Best movies like Barefoot Gen
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A powerful statement against war, Barefoot Gen is a story about the effect of the atomic bomb on a boy's life and the lives of the Japanese people. Based on the acclaimed manga by Nakazawa Keiji, the author of Barefoot Gen, who was 6 years old at the time of the Hiroshima bombing, and is one of the survivors of the destruction. The bomb was responsible for the death of his father, his sister, and his brother. At the age of 6 he and his mother dug their remains out of the ruins of their home. In 1963 Nakazawa moved to Tokyo to become a manga artist, but returned to Hiroshima in 1966 to attend his mothers funeral. It was then that he learned of the true impact of the radiation from the bomb.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Animation, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: anime, disturbing, adult animation, heartbreaking, political, rough, bleak, retro, depressing, epic
Best tv shows and movies like Barefoot Gen (1983):
Similar in 83%
Asura (2012)
Plot Summary:
Abandoned in the barren wasteland of Kyoto, a savage, enraged orphan does whatever it takes to survive in the wild. When he crosses paths with civilization, he must learn to tame the beast within.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, History, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 76 min
Plot tags: anime, atmospheric, serious, tense, suspense, psychological, bleak, realistic, stylized
Similar in 86%
Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2018)
Plot Summary:
Paris, 1930. Luis Buñuel is penniless after the scandal surrounding the release of his last movie. Sculptor Ramón Acín, a good friend, buys a lottery ticket and promises Buñuel that he will pay for his next movie if he wins the prize.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Biography, Drama, History
Country: Spain, Netherlands, Germany
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: adult animation, social, art film
Similar in 87%
Funan (2018)
Plot Summary:
Cambodia, once the ancient kingdom of Funan, April 17th, 1975. The entire country falls under the tyranny of Angkar, the communist party of the Khmer Rouge. The cities are abandoned, the population is thrown to the roads and forced to walk towards an uncertain future.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Drama, History, War
Country: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Cambodia
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: exciting, disturbing, adult animation, anime, touching, visually appealing, social, sad
Similar in 90%
Future War 1986 (1982)
Plot Summary:
An American scientist constructs a laser satellite with hopes of preventing any nuclear conflicts from occurring. However, after a fatal error from both the US and the USSR governments, war breaks out and humanity faces a new bloodshed.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 160
Genere: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 87%
Ethel & Ernest (2016)
Plot Summary:
This hand drawn animated film, based on the award winning graphic novel by Raymond Briggs, is an intimate and affectionate depiction of the life and times of his parents, two ordinary Londoners living through extraordinary events.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Animation, Drama, History
Country: UK, Luxembourg
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: adult animation, captivating, exciting, sentimental, light, stylized, anime, cult classic, crying, period drama
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Tatsumi (2011)
Plot Summary:
Animated film based on the life and stories of Manga writer Yoshihiro Tatsumi who revolutionised the art form with darker, more adult stories. The film animates several of his stories.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 852
Genere: Animation, Biography, Drama
Country: Singapore
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, serious, stylized, manga, adult animation, anime, contemplative
Similar in 84%
The Cockpit (1993)
Plot Summary:
A World War II anthology film based on Leiji Matsumoto's Battlefield manga. Kawajiri's Slipstream follows a Luftwaffe pilot on his mission to protect Germany's trump card: the world's first atomic bomb. Imanishi's Sonic Boom Squadron explores the last hours of an Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka pilot on August 6, 1945. Takahashi's Knight of the Iron Dragon tells the story of two Japanese soldiers in Leyte as they attempt to keep a promise.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 338
Genere: Animation, Drama, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 72 min
Plot tags: anime, anthology
Similar in 78%
Band of Ninja (1967)
Plot Summary:
A young boy joins a band of ninja during a peasant uprising, all depicted through an experimental form of filming pages from the original manga set to sound.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 237
Genere: Animation, Action, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: anime, jidai geki, manga, independent film
Similar in 86%
Buddha: The Great Departure (2011)
Plot Summary:
Prince Siddhartha is heir to the Shakya kingdom, which is constantly at war with the more powerful Kosala kingdom. His father tries to raise as him as a warrior leader and to shield him from the miseries of the world. Meeting the young outcast girl Migaila, Siddhartha experiences love for the first time but also witnesses the suffering that afflicts humankind. Meanwhile, in Kosala, Chapra rises through the military, despite his lowly origins, to become a hero and general of the army. A final showdown between the two kingdoms forces Siddhartha to re-evaluate the path he is following.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 477
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, captivating, tense, entertaining, contemplative, epic, serious, stylized
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Charlotte (2021)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish painter who comes of age in Berlin on the eve of the Second World War. Fiercely imaginative and deeply gifted, she dreams of becoming an artist. Her first love applauds her talent, which emboldens her resolve. When anti-Semitic policies inspire violent mobs, she escapes to the safety of the South of France. There she begins to paint again, and finds new love. But her work is interrupted, this time by a family tragedy that reveals an even darker secret. Believing that only an extraordinary act will save her, she embarks on the monumental adventure of painting her life story.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 438
Genere: Animation, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Canada, France, Belgium
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing, adult animation, 2d animation
Similar in 82%
Crulic - The Path to Beyond (2011)
Plot Summary:
An animated feature-length documentary telling the story of the life of Crulic, a 33 year-old Romanian accused of having stolen a wallet from an important Polish judge. Crulic was brought to the Krakow Detention Center Custody prison. He decided to start a hunger strike from the day he was arrested, demanding a meeting with somebody from the Romanian Consulate.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 813
Genere: Documentary, Animation, Biography, Drama
Country: Romania, Poland
Duration: 73 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, disturbing, stylized, adult animation, anime, offbeat, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 75%
Ringing Bell (1978)
Plot Summary:
Chirin is an innocent though adventurous young lamb whose carefree life on the farm comes to an abrupt end when a wolf murders his mother. Confused and angry, Chirin pursues the wolf into the mountains, seeking revenge. The laws of nature are brutal, however, and hatred alone won't be enough to avenge the loss of his mother. Only the strong survive in the wild, and obtaining that strength may change Chirin forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 927
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family
Country: Japan
Duration: 47 min
Plot tags: anime, disturbing, adult animation, 2d animation, cult film
Similar in 86%
Golgo 13: Queen Bee (1998)
Plot Summary:
Based on Takao Saito's graphic novel, Golgo 13 is Japan's most celebrated and notorious assassin, and a man as adept with a rifle as he is with the ladies. He meets his match here in Queen Bee, the leader of a South American liberation army, whom he must kill before she can assassinate a popular presidential candidate. However, once Golgo 13 penetrates the Queen's hive, he realizes that the machinations behind the planned assassination are more complex than he could have imagined.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 801
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 57 min
Plot tags: anime, serious, suspenseful, tense, suspense, sexy, mecha, rough, realistic, surprise ending
Similar in 81%
Miss Hokusai (2015)
Plot Summary:
The time: 1814. The place: Edo, now known as Tokyo. A much accomplished artist of his time and now in his mid-fifties, Tetsuzo can boast clients from all over Japan, and tirelessly works in the garbage-loaded chaos of his house-atelier. He spends his days creating astounding pieces of art, from a giant-size Bodhidharma portrayed on a 180 square meter-wide sheet of paper, to a pair of sparrows painted on a tiny rice grain. Third of Tetsuzo's four daughters and born out of his second marriage, outspoken 23-year-old O-Ei has inherited her father's talent and stubbornness, and very often she would paint instead of him, though uncredited. Her art is so powerful that sometimes leads to trouble. "We're father and daughter; with two brushes and four chopsticks, I guess we can always manage, in a way or another.".
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Biography, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, psychological, sentimental, captivating, manga, fairy tale
Similar in 84%
Anne Frank's Diary (1999)
Plot Summary:
During World War II, a teenage Jewish girl named Anne Frank and her family are forced into hiding in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 247
Genere: Animation, Biography, Drama, War
Country: UK, Japan, Ireland, France, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: anime
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Giovanni's Island (2014)
Plot Summary:
In the aftermath of the most devastating conflict mankind had ever experienced, the tiny island of Shikotan became part of the Sakhalin Oblast... and on the unhealed border in this remote corner of the world, friendship among children from two different countries timidly blossomed, striving to overcome language barriers and the waves of history. Inspired by true events.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Drama, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, emotional, realistic, serious, mind bending, psychedelic, surreal, adult animation, manga
Similar in 76%
Persepolis (2007)
Plot Summary:
In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Statrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 99000
Genere: Animation, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: adult animation, political, thought provoking, black and white, serious, realistic, depressing, social, anime, visually stunning
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Barefoot Gen 2 (1986)
Plot Summary:
Three years after the Hiroshima bombing, a teenager helps a group of orphans to survive and find their new life.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Biography, Drama, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: anime, political, disturbing
Similar in 84%
When the Wind Blows (1986)
Plot Summary:
With the help of government-issued pamphlets, an elderly British couple build a shelter and prepare for an impending nuclear attack, unaware that times and the nature of war have changed from their romantic memories of World War II.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Animation, Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: adult animation, bleak, apocalyptic, disturbing, touching, realistic, serious, depressing, sad, controversial
Similar in 82%
