Best movies like Atonement
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
As a 13-year-old, fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 295000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance, War
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, heartbreaking, sad, period piece, dramatic, visually appealing, romantic, costume drama, sexy
Best tv shows and movies like Atonement (2007):
Similar in 87%
Head in the Clouds (2004)
Plot Summary:
A romantic drama set in 1930's England, Paris, and Spain. Gilda Bessé shares her Paris apartment with an Irish schoolteacher, Guy Malyon, and Mia, a refugee from Spain. As the world drifts toward war, Gilda defiantly pursues her hedonistic lifestyle and her burgeoning career as a photographer. But Guy and Mia feel impelled to join the fight against fascism, and the three friends are separated.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK, Canada
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: sexy, romantic, sentimental, captivating, stylized, cult classic, romantic drama, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 76%
The Secret Scripture (2016)
Plot Summary:
The hidden memoir of an elderly woman confined to a mental hospital reveals the history of her passionate yet tortured life, and of the religious and political upheavals in Ireland during the 1920s and 30s.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Ireland
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, compassionate, psychological, novela, twisted, emotional
Similar in 83%
A Very Long Engagement (2004)
Plot Summary:
In 1919, Mathilde was 19 years old. Two years earlier, her fiancé Manech left for the front at the Somme. Like millions of others he was "killed on the field of battle." It's written in black and white on the official notice. But Mathilde refuses to believe it. If Manech had died, she would know. She hangs on to her intuition as tightly as she would onto the last thread of hope linking her to her lover. A former sergeant tells her in vain that Manech died in the no man's land of a trench named Bingo Crepescule, in the company of four other men condemned to die for self-inflicted wounds. Her path ahead is full of obstacles but Mathilde is not frightened. Anything is possible to someone who is willing to challenge fate.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 75000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance, War
Country: France, USA
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, atmospheric, epic, colorful, period piece, visually stunning, sentimental, dramatic, visually appealing
Similar in 87%
The Land Girls (1998)
Plot Summary:
During World War II, the organisation "The Women's Land Army" recruited women to work on British farms while the men were off to war. Three such "land girls" of different social backgrounds - quiet Stella, young hairdresser Prue, and Cambridge graduate Ag - become best friends in spite of their different backgrounds.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK, France
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: period piece, sentimental, touching, realistic, retro, anamorphic, historical drama, sincere, serious, crying
Similar in 90%
Tess (1979)
Plot Summary:
This multiple-Oscar-winning film by Roman Polanski is an exquisite, richly layered adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. A strong-willed peasant girl (Nastassja Kinski, in a gorgeous breakthrough) is sent by her father to the estate of some local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumor that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit commences an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge, which Polanski unfolds with deliberation and finesse. With its earthy visual textures, achieved by two world-class cinematographers—Geoffrey Unsworth (Cabaret) and Ghislain Cloquet (Au hasard Balthazar)—Tess is a work of great pastoral beauty as well as vivid storytelling.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, France
Duration: 186 min
Plot tags: period piece, scenic, costume drama, visually appealing, atmospheric, art house, epic, philosophical, psychedelic, cynical
Similar in 83%
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 75%
Suite Française (2014)
Plot Summary:
France, 1940. In the first days of occupation, beautiful Lucile Angellier is trapped in a stifled existence with her controlling mother-in-law as they both await news of her husband: a prisoner of war. Parisian refugees start to pour into their small town, soon followed by a regiment of German soldiers who take up residence in the villagers' own homes. Lucile initially tries to ignore Bruno von Falk, the handsome and refined German officer staying with them. But soon, a powerful love draws them together and leads them into the tragedy of war.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller, War
Country: UK, France, Canada, Belgium, USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, romantic, period piece, serious, captivating, suspense, costume drama, factual, sentimental
Similar in 80%
The English Patient (1996)
Plot Summary:
In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 198000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA, UK, Italy
Duration: 162 min
Plot tags: romantic, sentimental, emotional, touching, heartbreaking, sexy, erotic, scenic, epic, captivating
Similar in 75%
The Edge of Love (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Edge of love is a love story of two feisty women and a brilliant, charismatic poet who love both women. One woman Vera Phillips who is his first love and whom he lost for ten year, while other one is his present wife Caitlin who is adventurous and felt same adventurous nature in this charismatic poet, Dylan Thomas, also.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: romantic, captivating, sincere, melancholic, sweet, period piece, realistic, erotic, retro, heartbreaking
Similar in 88%
How I Live Now (2013)
Plot Summary:
An American girl on holiday in the English countryside with her family finds herself in hiding and fighting for her survival as war breaks out.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller, War
Country: UK, Canada
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, romantic, sweet, teen, apocalyptic, realistic, psychological, psychological thriller, mind bending, psychedelic
Similar in 75%
Anna Karenina (2012)
Plot Summary:
Trapped in a loveless marriage, aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the affluent Count Vronsky.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 105000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, sentimental, emotional, stylized, romantic, colorful, surreal, talky, visual
Similar in 84%
Cold Mountain (2003)
Plot Summary:
In this classic story of love and devotion set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman deserts his unit and travels across the South, aiming to return to his young wife, Ada, who he left behind to tend their farm. As Inman makes his perilous journey home, Ada struggles to keep their home intact with the assistance of Ruby, a mysterious drifter sent to help her by a kindly neighbor.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 154000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA, Italy, Romania, UK
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: romantic, sincere, serious, period piece, touching, emotional, sentimental, heartbreaking, captivating, sad
Similar in 77%
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Plot Summary:
An epic tale of three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of 1900s USA and how their lives are affected by nature, history, war, and love.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 179000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: emotional, sincere, serious, scenic, sentimental, captivating, touching, romantic, epic, sad
Similar in 82%
The Sleeping Dictionary (2003)
Plot Summary:
