Best movies like Disgrace
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Disgrace is the story of a South African professor of English who loses everything: his reputation, his job, his peace of mind, his good looks, his dreams of artistic success, and finally even his ability to protect his cherished daughter. After having an affair with a student, he moves to the Eastern Cape, where he gets caught up in a mess of post-apartheid politics.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia, South Africa
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, thought provoking, rough, captivating, sexy, educational, serious, realistic, independent film
Best tv shows and movies like Disgrace (2008):
Similar in 83%
Manslaughter (2005)
Plot Summary:
A college professor abandons his family and his career in order to champion his mistress, a student radical accused of killing a policeman.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, UK
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, bleak, captivating, realistic
Similar in 77%
Blue Eyes (2009)
Plot Summary:
Before his compulsory retirement, on his last day of work, Marshall, JFK airport's chief Immigration officer, detains a group of Latin Americans and expose them to a series of humiliating situations. Blinded by prejudice, Marshall ends up by causing the death of a young Brazilian. After a period in prison, Marshall goes to Brazil, deadly ill and in a desperate search in order to purge his guilt. In his quest, he is guided by Bia, a young prostitute.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 551
Genere: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: realistic, thought provoking, touching, serious, psychological, sincere, contemplative, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 81%
Chocolate (1988)
Plot Summary:
A young French woman returns to the vast silence of West Africa to contemplate her childhood days in a colonial outpost in Cameroon. Her strongest memories are of the family's houseboy, Protee - a man of great nobility, intelligence and beauty - and the intricate nature of relationships in a racist society.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, West Germany, Cameroon
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, contemplative, psychological, sincere, atmospheric, thought provoking, serious, erotic, sentimental
Similar in 87%
Kin (2000)
Plot Summary:
While on a hunt for elephant poachers in Namibia, a white female conservationist and a black lawyer fall for each other despite the condemnation by the local community.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 164
Genere: Drama
Country: South Africa, UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: sentimental, captivating, emotional, erotic, independent film, serious, realistic, sexual, touching, sexy
Similar in 75%
Ladygrey (2015)
Plot Summary:
Estelle fights to maintain her sense of self while sleeping with Angus for money.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 163
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Belgium, South Africa
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, captivating, bleak
Similar in 77%
Hold Back (2012)
Plot Summary:
Paris, today. Dorcy, a young black Christian, wants to marry Sabrina, a young North African. It what would be a simple matter if it weren't for the fact that Sabrina has 40 brothers and that this easygoing wedding has crystallized a taboo still rooted in the mentalities of the two communities: no marriages between Blacks and Arabs. Slimane, the elder brother, and guardian of traditions, will oppose this union in every way possible.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 233
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative, tense, thought provoking
Similar in 75%
Sankofa (1993)
Plot Summary:
A self-absorbed Black American fashion model on a photo shoot in Africa is spiritually transported back to a plantation in the West Indies where she experiences first-hand the physical and psychic horrors of chattel slavery, and eventually the redemptive power of community and rebellion as she becomes a member of a freedom-seeking Maroon colony.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 784
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, Ghana, Burkina Faso, UK, Germany, Ethiopia
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: inspirational, independent film, thought provoking, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 81%
The Last Best Sunday (1999)
Plot Summary:
A Hispanic teenager hides out from the law in the home of a good-natured, but rebellious, Caucasian teenage girl after killing two rednecks whom beat him up and left him for dead, leading to a collision of cultures between the two youths.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 285
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: sexy, erotic, independent film, psychological, tense, touching, serious, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 77%
Paris Trout (1991)
Plot Summary:
Paris Trout is a vile Southern bigot. He owns a store and is a loanshark. He often sues people, and so his lawyer, Harry Seagraves, eventually meets Paris' wife Hannah. A former schoolteacher, she made the mistake of her life when she married Paris, who brutalizes her. Soon Paris goes beyond the overgenerous bounds of what a man in his position can get away with even in the segregated South, leading to a spiral of perverse insanity.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: neo noir, psychological, serious, emotional, realistic, disturbing, biting, suspense
Similar in 86%
Wajma, an Afghan Love Story (2013)
Plot Summary:
It’s snowing in Kabul, and gregarious waiter Mustafa charms a pretty student named Wajma. The pair begin a clandestine relationship—they’re playful and passionate but ever mindful of the societal rules they are breaking. After Wajma discovers she is pregnant, her certainty that Mustafa will marry her falters, and word of their dalliance gets out. Her father must decide between his culturally held right to uphold family honor and his devotion to his daughter.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 464
Genere: Drama
Country: Afghanistan, France
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, psychological, atmospheric, emotional, sentimental, inspirational, sincere, serious
Similar in 79%
My Heart Beats (2010)
Plot Summary:
A poor and lonely English professor, Juri(37), decides to become a porn actor using a mask to hide behind, after she watches an unusual porn, featuring an old and fat woman. And she visits Myungsook, a porn producer, despite their separation of 10 years. After various tests and rigorous diets Juri finally stars in a porn film with an attractive young porn star, Byul(20), who saves money for studies abroad to become a professor. He sports a flawless body except a deep scar across his chest. However on the set, she keeps pushing Byul away, and nobody knows that she is a virgin.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 78
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: sexy, sincere, thought provoking, serious, captivating, realistic, sexual
Similar in 76%
Flower (2011)
Plot Summary:
Hua, a young woman from Beijing, is a recent arrival in Paris. Exiled in an unknown city, she wanders between her tiny apartment and the university, drifting between former lovers and recent French acquaintances. She meets Matthieu, a young worker who falls madly in love with her. Possessed by an insatiable desire for her body, he treats Hua like a dog. An intense affair begins, marked by Matthieu’s passionate embraces and harsh verbal abuse. When Hua determines to leave her lover, she discovers the strength of her addiction, and the vital role he has come to play in her life as a woman.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 588
Genere: Drama
Country: China, France
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, psychological, sexy, captivating, disturbing, tense, sincere, controversial, sexual
Similar in 85%
Timepiece (1996)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 1940's, James Earl Jones as an an old clockmaker faces racism and is tried for murder when the racist is killed. However, Kevin Kilner comes forward and claims to have commmitted the crime in self defense. All the while, Kilner's family life is in disarray with various crises including his daughter catching meningitis.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 514
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, realistic
Similar in 84%
Don't Be Afraid (2011)
Plot Summary:
Silvia is a young girl marked by a dark childhood. When she is barely twenty-five, she decides to start over and to face the people, feelings and emotions that keep her bound to the past. In her fight against adversity and against herself, she will learn to control her fears and become an adult, responsible for her own actions.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 864
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, realistic, captivating, melancholic, sad, sincere, touching, serious, disturbing
Similar in 86%
Dust (1985)
Plot Summary:
A South African spinster (Jane Birkin) murders her father (Trevor Howard) after he rapes the wife of the black foreman for his plantation.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 249
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, France
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, bleak, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, independent film
Similar in 88%
Alexandria... Why? (1979)
Plot Summary:
Set against the panoramic backdrop of war-torn Egypt, director Youssef Chahine tells a highly personal tale of love and determination. Amid the poverty, death and suffering caused by World War II, 18 year-old Yehia, retreats into a private world of fantasy and longing. Obsessed with Hollywood, he dreams of one day studying filmmaking in America, but after falling in love and discovering the lies of European occupation, Yehia profoundly reevaluates his identity and allegiances.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Egypt, Algeria
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: semi autobiographical, psychological, serious, captivating, realistic, crying
Similar in 75%
The Negro (2002)
Plot Summary:
A black teenager vandalizes a racist lawn ornament.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 519
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: tense, sincere, serious, disturbing, thought provoking, realistic
Similar in 83%
The Kitchen Toto (1987)
Plot Summary:
The son of a priest slain by the Mau Mau moves in with a police officer and his wife in 1950 Kenya.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 266
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: independent film, grindhouse, sincere, thought provoking, serious, realistic, disturbing, biting, suspense
