Best movies like Proteus
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An exquisite period piece that skillfully explores the intersections of sex, race and politics takes place in 18th century South Africa, telling the passionate (true) story of two men caught in an unjust system rife with racism, homophobia and cruelty.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 696
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada, South Africa
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, emotional, realistic, sexual, crying, sexy, gay cinema, queer cinema
Best tv shows and movies like Proteus (2003):
Similar in 88%
Locked Up (2004)
Plot Summary:
Dennis is a new inmate. Mike is an older black inmate. Together the two face hostile prison officals and inmates in their attempts to become a loving couple.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: Germany
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, disturbing, suspense, tense, realistic, sexual, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 83%
Keillers park (2006)
Plot Summary:
This is a film about the sexual awakening of Peter to feelings of homosexual desire.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 497
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Sweden
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, suspense, disturbing, sexual, crying, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 86%
The Consequence (1977)
Plot Summary:
Thomas is the son of a prison warden. He falls for and seduces Martin, who is older and one of the prison inmates. After Martin is released, They try to build a relationship and a life together but, no one will leave them alone.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: West Germany
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, thought provoking, bleak, serious, emotional, realistic, disturbing, sexual, crying
Similar in 76%
AKA (2002)
Plot Summary:
A story of a disaffected youth's search for love, status, and identity in late 1970s Britain. 18-year old Dean is handsome and bright, but feels hampered by his working-class background and by his family. In order to make something of himself, Dean assumes another identity and manages to enter high society. As he navigates this decadent new world, he meets a host of characters, including David, an older gay man who desires him, and Benjamin, a young hustler from Texas who has also managed to find a place among the aristocracy. Can Dean find love while living a lie? How much is he willing to sacrifice in order to pull off his charade? Presented through three simultaneous frames rather than one.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, captivating, contemplative, sexual, crying, detective, sexy
Similar in 75%
Release (2010)
Plot Summary:
A prison story. Father Jack finds love with a male guard in the prison. Some of the other inmates suspect he's been sentenced for paedophilia.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 638
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, emotional, psychological, captivating, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
A Thousand Peace Clouds Encircle the Sky (2003)
Plot Summary:
A teenager discovers that mending a broken heart is no simple thing in this independent romantic drama from Mexico. Gerardo (Juan Carlos Ortuno), a 17-year-old who has recently embraced his homosexuality, has just parted ways with his first serious boyfriend, Bruno (Juan Carlos Torres). Gerardo has fallen into a deep depression after losing Bruno, and he drifts through Mexico City, where he meets and makes love with a number of attractive strangers. However, his hedonistic adventures cannot wash away the pain in his heart. The first feature-length project from director Julian Hernandez, Mil Nubes de Paz Cercan el Cielo, Amor, Jamás Acabarás de Ser Amor was screened at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival, where it received the Teddy award, given to the best Gay or Lesbian-themed film shown at the fest.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 519
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Mexico
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, erotic, gloomy, sexual, crying, independent film, sexy
Similar in 88%
Ander (2009)
Plot Summary:
A love story between a Basque farmer and a Peruvian immigrant.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 968
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Spain
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: sincere, atmospheric, serious, emotional, realistic, lgbt cinema, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 78%
Amphetamine (2010)
Plot Summary:
Openly gay banker Daniel debates whether to return to Australia or stay in Hong Kong when he meets Kafka, a straight swimming instructor. The young men fall in love, believing that their love can bridge anything, despite their difference in sexuality and Kafka's increasing drug use. Daniel does not regret his love for Kafka, who tries to love him back against his nature. But a flashback memory from Kafka's past makes it difficult for their relationship to work.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: realistic, captivating, emotional, psychological, erotic, lgbt cinema, homoerotic, sincere, serious, crying
Similar in 78%
Mixed Kebab (2012)
Plot Summary:
Ibrahim chooses to fall for young and handsome Kevin over marrying his cute but expensive cousin Elif while kid brother Furkan converts to Islamic fundamentalism.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Belgium
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic, lgbt cinema, homoerotic, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 75%
Eban and Charley (2000)
Plot Summary:
29-year-old Eban has retreated home to his parent's house in Seaside Oregon after the dissolution of his teaching job in Seattle. There he courts 15-year-old Charlie and eventually the two start a sexual relationship. As the age of consent in Oregon is 18 years and given the age difference, the adults in this drama take a dim view of this development.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 792
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, touching, sexy, serious, realistic, gloomy, sexual, crying
Similar in 86%
Coming Out (1989)
Plot Summary:
Reportedly the first film to come out of East Germany to deal openly with gay issues. Philipp, a closeted teacher is dating a female collegue to keep up appearances. One night, by 'accident' he stumbles into a gay bar, meets and promptly falls in love with a young man. Transformed by this love he is no longer afraid to face up to who he is.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: East Germany
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, sexual, crying, sexy
Similar in 86%
The String (2009)
Plot Summary:
Malik has a lot on his plate when he returns home to Tunisia after living in France. He's processing his father's death, he can't come out to his mother, and his childhood anxieties have resurfaced. But all of Malik's problems seem to fade away when he falls for Bilal, the dreamy houseboy at his mother's bourgeois estate.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Tunisia, Belgium
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, lgbt cinema, sexual, cute, gloomy, crying
Similar in 84%
The Last Match (2013)
Plot Summary:
Cuba is not a country for young gays. Teen rent boy Reinier falls in love with a mate in the slum soccer field at their neighbourhood in Havana. Although obsessed with moneymaking to hold up his baby, teen wife and wife's granma, gambler Reinier always fails in getting the stoke of luck he looks for. At the same time he cannot help being infatuated by Yosvani. Handsome Yosvani will give up his wealthy -and elder- girlfriend whom he hooked to pay him a lavish life in the big city, and the works he makes for her father, a loan thug, so much in love he is with Reinier. But the boys would fight hard to keep this love in the reckless Havana streets.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Spain, Cuba
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: realistic, sincere, touching, serious, homoerotic, erotic, lgbt cinema, cute, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 86%
Beyond the Walls (2012)
Plot Summary:
Paulo, a young pianist, meets Ilir, a double-bass player originally from Albania. It's love at first sight. Confronted by Anka, Paulo finds himself out on the street. Despite Ilir's misgivings, Paulo moves in with him. One day, when Paulo promises that he will love Ilir for the rest of his life, Ilir leaves the city and doesn't return. A few days later, Paulo finds out that Ilir is in jail, and the two lovers embark on an heart-breaking relationship.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Belgium, Canada, France
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, realistic, sexual, serious, silent, sexy, queer cinema, gay cinema, silent film
Similar in 84%
Brotherhood (2009)
Plot Summary:
Former Danish servicemen Lars and Jimmy are thrown together while training in a neo-Nazi group. Moving from hostility through grudging admiration to friendship and finally passion, events take a darker turn when their illicit relationship is uncovered.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, captivating, realistic, lgbt cinema, tense, sexual, sexy, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 90%
Like a Brother (2005)
Plot Summary:
Sebastien is a small town boy who moves to Paris and begins to explore the gay night life there. When a friend from back home calls to announce he's coming to Paris, Sebastien confronts some unrequited feelings.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 54 min
Plot tags: homoerotic, serious, emotional, realistic, sexual, touching, erotic, lgbt cinema, independent film, sexy
Similar in 86%
Second Skin (1999)
Plot Summary:
Diego is a doctor who has fallen in love with a married man with a son. Against the advice of his boss and best friend, he continues his affair with Alberto. The consequences of this affair profoundly alter not only the two men's lives, but also that of Alberto's wife.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Spain
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, sentimental, psychological, erotic, eros, gloomy, homoerotic, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 83%
The Falls: Testament of Love (2013)
Plot Summary:
The Falls: Testament of Love is a continuation of the story of RJ Smith and Chris Merrill, two Mormon missionaries that fell in love during their mission in a small town in Oregon. The boys haven't spoken in five years, but when an unexpected tragedy compells them back to the Oregon town where they served, they find themselves, once again, thrust into one another's lives. As old feelings begin to surface they find themselves again facing difficult choices. If they pursue their desire to be together, RJ and Chris risk hurting the ones they care about as they embark on a spiritual journey to discover love, freedom, and happiness.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, spiritual, heartbreaking, lgbt cinema, sexual, crying, independent film
Similar in 88%
Steam: The Turkish Bath (1997)
Plot Summary:
Francesco and Marta run a husband-and-wife design company in Rome. When Francesco's aunt dies in Instanbul he travels there to sort out the hamam turkish steam bath that she left him. He finds a love and warmth in his realtives' Instanbul home that is missing from his life in Italy.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, Turkey, Spain
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic, erotic, surprise ending, atmospheric, sexy, enigmatic, feel good
Similar in 79%
Priest (1994)
Plot Summary:
Father Greg Pilkington is torn between his call as a conservative Catholic priest and his secret life as a homosexual with a gay lover, frowned upon by the Church. Upon hearing the confession of a young girl of her incestuous father, Greg enters an intensely emotional spiritual struggle deciding between choosing morals over religion and one life over another.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: independent film, touching, spiritual, lgbt cinema, powerful, tense, sincere, thought provoking, serious, realistic
Similar in 90%
Borstal Boy (2000)
Plot Summary:
Based on Irish poet Brendan Behan's experiences in a reform school in 1942. A 16 year-old Irish republican terrorist arrives on the ferry at Liverpool and is arrested for possession of explosives. He is imprisoned in a Borstal in East Anglia, where he is forced to live with his would-be enemies, an experience that profoundly changes his life.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, touching, disturbing, political, gloomy, independent film, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 89%
Lan Yu (2001)
Plot Summary:
A love story between a country boy in Beijing to study and a wealthy businessman set against the backdrop of the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, captivating, depressing, heartbreaking, lgbt cinema, poignant, crying, serious
Similar in 86%
A Moment in the Reeds (2017)
Plot Summary:
Having moved to Paris for university, Leevi returns to his native Finland for the summer to help his estranged father renovate the family lake house so it can be sold. Tareq, a recent asylum seeker from Syria, has been hired to help with the work, and when Leevi's father has to return to town on business, the two young men establish a connection and embark on a romance set against the idyllic Finnish summer. However, looming over this chance encounter, is the father's imminent return to the lake house, the continuation of Leevi's studies abroad as well as Tareq's complex relationship with his family in Syria.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Finland
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, touching, captivating, realistic, sincere, serious, erotic, lgbt cinema, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 80%
Head On (1998)
Plot Summary:
Nineteen-year-old Ari confronts both his sexuality and his Greek family. Ari despises his once-beloved parents, former radical activists, for having entombed themselves in insular tradition. Ari is obsessed with gay sex, although he does make an unenthusiastic attempt to satisfy the sister of one of his best friends. While all of this is going on, he's facing problems with his traditional Greek parents, who have no clue about his sexual activities.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: independent film, lgbt cinema, terrifying, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, erotic, rough, sexy
Similar in 86%
Keep the Lights On (2012)
Plot Summary:
An emotionally and sexually charged journey through the love, addiction, and friendship of two men. Documentary filmmaker Erik and closeted lawyer Paul meet through a casual encounter, but they find a deeper connection and become a couple. Individually and together, they are risk takers—compulsive, and fueled by drugs and sex. In an almost decade-long relationship defined by highs, lows, and dysfunctional patterns, Erik struggles to negotiate his own boundaries and dignity and to be true to himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: serious, touching, emotional, lgbt cinema, sad, sexual, realistic, independent film, sincere, sexy
Similar in 88%
Ciao (2008)
Plot Summary:
Two men meet and fall in love under the least joyous of circumstances in this low-key drama from writer and director Yen Tan.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, romantic, sensual, crying, independent film, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 87%
Rock Haven (2007)
Plot Summary:
The coastal California community of Rock Haven is the perfect place for cute eighteen-year-old Brady and his loving mother to begin a fresh start. Their mission: to spread the word of the Lord. But while roaming the beach one day, Brady meets Clifford, a young man who is the complete opposite of him: outgoing and athletic as well as incredibly handsome. Their initial encounter stirs up feelings of homo desire that Brady has been suppressing. Once Clifford makes it clear that their attraction is mutual, Brady's conflicting feelings of religious obligation and natural impulse go into overdrive, and the two young men must navigate their confusion, lust and beliefs in order to come to a mutual understanding.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, touching, serious, sensual, realistic, contemplative, sexual, crying, sexy
Similar in 87%
Free Fall (2013)
Plot Summary:
A promising career with the police, a baby on the way... Marc's life seems to be right on track. Then he meets fellow policeman Kay and during their regular jogs Marc experiences a never-before-felt sense of ease and effortlessness -- and what it means to fall in love with another man. Torn between his family and his new feelings for Kay, Marc sees his world careening more and more out of control. Suddenly, his life is in free fall and Marc realizes that try as he may, he can't make everyone happy. Least of all, himself.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Germany
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: emotional, sexual, disturbing, atmospheric, touching, sincere, lgbt cinema, serious, erotic, sexy
Similar in 82%
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Plot Summary:
Two modern-day cowboys meet on a shepherding job in the summer of '63, the two share a raw and powerful summer together that turns into a lifelong relationship conflicting with the lives they are supposed to live.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 376000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, sexy, sad, melancholic, crying, sexual, neo western, controversial, heartbreaking
Similar in 81%
The World Unseen (2007)
Plot Summary:
A drama centered on two women who engage in a dangerous relationship during South Africa's apartheid era.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Africa, UK
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, erotic, romantic, deep, historical drama, independent film, bleak, queer cinema