Best movies like A Handful of Dust
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The wife's affair and a death in the family hasten the demise of an upper-class English marriage.We see the detritus of an abandoned camp in South America and a main character's hallucination. Then, the story beings. Tony and Brenda Last, lord and lady, live on his enormous estate with their young son. Tony's not much for parties, and Brenda joins London society, on the arm of a penniless man, John Beaver, a hanger-on at Tony's club. John is encouraged by his entrepreneurial mother, who sees a quid in Tony and Brenda. Brenda and John become lovers, Brenda spends more and more time in London, and Tony's without a clue. Then, bringing things to a head are tragedy, law suits, greed, and what should be a few-months' expedition to Brazil. We are each of us merely a handful of dust.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: stylized, costume drama, clever, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, biting, independent film, suspense
Best tv shows and movies like A Handful of Dust (1988):
Similar in 90%
Heartbeat (1968)
Plot Summary:
The mistress (Catherine Deneuve) of a wealthy man misses material comforts when she leaves him for a younger lover.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 830
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, stylized
Similar in 89%
The Making of a Lady (2012)
Plot Summary:
1901:- Poor but intelligent Emily Fox Seton accepts a marriage proposal from the older Lord James Walderhurst,a widower pushed into providing an heir by his haughty aunt Maria,.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: stylized, captivating, suspense, tense, sexy, period piece, costume drama, romantic drama, realistic, clever
Similar in 86%
Torrents of Spring (1989)
Plot Summary:
In 1840, a young Russian aristocrat, Dimitri Sanin, is returning home after a long tour of Europe. In Germany, he falls in love with a beautiful pastry shop girl, Gemma Rosselli, who soon starts sharing his feelings. They decide to get married and, in order to finance the wedding, Dimitri goes back to Russia to sell his family estate. Unfortunately he falls prey to a seductress, Princess Maria Nikolaevna, who pretends to be willing to buy his land to come nearer him. Now Sanin is in a fix: should he choose the pure Gemma or the evil but irresistible Maria?.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 414
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, France, Italy
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy, sexual, sexy, period drama
Similar in 83%
The Bridge (1999)
Plot Summary:
Actor Gerard Depardieu co-directed this drama about a married woman who falls in love with another man. Mina is a movie buff with a husband, Georges, who's out of work, and a 15-year-old son, Tommy. While Mina works part-time as a domestic for Claire Daboval, the family is terribly short on money, so when Georges is offered construction work on a massive bridge project, he immediately accepts, even though the job site is far enough away that he'll only be able to come home on weekends. One day, while taking in a matinee screening of West Side Story, Mina meets a man named Matthias, an engineer associated with the bridge project. It's love at first sight for the both of them, and while Mina has no desire to hurt Georges, who is a good and decent man, she has found another good and decent man whom she loves even more. Tommy, on the other hand, has to deal with this crisis in his parents' marriage while he's sorting out his own infatuation with Ms. Daboval's daughter, Lisbeth.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 635
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy, semi autobiographical
Similar in 81%
The Go-Between (1971)
Plot Summary:
Tale of torrid and forbidden love between Christie and Bates in the English countryside.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: sexy, disturbing, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 76%
Gabrielle (2005)
Plot Summary:
A seemingly ideal marriage is thrown into embarrassing turmoil in Patrice Chéreau's period drama, based on the short story The Return by Joseph Conrad.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy, Germany
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, clever, emotional, realistic, contemplative, stylized, gloomy, crying, beautiful
Similar in 88%
The Forsyte Saga (1967)
Plot Summary:
Adaptation from John Galsworthy's novels.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: family saga, costume drama, stylized, spiritual, historical drama, touching, epic, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 77%
Sentimental Destinies (2000)
Plot Summary:
In late nineteenth century Charante, Protestant minister Jean Barnery causes local disquiet when he arranges a separation from his obsessive wife.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Switzerland
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, touching, captivating, gloomy, period drama
Similar in 82%
Up at the Villa (2000)
Plot Summary:
Superficial people are revealed and drastically changed by circumstance or luck in this a tale of death, seduction, blackmail and theft among British and Americans in Florence in the turbulent days just before World War II.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: serious, atmospheric, suspenseful, stylized, romantic, realistic, crying, independent film, fairy tale, sentimental
Similar in 78%
The Europeans (1979)
Plot Summary:
Based on Henry James' novel with the same title. It's the fall of 1850, a few miles outside Boston. The household of the dour Mr. Wentworth receives two unannounced visitors from Europe, Eugenia and Felix, the daughter and son of his half sister. Gertrude, one of Wentworth's two daughters, is instantly infatuated with her cousins, thinking them sophisticated and worldly. She turns her back on the local Unitarian minister, Mr. Brand, who has been calling on her, to delight in the pleasure and amusement Felix offers. Another wealthy neighbor, Mr. Acton, is attracted to Eugenia, who is going through a divorce with a European aristocrat. Are the Americans being used by the penniless Europeans? Or is there real affection?.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: romantic drama, historical drama, realistic, stylized, semi serious, biting, independent film, costume drama, suspense, period drama
