Best movies like Kabala
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
When an elderly man reveals that his son Hammala (Modibo Traore) is the illegitimate son of a purported witch, the ugly side of social customs rears its head. Shunned by the community, an ashamed Hammala leaves the village, only to return four years later, despite his outcast status. The conflict between ancient customs and progress comes to a head when when Hammala's attempts to clean up the well of holy water, which is contaminated with cholera, are met with staunch opposition from the villages' official shaman (Sory Ibrahima Koita). Simultaneously, the woman he loves (Djeneba Kone) is being married off to a corrupt local named Seriba (Fily Traore). Magic does manage to play a significant role, however, when forces beyond logical explanation push the villagers into Hammala's home.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 38
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Mali, France
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like Kabala (2002):
Similar in 89%
A New Day in Old Sana'a (2005)
Plot Summary:
Tariq's aristocratic family has arranged for him to marry Bilquis, the daughter of a rich judge. However, while out in the city one night, he catches sight of a woman he believes to be Bilquis, and falls in love with her. The woman turns out to be an orphan from the lower class - a henna artist named Ines.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 195
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Yemen
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 80%
Hope Eternal (2008)
Plot Summary:
After the violent death of her Welsh rugby-loving doctor boyfriend in the country's civil war, a Malagasy nurse working at a child hospice in Congo makes a pilgrimage to Wales to sprinkle his ashes on the turf of the Millennium Stadium.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 20
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 80%
Nostalgia for the Countryside (1995)
Plot Summary:
Set in a small village in North Vietnam, a tale of awakening which traces a growing love triangle between Nham, an earnest and responsible 17-year-old country boy; the charming Ngu, his lonely and naive sister-in-law with whom he works closely in the fields; and Quyen, a stylishly vivacious expatriate who has just returned from the city, curious about life in the village where she spent her childhood. While all three characters are too reticent to unleash their feelings, the romance turns on the realization that this web of emotions is largely symbolic. Nham represents for Quyen an innocence and a past that she can’t recapture, just as she represents for Nham an urbanity and future prospects that he may never attain; and caught between the two is the delicate Ngu, left in the most desolate postion of positions.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 159
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Vietnam, Japan
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 80%
It Rains in My Village (1968)
Plot Summary:
A bizarre and tragic love story involving swineherd, village fool, teacher and an agricultural pilot. The story unfolds in a remote village in the communist ruled Yugoslavia at the down of Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 671
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Yugoslavia, France
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: black and white, serious, realistic
Similar in 90%
Grandmother (1989)
Plot Summary:
A small African village. The story focuses on Bila, a ten year old boy who befriends an old woman, Sana. Everybody calls her 'Witch' but Bila himself calls her 'Yaaba' (grandmother). When Bila's cousin Nopoko gets sick it is Sana's medicine that saves her.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 739
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Burkina Faso, Switzerland, France, West Germany
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film, black cinema
Similar in 76%
Force of Destiny (2015)
Plot Summary:
A journey of love and hope, of courage and sacrifice, and one man's miraculous salvation through a life-saving liver transplant. FORCE OF DESTINY is a story of survival inspired by Paul Cox's personal experiences and his recent book Tales From the Cancer Ward.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 76
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 90%
Morning Bells (1967)
Plot Summary:
Young Teacher Lado moves to the village, where he falls in love with Ketu,a young librarian, but Ketu has been engaged to a fellow villager since childhood. Chofe and his brother threaten Lado that breaking his word and breaking custom can be fatal for the lovers. However, young people are not afraid of threats.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 10
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 82%
Terrace on the Roof (1995)
Plot Summary:
Two very different, but aging neighbors, Ratko and Krekich, share a rooftop terrace. Their settled lives are overturned by the arrival of an outgoing young girl, Andja, who takes the empty flat next door. But their dreams of revived youth and love and a better life, outside the strife of Yugoslavia's civil war, are short-lived as jealousy and army duty tear them apart.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 72
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 82%
We Are the Children (1987)
Plot Summary:
A doctor and a photo-journalist try to help famine victims in Africa.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 35
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 88%
Kreutzer Sonata (1987)
Plot Summary:
A revelatory discussion on a train. Based on Leo Tolstoy's novel of the same name.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 274
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 158 min
Plot tags: spiritual
Similar in 75%
Pretty Princess (1993)
Plot Summary:
A princess from a Nordic European country(Snellenburgh) is obligated to marry the boy her family chose. She escapes and discovers love in the arms of a beautiful swimming teacher(Bova).
