Best movies like Law of Desire
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
When porn director Pablo reluctantly breaks up with his boyfriend, Juan, he encourages him to stay in touch. Juan moves away to live in a lighthouse and eventually writes his ex, but in the interim Pablo has taken up a psychotic new lover, Antonio (Antonio Banderas). Antonio intercepts their correspondence and flies into a towering rage, terrifying Pablo but inspiring him creatively as he works on a play about his transsexual sister.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: surreal, sexy, stylized, atmospheric, talky, humorous, semi serious, erotic, art house, social
Best tv shows and movies like Law of Desire (1987):
Similar in 89%
Love of Man (1997)
Plot Summary:
Set in Madrid, Spain, this engaging comedy chronicles the complex relationship between single female Esperanza (Loles León), who can't buy a date, and her best friend Ramón (Andrea Occhipinti), a gay divorce attorney whose bed is never empty. The pair's friendship is put to the test when Esperanza introduces Ramón to her fellow teacher Roberto (Armando del Rio) -- who soon sends Ramón's life spinning out of control.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 525
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious, sexual, crying, sex comedy, sexy
Similar in 85%
1-900 (1996)
Plot Summary:
The police become involved when the callers to a 1-900 number begin turning up dead after a visit from the beautiful operator.
IMDB Rating: 3.3
IMDB Votes: 39
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: erotic
Similar in 90%
Seat in Shadow (2016)
Plot Summary:
An ageing Glaswegian psychoanalyst finds his lust for life renewed following an encounter with the charismatic partner of a young patient.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 208
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Spain
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: sexy, psychological, unusual plot structure, captivating, contemplative, erotic, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 86%
Sitcom (1998)
Plot Summary:
The adventures of an upper-class suburban family abruptly confronted with the younger brother's discovery of his homosexuality, the elder sister's suicide attempt and sado-masochist tendencies, and the intrusion of a very free-spirited maid and her husband... And it all started with the arrival in the family of an innocent looking rat.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, offbeat, sexual, erotic, atmospheric, sexy, experimental, controversial, deep, crying
Similar in 81%
Confusion of Genders (2000)
Plot Summary:
Bisexual attorney Alain is bedding his female boss, his murderer client, the client's hairdresser girlfriend, and a precocious boy who knows what he wants and tries to convince Alain that he can 'have it all'.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Romance, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sexy, humorous, witty, erotic, sex comedy, clever, realistic, talky, semi serious, sexual
Similar in 90%
Luster (2002)
Plot Summary:
An irreverent and refreshing take on the queer world of sex, lust and unrequited love. Lanky, blue haired Jackson, record store employee and poet, is in love with most of the men in his life! A refreshing departure from the typical gay love story, LUSTER is a raw and darkly comic look at young punks in love.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: sexy, realistic, semi serious, humorous, erotic, independent film, sexual, lgbt cinema, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 78%
Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom (1980)
Plot Summary:
Almodovar's first film of life in Madrid during the punk era and not one for the squeamish. He covers everything from drugs and sexual violence, to female masochism.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Spain
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: social, cult classic, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, sexual, underground film, independent film
Similar in 89%
Not Love, Just Frenzy (1996)
Plot Summary:
From the land of Almodovar comes a hot new film about drugs, sex & everything else!.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 666
