Best movies like Not Without My Daughter
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter as well.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: factual, tense, thought provoking, touching, bleak, realistic, sad, retro, suspense, poignant
Best tv shows and movies like Not Without My Daughter (1991):
Similar in 83%
Rhino Season (2012)
Plot Summary:
Kurdish-Iranian poet Sahel has just been released from a thirty-year prison sentence in Iran. Now the one thing keeping him going is the thought of finding his wife, who thinks he's been dead for over twenty years.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Iraq, Turkey, Iran
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, stylized, islamic, tense, contemplative, gloomy, tear jerker
Similar in 76%
Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story (2011)
Plot Summary:
In 2008, New York mother Tiffany Rubin faced every parent's worst nightmare when her six year old son Kobe vanished into thin air. Upon learning that Kobe had been kidnapped by his biological father and taken to South Korea, Tiffany seeks the assistance of American Association for Lost Children representative Mark Miller, who guides her through the arduous process of traveling to Korea, and getting Kobe back.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 869
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: emotional, suspenseful, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 86%
White Knuckles (2010)
Plot Summary:
A sweet housewife has been married to the same crotchety man for 40 years and she just can't bear another day. She starts to poison his food just to see if he might change. When he falls ill, both are awakened to the raw reality of life and death.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 87
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, touching, realistic, suspense, mumblecore, independent film
Similar in 89%
Dukhtar (2014)
Plot Summary:
In the mountains of Pakistan, a mother and her ten-year-old daughter flee their home on the eve of the girl's marriage to a tribal leader. A deadly hunt for them begins.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Pakistan, Norway, USA, India
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative, inspirational, islamic
Similar in 88%
C Me Dance (2009)
Plot Summary:
A teenage dancer in training for the Los Angeles ballet discovers that she is dying of cancer, only to discover that the Devil is real after getting the miracle that she and her father both prayed for. Shortly after discovering that her dream of joining the Los Angeles Ballet has come true, 17-year-old Sherri (Christina DeMarco) receives a devastating report from her doctor: she's dying of cancer, and her days among the living are numbered. Falling back on their faith, Sherri and her father, Vince (Greg Robbins), begin to pray. One night, following an extensive prayer session, a miracle occurs. But the Devil (Peter Kent) has taken note, and now he's determined to claim Sherri's soul though whatever means necessary.
IMDB Rating: 1.4
IMDB Votes: 420
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, suspenseful, suspense, gloomy, christian film, psychotronic
Similar in 75%
A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story (1992)
Plot Summary:
After sixteen years of marriage and four children, Betty Broderick's high-powered attorney husband decides to leave her for a younger woman with whom he's been having an affair. Hurt by his betrayal and feeling helpless against his legal expertise, Betty begins a campaign of vandalism and verbal assault. Her rage consumes her and ultimately leads to a terrible and violent act.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, biting, suspense, ridiculous
Similar in 85%
Blood of My Blood (2011)
Plot Summary:
A regular family living in the outskirts of Lisbon sees the serenity of their lives shaken beyond any remedy within a week.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Portugal
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, realistic, bleak, serious, emotional, suspense, talky, masterpiece
Similar in 79%
Kandahar (2001)
Plot Summary:
After an Afghanistan-born woman who lives in Canada receives a letter from her suicidal sister, she takes a perilous journey through Afghanistan to try to find her.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: Iran, France
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: sincere, surreal, disturbing, bleak, tense, atmospheric, depressing, lyrical, road movie, talky
Similar in 87%
Norfolk (2015)
Plot Summary:
Set in Norfolk, amidst an idyllic, brooding landscape, an innocent teenage boy and his battle-weary father live a simple life. Days are spent hunting, fishing and daydreaming. Out-of-nowhere, disrupting this tranquility, a mysterious intense figure gives the green light for the father to complete one last mission; he is a mercenary, hired to assassinate a group of revolutionaries holed-up in a remote, disused civil service outpost. A mission that threatens to destroy not just the compound but the love between a father and his son.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 250
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, captivating, disturbing, bleak, realistic, independent film
Similar in 80%
Red (2008)
Plot Summary:
An older, reclusive man's best friend and inspiration for living is his 14-year-old dog named "Red". When three troublesome teens kill the dog for no good reason, the grieving man sets out for justice and redemption by whatever means available to him.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: emotional, suspense, touching, tense, serious, disturbing, psychological horror, cult classic, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 83%
Last Dance (1996)
Plot Summary:
Upon taking a new job, young lawyer Rick Hayes is assigned to the clemency case of Cindy Liggett, a woman convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. As Hayes investigates the background for her case, the two begin to form a deep friendship, while all the while the date for her execution draws nearer.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: emotional, talky, intense, tense, serious, suspenseful, suspense, erotic, detective, black and white
Similar in 76%
Jewel (2001)
Plot Summary:
In the 1940s a 40-year-old woman with five healthy children gives birth to a girl with Down's syndrome.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 387
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, UK, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 82%
Mississippi Damned (2009)
Plot Summary:
Three poor Black kids in rural Mississippi reap the consequences of their family's cycle of abuse, addiction, and violence.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 988
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: sincere, rough, touching, emotional, informative, bleak, serious, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 88%
Enough (2002)
Plot Summary:
Working-class waitress Slim thought she was entering a life of domestic bliss when she married Mitch, the man of her dreams. After the arrival of their first child, her picture perfect life is shattered when she discovers Mitch's hidden possessive dark side, a controlling and abusive alter ego that can turn trust, love and tranquility into terror. Terrified for her child's safety, Slim flees with her daughter. Relentless in his pursuit and enlisting the aid of lethal henchmen, Mitch continually stalks the prey that was once his family.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 47000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, psychological, serious, intense, scary, tense, psychological thriller, motivational, neo noir, crime drama
Similar in 90%
The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008)
Plot Summary:
During a blizzard in 1964, Dr. David Henry delivers his son Paul with the help of nurse Caroline. But when Henry realizes his wife is also carrying a girl with Down syndrome, he hands the second child over to Caroline without his wife's knowledge. Henry's fateful decision yields grave consequences for his family over the next 20 years.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, realistic, sad, gloomy, serious
Similar in 88%
When Andrew Came Home (2000)
Plot Summary:
A mother searches for five years to find her kidnapped son in this fact-based drama. Unexpectedly the boy is found, but the reunion is not as she hoped. She now has to deal with five years of abuse that the boy suffered at the hands of his kidnappers.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 657
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, sad
Similar in 81%
Safe Passage (1994)
Plot Summary:
A mother with seven sons feels like she's losing control of her life and her family. But personal.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, melancholic, serious, sentimental, talky, independent film, crying, dread, light
Similar in 80%
Stockholm, Pennsylvania (2015)
Plot Summary:
A young woman is returned home to her biological parents after living with her abductor for 17 years.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, tense, serious, independent film, dark, suspenseful, teen, gloomy
Similar in 90%
Manuscripts Don't Burn (2013)
Plot Summary:
Khosrow and Morteza set out on a mission to kill someone. The assassination ought to be arranged as a suicide. At the last minute however, they are obliged to change their initial plans….
