Best movies like Oranges and Sunshine
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham, who uncovers one of the most significant social scandals in recent times – the forced migration of children from the United Kingdom. Almost singlehandedly, Margaret reunited thousands of families, brought authorities to account and worldwide attention to an extraordinary miscarriage of justice.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Australia
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: realistic, sincere, serious, captivating, motivational, educational, sad, uplifting, touching, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like Oranges and Sunshine (2010):
Similar in 75%
The Overture (2004)
Plot Summary:
Based on the life of Luang Pradit Pairoh (Sorn Silapabanleng) the most revered traditional Thai music master who lived during the reigns of Kings Rama V to VIII, the movie traces the life of Sorn, who picked up the ra-nad ek (Thai xylophone) mallets as a small child and played all his life. The backdrop to Sorn's life tale is the story of Thailand's classical music from its golden age during the reign of King Rama V to near extinction after the end of the absolute monarchy when the government banned it as uncivilised in the 1930s -- a time when Field Marshall Plaek Pibulsongkram tried to push the Kingdom into the modern era.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Music
Country: Thailand
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, captivating, emotional, serious, realistic, stylized
Similar in 82%
Priest Daens (1992)
Plot Summary:
In the 1890s, Father Adolf Daens goes to Aalst, a textile town where child labor is rife, pay and working conditions are horrible, the poor have no vote, and the Catholic church backs the petite bourgeoisie in oppressing workers. He writes a few columns for the Catholic paper, and soon workers are listening and the powerful are in an uproar. He's expelled from the Catholic party, so he starts the Christian Democrats and is elected to Parliament. After Rome disciplines him, he must choose between two callings, as priest and as champion of workers. In subplots, a courageous young woman falls in love with a socialist and survives a shop foreman's rape; children die; prelates play billiards.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Belgium, France, Netherlands
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: bleak, sincere, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing, gloomy, road movie, rough, sexy
Similar in 75%
Romulus, My Father (2007)
Plot Summary:
It tells the story of Romulus, his beautiful wife, Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son, Raimond. It is a story of impossible love that ultimately celebrates the unbreakable bond between father and son.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, captivating, gloomy, entertaining
Similar in 79%
King of the Sands (2013)
Plot Summary:
A daring, compelling and controversial take on the life of prince Abdulaziz Al Saud (Ibn Saud), founder of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 604
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Syria
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: realistic, epic, serious, captivating
Similar in 89%
Jimmy's Hall (2014)
Plot Summary:
In the 1930s political activist Jimmy Gralton is deported from Ireland during the 'Red Scare'.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Japan
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, touching, serious, inspirational, political, factual, historical drama, period drama, political drama
Similar in 77%
The Burning Season: The Chico Mendes Story (1994)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of a Brazilian rubber tapper who leads his people in protest against government and developers, who want to cut down their part of the rainforest for a new road and ranch land. The rich and the powerful will stop at nothing, and frequently resort to murder.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 746
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: sincere, rough, thought provoking, serious, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 80%
Zuzu Angel (2006)
Plot Summary:
"Zuzu Angel" covers the last years of the famous Brazilian fashion designer in her doomed quest for justice in the case of her activist son Stuart's arrest, torture, murder and subsequent corpse disposal by the military forces in early 1970s Rio de Janeiro, during the darkest era of Brazilian military regime and media censorship. Not even the fact that she was a widely known public figure saved her from being killed in a car crash in 1976, in one of the regime's favorite elimination techniques (many other similar "car crashes" still have to be re-investigated).
