Best movies like Annie's Garden
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
In front of his 15-year-old son, a father loses his temper and strikes his younger daughter, thinking she's trying to run away from him. Jump ahead ten years: the dad is dead, the mom is gone, and the son, Luke, is raising his now grown sister, Annie. He's overprotective, and she seems blood simple, a coquette and an innocent. He runs the diner in town, and one day, Lisa, a callow writer-to-be, comes through from Manhattan, keeping a journal, looking for interesting people. She takes a shine to Annie and then to the muscular and well-read Luke. But what is their secret, how many of the townsfolk are in on it, and what will Lisa do when it all becomes clear?.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 321
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: independent film, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Best tv shows and movies like Annie's Garden (1997):
Similar in 80%
Watchtower (2001)
Plot Summary:
Orphan Mike O'Conner was abused from age three by his own dad, fled to Chicago to start a rock band but got dragged in bad mates' crime and convicted under probation. Mike's sister, Kate, managed to get him released and employed as assistant lighthouse guard under Adam Terrell, an author on sabbatical. However, Adam is murdered by serial killer Art Stoner, who takes Adam's place and identity. Art himself is the traumatized son of a prostitute, abandoned by the father, who had to watch his mother 'working' and got beaten, as if responsible, whenever her 'clients' hit her. 'Adam' seems to work out as Mike's substitute father, smacking him at worst, but their past starts catching up and Art being seen in action as Kate's lover poisons the triangle dramatically.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 812
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, exciting, tense, captivating, independent film, psychological thriller, psycho film
Similar in 79%
Spark (1998)
Plot Summary:
An urban black couple (Terrence Howard, Nicole Parker) traveling via back roads from Chicago to LA has a car breakdown in a backwater town where everyone is white trailer trash and racial epithets are common graffiti. The film tries to examine the thoughts of the lower class that they get involved in and the loud mouth impetuosity of the black man which ultimately leads the couple into greater problems.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 249
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: independent film, psychological, serious, realistic, suspenseful, tension, suspense
Similar in 78%
All Mistakes Buried (2015)
Plot Summary:
A lone, struggling addict takes on a dangerous underground criminal ring in his small Southern town to retrieve a stolen pendant he believes will save his marriage.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 408
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 76%
Our Mother's House (1967)
Plot Summary:
Seven British children bury their mother and hide her death, until their long-lost father (Dirk Bogarde) returns.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, bleak, realistic, offbeat, slasher, social, tense, suspense, psychotronic
Similar in 85%
Beyond the Farthest Star (2015)
Plot Summary:
A twist of fate brings the national spotlight to a forgotten Texas town and a once famous preacher has an opportunity to regain his former glory or seize one last chance to restore his fractured family. Narrated by his fifteen-year-old daughter, Beyond the Farthest Star tells the story of Pastor Adam Wells, a minister driven by the prospect of achieving greatness as the next nationally syndicated TV Evangelist who must decide whether to give up his opportunity at “celebrity” and, even his own life, in order to become something even greater… A loving husband and father to his wife and daughter.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 291
Genere: Drama, Family, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, realistic, suspenseful, christian film, independent film
Similar in 85%
Lightning Bug (2004)
Plot Summary:
In this drama thriller set in the South, a young boy named Green (Bret Harrison) longs to escape his unhappy life but feels trapped in his hometown. A gifted special-effects makeup artist, Green has big dreams of working in Hollywood. But the boy's personal demons -- a drunken, abusive stepfather, a group of religious zealots out to destroy his work and the love of a girl who prefers small-town life -- may stand in the way of his dreams.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, realistic, suspense, biting
Similar in 81%
Allegiance (2012)
Plot Summary:
After being granted a questionable transfer that will keep him stateside as his National Guard unit deploys for Iraq, Lieutenant Danny Sefton becomes embroiled in a last minute AWOL attempt by one of his soldiers — forcing him to choose between his loyalties to the fleeing soldier, his unit and his fiancé.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 634
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 88%
Runaway (2005)
Plot Summary:
Michael Adler has run away from his suburban home with his little brother Dylan. Hiding out in a quiet, rural town, Michael's convinced he can make a better life for both of them. While Dylan stays holed up in a cheap motel all day, Michael works at a convenience store where everything starts to come together for him. But as Michael falls in love with his beautiful co-worker, Carly, his past begin.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 513
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense
Similar in 85%
Out of the Black (2001)
Plot Summary:
Two brothers struggle to uncover the truth behind the mining accident that killed their father and bankrupted the town.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 367
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, exciting, tense, suspense, talky
Similar in 85%
Saving Grace B. Jones (2009)
Plot Summary:
In a 1950s-era Missouri town the life of a couple is thrown into chaos when the husband's sister is released from the local asylum and comes to live with the family.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 374
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, emotional, suspenseful, realistic, independent film
Similar in 75%
Fireflies in the Garden (2008)
Plot Summary:
The semi-autobiographical story centers on the complexities of love and commitment in a family torn apart when faced by an unexpected tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: emotional, sincere, serious, realistic, psychological, motivational, cult classic, crying, romantic drama, tragic
Similar in 78%
Hard Sun (2014)
Plot Summary:
After the death of her parents, a young woman assumes primary guardianship of her special needs brother. But as she attempts to balance her new life with her brother and her own blossoming romance, it becomes painfully clear that life will only make room for one.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 72
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, touching, independent film
Similar in 84%
One and Two (2015)
Plot Summary:
Two siblings discover a supernatural escape from a troubled home, but find their bond tested when reality threatens to tear their family apart.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, psychological, captivating, sexy, suspense, dark, stylized, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Bypass (2014)
