Best movies like The Arbiter
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A brilliant but misguided man feels that he has the right to decide who is worth their place on earth.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 143
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Sweden, Estonia
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, unusual plot structure, contemplative
Best tv shows and movies like The Arbiter (2013):
Similar in 83%
What Doesn't Kill Us (2018)
Plot Summary:
As a divorced father of two teenage daughters, with a head-strong ex-wife for a best friend, too many peculiar patients to keep up with and a new dog, psychotherapist Max certainly doesn't need another challenge. But when Sophie, a compulsive gambler with a boyfriend problem, regularly shows up late for her appointments, she rocks his world in ways he's not ready for.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 213
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating
Similar in 77%
Dog Days (2016)
Plot Summary:
Endless dog days of summer weigh heavily on the impoverished suburb of Changsha where a young mother, Lulu, works as a dancer in a cheap nightclub. Coming home late one night, she discovers that her boyfriend Bai Long has disappeared with their baby. Her desperate search takes her to a transvestite bar where gay man Sunny is performing; he knows the whereabouts of the child’s father. A deal is struck between the odd couple whose lives are now fatefully intertwined.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 85
Genere: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, suspense, suspenseful, unusual plot structure, contemplative
Similar in 82%
This Summer Feeling (2015)
Plot Summary:
Sasha, a French woman of thirty, dies suddenly in Berlin. Her Fiancé, Lawrence, and her sister Zoé, must come to terms as the consequences of this shock set in.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 689
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Germany
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, unusual plot structure, sad, disturbing, contemplative
Similar in 86%
Easy Land (2019)
Plot Summary:
Follows a Serbian refugees mother and daughter, as they struggle to navigate the many obstacles facing newcomers to Canada.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 300
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, psychological, tense, sincere, unusual plot structure, suspense, contemplative, independent film
Similar in 85%
Vacuum (2017)
Plot Summary:
Amidst the preparations for her 35th wedding anniversary, Meredith is surprised by the discovery that she is HIV-positive. Only her husband André could have been the carrier of the virus.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 200
Genere: Drama
Country: Switzerland, Germany
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, suspense, unusual plot structure, melancholic, contemplative
Similar in 90%
1001 Grams (2014)
Plot Summary:
When Norwegian scientist Marie attends a seminar in Paris on the actual weight of a kilo, it is her own measurement of disappointment, grief and, not least, love, that ends up on the scale. Finally Marie is forced to come to terms with how much a human life truly weighs and which measurements she intends to live by.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Norway, Germany
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: realistic, contemplative, serious, psychological, captivating, sexy, touching, gloomy
Similar in 78%
Lemonade (2018)
Plot Summary:
While working in the US on a temporary visa as a caretaker, Mara, a 30 year-old single mother from Romania, marries Daniel, an American. After the arrival of her son Dragos, everything seems to have fallen perfectly into place. When the process of getting a green card veers unexpectedly off course, however, Mara is faced with abuses of power on every level and forced to answer a dark question about herself – how far would you go to get what you want?.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Romania, Canada, Germany, Sweden
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, tense, sentimental, rough, social
Similar in 80%
Invisible (2017)
Plot Summary:
Ely is 17 years old. After school, she works few hours at a pet shop. When Ely learns that she is pregnant, her inner world explodes even though she tries to go on with her daily routine as if nothing was different. She is afraid and upset, and she knows that, whatever she decides to do, there is no turning back.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 850
Genere: Drama
Country: Argentina, France
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, touching, unusual plot structure, contemplative
Similar in 85%
I Promise You Anarchy (2015)
Plot Summary:
Miguel and Johnny know each other since childhood. They are dedicated to skate and have fun. To earn easy money and continue skating, they sell their own blood to a clandestine contact in a hospital. The activity becomes business until a large transaction is not as they imagined.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Mexico, Germany
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: tense, psychological, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative, queer cinema
Similar in 86%
All Good Children (2010)
Plot Summary:
After experiencing a tragedy, Irish brothers Dara and Eoin move to rural France, where they become friends with young Bella, whose beauty and charm bewitches the emotionally unstable Dara.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 285
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland, UK, Belgium, France
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, realistic, psychological, captivating, tense, sincere, gloomy
Similar in 85%
In His Hands (2005)
Plot Summary:
In Lille, Claire Gauthier is an ordinary married woman with a young daughter that works in an insurance company analyzing losses of insured properties. When the single veterinary Laurent Kessler claims damage in his basement caused by a flooding due to water leakage, Claire resolves the situation favorably for him. The weird Laurent visits Claire in her office successively, inviting her for drinks and lunch, and they get close to each other. Meanwhile, a serial killer is terrorizing Lille, killing women with a scalpel. Claire feels a great attraction for Laurent, who has an unusual behavior in her apartment. When Claire sees a scalpel in the pocket of Laurent's jacket, she fears him, but still loves him.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Dreamchild (2020)