Similar in 89%
Skirt Day (2008)
Plot Summary:
A troubled and emotionally fragile woman finds herself at the center of a firestorm, in this gut-wrenching psychological drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, disturbing, rough, sincere, tense, serious, emotional, realistic, controversial
Similar in 90%
Master Harold ... and the Boys (2010)
Plot Summary:
This movie is of Hally, an adolescent white South African. He is stuck between his intolerant father's outlook of him and those of his caretaker, Sam. Sam is a black waiter and Hally's friend and teacher. Hally is required to laugh at his father's racist jokes, by contrast, Sam exposes Hally to uplifting experiences. One day Hally was terribly humiliated by his father and Sam shows Hally how to be proud of something he can achieve.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 580
Genere: Drama
Country: South Africa
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 83%
She's Lost Control (2014)
Plot Summary:
Ronah's life unravels when she starts working with a new client, Johnny.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, tense, realistic, sexy, captivating, independent film, sexual
Similar in 83%
Gardens of the Night (2008)
Plot Summary:
After being abducted as children, and suffering years of abuse, a teenage boy and girl find themselves living on the street.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: bleak, serious, sincere, touching, depressing, teen, romantic, sexy, grindhouse, crime drama
Similar in 86%
A Teacher (2013)
Plot Summary:
Part psychological thriller and part provocative character study, A TEACHER explores the unraveling of a young high school teacher, Diana (Lindsay Burdge), after she begins an affair with one of her teenage students, Eric (Will Brittain). What starts as a seemingly innocent fling becomes increasingly complex and dangerous as the beautiful and confident Diana gets fully consumed by her emotions, crossing boundaries and acting out in progressively startling ways. Lindsay Burdge delivers a deeply compelling and seamlessly naturalistic performance that brings us into the mind of an adult driven to taboo against her better judgment.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: sexy, erotic, psychological, serious, tense, realistic, independent film, romantic, mumblecore, sexual
Similar in 89%
Red Dust (2004)
Plot Summary:
Sarah Barcant, a lawyer in New York City who grew up in South Africa, returns to her childhood dwelling place to intercede for Alex Mpondo, a Black South African politician who was tortured during apartheid.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, South Africa
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, sincere, political, cult classic
Similar in 83%
Faith Like Potatoes (2006)
Plot Summary:
Frank Rautenbach leads a strong cast as Angus Buchan, a Zambian farmer of Scottish heritage, who leaves his farm in the midst of political unrest and racially charged land reclaims and travels south with his family to start a better life in KwaZulu Natal,South Africa.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: South Africa
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: christian film, uplifting, sincere, serious, touching, emotional, realistic, biblical, spiritual, captivating
Similar in 88%
A Dry White Season (1989)
Plot Summary:
Taking place during the 1976 Soweto uprising, the story follows a white school teacher whose life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: talky, emotional, disturbing, rough, thought provoking, serious, realistic, political, retro, thinking
Similar in 89%
Half Nelson (2006)
Plot Summary:
Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: depressing, independent film, talky, emotional, serious, inspirational, feel good, melancholic, intense, indie film
Similar in 86%
Mandela and de Klerk (1997)
Plot Summary:
Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine both received Emmy nominations for their performances in this made-for-TV movie. The plot follows Nelson Mandela's 27-year struggle to end apartheid.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 667
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: tense, sincere, uplifting, thought provoking, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, disturbing, contemplative
Similar in 87%
Toe to Toe (2009)
Plot Summary:
Out on the lacrosse pitch, wealthy but troubled Jesse and poor but driven Tosha form an easy and deep bond, but their relationship is threatened once they enter the hallways of an elite prep school they attend in Washington, D.C. There, they must work to overcome racial and other tensions in their classmates, and in themselves, if they hope to keep their friendship alive.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 517
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, psychological, sentimental, sexy, sincere, thought provoking, touching, serious, emotional
Similar in 88%
Conrack (1974)
Plot Summary:
A young, white teacher is assigned to an isolated island off the coast of South Carolina populated mostly by poor black families. He finds that the basically illiterate, neglected children there know so little of the world outside their island.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: deep, sincere, uplifting, thought provoking, touching, feel good, serious, realistic