Best movies like Purple Haze
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
It's dynamite stuff.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 172
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: independent film
Best tv shows and movies like Purple Haze (1982):
Similar in 79%
Prologue (1970)
Plot Summary:
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Robin Spry, Prologue was the first Canadian film to screen at the Venice Film Festival. Set and filmed during the sixties, this fiction feature tells the story of a young Montrealer who edits an underground newspaper with help from his female friend and a draft dodger from the United States. Two rival philosophies of dissenting youth become evident in the choices they make: militant protest vs. communal retreat. The film includes some seminal archival footage of a speech by legendary anti-war activist Abbie Hoffman and bloody rioting during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 20
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: independent film, political, cinema verite
Similar in 90%
Aloha Summer (1988)
Plot Summary:
It's the 60s and a bunch of crazy teenagers meet in the beautiful island of Hawaii during their summer holidays. Although they come from different backgrounds, they hang out together and shake up the island! They surf, dance, drink, fight and fall in love. As the summer approaches its end, they find themselves inseparable, friends for a lifetime.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 295
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 79%
Potential Inertia (2014)
Plot Summary:
Declan Holmes is graduating college, a hard enough time as it is, and heading out into the real world. The loss he experiences is like nothing he has ever known before. 'Potential Inertia' is the story of his journey through a very difficult time, and the relationships that can either build you up or tear you apart.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 49
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 75%
Bosch & Rockit (2022)
Plot Summary:
As Rockit grapples to understand why his Mum’s not coming home, he embarks on a magical holiday with his father, Bosch, only to discover they’re actually running from the law. Rockit finds a soulmate and then teenage love with Ash Ash, but it’s the ocean that gives him the security and calm he yearns from his parents. Ultimately Rockit is a boy nurtured and held by nature.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 713
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 75%
Harry Munter (1969)
Plot Summary:
Harry Munter, a sensitive, kind, appealing man in his twenties, lives with his parents. He's an inventor, a bit of a mystic, maybe a genius, and a good son and grandson. He's offered work in the U.S. But a friend has cancer and the world is changing in ways that provoke profound sadness. Written by Eileen Berdon.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 110
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 75%
Homer (1970)
Plot Summary:
Homer is 18... and he wants to keep the feeling of the first time going for the rest of his life.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 44
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 89%
R.P.M. (1970)
Plot Summary:
R.P.M. stands for (political) revolutions per minute. Anthony Quinn plays a liberal college professor at a west coast college during the hedy days of campus activism in the late 1960s. Radical students take over the college, the president resigns, and Quinn's character, who has always been a champion of student activism, is appointed president. As the students continue to push the envelope of revolution, Quinn's character is faced with the challenge of restoring order or abetting the descent into anarchy.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 676
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: political
Similar in 76%
Where It's At (1969)
Plot Summary:
A "Sixties Generation" comedy about an offbeat father-son relationship. Dad runs a Las Vegas hotel-casino and his son is a college student with a different set of moral and ethical standards. When they meet in Vegas, they immediately clash in their efforts to understand one another.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 218
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: independent film, touching, offbeat, emotional, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 86%
Hail, Hero! (1969)
Plot Summary:
Hail, Hero! stars Michael Douglas in his screen debut as long-haired college student Carl Dixon. Reversing the usual procedure in late-1960s films, Dixon decides to quit school and enlist in the Army, even though he's already run afoul of the law as a Vietnam protestor. It is our hero's intention to use love, rather than bullets, to combat the Viet Cong. Needless to say, his idealism is no match for the harsher realities of war, but this doesn't stop him from endlessly spouting the sort of agit-prop rhetoric so beloved of filmmakers of the era. In addition to Michael Douglas, co-star Peter Strauss likewise makes his first film appearance in Hail, Hero! Dated in the extreme, the film is saved by the musical score by Gordon Lightfoot.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 233
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: independent film, cult film
Similar in 86%
'68 (1988)
Plot Summary:
'68 covers exactly one year (January 1st through December 31st) in the lives of Zoltan Szabo and his family, Hungarian immigrants, working hard to make a life in San Francisco in 1968. The Szabos tries to adjust to the new country, changing times and each other. The year covered was one of particular cultural change in the US and this interplays with the cultural changes occurring around Zoltan, his wife and his two college-age sons.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 91