Plot Summary:
Tim has no job, but Tim ‘works’, selling stolen goods...In the face of mounting internal and external pressure, how far will he go to keep his head above water and protect those he loves?.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 339
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Sweden
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, suspenseful, tense, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 86%
Bright Angel (1990)
Plot Summary:
Road-movie from Montana to Wyoming. A gullible, innocent young man (Mulroney) assists a versatile girl (Taylor) on her long quest to get her brother out of jail.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 707
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: road movie, serious, suspenseful, realistic, neo noir, independent film, bleak, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 88%
Blood Crime (2002)
Plot Summary:
For burned-out Seattle cop Daniel Pruitt, a camping trip turns hellish when his wife, Jessica, is savagely attacked in the forest. En route to the hospital, the Pruitts collide with a semi, and Jessica identifies the driver as her assailant. Enraged, Pruitt pummels the man. Once at the ER, however, she changes her mind and names a male nurse as her attacker. But before Pruitt can make amends, he learns that his victim, the son of Sheriff Morgan McKenna, is dead.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 670
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense
Similar in 87%
The Bed You Sleep In (1993)
Plot Summary:
Times are hard for Northwestern lumber-mill operators like Ray and his wife Jean. Ray and Jean's lives are thrown into chaos when their daughter writes home from college.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 285
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: independent film, atmospheric, bleak, serious, realistic, experimental, disturbing, contemplative, stylized, gloomy
Similar in 85%
Tucked Away (2007)
Plot Summary:
On the surface, Ray Ryan has it all. He's a successful advertising executive with a new promotion. He has a nice home and a beautiful fiancée. Underneath it all is a dark secret he's finding harder to hide. Ray's nightmares are giving way to visions of his abusive father, unlocking a suppressed violence he's unable to control. When ray brutally assaults a man in a parking lot, it leads to an investigation by an aging detective with a connected past. Neither is prepared as the secrets begin to unfold over a thirty-year-old murder they've both struggled to keep buried.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 29
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 89%
Hellion (2014)
Plot Summary:
When motocross and heavy metal obsessed, 13-year-old Jacob's delinquent behavior forces CPS to place his little brother Wes with his aunt, Jacob and his emotionally absent father must finally take responsibility for their actions and each other in order to bring Wes home.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, suspense, independent film, moody
Similar in 81%
Lured Innocence (2000)
Plot Summary:
A reporter sent to cover a murder trial discovers a web of deceit stemming from a torrid affair.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 443
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, suspenseful, tense, realistic, mind bending, sexual, sexy
Similar in 87%
Under Still Waters (2008)
Plot Summary:
A young married couple encounters a stranger who threatens their marriage and their lives.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 803
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspenseful, tense, serious, realistic, psychological thriller, independent film
Similar in 86%
Samuel Bleak (2013)
Plot Summary:
In a quiet southern town, several lives are changed forever when an isolated mute with a dark secret is admitted to a mental institution.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 354
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, disturbing, suspense, psychological, tense, captivating, bleak, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
Shotgun Stories (2007)
Plot Summary:
Shotgun Stories tracks a feud that erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Southeast Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: bleak, depressing, suspense, harsh, realistic, suspenseful, psychological, serious, southern gothic, independent film
Similar in 88%
Refuge (2012)
Plot Summary:
After their parents abandon the family, a young woman works to take care of her younger siblings.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 592
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, touching, captivating, independent film
Similar in 76%
The Face on the Milk Carton (1995)
Plot Summary:
Based on the book by Caroline B. Cooney, a girl happens to look down at a milk carton one day and she sees herself on the back! Could her parents really have kidnapped her?.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic
Similar in 78%
Blue River (1995)
Plot Summary:
Edward's father walked out on his family years ago. In the years since, his mother has become a fundamentalist Christian and fallen for the school's self-righteous principal, Henry Howland. When Howland begins to mistreat Edward's mother, Edward's troubled older brother decides to get revenge. Now, Edward must protect his family from his brother's wrath.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 308
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 83%
The Sound and the Fury (2014)
Plot Summary:
A look at the trials and tribulations of The Compson siblings, living in the deep south during the early part of the 20th century.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: serious, touching, realistic, southern gothic, captivating, gloomy
Similar in 85%
Locked in Silence (1999)
Plot Summary:
A story of a young boy who becomes an elective mute after witnessing what he believes to be the killing by his older brother of a teenage boy. The young boy's brother then tells him not to say anything because of the trouble it would cause in the family... so he doesn't say anything again. The problem is that the young boy so enjoys his acceptance by others of his mutism that it brings his family, a loving and caring farm family, to the brink of financial ruin in medical and psychological costs to cure him. Based on a true story, this is the intelligent telling of a family in crisis, and the work of doctors in dealing with this mental illness.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 375
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, disturbing, gloomy
Similar in 88%
White Water (2015)
Plot Summary:
White Water is the story of a 7 year-old black kid in segregated 1963 Opelika, Alabama who becomes obsessed with the desire to taste the water from the "white's only" drinking fountain and sets out on a quest to do the unthinkable: drink from it.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 209
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 81%
Swimmers (2005)
Plot Summary:
After an accident in a small Maryland fishing town, 11-year-old Emma begins to question the nature of the adults around her.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 458
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy