Best movies like Orphans
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Orphans is the true story of a forbidden love affair set in the oppressive and violent atmosphere of nineteenth century Mexico. One man, Melchor Ocampo, driven by the twin passions of love and idealism, defies the stain of illegitimacy to shake off the crippling yoke of Spain and the Catholic Church. In so doing he becomes a founding figure of modern day Mexico.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 110
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Mexico
Duration: 155 min
Plot tags:
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Best tv shows and movies like Orphans (2014):
Similar in 77%
The Attempt Dossier (2010)
Plot Summary:
Tells the story behind an assassination attempt perpetrated in 1897, by a dipsomaniac man, against the President of the Mexican Republic, General Porfirio Diaz.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 202
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Mexico
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags:
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Similar in 85%
On the Air (1995)
Plot Summary:
Alberto is a disc-jockey at a radio station. His life is torn apart by the memories of his ex-wife and his free and careless life in the 60s. Alberto remembers, and his memories don't let him live his present life with Ana, his current girlfriend.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 43
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: Mexico
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags:
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Similar in 85%
Eiffel (2021)
Plot Summary:
The government is asking Eiffel to design something spectacular for the 1889 Paris World Fair, but Eiffel simply wants to design the subway. Suddenly, everything changes when Eiffel crosses paths with a mysterious woman from his past.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: France, Belgium, Germany
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: romantic, exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, historical drama, period drama
Similar in 77%
The Courage to Love (2000)
Plot Summary:
In 19th century New Orleans creole Henriette must choose between love and devotion to the church. Neither choice is going to be easy, as there is great opposition to her ideas of breaking traditions.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 528
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic
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Similar in 81%
Dance of the 41 (2020)
Plot Summary:
Mexico City, November 1901. The police raid a private home where a secret party is being held. Among those attending is the son-in-law of President Porfirio Díaz.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Mexico
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, sweet, dark, crying, queer cinema, period drama
Similar in 87%
I, the Worst of All (1990)
Plot Summary:
A viceroy and an archbishop take their posts in Mexico. A local nun, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651-1695), intrigues them. The viceroy and his wife find her brilliant and fascinating. The prelate finds her a symbol of European laxity. He engineers the election of a new abbess, severe and ascetic. The virreina visits Sor Juana often and inspires her to write passionate poetry that the archbishop finds scandalous. The viceroy protects her. After he is replaced and returns to Spain with his wife, Sor Juana faces envy and retribution. A bishop betrays her, her confessor humbles her. Plague, a tribunal, and her confession as "the worst of all" end the great poet's life.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 710
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Argentina
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: biblical, psychological, tense, serious, realistic, gloomy, sexual, crying, erotic, light
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Similar in 83%
John Hus (1977)
Plot Summary:
A faithful recounting of the ministry, trial and martyrdom of the fifteenth century Bohemian priest John Hus, who built on the reforms of John Wycliffe, taught the Bible in the vernacular and who influenced Martin Luther a century later.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 88
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, realistic, contemplative, christian film, independent film
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Similar in 76%
Caravaggio (1986)
Plot Summary:
As influential Italian artist Caravaggio dies in exile in 1610, he recalls his short life, from his childhood to his initial artistic failures to his later triumphs as he catches the eye of a sympathetic cardinal to his destructive relationship with a dashing gambler.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, realistic, stylized, factual, spiritual, heartbreaking, artsy, art film, postmodern
Similar in 86%
Vatel (2000)
Plot Summary:
In 1671, with war brewing with Holland, a penniless prince invites Louis XIV to three days of festivities at a chateau in Chantilly. The prince wants a commission as a general, so the extravagances are to impress the king. In charge of all is the steward, Vatel, a man of honor, talent, and low birth. The prince is craven in his longing for stature: no task is too menial or dishonorable for him to give Vatel. While Vatel tries to sustain dignity, he finds himself attracted to Anne de Montausier, the king's newest mistress. In Vatel, she finds someone who's authentic, living out his principles within the casual cruelties of court politics. Can the two of them escape unscathed?.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: France, UK, Belgium
