Best movies like Elephant Heart
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Marko Stemper, 19 years old, comes from a disadvantaged background and works as a window cleaner. His father, an alcoholic, tyrannizes the whole family, so Marko's only joy in life is boxing. As he is the most promising talent in his club, Gerd Hermsbach, a local demimonde boss, offers him the opportunity to become a professional. Marko accepts, but has to pay a high price.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 322
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspense, captivating, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like Elephant Heart (2002):
Similar in 89%
Goat (2015)
Plot Summary:
Peter "Koza" Baláz is a former Olympic boxer. He and his partner, Misa, live in a dilapidated housing estate, constantly struggling to make ends meet. Misa learns that she is expecting a child and decides to terminate her pregnancy. In order to earn some much-needed cash and possibly change Misa's mind. He and his manager Zvonko embark on a "tour", where success is not measured in victories, but in the amount of blows that Koza can take.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 218
Genere: Drama
Country: Slovakia, Czech Republic
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, touching
Similar in 75%
Punch (2002)
Plot Summary:
Ariel is a troubled girl with more than the usual teenage problems. When her emotion and temper get the best of her, she is drawn into a world where she can take out her anger with her fists. In the tradition of 'Girlfight' comes a wildly original story of rage and redemption.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 460
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, serious, captivating, erotic, realistic, sexual, black comedy, dark comedy, sexy
Similar in 81%
Homevideo (2011)
Plot Summary:
Shy, sensitive high school outsider Jakob Moormann is miserably lacking immaterial support at home, where his strict father, uniformed cop Claas, and selfish mother are too busy breaking up to be there for him. Jakob focuses on class dream-girl Hannah, without much luck. His secret recording of himself masturbating gets into class bullies Henry and Erik's hands through the mother's thoughtlessness. The rascals blackmail Jakob and post the video on the Internet. After a raging lecture phase, dad stands up for Jakob, but his life is already wrecked more than anyone realizes.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, rough, captivating, gloomy, semi serious
Similar in 77%
Margaret's Museum (1995)
Plot Summary:
In a town where half the men die down the coalpit, Margaret MacNeil is quite happy being single in her small Cape Breton island town. Until she meets Neil Currie, a charming and sincere bagpipe-playing, Gaelic-speaking dishwasher. But no matter what you do, you can't avoid the spectre of the pit forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, UK
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: cult classic, emotional, heartbreaking, independent film, psychological, uplifting, touching, serious, realistic, erotic
Similar in 88%
Wetlands (2011)
Plot Summary:
On a dairy farm in the Eastern Townships, in the middle of a drought and while the land is parching, a drama will disrupt the life of the Santerre family. Confronted to each other they will have to learn to forgive.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 560
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, psychological, captivating, avant garde, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 85%
The Companion (2015)
Plot Summary:
At the height of the 1980s AIDS epidemic, Cuban boxing champion Horacio's punishment for failing a drug test is to watch over the brash, combative Daniel, a patient in a sanatorium where HIV patients are compulsorily confined. The two collide as Daniel yearns for freedom while Horacio dreams of returning to the ring.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 289
Genere: Drama
Country: Cuba, Panama, France, Colombia, Venezuela
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, captivating, tense, thought provoking, unusual plot structure, suspense, crying, queer cinema
Similar in 86%
Sauna on Moon (2011)
Plot Summary:
In Guangdong, the forefront of China's reform and opening-up, the business of a sauna is fairly flat. The boss, Wu, together with his team, pursuits his dream and constructs a entertainment kingdom persistently with their wisdom, effort and positive spirit. Eventually, after a special fashion show, Wu tears for his uneasy success. During the period, some of his employees leave hopelessly, some are imprisoned, some are still longing for a better tomorrow by his side.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 33
Genere: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, gloomy
Similar in 90%
True Blue (1996)
Plot Summary:
The story of the year the Oxford and Cambridge boat race changed from a gentleman's race to one where winning was everything.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 431
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: UK
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: independent film, sincere, uplifting, touching, feel good, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 89%
4 Kings (2015)
Plot Summary:
Alex, Fedja, Timo and Lara are four troubled teens for whom the upcoming Christmas eve isn't a time of peace and joy: Since they all have a history of escalating family conflicts, they'll be spending the holidays not at home, but in a psychiatric ward. The utterly different adolescents not only have to adjust to one another, but also have to confront themselves in exhausting therapy sessions. Yet thanks to the unorthodox psychiatrist Dr. Wolf, the sessions take a turn for the unexpected - and the four experience a Christmas which they will never forget.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 80%
