Best movies like Hester Street
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Steven Keats plays a Russian emigre who prides himself on the way he's molded himself into a real Yankee in the USA, though the world he lives in, New York's Lower East Side in the late 19th century, is almost exclusively populated by other Jewish immigrants. When his wife (Carol Kane) finally arrives in the New World, however, she has a lot of assimilating to do. This causes the tension which drives the movie along, though it maintains a fairly light atmosphere most of the time.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: black and white, romantic, historically accurate, aesthetic, independent film, sentimental, touching, serious, captivating, emotional
Best tv shows and movies like Hester Street (1975):
Similar in 85%
Fill the Void (2012)
Plot Summary:
Eighteen-year-old Shira is the youngest daughter of the Mendelman family. She is about to be married off to a promising young man of the same age and background. It is a dream come true, and Shira feels prepared and excited. On Purim, her twenty-eight-year-old sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her first child, Mordechay. The pain and grief that overwhelm the family postpone Shira's promised match. Everything changes when a match is proposed to Yochay-Esther's late husband-to a widow from Belgium. Yochay feels it's too early, although he realizes that sooner or later he must seriously consider getting married again. When the girls' mother finds out that Yochay may marry the widow and move to Belgium with her only grandchild, she proposes a match between Shira and the widower. Shira will have to choose between her heart's wish and her family duty. She will find out that the void which she must choose exists only within her heart.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Israel
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, captivating, psychological, sincere, serious, contemplative, gloomy, crying
Similar in 81%
A Price Above Rubies (1998)
Plot Summary:
About a young woman who is married to a devout Jew and the problems that trouble their marriage because of the woman wanting something more out of her life.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: touching, light, emotional, realistic, independent film, serious, contemplative, talky, crying, hispanic
Similar in 82%
Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)
Plot Summary:
Five unmarried sisters make the most of their simple existence in rural Ireland in the 1930s.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Ireland, UK, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: emotional, light, sentimental, sincere, realistic, touching, talky, romantic, independent film, serious
Similar in 90%
The Magnificent Ambersons (2002)
Plot Summary:
The spoiled rotten and utterly unlikable rich kid George Amberson becomes horrified when his recently widowed mother rekindles her relationship with the wealthy Eugene Morgan, who she left decades earlier in order to marry George's father. As George struggles to sabotage his mother's new romance, he must deal with his own romantic feelings for Morgan's daughter and the consequences of his meddling as his once great family falls into ruin due to his machinations.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 911
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, touching, captivating, emotional, serious, realistic, tension, suspense, period drama
Similar in 85%
Madame Bovary (1991)
Plot Summary:
Bored with the limited and tedious nature of provincial life in 19th-century France, the fierce and sensual Emma Bovary finds herself in calamitous debt and purses scandalous sexual liaisons with absolute abandon. However, when her volatile lifestyle catches up to her, the lives of everyone around her are endangered.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: realistic, melancholic, sexy, costume drama, intense, romantic, erotic, spiritual, art house, romantic drama
Similar in 88%
The Good Mother (1988)
Plot Summary:
After finding a sexually liberated boyfriend, a divorced woman gets sued over daughter's custody, by her ex, who claims that her lover has a bad influence on the kid.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sincere, thought provoking, serious, realistic, gloomy, erotic, sentimental, light
Similar in 80%
Ruby in Paradise (1993)
Plot Summary:
Reeling from her mother's recent death, Ruby Lee Gissing relocates to Florida to start anew. After finding a job at a souvenir store, Ruby becomes friends with the shop's owner, Mildred Chambers, and slowly acclimates to her new surroundings. Before long, she's juggling the affections of Mildred's Lothario son, Ricky, and the good-natured Mike. As she wavers between Ricky and Mike, Ruby also tries to come to terms with her past.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: independent film, touching, realistic, road movie, mumblecore, romantic drama, psychological, tense, sentimental, sincere
Similar in 84%
Washington Square (1997)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1870's New York, a spinster heiress is courted by a much younger, penniless man, much to the chagrin of her over-protective father, and must decide whether to spend the rest of her life alone, or marry a man who is interested in her only because of her inheritence.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: costume drama, romantic, stylized, sex comedy, romantic drama, historical drama, psychological, serious, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Sweet Land (2005)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1920, Inge travels from Germany to rural Minnesota in order to meet the man destined to be her husband.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: touching, melancholic, stylized, sweet, sincere, independent film, sentimental, realistic, lyrical, offbeat
Similar in 86%
Stanley & Iris (1990)
Plot Summary:
An illiterate cook at a company cafeteria tries for the attention of a newly widowed woman. As they get to know one another, she discovers his inability to read. When he is fired, she takes on trying to teach him to read in her kitchen each night.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sentimental, melancholic, sincere, serious, realistic, romantic, light, anamorphic
Similar in 76%
The Way We Were (1973)
Plot Summary:
Two desperate people have a wonderful romance, but their political views and convictions drive them apart.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: intellectual, sentimental, realistic, serious, captivating, talky, intense, romantic, touching, sweet
Similar in 83%
Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)
Plot Summary:
In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow - she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Mexico, UK, Colombia
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: psychological, sexy, romantic, costume drama, emotional, serious, sentimental, atmospheric, realistic, erotic
Similar in 82%
Crooked Hearts (1991)
Plot Summary:
The father of a family has a an affair. This affects every member of the family.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: sentimental, clever, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, talky
Similar in 87%
Personal Velocity (2002)
Plot Summary:
Three women's escapes from their afflicted lives. Each struggles to flee from the men who confine their personal freedom.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: talky, stylized, intense, touching, psychological, sincere, serious, realistic, anthology, erotic
Similar in 83%
Ethan Frome (1992)
Plot Summary:
Based on the novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, it is about a husband and wife (Ethan and Zeena), who need an extra hand around the house due to Zeena's debilitated body and constant illness. The young woman who joins them is a beautiful, spirited person. She and Ethan fall in love much to the dismay of Zeena. Written by Jason Ihle.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: emotional, intense, costume drama, sentimental, captivating, serious, realistic, contemplative, independent film, light
Similar in 90%
The House of Mirth (2000)
Plot Summary:
A woman risks losing her chance of happiness with the only man she has ever loved.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Romance, Drama
Country: UK, France, Germany, USA
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, atmospheric, emotional, melancholic, witty, talky, intense, thought provoking, independent film
Similar in 86%
The Immigrant (2013)
Plot Summary:
In 1921 New York. an immigrant woman is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville until a dazzling magician tries to save her and reunite her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, harsh, emotional, suspenseful, serious, captivating, period piece, costume drama, stylized, romantic
Similar in 82%
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Plot Summary:
Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, the nouveau riche Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 144 min
Plot tags: captivating, period piece, stylized, visual, serious, spiritual, social, realistic, crying, sentimental
Similar in 89%
Great Expectations (1998)
Plot Summary:
Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: romantic, heartbreaking, emotional, sexy, touching, light, melancholic, serious, realistic, erotic
Similar in 86%
Starting Out in the Evening (2007)
Plot Summary:
Leonard Schiller once counted among New York's Literary lions, but illness and ten years of writers block have lowered his profile, almost to the point of obscurity. When Heather Wolfe, an ambitious literature major, asks to interview him for her theses on his work, her interest forces hims to address the issues that have been he has avoided all these years, and stirs in him feelings he has long forgotten, much to his daughter's consternation.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, intellectual, talky, melancholic, emotional, sincere, serious, depressing, contemplative
Similar in 84%
Julie Johnson (2001)
Plot Summary:
A New Jersey housewife is dissatisfied with her everyday life because she is smarter than she or anyone else knows. While taking a computer class, Julie discovers her abilities and finds the courage to make dramatic life changes. This is a story of realizing one's potential and being willing to turn one's life upside down to take a chance on finding happiness. Claire, Julie's best friend, goes along with Julie's secret quest and eventually moves in with her. Both women are on a search to realize their dreams and come to terms with their love for each other.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 712
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sincere, clever, touching, realistic, emotional, talky, semi serious, queer cinema
Similar in 88%
Brooklyn (2015)
Plot Summary:
In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Ellis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 148000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Canada, Ireland
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, romantic, sweet, realistic, emotional, period piece, heartbreaking, light, semi serious
Similar in 85%
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Plot Summary:
Tale of 19th century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: touching, costume drama, atmospheric, stylized, period piece, sexy, romantic, emotional, talky, intense
Similar in 84%
Feast of Love (2007)
Plot Summary:
A meditation on love and its various incarnations, set within a community of friends in Oregon. It is described as an exploration of the magical, mysterious and sometimes painful incarnations of love.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: touching, romantic, sentimental, semi serious, feel good, humorous, realistic, erotic, inspirational, emotional
Similar in 81%
Elegy (2008)
Plot Summary:
Cultural critic David Kepesh finds his life -- which he indicates is a state of "emancipated manhood" -- thrown into tragic disarray by Consuela Castillo, a well-mannered student who awakens a sense of sexual possessiveness in her teacher.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: sexy, sincere, suspenseful, enigmatic, romantic, touching, sad, serious, sentimental, thought provoking
Similar in 77%
Heavy (1995)
Plot Summary:
Victor is a cook who works in a greasy bar/restaurant owned by his mother, Dolly. It's just the two of them, a waitress named Delores, and a heavy drinking regular, Leo. But things change when Callie, a beautiful college drop-out, shows up as a new waitress and steals Victor's heart. But Victor is too shy to do anything about it, and too self-consciously overweight to dream of winning Callie away.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: independent film, touching, realistic, slang, psychological, sincere, serious, contemplative, gloomy, crying
Similar in 85%
The Painted Veil (2006)
Plot Summary:
A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 95000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China, Canada, USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, scenic, captivating, heartbreaking, melancholic, costume drama, romantic, period piece, atmospheric
Similar in 82%
Cairo Time (2009)
Plot Summary:
In Cairo on her own as she waits for her husband, Juliette finds herself caught in a whirlwind romance with his friend Tareq, a retired cop. As Tareq escorts Juliette around the city, they find themselves in the middle of a brief affair that catches them both unawares.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada, Ireland, Egypt
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, romantic, heartbreaking, emotional, serious, captivating, sentimental, atmospheric, realistic, inspirational
Similar in 84%
Chocolat (2000)
Plot Summary:
A fable of emotional liberation and chocolate. A mother and daughter move to a small French town where they open a chocolate shop. The town, religious and morally strict, is against them as they represent free-thinking and indulgence. When a group of Boat Gypsies float down the river the prejudices of the Mayor leads to a crisis.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 199000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: feel good, romantic, sentimental, sweet, fairy tale, romantic comedy, period piece, melancholic, art film, inspirational
Similar in 76%
The Choice (2016)
Plot Summary:
Travis and Gabby first meet as neighbors in a small coastal town and wind up in a relationship that is tested by life's most defining events.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, emotional, sweet, scenic, sentimental, serious, realistic, tear jerker, romantic comedy