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: light, melancholic, tricky, captivating, visually appealing, period piece, costume drama, stylized, epic, political
Similar in 81%
Catherine the Great (1995)
Plot Summary:
Trapped in a loveless arranged marriage to the immature future Czar, a young German Princess proves a skillful political infighter and rises to become Catherine the Great.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Germany, Austria
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: political, period piece, epic, serious, realistic, stylized, baroque, period drama
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Similar in 82%
The Giant (2017)
Plot Summary:
Having fought in the First Carlist War, Martin returns to his family farm in Gipuzkoa only to find that his younger brother, Joaquín, towers over him in height. Convinced that everyone will want to pay to see the tallest man on Earth, the siblings set out on a long trip all over Europe, during which ambition, money and fame will forever change the family’s fate. A story based on true events.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Spain
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, sentimental, captivating, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 85%
Miss Austen Regrets (2007)
Plot Summary:
An outwardly confident but unmarried woman on the verge of her fortieth birthday reflects on her past suitors and the choices she once made while attempting to help her marriage minded niece choose between a number of potential suitors in this tale inspired by the life and letters of Jane Austen. Jane Austen is about to turn forty, but she still hasn't found her ideal man. When Jane is approached by her niece Fanny and asked to help select the perfect husband for the young girl, the aging spinster begins to wonder why it is that she never found a man to share her own life with. Perhaps if Jane had accepted the proposal of a wealthy landowner she could have saved her family from financial ruin, and what of the handsome young physician who once warmed to Jane after tending to her ailing family members?.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: realistic, stylized, period piece, captivating, melancholic, historical drama, historical romance, clever, serious, period drama
Similar in 76%
Emily (2022)
Plot Summary:
The imagined life of one of the world’s most famous authors, Emily Brontë, as she finds her voice and writes the literary classic Wuthering Heights. Explore the relationships that inspired her – her raw, passionate sisterhood with Charlotte and Anne; her first aching, forbidden love for Weightman and her care for her maverick brother whom she idolises.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: cerebral, cute, crying, romantic drama, beautiful, period drama
Similar in 78%
Mary Shelley (2017)
Plot Summary:
The love affair between poet Percy Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin resulted in the creation of an immortal novel, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.”.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, Luxembourg, USA, Ireland, Australia
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, stylized, serious, costume drama, gothic, sweet, art house, period piece, independent film, touching
Similar in 81%
The Liberator (2013)
Plot Summary:
Bolívar was instrumental in Latin America’s struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire, and is today considered one of the most influential politicians and emancipators in American history. Libertador is told from the viewpoint of Bolívar, portrayed by Ramírez, about his quests and epic military campaigns, which covered twice the territory Alexander the Great conquered, and his vision to unify South America.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Venezuela, Spain
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: captivating, epic, serious, tense, political, exciting, realistic
Similar in 82%
Cleopatra (1963)
Plot Summary:
Historical epic. The triumphs and tragedy of the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra.The winner of four Oscars, this epic saga of love, greed and betrayal stars Elizabeth Taylor as the passionate and ambitious Egyptian queen who's determined to hold on to the throne and seduces the Roman emperor Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison). When Caesar is murdered, she redirects her attentions to his general, Marc Antony (Richard Burton), who vows to take power -- but Caesar's successor (Roddy McDowall) has other plans.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA, Switzerland, UK
Duration: 192 min
Plot tags: epic, period piece, costume drama, breathtaking, visually appealing, visual, stylized, retro, historical drama, fairy tale
Similar in 77%
Camille Claudel (1988)
Plot Summary:
The life of Camille Claudel, a french scupltor who becomes the apprentice of Auguste Rodin and later his lover. Her passion for her art and Rodin drive her further away from reason and rationality.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 175 min
Plot tags: psychological, emotional, intense, touching, heartbreaking, serious, captivating, disturbing, atmospheric, romantic
Similar in 85%
Mad Love (2001)
Plot Summary:
The love story who transformed Juana I de Castilla, Queen of Spain, into Juana "The mad". The tragic fate of a Queen madly in love to an unfaithful husband, Felipe el Hermoso, Archduke of Austria.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Spain, Italy, Portugal, France
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: melancholic, costume drama, stylized, captivating, serious, historical drama, romantic drama, sexy, realistic, crying