Similar in 87%
The Woodlanders (1997)
Plot Summary:
The story is set in late 19th century rural corner of South England. The daughter of timber merchant Melbury, Grace, returns to the town after finishing school. Her father now believes she can find a better husband than her childhood sweetheart, woodsman Giles. She marries handsome young doctor Fitzpiers, but soon finds out he's not the man of her dreams and she still loves Giles.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 741
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: costume drama, serious, realistic, independent film, period piece, period drama
Similar in 85%
Far from the Madding Crowd (1998)
Plot Summary:
This powerful adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic novel spins a story of passion and destruction set in the nineteenth century. The proud, flighty and bewitching Bathsheba Everdene finds herself entangled into the passions of three men and her impulsive nature pushes her into a web of deceit and destruction.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 955
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 54 min
Plot tags: costume drama, historical drama, serious, realistic, period drama
Similar in 76%
Lady Chatterley (1993)
Plot Summary:
Lady Constance Chatterley is married to the handicapped Sir Clifford Chatterley, who was wounded in the First World War. When they move to his family's estate, Constance meets their tough-yet-quiet groundskeeper, Oliver Mellors. Soon, she discovers that the source of her unhappiness is from not being fulfilled in love, and in turning to the arms of Mellors, she has a sexual awakening that will change her thoughts forever.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 205 min
Plot tags: erotic, costume drama, serious, sexual, sensual, historical drama, psychological, atmospheric, realistic, stylized
Similar in 81%
Lady Chatterley's Lover (2015)
Plot Summary:
An early-20th-century tale of love across class boundaries which tells the legendary and romantic story of Lady Chatterley’s affair with her gamekeeper. Jed Mercurio’s adaptation of DH Lawrence’s classic.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, erotic, costume drama, sentimental, captivating, disturbing, period piece, romantic drama, historical drama
Similar in 83%
Angels and Insects (1995)
Plot Summary:
In Victorian England, wealthy patriarch Sir Harald Alabaster invites an impoverished biologist, William Adamson, into his home. There, William tries to continue his work, but is distracted by Alabaster's seductive daughter, Eugenia. William and Eugenia begin a torrid romance, but as the couple become closer, the young scientist begins to realize that dark, disturbing things are happening behind the closed doors of the Alabaster manor.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: costume drama, erotic, period piece, stylized, thought provoking, offbeat, historical drama, sincere, touching, serious
Similar in 78%
Lorna Doone (2000)
Plot Summary:
The year is 1675. England is threatened by religious and political rivalries. King Charles II's Catholic brother, James, is next in line for the throne, but many Protestants put their faith in Charles' illegitimate son, The Duke of Monmouth. On the king's death, conflict is inevitable... Over seven days journey from London, Exmoor is a primitive and lawless area. Here, farmer Jack Ridd lives with his wife Sarah, son John, and two daughters. The only shadow over their simple life is cast by the notorious outlaw family the Doones. The aristocratic Doones were banished from their ancestral lands and now live through looting, theft, and murder. Their brutality is legendary.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, serious, captivating, stylized, period piece, costume drama, historical drama, historical romance, epic
Similar in 78%
Desire (2002)
Plot Summary:
In 1945 Spain a young man with Nazi contacts fell in love with a left wing family woman.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 311
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Spain, Argentina
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, captivating, stylized, realistic
Similar in 75%
The Wings of the Dove (1997)
Plot Summary:
Kate is secretly betrothed to a struggling journalist, Merton Densher. But she knows her Aunt Maude will never approve of the match, since Kate's deceased mother has lost all her money in a marriage to a degenerate opium addict. When Kate meets a terminally ill American heiress named Millie traveling through Europe, she comes up with a conniving plan to have both love and wealth.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: sexy, atmospheric, period piece, serious, costume drama, romantic, visual, visually stunning, stylized, retro
Similar in 77%
The Bostonians (1984)
Plot Summary:
Based on Henry James's novel of the same name. This bittersweet tragicomedy centers on an odd triangle of characters: Basil Ransom, a political conservative from Mississippi; Olive Chancellor, Ransom's cousin and a Boston feminist; and Verena Tarrant, a pretty, young protégée of Olive's in the feminist movement. The storyline concerns the struggle between Ransom and Olive for Verena's allegiance and affection, though the film also includes a wide panorama of political activists, newspaper people, and quirky eccentrics.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: serious, stylized, realistic, talky, political, romantic drama, historical drama, clever, contemplative, independent film
Similar in 76%
Ethan Frome (1992)
Plot Summary:
Based on the novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, it is about a husband and wife (Ethan and Zeena), who need an extra hand around the house due to Zeena's debilitated body and constant illness. The young woman who joins them is a beautiful, spirited person. She and Ethan fall in love much to the dismay of Zeena. Written by Jason Ihle.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: emotional, intense, costume drama, sentimental, captivating, serious, realistic, contemplative, independent film, light
Similar in 87%
The Golden Bowl (2000)
Plot Summary:
An intricately plotted tale of thwarted love and betrayal, "The Golden Bowl" tells the story of an extravagantly rich American widower and his sheltered daughter, both of whom marry only to discover that their respective mates, a beautiful American expatriate and an impoverished Italian aristocrat, are entangled with one another in a romantic intrigue of seduction and deceit.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, France, UK
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: period piece, serious, stylized, realistic, costume drama, suspense, romantic drama, historical drama, clever, biting
Similar in 84%
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
Plot Summary:
In this story-within-a-story, Anna is an actress starring opposite Mike in a period piece about the forbidden love between their respective characters, Sarah and Charles. Both actors are involved in serious relationships, but the passionate nature of the script leads to an off-camera love affair as well. While attempting to maintain their composure and professionalism, Anna and Mike struggle to come to terms with their infidelity.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: romantic, emotional, costume drama, scenic, stylized, atmospheric, clever, postmodern, erotic, retro
Similar in 80%
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
Plot Summary:
Based on Evelyn Waugh's 1945 classic British novel, Brideshead Revisited is a poignant story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in England prior to the Second World War.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Italy, Morocco, USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: sentimental, emotional, sincere, serious, period piece, touching, costume drama, intense, clever, epic
Similar in 88%
Anna Karenina (1997)
Plot Summary:
Anna (Marceau) is a wife and mother who has an affair with the handsome Count Vronsky (Bean). Based on the novel by Tolstoy.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Russia, UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: costume drama, romantic, psychological, atmospheric, emotional, romantic drama, sentimental, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 75%
Jane Eyre (1996)
Plot Summary:
Jane Eyre is an orphan cast out as a young girl by her aunt, Mrs. Reed, and sent to be raised in a harsh charity school for girls. There she learns to be come a teacher and eventually seeks employment outside the school. Her advertisement is answered by the housekeeper of Thornfield Hall, Mrs. Fairfax.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy, UK, USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: romantic, costume drama, melancholic, period piece, emotional, intense, realistic, gothic, serious, romantic drama
Similar in 86%
Jane Eyre (1997)
Plot Summary:
Charlotte Bronte's classic novel is filmed yet again. The story of the Yorkshire orphan who becomes a governess to a young French girl and finds love with the brooding lord of the manor is given a standard romantic flare, but sparks do not seem to happen between the two leads in this version.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: costume drama, gothic, atmospheric, emotional, spiritual, sincere, serious, realistic, gloomy, period drama
Similar in 76%
Great Expectations (2012)
Plot Summary:
Miss Havisham, a wealthy spinster who wears an old wedding dress and lives in the dilapidated Satis House, asks Pip's "Uncle Pumblechook" (who is actually Joe's uncle) to find a boy to play with her adopted daughter Estella. Pip begins to visit Miss Havisham and Estella, with whom he falls in love,then Pip a humble orphan suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: captivating, emotional, sentimental, serious, realistic, costume drama, period piece, gothic, sex comedy, cult classic
Similar in 78%
Mansfield Park (2007)
Plot Summary:
In Mansfield Park, poverty-stricken Fanny Price is sent away to live with her wealthy uncle and aunt at Mansfield Park. As she struggles to adapt to her new lifestyle she begins to attract the attentions of suitors, learning about the sexual politics of high society along the way.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: period piece, costume drama, realistic, witty, stylized, romantic, historical drama, touching, gloomy, semi serious
Similar in 83%
Howards End (1992)
Plot Summary:
A saga of class relations and changing times in an Edwardian England on the brink of modernity, the film centers on liberal Margaret Schlegel, who, along with her sister Helen, becomes involved with two couples: wealthy, conservative industrialist Henry Wilcox and his wife Ruth, and the downwardly mobile working-class Leonard Bast and his mistress Jackie.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Japan, USA
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags: romantic, costume drama, emotional, period piece, stylized, light, melancholic, talky, compassionate, realistic
Similar in 87%
The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
Plot Summary:
Ms. Isabel Archer isn't afraid to challenge societal norms. Impressed by her free spirit, her kindhearted cousin writes her into his fatally ill father's will. Suddenly rich and independent, Isabelle ventures into the world, along the way befriending a cynical intellectual and romancing an art enthusiast. However, the advantage of her affluence is called into question when she realizes the extent to which her money colors her relationships.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 144 min
Plot tags: psychological, intellectual, period piece, costume drama, talky, atmospheric, serious, romantic, stylized, historical drama