Cloroform (2012)
Plot Summary:
Life of boxing in Mexico city, bets, deception, love, crime and courage takes place in the lives of amateur boxers to professional fighters.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 39
Genere: Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, serious, captivating, rough, realistic, telenovela
Similar in 79%
Little Lion (2012)
Plot Summary:
Mitri is 15 years old and lives in a village in Senegal. Like all the youngsters of his age, he plays football, dreaming of the Barcelona and Chelsea Football Clubs. When an agent sees him, Mitri believes in his luck. But, in order to go chasing Europe´s big clubs, he has to pay. The family puts money together and runs into debts to help him. Once in Paris, everything falls apart: Mitri finds himself abandonned without a cent in his pocket, and cannot imagine facing shame when he comes back to the village. An odyssey of tanglements begins then. But, his football dream will catch up with him when he meets someone.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 220
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, captivating, psychological, serious
Similar in 84%
The Hanged Man (2008)
Plot Summary:
Two lovers break the law and struggle to stay together when carnal obsession causes tempers to flare.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 746
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain, Ireland
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: emotional, serious, realistic, psychological, captivating, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Vanaja (2006)
Plot Summary:
Set in rural South India, a place where social barriers are built stronger than fort walls, VANAJA explores the chasm that divides classes as a young girl struggles to come of age.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 545
Genere: Drama
Country: India, USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, psychological, sentimental, independent film, sincere, bleak, sexual, sexy, student film
Similar in 75%
My Dog Killer (2013)
Plot Summary:
Môj pes Killer is a one-day drama portraying eighteen-year-old Marek living near the Slovak-Moravian border with his dad and his racist friends. However, Marek's best true friend is his dog. His life is shaken up when he discovers the secret of his lost mother Marika.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 343
Genere: Drama
Country: Slovakia, Czech Republic
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, sincere, serious, disturbing, bleak, realistic
Similar in 88%
As We Were Dreaming (2015)
Plot Summary:
Andreas Dresen's adaptation of Clemens Meyer's novel about a group of East German friends right after the fall of the Wall.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, disturbing, sincere, gloomy
Similar in 77%
The Knife That Killed Me (2014)
Plot Summary:
A journey through the memories of teenager Paul Varderman as he reflects on the events leading to the fatal moment his life is cut short. Paul moves to a new school and becomes involved with 'The Freaks', a group on the periphery of school life, those who don't fit in: scene kids, emo kids, indie kids. Outsiders. At the same time he attracts the attention of the schools twisted and manipulative bully, Roth. When Paul delivers a message from Roth to the leader of a gang at a rival school, it sparks a dangerous feud. Faced with growing pressures from both groups, Paul must decide where his friendship lies, a decision that may cost him his life.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 87
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, suspense, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Body and Soul (1981)
Plot Summary:
A young man struggles to become a boxing champ, but success blinds him. It is only through the love of his girlfriend that he is brought back to reality.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 386
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: neo noir, grindhouse, independent film, sincere, rough, serious, realistic, eighties
Similar in 78%
Swans (2011)
Plot Summary:
Manuel's mother, Petra, lives in Berlin. She is in a coma as a result of chemotherapy treatment. Tarso and Petra have been divorced since Manuel (17) was 3 years old. Manuel and Tarso come to Germany to be with Petra during her illness. They stay together in her old apartment. Another woman also occasionally lives there: Kim, a beautiful, enigmatic and aloof Asian. Petra's disease is of no interest to Manuel whereas Tarso visits Petra obsessively in the clinic. Sharing the same space with Tarso is hard for Manuel. Their previous relationship was based on 'visits only'. Manuel is overcome by a sense of emptiness. Meanwhile, Manuel develops an erotic desire for Kim, in fact a transsexual, who helps him discover Petra's body.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 91
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany, Portugal
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, contemplative, captivating, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Undefeated (2003)
Plot Summary:
Lex 'El Animal' Vargas is a promising Portorican boxer in Queens, but lacks ambition to aim for the big career. That changes after his brother Paulie is accidentally shot dead by a teenager in an amateur hold-up on their late dad's shop, which he now closes to turn professional boxer. His star rises fast, but success brings its own problems, as he he lacks experience to handle professionals and resist the abuse they and his ghetto past entourage make of his generous nature.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 801
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, suspense
Similar in 79%
The Mighty Celt (2005)
Plot Summary:
Centred around greyhound racing in a Catholic community after the "Troubles" have ended but where their legacy remains strong. Donal is a 14-year old who works in a greyhound racing kennel owned by Good Joe. If Donal's favourite greyhound, The Mighty Celt, wins three races in a row, Good Joe has promised him full ownership.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 956
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland, UK
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, realistic, captivating, sincere, uplifting, touching, serious
Similar in 83%
Black Cloud (2004)
Plot Summary:
Black Cloud, is an inspirational story about a young Navajo, Native American boxer, who overcomes personal challenges as he comes to terms with his heritage, while fighting his way for a spot on the US Olympic boxing team.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 545
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: uplifting, sincere, touching, serious, colorful, emotional, realistic
Similar in 88%
Underdog (2014)
Plot Summary:
23-year-old "Dino" (Bianca Kronlöf) dreams of a different life. Like an abundance of Swedes her age, she has fled the mass unemployment of her home country in search of a more worthwhile existence in a nouveau-riche Oslo. But her new life is caught in deadlock - Dino finds herself stuck in a destructive loop of temporary jobs, financial trouble and hard partying. A broken arm incidentally leads to a position as a housekeeper in a Norwegian middle-class home. Dino is thrown into a reality very far from her own. During a few sultry summer weeks she ends up the centre of an odd love triangle, an unpredictable struggle for affection as well as dominance. "Underdog" is a tender and raw story of privilege and longing, yet at the same time a humorous and unmerciful observation of the shifted power balance between Sweden and Norway - an actuality where Swedes have become the Norwegians' servants.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 882
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden, Norway
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, sentimental, captivating, touching, serious
Similar in 89%
1st Love (2013)
Plot Summary:
Antoine, 13, spends the summer vacation with his parents in a rented cottage on an island in the middle of the Saint-Lawrence River. His neighbour, 17-year-old Anna, is an enigmatic and lively young woman. Antoine begins to experience the first stirrings of love-which soon yield a troubling brew of anxiety, desire and obsession. He eventually comes across a terrible secret that will forever change his life.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, captivating
Similar in 77%
Fremde Tochter (2017)
Plot Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Lena meets 19-year-old Farid, a young Muslim. She has a clear-cut attitude towards his culture and religion: utter rejection. Despite their differences – or perhaps because of them – they fall in love.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 178
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, unusual plot structure, captivating, suspense, contemplative
Similar in 86%
Carnera: The Walking Mountain (2008)
Plot Summary:
The life of Primo Carnera a.k.a. "Ambling Alp", Italian professional boxer and the World Heavyweight Champion from June 1933 to June 1934, but also accused by some of having ties to the mob.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 489
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: Italy, Romania
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, serious, emotional, captivating, realistic
Similar in 78%
Matchups (2003)
Plot Summary:
Ian Willams -- who was born blind in one eye -- grew up undaunted to become an elite college basketball player. But his dream of winning a national championship and turning pro was sidetracked when a tragic accident left him completely blind. Triumphing over adversity, Williams recalibrated his ambition and went on to become college basketball's first blind coach. A truly inspiring story about the triumph of the human spirit.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 29
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, touching, independent film
Similar in 79%
Touch the Top of the World (2006)
Plot Summary:
The story of the first blind man ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 334
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, realistic, serious
Similar in 75%
The Opponent (2000)
Plot Summary:
Patty Sullivan (Erica Eleniak) is a battered woman who decides to take charge of her life by taking boxing lessons to better protect herself when her boyfriend becomes violent. Patty soon learns she has some talent for boxing and sets her sights on competing in a professional fight. More is on the line than just the woman's title.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, rough, serious, independent film, realistic, uplifting
Similar in 82%
Hut in the Woods (2011)
Plot Summary:
Two misfit males, one man-child, one boy, find each other, building a small cabin in the woods to create a new life. Their daily struggle for survival creates a strong bond between them until the hut is destroyed and one of the boys carted off. The former psychiatric patient is told that his friend was just a figment of his imagination, but this provokes him to fight back and prove the boy's existence.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, touching, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 89%
Fuehrer Ex (2002)
Plot Summary:
Ingo Hasselbach, whose parents were Communist Party members in East Germany during his childhood, has lived at both ends of the political seesaw. The question of how people reach a change of heart is a profound one; Hasselbach describes the external forces that led to his founding Germany's first neo-Nazi political party and the internal ones that led him away from it five years later.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, disturbing, tense, rough, bleak, realistic