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: sexy, humorous, realistic, semi serious, sexual, campy
Similar in 76%
Kika (1993)
Plot Summary:
Kika, a young cosmetologist, is called to the mansion of Nicolas, an American writer to make-up the corpse of his stepson, Ramon. Ramon, who is not dead, is revived by Kika's attentions and she then moves in with him. They might live happily ever after but first they have to cope with Kika's affair with Nicolas, the suspicious death of Ramon's mother and the intrusive gaze of tabloid-TV star and Ramon's ex-psychologist Andrea Scarface.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sexy, erotic, dark comedy, art house, disturbing, manga, happy, offbeat, humorous, realistic
Similar in 84%
Skin and Bone (1996)
Plot Summary:
Harry, Billy and Dean are three hustlers at different stages in their careers. All must deal with the realities of their profession. One falls in love with a client, another enters deeper into denial, and another begins to learn the ropes.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 228
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: independent film, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, experimental, disturbing, contemplative, gloomy, sexual
Similar in 84%
Paris, France (1993)
Plot Summary:
A writer has torrid fantasy affairs with young men.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 534
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: sexy, erotic, independent film, mind bending, realistic, semi serious, lgbt cinema, sexual, atmospheric, thought provoking
Similar in 75%
Querelle (1982)
Plot Summary:
Here is the story of a beautiful, proud and tough loner, a sailor named Querelle, whose commanding officer Seblon worships and desires him from afar. Querelle turns on his drugs-smuggling partner and murders him. He then goes to a notorious brothel run by the rapacious Lysiane, who leads Querelle into his first homosexual encounter. Then, Querelle has become vulnerable and soft, and soon the once powerful object of passion comes to belong to Seblon.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: West Germany, France
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: sexual, controversial, erotic, sexy, art house, stylized, emotional, twist ending, sensual, erotic drama
Similar in 85%
Queens (2005)
Plot Summary:
In Spain, a couple of days before a collective gay wedding, the lives of five mothers, whose sons will get married, are entwined: Judge Helena is in charge of the ceremony; the entrepreneur in hotel business Magda is hosting the guests in her hotel and is responsible for the banquet, while facing a strike leaded by her lover and chef; the nymphomaniac Nuria is facing problems due to her disease; the wealthy Reyes is having a crush for the father of her son's mate and her gardener; and the Argentinean cooker Ofelia is facing financial problems and difficulties in with her son's mate. Along three days, they have complicated relationships with their sons and mates, ex-husbands, lovers and employees.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Romance
Country: Spain, Netherlands, Italy
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, sexy, offbeat, sexual, non-linear, crying
Similar in 76%
Stranger by the Lake (2013)
Plot Summary:
Summertime. A cruising spot for men, tucked away on the shores of a lake. Franck falls in love with Michel, an attractive, potent and lethally dangerous man. Franck knows this, but wants to live out his passion anyway.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, unusual plot structure, detective, suspense, talky, lyrical, lgbt cinema, queer horror, tense
Similar in 88%
Bulgarian Lovers (2003)
Plot Summary:
A straight-laced Spanish man falls in love with a young foreigner.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 946
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: Spain
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, sexy, humorous, semi serious, erotic, realistic, sexual, crying, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 86%
Labyrinth of Passion (1982)
Plot Summary:
A camp melodrama/comedy about Sexilia (a nymphomaniac), Sadec (a gay Islamic terrorist), Riza Niro (the son of the emperor of Tiran), and Queti (the daughter of a dry-cleaner).