Similar in 79%
Queen Margot (1994)
Plot Summary:
The night of August 24, 1572, is known as the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. In France a religious war is raging. In order to impose peace a forced wedding is arranged between Margot de Valois, sister of the immature Catholic King Charles IX, and the Hugenot King Henri of Navarre. Catherine of Medici maintains her behind-the-scenes power by ordering assaults, poisonings, and instigations to incest.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: France, Germany, Italy
Duration: 161 min
Plot tags: period piece, sexy, epic, visually appealing, historical drama, atmospheric, captivating, bleak, costume drama, romantic
Similar in 83%
Colette (2018)
Plot Summary:
French novelist, Colette, overcomes an abusive marriage to emerge as a leading writer in her country and a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA, Hungary
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: captivating, costume drama, intellectual, inspirational, lyrical, period piece, erotic, social, art film, historical drama
Similar in 80%
Jefferson in Paris (1995)
Plot Summary:
His wife having recently died, Thomas Jefferson accepts the post of United States ambassador to pre-revolutionary France, though he finds it difficult to adjust to life in a country where the aristocracy subjugates an increasingly restless peasantry. In Paris, he becomes smitten with cultured artist Maria Cosway, but, when his daughter visits from Virginia accompanied by her attractive slave, Sally Hemings, Jefferson's attentions are diverted.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA, France
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: dramatic, costume drama, historical drama, political, romantic drama, serious, realistic, contemplative, stylized, erotic
Similar in 87%
The Invisible Woman (2013)
Plot Summary:
In 1857, at the height of his fame and fortune, novelist and social critic Charles Dickens meets and falls in love with teenage stage actress Nelly Ternan. As she becomes the focus of his heart and mind, as well as his muse, painful secrecy is the price both must pay.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: costume drama, sentimental, serious, captivating, realistic, romantic, romantic drama, historical drama, crying, period piece
Similar in 90%
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Plot Summary:
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 119000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: romantic, sexy, costume drama, period piece, stylized, atmospheric, factual, historical drama, sexual, sad
Similar in 76%
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Plot Summary:
The retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 15 to her reign as queen at 19 and ultimately the fall of Versailles.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 119000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA, France, Japan
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, melancholic, visual, visually stunning, factual, colorful, historical drama, realistic, visually appealing
Similar in 79%
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%
Devil's Mistress (2016)
Plot Summary:
A film about the black-and-white era actress Lída Baarová and her doomed love affair.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Czech Republic, Slovakia
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: captivating, touching, suspense, disturbing, meta, crying, freeze frame
Similar in 84%
A Royal Affair (2012)
Plot Summary:
A young queen falls in love with her physician, and they start a revolution that changes their nation forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: period piece, costume drama, realistic, stylized, atmospheric, factual, historical drama, captivating, romantic, political
Similar in 88%
Mrs Brown (1997)
Plot Summary:
Queen Victoria is deeply depressed after the death of her husband, disappearing from public. Her servant Brown, who adores her, through caress and admiration brings her back to life, but that relationship creates scandalous situation and is likely to lead to monarchy crisis.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, Ireland, USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: costume drama, touching, sentimental, period piece, atmospheric, emotional, melancholic, intense, serious, sincere
Similar in 90%
All Is True (2018)
Plot Summary:
A look at the final days in the life of playwright William Shakespeare.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: captivating, psychological, tense, touching, sad, frightening, historical drama, period drama
Similar in 83%
The Young Victoria (2009)
Plot Summary:
From Academy Award® winners Graham King and Martin Scorsese, along with the makers of Gosford Park and The Departed, comes the story of Queen Victoria’s early rise to power. From an object of a royal power-struggle to her romantic courtship and legendary marriage to Prince Albert, Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) gives a stunning performance as the young Victoria. Packed with drama, romance, breath-taking cinematography, lavish costumes and featuring an outstanding British cast including Jim Broadbent, Harriet Walter, Mark Strong, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, and Rupert Friend, The Young Victoria has captivated British audiences, and is the film that Company magazine called “an epic British film, which will sweep you up in her remarkable story.”.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: period piece, costume drama, romantic, touching, emotional, dramatic, factual, historical drama, political, realistic