A young Englishman is dispatched to Sarawak to become part of the British colonial government. He encounters some unorthodox local traditions, and finds himself faced with tough decisions of the heart involving the beautiful Selima, the unwitting object of his affections.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: romantic, sexy, erotic, scenic, captivating, serious, period piece, fairy tale, touching, art film
Similar in 81%
Incendies (2010)
Plot Summary:
A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 192000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, War
Country: Canada, France
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, heartbreaking, bleak, emotional, thought provoking, visually appealing, suspense, sad, rough
Similar in 89%
Dear John (2010)
Plot Summary:
Sergeant John Tyree is home on a 2 week leave from Germany. He meets Savannah after he dives into the ocean to retrieve Savannah's purse that had fallen off the pier. John falls in love with Savannah who is a student on spring break helping build a house for Habitat for Humanity. A romance occurs and Savannah falls deeply in love with John. She promises to write John overseas until he returns.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 156000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: romantic, sentimental, sweet, touching, emotional, romantic drama, teen, tear jerker, sad, realistic
Similar in 84%
One Day (2011)
Plot Summary:
A romantic comedy centered on Dexter and Emma, who first meet during their graduation in 1988 and proceed to keep in touch regularly. The film follows what they do on July 15 annually, usually doing something together.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 161000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sentimental, romantic, emotional, sad, touching, realistic, heartbreaking, romantic drama, tear jerker, serious
Similar in 89%
The Aftermath (2019)
Plot Summary:
In the aftermath of World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German widower who lives with them.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Germany, UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: melancholic, realistic, philosophical, serious, psychological, sentimental, sincere, romantic, disturbing, feel good
Similar in 88%
Australia (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 129000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance, War, Western
Country: UK, Australia, USA
Duration: 165 min
Plot tags: scenic, emotional, epic, romantic, period piece, captivating, stylized, breathtaking, romantic drama, sentimental
Similar in 88%
The Painted Veil (2006)
Plot Summary:
A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 95000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China, Canada, USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, scenic, captivating, heartbreaking, melancholic, costume drama, romantic, period piece, atmospheric
Similar in 80%
Jane Eyre (2011)
Plot Summary:
After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meet the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 92000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, gothic, atmospheric, captivating, costume drama, period piece, visually appealing, sexy, emotional
Similar in 81%
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Plot Summary:
Dangerous Liaisons is the film based on the novel of the same name by Choderlos de Laclos set in 18th century France. Marquise de Merteuil’s asks her ex-lover Vicomte de Valmont to seduce the future wife of another ex-lover of hers in return for one last night with her. Yet things don’t go as planned in this love triangle drama.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 74000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: sexy, costume drama, period piece, sexual, erotic, historical drama, sensual, romantic, atmospheric, suspense
Similar in 76%
Malena (2000)
Plot Summary:
On the day in 1940 that Italy enters the war, two things happen to the 12-year-old Renato: he gets his first bike, and he gets his first look at Malèna. She is a beautiful, silent outsider who's moved to this Sicilian town to be with her husband, Nico. He promptly goes off to war, leaving her to the lustful eyes of the men and the sharp tongues of the women. During the next few years, as Renato grows toward manhood, he watches Malèna suffer and prove her mettle. He sees her loneliness, then grief when Nico is reported dead, the effects of slander on her relationship with her father, her poverty and search for work, and final humiliations. Will Renato learn courage from Malèna and stand up for her?.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 110000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, sexual, melancholic, serious, touching, atmospheric, realistic, romantic, emotional
Similar in 78%
The Reader (2008)
Plot Summary:
The story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the late 1950s, had an affair with an older woman, Hanna, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. He alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that fact at the expense of her freedom.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 256000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: melancholic, sexy, touching, sexual, psychological, emotional, erotic, heartbreaking, romantic, romantic drama
Similar in 89%
Becoming Jane (2007)
Plot Summary:
A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, costume drama, period piece, sweet, intellectual, emotional, factual, historical drama, romantic drama
Similar in 83%
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Plot Summary:
Pride & Prejudice is a humorous story of love and life among English gentility during the Georgian era. Mr. Bennet is an English gentleman living in Hertfordshire with his overbearing wife and five daughters. If Mr. Bennet dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 322000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, UK, USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: romantic, costume drama, sweet, dramatic, captivating, witty, touching, emotional, cute, period piece
Similar in 83%
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Plot Summary:
Doctor Zhivago is the filmed adapation of the Russian novel by Boris Pasternak from director David Lean that was an international success and today deemed a classic. Omar Sharif and Julie Christie play two protagonists who in fact love each other yet because of their current situation cannot find a way be together.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 81000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Italy, UK, USA
Duration: 197 min
Plot tags: epic, atmospheric, emotional, romantic, scenic, costume drama, visual, sentimental, serious, realistic
Similar in 90%
Testament of Youth (2014)
Plot Summary:
Testament of Youth is a powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, which has become the classic testimony of that war from a woman’s point of view. A searing journey from youthful hopes and dreams to the edge of despair and back again, it’s a film about young love, the futility of war and how to make sense of the darkest times.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, Denmark, USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: touching, period piece, serious, captivating, romantic, stylized, costume drama, factual, sad, historical drama
Similar in 90%
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Plot Summary:
Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. Two daughters are the titular opposites.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 123000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: romantic, feel good, sincere, dramatic, sentimental, costume drama, period piece, emotional, touching, atmospheric
Similar in 90%
The Imitation Game (2014)
Plot Summary:
Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 811000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: inspirational, captivating, intellectual, clever, serious, motivational, entertaining, thought provoking, factual, visually appealing