Best movies like Contempt
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A philistine in the art film business, Jeremy Prokosch is a producer unhappy with the work of his director. Prokosch has hired Fritz Lang (as himself) to direct an adaptation of "The Odyssey," but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb at the box office, he brings in a screenwriter to energize the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: art house, philosophical, erotic, grindhouse, visual, psychological, clever, witty, talky, cynical
Best tv shows and movies like Contempt (1963):
Similar in 85%
The Things of Life (1970)
Plot Summary:
Pierre, a successful expert in building highways has a traffic accident. Being seriously wounded, he is lying waiting for death and remembering his past in flashbacks.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Switzerland, France, Italy
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychological, philosophical, existential, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 84%
Two English Girls (1971)
Plot Summary:
At the beginning of the 20th century, Claude Roc, a young middle-class Frenchman meets in Paris Ann Brown, a young Englishwoman. They become friends and Ann invites him to spend holidays at the house where she lives with her mother and her sister Muriel, for whom she intends Claude. During these holidays, Claude, Ann and Muriel become very close and he gradually falls in love with Muriel. But both families lay down a one-year-long separation without any contact before agreeing to the marriage. So Claude goes back to Paris when he has many love affairs before sending Muriel a break-off letter.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: art house, romantic, postmodern, erotic drama, sentimental, serious, realistic, contemplative, talky, period drama
Similar in 88%
A Married Woman (1964)
Plot Summary:
A superficial woman has conflict between choosing her abusive husband and her vain lover.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: art house, black and white, sensual, psychological, atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic, contemplative, stylized
Similar in 82%
Pierrot le Fou (1965)
Plot Summary:
Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: road movie, surreal, atmospheric, art house, visual, stylized, meditative, light, realistic, humorous
Similar in 78%
That Most Important Thing: Love (1975)
Plot Summary:
Servais Mont, a photographer, meets Nadine Chevalier who earns her money starring in cheap soft-core movies. Trying to help her, he borrows the money from the loan sharks to finance the theatrical production of 'Richard III' and gives Nadine a part.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy, West Germany
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: anthology, art house, cult classic, experimental, avant garde, underground film, atmospheric, serious, realistic, surreal
Similar in 75%
The Soft Skin (1964)
Plot Summary:
Pierre Lachenay is a well-known publisher and lecturer, married with Franca and father of Sabine, around 10. He meets an air hostess, Nicole. They start a love affair, which Pierre is hiding, but he cannot stand staying away from her.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: depressing, neo noir, anthology, art house, black and white, psychological, atmospheric, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 77%
Jules and Jim (1962)
Plot Summary:
In Paris, before WWI, two friends, Jules (Austrian) and Jim (French) fall in love with the same woman, Catherine. But Catherine loves and marries Jules. After the war, when they meet again in Germany, Catherine starts to love Jim... This is the story of three people in love, a love which does not affect their friendship, and about how their relationship evolves with the years.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 44000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: art house, black and white, philosophical, lyrical, atmospheric, sexy, talky, psychedelic, depressing, social
Similar in 82%
Masculin Féminin (1966)
Plot Summary:
The film stars French New Wave icon Jean-Pierre Léaud as Paul, a romantic young idealist and literary lion-wannabe who chases budding pop star, Madeleine (Chantal Goya, a real life Yé-yé girl).
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Sweden
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: philosophical, intellectual, clever, talky, erotic, touching, heartbreaking, avant garde, poignant, art house
Similar in 77%
My Life to Live (1962)
Plot Summary:
Twelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: art house, philosophical, intellectual, black and white, visual, atmospheric, serious, depressing, erotic, inspirational
Similar in 76%
The Beautiful Troublemaker (1991)
Plot Summary:
The former famous painter Frenhofer lives quietly with his wife on his countryside residence in the French Provence. When the young artist Nicolas visits him with his girlfriend Marianne, Frenhofer decides to start again the work on a painting he long ago stopped: La Belle Noiseuse. And he wants Marianne as model. The now starting creative process changes life for everyone. It is a struggle for truth, life and sense, and the question where the limits of arts are or whether art is limitless.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Switzerland
Duration: 238 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, realistic, psychological, atmospheric, erotic, serious, sexy, contemplative, sexual
Similar in 76%
Claire's Knee (1970)
Plot Summary:
On the eve of his wedding, on holiday on the Lake Annecy shore, a career diplomat visits an old acquaintance, perhaps a former girlfriend. Through her he meets an intense teenager, Laura, and then lusts after her sister, Claire. Whilst Laura attempts to flirt with him, his fantasy becomes focused on wanting to caress Claire's knee.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sentimental, thought provoking, spiritual, existential, sensitive, talky, relaxing, sexy, clever, humorous
Similar in 88%
Chloe in the Afternoon (1972)
Plot Summary:
The last of Rohmer's Six Moral Tales. Frederic leads a bourgeois life; he is a partner in a small Paris office and is happily married to Helene, a teacher expecting her second child. In the afternoons, Frederic daydreams about other women, but has no intention of taking any action. One day, Chloe, who had been a mistress of an old friend, begins dropping by his office. They meet as friends, irregularly in the afternoons, till eventually Chloe decides to seduce Frederic, causing him a moral dilemma.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: clever, anthology, art house, psychological, serious, realistic, contemplative, talky, stylized, sexual
Similar in 88%
Beauty of the Day (1967)
Plot Summary:
Beautiful young housewife Séverine Serizy cannot reconcile her masochistic fantasies with her everyday life alongside dutiful husband Pierre. When her lovestruck friend Henri mentions a secretive high-class brothel run by Madame Anais, Séverine begins to work there during the day under the name Belle de Jour. But when one of her clients grows possessive, she must try to go back to her normal life.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sexual, psycho sexual, sexy, surreal, art house, ambiguous ending, sensual, erotic, visual, psychological thriller
