Best movies like Backwater
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Based on a novel by Shinya Tanaka, this film is set in a quiet riverside town, where 17-year-old Tooma lives with his father and his father’s lover. Tooma witnesses his father’s sadistic behavior towards his lover and soon finds himself following in his father’s footsteps.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 365
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, serious, suspenseful
Best tv shows and movies like Backwater (2013):
Similar in 90%
I Remember (2005)
Plot Summary:
The memories of Guiga, from early childhood to young adulthood: his family, relatives, friends, fears, dreams and reality in a still provincial city of Salvador, Bahia, from the 50s to the 70s.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 229
Genere: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 76%
On the Corner (2003)
Plot Summary:
Angel and Randy Henry are a sister and brother, caught on the mean streets of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. While Angel finds the strength to escape her seemingly hopeless situation, Randy slips deeper into a world consumed by abandonment and fuelled by drugs.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 272
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 90%
Backdoor (2000)
Plot Summary:
Athens 1966. Dimitris, 13, unexpectedly loses his father. Seeing his pampered mother collapse, the boy gets carried away and decides to skip childhood in order to stand by her. When he feels ready, he has to claim his mother back from an up-and-coming star of the military regime. A brutal coming-of-age story, where Dimitris reacts in vengeance, changing thus the course of Greek history.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 534
Genere: Drama
Country: Greece, France, Romania
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: captivating, disturbing, suspense
Similar in 77%
Charly (2007)
Plot Summary:
No overview found.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 155
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 79%
Sparrows (2015)
Plot Summary:
The story follows a 16-year-old Icelandic boy, Ari, who lives with his mother in Reykjavík, She has to leave the country for a new job, sending him back to the small town of his youth. There he finds his old friend, suddenly a young woman with a tricky romantic relationship; and his father has become a victim of the financial crisis.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Iceland, Denmark, Croatia
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: captivating, sincere, suspenseful, melancholic
Similar in 87%
3 Steps to Heaven (1995)
Plot Summary:
A bereaved woman adopts multiple disguises to track down the last three people to see her boyfriend before he died.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 155
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: psychological, mind bending, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cynical
Similar in 78%
Little Feather (2016)
Plot Summary:
Martina is 18, loves dancing and goes by a nick name Shakira. Also, today she is leaving an orphanage.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Czech Republic, Slovakia
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 85%
The Light Shines Only There (2014)
Plot Summary:
A man has thrown away love and a woman has given up on love. The two souls meet in a brief summer in the northern city of Hakodate.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 663
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: rough, touching, serious, realistic, romantic, anthology, bleak
Similar in 75%
Marfa Girl 2 (2018)
Plot Summary:
A family living in Marfa, Texas attempts to pull themselves back together after a horrific tragedy. This provocative sequel to Larry Clark's film Marfa Girl, shows us a group of people ready to escape their current realities - no matter the cost. Gritty, unrelenting and powerful, auteur Clark once again delivers a bleak landscape of sex, drugs and boredom amongst the residents of a dead-end Texas Border town.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 505
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 76 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, realistic, suspenseful, art house, sensual
Similar in 84%
Side Job. (2017)
Plot Summary:
Based on the novel "Kanojo no Jinsei wa Machigai ja Nai" (literal translation: Her life is not at fault) by Director Hiroki, it is a powerful story of survivors, who are all trying to find their own silver linings in life.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 228
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating
Similar in 81%
Shanghai Belle (2011)
Plot Summary:
The destinies of five young women from all over the world intertwine in Paris as they embark on a roller-coaster ride of extremes in their search for love, sex and money. Based upon true stories, Shanghai Belle tells the destiny of five young women who all go through 'hell' to finally receive an unexpected redemption. Each of them states her intimate confessions through daily diaries. They experiment a journey on the 'edge'. The result of which is the loss of their innocence.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 84
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 85%
Happy Lambs (2015)
Plot Summary:
The perfect world of a small family breaks, when Can discover that his mother works in a brothel. In a maelstrom of anger, guilt and despair Mother and son are forced to forgive himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 213
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing, sexy
Similar in 82%
Wilderness: Part Two (2017)
Plot Summary:
Set in the near future around Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinji got out from a youth detention center. Barikan suffers from stuttering and extreme shyness. These two men meet in a boxing gym. Shinji and Barikan become friends and pursue boxing under a hopeless situation.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 278
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, tense, unusual plot structure, disturbing, contemplative
Similar in 75%
Wilderness: Part One (2017)
Plot Summary:
Set in the near future around Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinji got out from a youth detention center. Barikan suffers from stuttering and extreme shyness. These two men meet in a boxing gym. Shinji and Barikan become friends and pursue boxing under a hopeless situation.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 351
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 89%
The Whispering of the Gods (2005)
Plot Summary:
Rou has returned to the monastery he was raised in. As he listens to the whispering of the Gods through his germanium radio, Rou defies God in every which way and puts religion to the test.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 182
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, suspense, scary, controversial
Similar in 80%
Cute, But Ordinary (2013)
Plot Summary:
The youngest daughter of a rich man has been raped by five black men in the slums of Rio, and her father arranges her marriage to one of his employees in order to save the family's honor.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 240
Genere: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, disturbing, psychological, suspenseful, realistic, gloomy, hot