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Spain
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sex comedy, erotic, sexy, humorous, sexual, inspirational, offbeat, realistic, semi serious, funny
Similar in 75%
Broken Embraces (2009)
Plot Summary:
Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: neo noir, emotional, stylized, sexy, sentimental, suspenseful, serious, realistic, hispanic, clever
Similar in 85%
To Return (2006)
Plot Summary:
Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) works and lives Madrid with her husband Paco and daughter Paula. Her sister Sole (Lola Dueñas) lives nearby and they both miss their mother Irene (Carmen Maura), who died several years ago in a house fire along with their father. A former neighbor from their hometown reports that she has seen the ghost of Irene and both daughters do not believe her. After a murder and a family tragedy, Irene's spirit materializes around her daughters to help comfort them.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 106000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain, USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: black comedy, emotional, dark comedy, touching, hispanic, psychological, humorous, stylized, erotic, visual
Similar in 75%
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
Plot Summary:
Pepa resolves to kill herself with a batch of sleeping-pill-laced gazpacho after her lover leaves her. Fortunately, she is interrupted by a deliciously chaotic series of events.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: humorous, enigmatic, melancholic, talky, feel good, realistic, semi serious, dark comedy, visual, hilarious
Similar in 76%
Dark Habits (1983)
Plot Summary:
A nightclub singer seeks refuge with gay nuns on dope in a Madrid convent.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, erotic, social, surreal, manga, hispanic, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic
Similar in 75%
Live Flesh (1997)
Plot Summary:
A scorned ex-convict forces himself into the lives of the couple who put him behind bars.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: sexy, psychological, intense, atmospheric, emotional, erotic, serious, realistic, visual, neo noir
Similar in 89%
What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984)
Plot Summary:
Almodóvar has described his fourth film as a homage to Italian Neorealism, although this tribute also involves jokes about paedophilia, prostitution, and a telekenetic child. The film, set in the towerblocks around Madrid, depicts female frustration and family breakdown.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, surreal, stylized, black comedy, mind bending, psychedelic, social, hispanic, offbeat, humorous
Similar in 80%
High Heels (1991)
Plot Summary:
High Heels is a murder mystery comedy centering on flamboyant actress Becky del Paramo and her daughter Rebecca, a television anchorwoman. After being estranged for 15 years, Becky re-enters Rebecca's life when she comes to perform a concert. Rebecca, she finds, is now married to one of Becky's ex-lovers, Manuel. The mother and daughter begin making up for lost time, when suddenly, a murder occurs.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: sentimental, art house, enigmatic, serious, sexy, sexual, suspense, social, captivating, black comedy
Similar in 78%
Matador (1986)
Plot Summary:
A conflicted youth confesses to crimes he didn't commit while a man and woman aroused by death become obsessed with each other.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: disturbing, erotic, psychological, sexy, controversial, dark comedy, satirical, serious, suspenseful, tense
Similar in 83%
Bad Education (2004)
Plot Summary:
Two children, Ignacio and Enrique, know love, the movies and fear in a religious school at the beginning of the 1960s. Father Manolo, director of the school and its professor of literature, is witness to and part of these discoveries. The three are followed through the next few decades, their reunion marking life and death.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 63000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: disturbing, neo noir, sexy, controversial, melancholic, captivating, psychological, art house, hispanic, cerebral
Similar in 80%
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Plot Summary:
In the 1970s, a foundling lad, Patrick "Kitten" Braden, comes of age by leaving his Irish town for London, in part to look for his mother and in part because his trans-gender nature is beyond the town's understanding.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Ireland, UK
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: surreal, touching, sentimental, compassionate, sincere, serious, stylized, emotional, dark comedy, indie film
Similar in 75%
Happy Endings (2005)
Plot Summary:
An ensemble cast telling 10 stories with intertwining characters. One story is about a father and son who are dating the same woman . Another features a woman who long ago gave her baby up for adoption but is now being blackmailed by a documentary filmmaker who claims to know the now-grown child's whereabouts.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: semi serious, clever, psychological, captivating, disturbing, twisted, sexy, sentimental, humorous, realistic
Similar in 86%
All About My Mother (1999)
Plot Summary:
A single mother in Madrid sees her only son die on his birthday as he runs to seek an actress' autograph. Beside herself with grief, she returns to Barcelona to tell the boy's father about the death of the son he never knew he had.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 102000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: sad, hispanic, art house, sincere, touching, emotional, realistic, controversial, stylized, sensual
Similar in 90%
The Skin I Live In (2011)
Plot Summary:
A brilliant plastic surgeon creates a synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 163000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Spain, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, suspenseful, sexy, clever, surreal, breathtaking, dark, non-linear, twist ending
Similar in 90%
Pain and Glory (2019)
Plot Summary:
Salvador Mallo, a filmmaker in the twilight of his career, reflects on the choices he's made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, disturbing, psychological, captivating, twist ending, hispanic, enigmatic, sentimental, inspirational