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 517
Genere: Romance, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 88%
My Best Friend's Wedding (2016)
Plot Summary:
Growing up together, Lin Ran is not only Gu Jia's best friend but whom taken as a backup boyfriend unconsciously, until one day Lin Ran announces his engagement with the naive and rich Meng Yi-Xuan, and Gu Jia determines to win him back.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 361
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: sentimental, light, feel good, humorous, sweet, remake of american film
Similar in 80%
How Not to Disappear Completely (2015)
Plot Summary:
'How Not To Disappear Completely' follows a week in the life of a young photographer Tom as he returns to London after spending two years traveling in India. Tom is at a crossroads in his life. A stranger in the cold hard city, he struggles to reconnect with his friends whilst searching for his half sister. Along the way Tom is forced to face up to his past and soon realises that it may not be his life he's been running away from but himself.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 14
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 74 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, touching, melancholic
Similar in 78%
Bride of Fire (2000)
Plot Summary:
A tragedy in which a young woman from an Arab tribe, prevented from marrying her non-Arab Persian lover is forced against her wishes to marry her cousin.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 573
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Iran
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Papa's Angels (2000)
Plot Summary:
Arkansas furniture maker Grins Jenkins is a cheerful man and loving father to his five kids, as well as the life of every party in their small town. When his wife Sharon, who used to be the 'bad cop', slowly dies of TBC, so does Grins' sense of fun. The kids refuse to keep mourning forever, but dad practically retires from the world and turns his back, opposing them enjoying life again. Then Christmastide arrives, and son Alvin refuses to let his kid brother's dream be spoiled.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 258
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 75%
Over the Dark Water (1993)
Plot Summary:
Leningrad; 60th years; white nights. Walking on Neva Embankment, the charming provincial has met three friends: poet, artist and film director. And each of young people has suggested to marry him.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 96
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Russia
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, psychological, melancholic
Similar in 89%
Chhoti Si Mulaqat (1967)
Plot Summary:
Shanker Choudhury's (Tarun Bose) mother (Pratima Devi), at the pleas of her dying husband, marries off his (Shanker's) daughter to a youth. Both the children are under-age and do not know nor understand that they have been married.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 51
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: India
Duration: 175 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 77%
Tabu (2012)
Plot Summary:
When Pilar's befriended neighbour Aurora dies, Pilar starts to dig into Aurora's past and learns about Aurora's very tragic love story.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Portugal, Germany, Brazil, France, Spain
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: clever, silent, serious, surreal, black and white, captivating, psychological thriller, cerebral, offbeat, realistic
Similar in 83%
The Law (1990)
Plot Summary:
Set in a pre-colonial African past, Tilai is about an illicit love affair and its consequences. Saga returns to his village after an extended absence to discover that his father has taken Nogma, Saga's promised bride, for himself. Still in love with each other, the two begin an affair, although it would be considered incestuous. When the liaison is discovered, Saga's brother, Koudri, pretends to kill Saga for the honor of the family and village. Saga and Nogma flee to another village, but when Nogma's birth mother dies, he returns home. Having brought ruin on the family, Saga is shot by Koudri, who walks off into exile and probable death.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 660
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Burkina Faso, France, UK, Switzerland, Germany
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, saga
Similar in 76%
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
Plot Summary:
In a Carpathian village, Ivan falls in love with Marichka, the daughter of his father's killer. When tragedy befalls her, his grief lasts months; finally he rejoins the colorful life around him, marrying Palagna. She wants children but his mind stays on his lost love. To recapture his attention, Palagna tries sorcery, and in the process comes under the spell of the sorcerer, publicly humiliating Ivan, who then fights the sorcerer. The lively rhythms of village life, the work and the holidays, the pageant and revelry of weddings and funerals, the change of seasons, and nature's beauty give proportion to Ivan's tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, emotional, realistic, stylized, psychedelic, contemplative, surreal, scenic, art house, poetic
Similar in 90%
For the Love of Grace (2008)
Plot Summary:
With a great career, close friends, and an upwardly mobile fiancé, ‘How To’ book writer Grace (Chandra West) appears to have the perfect life. Meanwhile, local firefighter Steve (Mark Consuelos), having just been suspended for his reckless, yet heroic style, seems to be heading in the opposite direction That is, until a fateful fire rescue fans the flames of attraction and gives them both a new perspective on life.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 582
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: emotional, psychological, sentimental, captivating, touching, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 77%
The Mistress of Spices (2005)
Plot Summary:
Tilo, the titular "Mistresses of Spices" is a shopkeeper and an immigrant from India who helps customers satisfy their needs and desires with spices. Her life changes when she falls in love with an American man.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK, India
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: touching, sexy, culinary, sincere, captivating, serious, crying, intercultural, fable, inter cultural
Similar in 90%
Fanny (1961)
Plot Summary:
Almost 19-year-old Marius feels himself in a rut in Marseille, his life planned for him by his cafe'-owning father, and he longs for the sea. The night before he is to leave on a 5-year voyage, Fanny, a girl he grew up with, reveals that she is in love with him, and he discovers that he is in love with her. He must choose between an exciting life at sea, and a boring life with the woman he loves. And Fanny must choose between keeping the man she loves, and letting him live the life he seems to want.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, touching, feel good, serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
Delibal (2015)
Plot Summary:
A love story following two young people battling with their emotions and dreams, the pressures of career, family and not knowing what the future holds. Füsun is a brilliant student, destined for a successful career but can't help from falling for Baris, a musician who struggles with a psychological disorder. As the two grow closer they start to adopt each other's traits, but becoming increasingly dependent on one another proves damaging for their relationship.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Turkey
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: romantic, neurotic, emotional, captivating, touching, romantic drama, crying
Similar in 87%
Private Fears in Public Places (2006)
Plot Summary:
In Paris, six people all look for love, despite typically having their romantic aspirations dashed at every turn.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: sentimental, humorous, realistic, sincere, clever, touching, semi serious, anthology, sensitive, gloomy
Similar in 88%
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 75%
Half of a Yellow Sun (2013)
Plot Summary:
An epic love story: Olanna and Kainene are glamorous twins, living a privileged city life in newly independent 1960s Nigeria. The two women make very different choices of lovers, but rivalry and betrayal must be set aside as their lives are swept up in the turbulence of war.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Nigeria, UK
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
Plot Summary:
China in the 1920s. After her father's death, 19 year old Songlian is forced to marry the much older lord of a powerful family. With three wives already, each living in a separate house within the great castle, there is fierce competition for his attention and the privileges that are gained. This competition gets out of hand.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, depressing, stylized, visually stunning, intense, serious, realistic, poignant, cerebral, independent film
Similar in 84%
Chinese Box (1997)
Plot Summary:
The story of Hong Kong, from New Year's Day to June 30th, 1997, when the British left their colony and turned it over to the People's Republic of China.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Japan, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, independent film, sentimental, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, philosophical, sexy, thought provoking
Similar in 75%
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