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Iran
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, tense, rough, serious, political, controversial
Similar in 78%
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 77%
The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008)
Plot Summary:
A drama set in 1986 Iran and centered on a man, Sahebjam, whose car breaks down in a remote village and enters into a conversation with Zahra, who relays to him the story about her niece, Soraya, whose arranged marriage to an abusive tyrant had a tragic ending.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: realistic, disturbing, emotional, sexy, touching, serious, political, sad, suspense, intense
Similar in 88%
Testament (1983)
Plot Summary:
Nuclear war in the United States is portrayed in a realistic and believable manner. The story is told through the eyes of a woman who is struggling to take care of her family. The entire movie takes place in a small suburban town outside San Francisco. After the nuclear attack, contact with the outside world is pretty much cut off.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: depressing, bleak, disturbing, emotional, tense, apocalyptic, thought provoking, serious, touching, realistic
Similar in 80%
Centigrade (2020)
Plot Summary:
A young American couple travel to the arctic mountains of Norway. After pulling over during a snowstorm, they wake up trapped in their SUV, buried underneath layers of snow and ice.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, psychological thriller, captivating, realistic
Similar in 87%
Liam (2000)
Plot Summary:
A morality tale of xenophobia, religious prejudice, mob violence, poverty, and their effect on two children in Liverpool during the Depression. When a shipyard closes, Liam and Teresa's dad loses his job. Liam, who's about 8, making his first Holy Communion, gets a regular dose of fire and brimstone at church. Teresa, about 13, has a job as a maid to the Jewish family that owns the closed shipyard. The lady of that house is having an affair, and Teresa becomes an accomplice. Liam stutters terribly, especially when troubled. Dad comes under the sway of the Fascists, who blame cheap Irish labor and Jewish owners. A Molotov cocktail brings things to a head.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Germany, France, Italy
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, bleak, emotional, sincere, depressing, intense, tense, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 89%
Losing Isaiah (1995)
Plot Summary:
Khaila Richards, a crack-addicted single mother, accidentally leaves her baby in a dumpster while high and returns the next day in a panic to find he is missing. In reality, the baby has been adopted by a warm-hearted social worker, Margaret Lewin, and her husband, Charles. Years later, Khaila has gone through rehab and holds a steady job. After learning that her child is still alive, she challenges Margaret for the custody.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: heartbreaking, touching, emotional, melancholic, serious, thought provoking, sexy, sad, hood, cult classic
Similar in 82%
A Separation (2011)
Plot Summary:
A married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 255000
Genere: Drama
Country: Iran, France, Australia
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: heartbreaking, emotional, realistic, tense, talky, bleak, suspense, compassionate, sad, contemplative
Similar in 76%
Syriana (2005)
Plot Summary:
The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a dubious merger of oil companies, while Bryan Woodman, a Switzerland-based energy analyst, experiences both personal tragedy and opportunity during a visit with Arabian royalty. Meanwhile, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes uncovers an assassination plot with unsettling origins.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 133000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, United Arab Emirates
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: political thriller, suspense, cerebral, political, tense, realistic, intense, thought provoking, serious, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Fair Game (2010)
Plot Summary:
Wife and mother Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) has a double life as a CIA operative, hiding her vocation from family and friends. Her husband, Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), writes a controversial article in The New York Times, refuting stories about the sale of enriched uranium to Iraq, Then Valerie's secret work and identity is leaked to the press. With her cover blown and other people endangered, Valerie's career and personal life begin to unravel.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, United Arab Emirates
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: political, intense, factual, political thriller, thought provoking, realistic, serious, suspenseful, controversial, inspirational
Similar in 87%
Argo (2012)
Plot Summary:
As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA 'exfiltration' specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 633000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, clever, captivating, political, intense, suspense, breathtaking, political thriller, realistic
Similar in 86%
My Name Is Khan (2010)
Plot Summary:
Rizwan Khan, a Muslim from the Borivali section of Mumbai, has Asperger's syndrome. He marries a Hindu single mother, Mandira, in San Francisco. After 9/11, Rizwan is detained by authorities at LAX who treat him as a terrorist because of his condition and his race.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 114000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Country: India, United Arab Emirates, USA, China
Duration: 165 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, romantic, uplifting, sad, sentimental, thought provoking, intellectual, emotional, compassionate