Similar in 79%
The Last Tycoon (1976)
Plot Summary:
F.Scott Fitzgerald's novel is brought to life in this story of a movie producer slowly working himself to death.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: realistic, stylized, captivating, sentimental, retro, psychotronic, metafiction, cult classic, serious, gloomy
Similar in 75%
The Night (1961)
Plot Summary:
A married couple attend a bourgeois party and wade through the stifling strain that long-term marriage has imposed upon them.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: cerebral, art house, erotic, black and white, neorealism, atmospheric, realistic, contemplative, stylized, sexual
Similar in 89%
A Woman Is a Woman (1961)
Plot Summary:
Exotic dancer Angéla attempts to have a child with her unwilling lover Émile. In the process, she finds herself torn between him and his best friend Alfred.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: light, melancholic, feel good, humorous, semi serious, visual, art house, intellectual, black and white, sensual
Similar in 90%
L'Eclisse (1962)
Plot Summary:
A young woman meets a vital young man, but their love affair is doomed by the man's materialistic nature.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: art house, philosophical, black and white, surreal, neorealism, cerebral, visual, bleak, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 75%
The Last Mistress (2007)
Plot Summary:
Secrets, rumors and betrayals surround the upcoming marriage between a young dissolute man and virtuous woman of the French aristocracy.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: erotic, serious, stylized, realistic, sensual, sexy, disturbing, erotic drama, sexual, crying
Similar in 83%
Happiness (1965)
Plot Summary:
Though married to the good-natured, beautiful Thérèse, young husband and father François finds himself falling unquestioningly into an affair with an attractive postal worker.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: art house, anthology, psychological, sentimental, atmospheric, serious, realistic, gloomy, fairy tale, erotic
Similar in 83%
Beyond the Clouds (1995)
Plot Summary:
Made of four short tales, linked by a story filmed by Wim Wenders. Taking place in Ferrara, Portofino, Aix en Provence and Paris, each story, which always a woman as the crux of the story, invites to an inner travel, as Antonioni says "towards the true image of that absolute and mysterious reality that nobody will ever see".
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, France, Germany
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: erotic, touching, emotional, colorful, atmospheric, psychological, serious, realistic, romantic, anthology
Similar in 77%
Day for Night (1973)
Plot Summary:
A committed film director struggles to complete his movie while coping with a myriad of crises, personal and professional, among the cast and crew.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: humorous, sexy, tense, atmospheric, romantic, intense, sentimental, feel good, semi serious, realistic
Similar in 77%
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 77%
Last Night (2010)
Plot Summary:
The story follows a married couple, apart for a night while the husband takes a business trip with a colleague to whom he's attracted. While he's resisting temptation, his wife encounters her past love.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, France
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: melancholic, heartbreaking, sentimental, reflective, sexy, psychological, touching, enigmatic, talky, sincere
Similar in 86%
Closer (2004)
Plot Summary:
A witty, romantic, and very dangerous love story about chance meetings, instant attractions, and casual betrayals. Two couples disintegrate when they begin destructive adulterous affairs with each other.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 233000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sexy, erotic, romantic, psychological, melancholic, intellectual, sensual, dark, heartbreaking, romantic drama
Similar in 86%
Last Tango in Paris (1972)
Plot Summary:
A young Parisian woman begins a sordid affair with a middle-aged American businessman who lays out ground rules that their clandestine relationship will be based only on sex.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 57000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: erotic, disturbing, sexy, art house, controversial, dark, surreal, cynical, psychological, atmospheric
Similar in 78%
Eight and a Half (1963)
Plot Summary:
With 8 ½ Frederico Fellini leaves a self-portrait where dreams and reality are a mix. With help from a most excellent cast and unique scenery this self reflecting film is one of his master works.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 124000
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: art house, psychological, surreal, philosophical, cerebral, stylized, black and white, atmospheric, postmodern, visual
Similar in 75%
L'ennui (1998)
Plot Summary:
A philosophy teacher restless with the need to do something with his life meets a young woman suspected of driving an artist to his death. He finds the very simple Cecilia irritating but develops a sexual rapport with her. Obsessed with the need to own and tormented by her inability to respond to him, he becomes increasingly violent in a quest he can't name - a quest that slowly begins to undermine his certainties.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Romance, Drama
Country: France, Portugal
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: erotic, psychological, sexy, emotional, sexual, psycho sexual, sensual, transgressive, serious, realistic
Similar in 87%
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Plot Summary:
A melancholy story about the love between a woman and a man who live in the same building and one day find out that their husband and wife had an affair with each other. More and more the two meet during their daily lives as they determine that they both don’t want to be lonely in their marriage.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 163000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Hong Kong, France
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: art house, atmospheric, melancholic, visually stunning, artsy, contemplative, visually appealing, visual, sexy, psychological
Similar in 87%
The Voyeur (1994)
Plot Summary:
At a college in Rome, a professor, nicknamed "Dodo" is in a deep depression. His stunningly beautiful wife has just left him for another man. Dodo wants her back very badly and has erotic daydreams about her. A beautiful young student in his class asks him for a ride home and seduces the lucky man, but still he wonders about his wife and her lover.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexual, sensual, gloomy, romantic, disturbing, controversial, eros, erotic drama, sexy
Similar in 75%
The Dreamers (2003)
Plot Summary:
A young American studying in Paris in 1968 strikes up a friendship with a French brother and sister. Set against the background of the '68 Paris student riots.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 129000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Italy, France, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: sexy, erotic, sexual, psychological, disturbing, sensual, serious, explicit, erotic drama, atmospheric