Plot Summary:
François and Noémie run a sawmill in the mountains not far from the Swiss border. François has taken over his family's business, making him the fourth generation. He dreams of having a child. After years of failed fertility assistance, they give up on having a baby of their own and turn to adoption. But then François meets Patricia, new to the neighborhood. They begin a passionate affair. Soon after, Patricia gets pregnant.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 154
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Boy (2012)
Plot Summary:
Boy ('the helper') tells the story of an invisible member of our society, an illegal Filipino cleaner. He has no name. Moving continuously from one location to the other, he is living between being seen and being invisible, between his life with his boyfriend, an erotic dancer, and his role as financial provider of his family back home. All this changes when his boyfriend auditions for a dance-company and one of his employers commits suicide. A charming photographer shows interest in him. He wants him as a model for a photo series.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 59
Genere: Drama
Country: Netherlands
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, sentimental, romantic, sexy, touching, unusual plot structure, melancholic, gay cinema
Similar in 80%
Are We Ok? (2013)
Plot Summary:
Temmuz is an openly gay sculptor living at a flat with his dog in Istanbul. He lives a bohemian lifestyle and has a happy go lucky, carefree, eccentric (such as believing in good luck charms) character, frequently distracting him from his work as a children's book illustrator, and eventually leading him to be abandoned by his boyfriend via e-mail. He is given solace and affection by her wealthy mother, who is fully supportive of him, and best friend and co-worker, Beste. In the meantime, he keeps seeing a young man in his dreams, who repeatedly calls him for help and rescue. One day he runs into this guy while getting on the bus, who is accompanied by his mother, and helps them get into their home as the young man was born without limbs. From then on, two lives would collide into each other, starting a brotherhood full of discoveries and mutual help.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, sincere, romantic, sexy, touching, unusual plot structure, melancholic, lgbt cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 86%
Tag (2015)
Plot Summary:
Billy is the self-designated leader of a group of teenagers living in a shelter. Jacob and Rae, Billy's oldest childhood friends, live there as well as part of "the family". Billy has an AIDs-like virus, which he has passed on to his blood brother Jacob. Billy and Rae are boyfriend and girlfriend, much to the dismay of Jacob who has always loved Rae from afar. Billy's philosophy of life, and how that interfaces with having a deadly virus, comes to a head when Billy and Jacob compete in a very unique game of "Tag", with the future of Rae and "the family" dependent upon the outcome.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 280
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, suspenseful, unusual plot structure, suspense, contemplative, grindhouse, independent film
Similar in 82%
The Kids Aren't Alright (2016)
Plot Summary:
Ross is trying to come to terms with the suicide of one of his classmates, as he finds his life falling down around him. Suddenly he finds himself involved in a new friendship with the new girl in school, Róisín. She helps to lead him in the right direction as he tries to turn his life around and come to terms with his emotions. She's everything he ever wanted in a girl, except for the fact that she's gay.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 21
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, tense, sincere, unusual plot structure, captivating, lgbt cinema, contemplative
Similar in 81%
Do it Right (2017)
Plot Summary:
Nassim, a 16-year-old boy, is placed with a family in the suburbs following the death of his drug addict mother. But he refuses to integrate into the social setting that surrounds him. He invents another life for himself, similar to that of his mates at the big Parisian high school he goes to. There’s no reason for that to change. His two lives, his home life and his school life, must be kept separate at all costs.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, tense, unusual plot structure, suspenseful, contemplative, semi autobiographical
Similar in 86%
Matted (2010)
Plot Summary:
Rose Lee is just a typical high school student trying to figure things out. Her dream is to join the boy's wrestling team, but no one is making it easy for her. Along the way, she'll discover that her most difficult opponent may be herself.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 15
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, unusual plot structure, captivating, disturbing, contemplative, independent film, student film
Similar in 85%
Ville-Marie (2015)
Plot Summary:
Celebrated European actor Sophie Bernard is in Montreal shooting a movie, and she's taking the opportunity to visit her son Thomas in the hope of bridging the rift that's grown between them. But Thomas has his own agenda for their time together; he intends to finally get some answers as to the identity of his father. Meanwhile, at Ville-Marie Hospital, paramedic Pierre struggles with PTSD, and though he has support in Marie, a nurse who keeps the overflowing emergency room running, it's uncertain whether he'll remain able to cope with the high intensity of his work. Each of these four characters is dealing with emotional damage — and on one dark Montreal night, their lives will all intersect in a fateful occurrence at Ville-Marie.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 862
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: sexy, psychological, tense, touching, unusual plot structure, contemplative, erotic
Similar in 88%
Twin Flower (2018)
Plot Summary:
In a South of Italy full of beauty and hidden dangers, two adolescents, abused and damaged by life, Anna, whose father has been murdered and Basim, an immigrant orphan, escape together towards a new start.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 223
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, tense, sentimental, sexy, unusual plot structure, contemplative
Similar in 79%
Miriam Lies (2018)
Plot Summary:
Shy girl Miriam is waiting to celebrate her 15th birthday and she wants to invite her guy. So far they’ve only chatted online, and the anticipated blind date only complicates things.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 131
Genere: Drama
Country: Dominican Republic, Spain
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, thought provoking, unusual plot structure, suspense, disturbing, contemplative
Similar in 82%
Juze (2017)
Plot Summary:
Growing up tale of a young boy in the context of changing labour patterns and exploitation in Goa.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 59
Genere: Drama
Country: India, France, Netherlands, UK
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: psychological, sexy, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 80%
Chicken (2015)
Plot Summary:
RICHARD, 15 with learning difficulties, longs to put down roots but his restless and destructive brother, POLLY, needs to keep moving. When the land they live on is bought by a new landowner, and the electricity supply to their caravan is cut, their already precarious living conditions get even worse. Then a chance meeting with the new landowner's daughter, 17 year old ANNABEL (Yasmin Paige), leaves RICHARD besotted; whilst POLLY befriends the guys who run a seedy traveling fair. Richards optimistic view on life becomes increasingly difficult to maintain as Polly's abusive behavior worsens, family secrets are revealed, and he is torn between loyalty to his brother and his first true friend in ANNABEL. For better or worse, Richards life is about to change forever.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 535
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: touching, psychological, sentimental, unusual plot structure, captivating, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 75%
Driving Not Knowing (2015)
Plot Summary:
An estranged poet attempts to rekindle a complex relationship with a strung-out musician during a weekend in rural nowhere; their toxic past, however, won't be so easily forgotten.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 55
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: touching, psychological, sentimental, romantic, sexy, unusual plot structure, melancholic, independent film, gay cinema
Similar in 86%
Stuff (2015)
Plot Summary:
Trish and Deb Murdoch are in a rut. After 14 years together and raising two daughters, they find themselves in a mid life crisis where grief and attraction threaten their domestic nucleus.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 415
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative, independent film, queer cinema
Similar in 83%
Boys On Film X (2013)
Plot Summary:
Boys On Film presents the tenth volume in the world's most successful short film series. All boundaries will be broken as Boys On Film X promises to take it further than ever before, showcasing eight of the most sexy, unique and brilliant new short films, including: Jacob Brown's "Blinders" starring Nathaniel Brown, Byrdie Bell, and Luke Worrall; Fabio Youniss's "A Stable For Disabled Horses" starring Daniel Swan and Daniel Simonsen; Antony Hickling and Amaury Grisel's "Little Gay Boy, ChrisT Is Dead" starring Gaëtan Vettier; Till Kleinert's "Boys Village" starring Benjamin Thorne and Andrew McQueen; Lukas Dhont's "Headlong" starring Jelle Florizoone and Thomas Coumans; Evan Roberts's "Yeah Kowalski!" starring Cameron Wofford and Conor Donnelly; William Feroldi's "Inflatable Swamp" starring Francis Beraud and Paul Huntley-Thomas; and Dominic Haxton's "Teens Like Phil" starring Adam Donovan and Jake Robbins.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 87
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, sentimental, romantic, touching, unusual plot structure, melancholic, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 84%
Belonging (2004)
Plot Summary:
Jess (Brenda Blethyn) and town handyman Jacob (Kevin Whately) have been happily married 20 years, recently taking in a trio of Jacob's elderly relatives, including his mother (Rosemary Harris). Though the relations are demanding, kindhearted Jess -- who selflessly quit her job -- enjoys looking after them. But when Jacob disappears one day, Jess' life falls apart, and she must learn to cope with things on her own in this touching drama.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 299
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, touching
Similar in 89%
Jack (2015)
Plot Summary:
Delving deep into the soul of one of Austria’s most infamous real-life convicts, Jack is a fascinating, unprejudiced look at the path to redemption and the obstacles that bar the way.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 147
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Austria
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 90%
Face 2 Face (2016)
Plot Summary:
Over a series of video chats, a teenage outcast reaches out to his childhood friend, but finds that behind the veneer of popularity and a seemingly perfect life, she hides a disturbing secret.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: tense, light, sincere, touching, unusual plot structure, captivating, scenic, cyber
Similar in 79%
Butterfly Kisses (2017)
Plot Summary:
We follow Jake and his two best friends, Kyle and Jarred through a world distorted by sex and porn. The leader is Kyle – he talks about girls non-stop, Jarred can’t stop cheating on his girlfriend and then there’s Jake, a quiet and shy teenager whose friends are determined to help him lose his virginity to Zara, the pretty girl on the 19th floor of their estate. All three are trying to find their way in a complex world. They all have their demons, but Jake’s secret is one that he must keep to himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 880
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: sexy, psychological, light, unusual plot structure, humorous, contemplative