Available on

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

Stories We Tell

702. Stories We Tell

Documentary Biographical Documentary
7.5

20121h 49min

Canada

Director: Sarah Polley

Canadian actress and filmmaker Sarah Polley investigates certain secrets related to her mother, interviewing a group of family members and friends whose reliability varies depending of their implication in the events, which are remembered in different ways; so a trail of questions remains to be answered, because memory is always changing and the discovery of truth often depends on who is telling the tale.

Themes

Unreliable family narratives, Archival reconstruction of life, Memory as narrative construction, Familial lineage and secrecy, Documentary self-portrait, Private life in public memory

Available on

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

The Broken Circle Breakdown

703. The Broken Circle Breakdown

Drama Tragic Drama
7.7

20121h 52min

Belgium, Netherlands

Director: Felix van Groeningen

The loss of their young daughter threatens to destroy the love and faith of two married musicians.

Themes

Science versus spirituality, Art as refuge, Grief and partnership, Loss and coping, Drift within marriage, Creativity amid sorrow

Available on

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

Frankenweenie

704. Frankenweenie

Animation Comedy Family Stop-Motion Animation Dark Comedy
6.9

20121h 27min

United States

Director: Tim Burton

Young Victor just wants his best friend Sparky back, so he secretly brings his dead dog to life in the attic — but once Sparky bolts into the neighborhood and the other kids start copying Victor’s experiment, the whole town’s quiet little world twists into something monstrous.

Themes

Isolation and belonging, Authority and accountability, Fear of the unfamiliar, Consequences of tinkering, Peer influence and imitation, Communal heroism and revival

Available on

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

Blancanieves

705. Blancanieves

Drama Fantasy Epic Fantasy Historical Drama
7.5

20121h 44min

Spain, France

Director: Pablo Berger

A black and white silent movie, based on the Snow White fairy tale, that is set in a romantic version of 1920s Seville and centered on a female bullfighter.

Themes

Identity through performance, Jealous stepmother rivalry, Spectacle as commodification, Glamour and danger of bullfighting, Silent film aesthetics, Female agency under threat via bullfighter

Available on

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

Upside Down

706. Upside Down

Romance Science Fiction Drama Fantasy Passionate Romance
6.3

20121h 44min

Canada, France

Director: Juan Diego Solanas

In an alternate universe where twinned worlds have opposite gravities, a young man battles interplanetary prejudice and the laws of physics in his quest to reunite with the long-lost girl of his dreams in this visually stunning romantic adventure that poses the question: what if love was stronger than gravity?

Themes

Upper class divisions, Cosmetics power dynamic, Forbidden love pressure, Dual gravity division, Exploitation and prejudice, Alternative reality constraints

Available on

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

Trouble with the Curve

707. Trouble with the Curve

Drama Romance Professional Drama Bittersweet Romance
6.8

20121h 51min

United States

Director: Robert Lorenz

Slowed by age and failing eyesight, crack baseball scout Gus Lobel takes his grown daughter along as he checks out the final prospect of his career. Along the way, the two renew their bond, and she catches the eye of a young player-turned-scout.

Themes

Loyalty and ambition, Aging and decline, Data-driven vs intuition, Mentorship and legacy, Risk in talent scouting, Family work balance

Available on

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

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

708. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.9

20121h 43min

United States

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love.

Themes

Belonging vs isolation, Coming of age tension, Peer mentorship dynamics, Adolescent mental health, First love and intimacy, Trauma memory disclosure

Available on

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

Amour

709. Amour

Drama Romance Family Drama Bittersweet Romance
7.9

20122h 7min

France, Germany

Director: Michael Haneke

Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.

Themes

Caregiver burden, Marriage under strain, Aging and dependence, Illness and autonomy, Private suffering, Family duty

Available on

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

Like Someone in Love

710. Like Someone in Love

Drama Relationship Drama
7.0

20121h 49min

France, Japan

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

On a fragile Tokyo night, Akiko drifts into the quiet apartment of retired professor Takashi, where warm soup, soft lamplight, and the illusion of a gentle, borrowed family moment feel fleeting and precious. But by morning, as her jealous boyfriend Noriaki mistakes Takashi for her grandfather and clings to that lie, their delicate web of comfort strains toward a bittersweet shatter.

Themes

Class inequality, Power dynamics, Deception and risk, Economic vulnerability, Age gap tension, Transactional intimacy

Available on

Philo
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.