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Brazil
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, serious, suspenseful, thought provoking, captivating, realistic
Similar in 77%
Lula, the Son of Brazil (2009)
Plot Summary:
The true story of a working class boy who moves to the nation's financial capital at a young age and becomes one the most influential politician in Brazil's history.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Brazil, Argentina
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: sentimental, realistic, sincere, touching, serious
Similar in 76%
Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (2008)
Plot Summary:
A light hearted look at future Prime Minister Margaret Thatchers rise from research chemist in 1949 to becoming MP for Finchley in 1959 encompassing her early relationship and marriage to Oil Millionaire Denis Thatcher.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 447
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, emotional, realistic, political, thought provoking, serious
Similar in 77%
Brazuca (2009)
Plot Summary:
The tragic true story of Jean Charles de Menezes, the innocent Brazilian shot dead by British police in 2005 at the height of the London terrorist alerts.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, Brazil
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 77%
Noble (2014)
Plot Summary:
Christina Noble overcomes the harsh difficulties of her childhood in Ireland to discover her destiny on the streets of Saigon. A true story.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, Vietnam
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, emotional, realistic, serious, gloomy
Similar in 83%
Angela's Ashes (1999)
Plot Summary:
Based on the best selling autobiography by Irish expat Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes follows the experiences of young Frankie and his family as they try against all odds to escape the poverty endemic in the slums of pre-war Limerick. The film opens with the family in Brooklyn, but following the death of one of Frankie's siblings, they return home, only to find the situation there even worse. Prejudice against Frankie's Northern Irish father makes his search for employment in the Republic difficult despite his having fought for the IRA, and when he does find money, he spends the money on drink.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, UK, Ireland
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, depressing, sad, compassionate, serious, melancholic, sincere, gothic, epic
Similar in 85%
Fidel & Che (2002)
Plot Summary:
Fidel Castro rises to power in Cuba.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 206 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, tense, sincere, edutainment
Similar in 87%
Miral (2010)
Plot Summary:
A drama centered on an orphaned Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of the first Arab-Israeli war who finds herself drawn into the conflict.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: France, Israel, Italy, India, USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: realistic, sentimental, emotional, stylized, inspirational, breathtaking, serious, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 79%
Marie (1985)
Plot Summary:
A single mother takes a job with the government where she is confronted with corruption.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: political, independent film, sincere, thought provoking, serious, realistic, talky, eighties
Similar in 88%
Gandhi, My Father (2007)
Plot Summary:
With Gandhi My Father, producer Anil Kapoor and director Feroz Abbas Khan have shed light onto Gandhi the person, rather than Gandhi the icon. Using Gandhi’s political career as a canvas, the film paints a picture of his intricate, complex, and strained relationship with his son Harilal Gandhi.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: India, UK, South Africa, USA
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: sincere, uplifting, touching, emotional, captivating, gujarati, serious, realistic, cult film
Similar in 88%
Winnie Mandela (2011)
Plot Summary:
A drama that chronicles the life of Winnie Mandela from her childhood through her marriage and her husband's incarceration.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 880
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: South Africa, Canada
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, captivating, realistic, political
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Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
Plot Summary:
A chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, France, South Africa
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: emotional, serious, realistic, political, inspirational, educational, social, novela, cult classic, informative
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Cry Freedom (1987)
Plot Summary:
A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Zimbabwe, USA
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: inspirational, political, cult classic, political thriller, edutainment, tense, thought provoking, bleak, serious, captivating
Similar in 84%
Endgame (2009)
Plot Summary:
The time is the late '80s, a crucial period in the history of South Africa. President P.W. Botha is hanging on to power by a thread as the African National Congress (ANC) takes up arms against apartheid and the country tumbles toward insurrection. A British mining concern is convinced that their interests would be better served in a stable South Africa and they quietly dispatch Michael Young, their head of public affairs, to open an unofficial dialogue between the bitter rivals. Assembling a reluctant yet brilliant team to pave the way to reconciliation by confronting obstacles that initially seem insurmountable, Young places his trust in ANC leader Thabo Mbeki and Afrikaner philosophy professor Willie Esterhuyse. It is their empathy that will ultimately serve as the catalyst for change by proving more powerful than the terrorist bombs that threaten to disrupt the peaceful dialogue.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK, South Africa
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: tense, sincere, serious, captivating, exciting, thought provoking, epic, realistic, political, contemplative
Similar in 87%
Luther (2003)
Plot Summary:
During the early 16th Century idealistic German monk Martin Luther, disgusted by the materialism in the church, begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Germany, USA, Czech Republic, Italy
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: uplifting, political, biblical, christian film, sincere, touching, intellectual, inspirational, costume drama, intense
Similar in 89%
Amazing Grace (2006)
Plot Summary:
The true story of William Wilberforce's courageous quest to end the British slave trade. Although meeting intense opposition, his minister, John Newton, urges him to see the cause through.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: inspirational, emotional, period piece, political, talky, factual, compassionate, realistic, christian film, sincere
Similar in 84%
The Last Sentence (2012)
Plot Summary:
Renowned journalist Torgny Segerstedt declares war against Hitler as he criticizes Swedish politicians who tried to look away from the tyranny of the Nazis with the good excuse of “neutralism”. His only weapon is his pen and his life is full of gossip such as an affair with his boss’ wife, a love scandal with a secretary younger than his daughter, and the suicide of his wife. However, he continues to fight a one man battle against Hitler and the Nazi regime until his death, throwing the question “Can one person really change history?” to the audience.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 839
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Sweden, Norway
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, touching, serious, uplifting, bleak, realistic, gloomy, period drama
Similar in 86%
The Gathering Storm (2002)
Plot Summary:
A love story offering an intimate look inside the marriage of Winston and Clementine Churchill during a particularly troubled, though little-known, moment in their lives.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, talky, political, historical drama, historically accurate, contemplative, gloomy, pre war
Similar in 84%
Catch a Fire (2006)
Plot Summary:
The true story of anti-apartheid activists in South Africa, and particularly the life of Patrick Chamusso, a timid foreman at Secunda CTL, the largest synthetic fuel plant in the world. Patrick is wrongly accused, imprisoned and tortured for an attempt to bomb the plant, with the injustice transforming the apolitical worker into a radicalised insurgent, who then carries out his own successful sabotage mission.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: France, UK, South Africa, USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: tense, political, factual, emotional, harsh, thought provoking, serious, disturbing, realistic, intense
Similar in 76%
Selma (2014)
Plot Summary:
"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Civil Rights Act.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 95000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: emotional, political, thought provoking, inspirational, sincere, uplifting, factual, serious, period piece, realistic
Similar in 79%
The Deal (2003)
Plot Summary:
It is approaching an election in the UK when the leader of the Labour party, John Smith, suffers another in a line of heart attacks and dies. With the leadership campaign about to start the clear choice appears to be Gordon Brown, a stanch Scotsman. However Tony Blair is also beginning to appear more likely as he will appeal to Southern voters who would be turned off by Brown. Blair rings Brown to arrange a meeting to discuss which will go for the job. The film flashbacks to the start of their relationship, sharing an office in Westminster on their first seats.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: political, clever, serious, realistic, sincere, thought provoking, talky, political drama
Similar in 89%
The Special Relationship (2010)
Plot Summary:
A dramatisation that follows Tony Blair's journey from political understudy waiting in the wings of the world arena to accomplished prime minister standing confidently in the spotlight of centre stage. It is a story about relationships, between two powerful men (Blair and Bill Clinton), two powerful couples, and husbands and wives.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: political, realistic, intense, tricky, sincere, thought provoking, disturbing, political thriller, serious, independent film
Similar in 81%
Goodbye Bafana (2007)
Plot Summary:
The true story of a white South African racist whose life was profoundly altered by the black prisoner he guarded for twenty years. The prisoner's name was Nelson Mandela.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Germany, France, Belgium, South Africa, Italy, UK, Luxembourg
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, serious, realistic, political, inspirational, novela, sincere, clever, contemplative
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The King's Speech (2010)
Plot Summary:
The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 701000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: inspirational, sincere, period piece, uplifting, dramatic, realistic, serious, sentimental, costume drama, witty