Similar in 82%
DAU. Katya Tanya (2020)
Plot Summary:
Katya, a young librarian, believes in love, but her ideals are crushed by reality. After a string of disappointing affairs, Katya finally finds tenderness and understanding in the arms of her colleague, a journalist called Tanya. But then the First Department interferes: the state security services see this relationship as unacceptable for a Soviet woman.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 255
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany, Ukraine, UK, Russia
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: sexy, neo noir, psychological, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 90%
A Caretaker's Tale (2012)
Plot Summary:
A custodian in a housing project discovers that a naked, mute woman he found in one of his apartments has miraculous healing powers.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 743
Genere: Drama
Country: Denmark
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, disturbing, psychological, atmospheric, bleak, realistic, offbeat, sexual, sexy
Similar in 89%
She Is Not Crying, She Is Singing (2011)
Plot Summary:
A tale of deliverance. Laura, 27 years old, lives alone in the outskirts of a large town. She learns that her father is in a coma, after a serious car accident. She decides to visit him at the hospital as a last opportunity to settle old scores, perhaps even to get revenge.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 130
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, Luxembourg, France
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, psychological, captivating, sincere, touching, disturbing, gloomy
Similar in 84%
The Third Side of the River (2014)
Plot Summary:
Tensions rise when a doctor (Daniel Veronese) pressures his teenage son to follow in his footsteps.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 250
Genere: Drama
Country: Argentina
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, psychological, tense, serious
Similar in 81%
Young Gods (2003)
Plot Summary:
Taavi,the enigmatic 18-year-old lead, has just inherited his long-deceased wealthy parents home and estate. It is high school graduation and Taavi's birthday, and after his fiends greet him au natural and are arrested, Taavi invites his friends to the mansion for a wild party. Taavi lives with a recording camera to his eye, a machine that allows his to keep interpersonal distance from everyone. Among his friends are Jere who considers himself a woman's man, Markus (who appears the well-adjusted one, and chubby, pierced Sami whose sexuality is ambiguous. The party gets wild, guests sleep around, and Taavi records it all!.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Finland
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, suspenseful, tense, sexual, sexy
Similar in 86%
Undulant Fever (2014)
Plot Summary:
A female student falls for a senior, but the senior not really for her. He is willing to go to bed with her, but doesn’t feel love. The couple embark on a painful yet passionate experiment. Based on the legendary book by Kei Nakazawa.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 160
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: erotic, psychological, serious, controversial
Similar in 89%
Without Destination (2002)
Plot Summary:
Sin Destino follows the life of a 15 year old Mexican boy, Francisco, as he struggles to survive on the streets. His primary source of income is money raised by prostituting himself to men for sex, and the film implies that this learned behaviour has arisen as a result of a contact with a single man when Francisco was 9 years old. This man, Sebastien, is an "artist" who initially claimed to want to photograph the boy, but it is clear that their relationship at one time extended far beyond that of photographer/model.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 220
Genere: Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, atmospheric, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, surreal, gloomy, sexual
Similar in 86%
Return to Innocence (2001)
Plot Summary:
Director Rocky Costanzo's searing legal drama centers on a highly credentialed child psychologist named Glen Erskine (Richard Meese) whose life is shattered when he's accused of sexually assaulting a young boy he's been treating. Based on the novel of the same name by Gary M. Frazier, this poignant tale also stars Andrew Martin, Steve De Forest, Jeff Harman and Brett Chukerman.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 823
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, serious, art house, bleak, independent film
Similar in 78%
The Judgement (2004)
Plot Summary:
"Ai-Fak" is the story about Fak, a young Thai man who leaves the monkhood to care for his ailing father. When he returns home, he finds his father has married a much younger woman. She is very beautiful, but she is also mentally unbalanced. Then the father dies, leaving Fak to care for his insane stepmother. Soon Fak's neighbors in this remote village are talking about him, saying he is sleeping with his stepmother. This rejection by the villagers sends Fak into a spiral of despair.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 202
Genere: Drama
Country: Thailand
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 90%
Tokyo Decadence (1992)
Plot Summary:
A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of appeasement for the fact that her lover has married.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: erotic, disturbing, tense, surreal, sexy, serious, realistic, controversial, psychological, captivating
Similar in 82%
Little Boy Blue (1997)
Plot Summary:
Living in rural Texas is a dysfunctional family: an abusive dad, a Vietnam vet with a war wound that's left him impotent; a compliant wife and a son of about 20, two small sons who look a lot like their brother. The dad harbors a secret, and he goes to murderous lengths to keep it hidden. The young man, Jimmy, who has suspicions, but little comes out until a Yankee woman comes to town.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, serious, suspense, bleak, sexy, explicit, realistic, crying, independent film
Similar in 86%
Twelve Thirty (2010)
Plot Summary:
TWELVE THIRTY is drama about a family with adult children that is broken, and a self-centered young man who, in the span of a week, becomes entangled in each of their lives, wreaking havoc in the process.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 267
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: serious, psychological, atmospheric, captivating, erotic, realistic, independent film, sexual, sexy
Similar in 78%
Dawn of the Felines (2017)
Plot Summary:
A glimpse into the lives of three prostitutes in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo and the clients who solicit them.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 387
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, sincere, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 85%
Suspicious River (2000)
Plot Summary:
A young married woman (Parker) sells her body, not just for money, to guests at the motel where she works as a receptionist.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 852
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: erotic, psychological, rough, disturbing, tense, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, sexual