In This Corner of the World (2016)
Plot Summary:
Newlywed Suzu Urano moves to her new life in Kure City on the coast of Hiroshima Prefecture, where she perseveres through World War II with pluck and determination.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: anime, thought provoking, tense, touching, captivating, suspenseful, sad, manga, adult animation, seinen
Similar in 77%
Waltz with Bashir (2008)
Plot Summary:
Much awarded animated documentary, in which director and Israeli army veteran Ari Folman interviews friends and former soldiers about their memories of the 1982 Lebanon war and especially the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut. The usage on animation enabled Folman to illustrate their personal memories and dreams.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Documentary, Animation, Biography, Drama, History, Mystery, War
Country: Israel, France, Germany, USA, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, disturbing, adult animation, psychological, serious, atmospheric, bleak, realistic, surreal, political
Similar in 83%
Wings of Honneamise (1987)
Plot Summary:
On a future Earth, war between the Kingdom of Honneamise and its rival, The Republic, is inevitable. As evolving technology creates new ways to wage war, a small group seeks to propel mankind into space in their world’s first spaceflight program. For astronaut candidate Shirotsugh Lhadatt, it’s a personal odyssey as he grows from an aimless young man into a leader willing to put everything on the line in order to move the human race forward and away from the brink of Armageddon.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: anime, stylized, manga, exciting, serious, psychological, tense, inspirational, atmospheric, thought provoking
Similar in 88%
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
Plot Summary:
A member of an elite paramilitary counter-terrorism unit becomes traumatized after witnessing the suicide bombing of a young girl and is forced to undergo retraining. However, unbeknownst to him, he becomes a key player in a dispute between rival police divisions, as he finds himself increasingly involved with the sister of the girl he saw die.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: anime, bleak, heartbreaking, rough, serious, psychological, philosophical, disturbing, manga, adult anime
Similar in 81%
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Plot Summary:
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 301000
Genere: Animation, Drama, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: depressing, anime, touching, heartbreaking, sad, emotional, harsh, dramatic, sentimental, tear jerker
Similar in 77%
Men Behind the Sun 4 (1995)
Plot Summary:
Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre, also called Men Behind the Sun 4, is a 1994 Hong Kong film directed by Mou Tun Fei and is in many ways considered to be a follow up to the 1987 shockumentary film, Men Behind the Sun. The movie depicts the events behind the Nanking Massacre committed by the Imperial Japanese army against Chinese citizens and refugees during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Like Men Behind the Sun, the film was both criticized and praised for its brutal portrayal of the Japanese atrocities, such as the notorious contest to kill 100 people using a sword, during the early and late stages of World War II, but at the same time was questioned over historical accuracy and violence which gave the film a more exploitation feel to it.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 895
Genere: Drama, History, Horror, Thriller, War
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: disturbing, controversial, perverse, classic horror, terrifying, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
Metropolis (2001)
Plot Summary:
Duke Red has overseen the construction of a massive Ziggurat to extend his power across the whole planet. Tima, a robot-girl built in the image of his deceased daughter, is at the core of these plans. However, after escaping the Duke's clutches in a laboratory fire, she meets and befriends Kenichi, a boy who's traveled to Metropolis with his detective uncle in search of a scientist wanted for organ trafficking. Will her relationship with Kenichi, and the realization of the truth of her existence, change her destiny?.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: anime, futuristic, atmospheric, bleak, cyber, exciting, suspenseful, manga, adult animation, stylized
Similar in 84%
Philosophy of a Knife (2008)
Plot Summary:
The true history of Japanese Unit 731, from its beginnings in the 1930s to its demise in 1945, and the subsequent trials in Khabarovsk, USSR, of many of the Japanese doctors from Unit 731. The facts are told, and previously unknown evidence is revealed by an eyewitness to these events, former doctor and military translator, Anatoly Protasov.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Horror
Country: Russia, USA
Duration: 266 min
Plot tags: disturbing, bleak, extreme horror, rough, serious, realistic, bloody, transgressive, suspense, controversial
Similar in 78%
Come and See (1985)
Plot Summary:
The invasion of a village in Byelorussia by German forces sends young Florya into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha, who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Florya finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 92000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags: bleak, disturbing, thought provoking, rough, political, psychological, atmospheric, depressing, controversial, serious
Similar in 87%
Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990)
Plot Summary:
The movie follows the perspective of several characters (such as Japanese victims, soldiers, American prisoners of war and others) and how they lived or tried to survive the effects felt during the aftermath of the Atomic Bomb dropping by the Enola Gay at Hiroshima, during World War II.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 415
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: bleak, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, disturbing, contemplative, gloomy