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: independent film, soap opera
Similar in 84%
Not Fade Away (2012)
Plot Summary:
Set in suburban New Jersey in the 1960s, a group of friends form a rock band and try to make it big.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: sincere, sentimental, touching, captivating, atmospheric, serious, realistic, independent film, whimsical, period drama
Similar in 80%
Adam at Six A.M. (1970)
Plot Summary:
A disenchanted young Professor of Semantics at a California college learns of a distant relative's death in Missouri. He journeys cross-country to the funeral, then decides to spend the summer there and work as a laborer for a power-line company. In time, he meets a girl and falls in love but then faces an important decision as to which direction he wants his life to go.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 417
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, biting, suspense, cult film
Similar in 77%
Last Summer (2018)
Plot Summary:
During a long hot summer in the 1970s, four boys roam free through a neglected rural paradise, until a tragedy strikes that sets them against the adult world and changes their lives forever.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 357
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 89%
Class of '44 (1973)
Plot Summary:
Sequel to "Summer of '42" reunites Hermie, Oscy and Benjie as they graduate from high school. Benjie departs shortly to war while Hermie and Oscy go on to college and experience fraternity hazings, cheating on exams, sex scandals and other unsavory college activities. Hermie grows apart from his childhood friend Oscy and begins a relationship with Julie that allows him to settle down into maturity.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 571
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
Captain Milkshake (1970)
Plot Summary:
A Marine on leave from Vietnam becomes involved with hippies, communes and drug-running.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 96
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychedelic, psychotronic, independent film
Similar in 81%
The Education of Charlie Banks (2007)
Plot Summary:
College student Charlie Banks has to face old problems when the bully he had an unpleasant encounter with back in high school shows up on his campus.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, sincere, suspense, intellectual, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 77%
Return of the Secaucus Seven (1980)
Plot Summary:
Seven former college friends, along with a few new friends, gather for a weekend reunion at a summer house in New Hampshire to reminisce about the good old days, when they got arrested on the way to a protest in Washington, DC.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: independent film, cult classic, realistic, talky, political, aesthetic, clever, humorous, semi serious, thought provoking
Similar in 82%
Summertree (1971)
Plot Summary:
Jerry, not a member of the 'protest generation' but is instead, an 'All American boy,' is drafted into the Army, just as things begin to go well for him. He decision to flee to Canada sparks off conflict with his parents, ending in the film's conclusion - in Vietnam.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 364
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: independent film, rough, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, cult film
Similar in 80%
Our Winning Season (1978)
Plot Summary:
A high-school track star (Scott Jacoby) fools around with his buddy (Dennis Quaid), until a Vietnam War tragedy makes him grow up.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 236
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, independent film, sentimental, sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 90%
Mamitas (2011)
Plot Summary:
A teenager in Echo Park deals with the loss of his mother and his attraction to a girl not considered "cool" by his friends.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 488
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sincere, realistic, captivating, psychological, light, independent film, serious
Similar in 77%
The Great Santini (1979)
Plot Summary:
As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated marine pilot.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, serious, captivating, independent film, touching, feel good, unusual plot structure, heartbreaking, dramatic
Similar in 84%
Tracks (1976)
Plot Summary:
A soldier returns from Vietnam on special assignment, accompanying the body of his friend by train to California for burial. During the trip, he falls in love with a gentle college student. But their relationship is shattered by his flashbacks to combat.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 591
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: indie film, independent film, psychological, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 87%
The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone (2009)
Plot Summary:
Tony Luke, Jr. stars as Joey Nardone, an out-of-shape boxer, who after 8 years in prison for an unfortunate accident leaves prison and gets a shot at redemption by fighting for one young boy's future - 14 year old Jesus.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 486
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, captivating
Similar in 78%
Dog Days of Summer (2007)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious drifter lures two boys into uncovering the secrets of a sleepy southern town.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 462
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: independent film, touching, offbeat, serious, realistic, surprise ending, neo noir
Similar in 88%
Breakfast with Curtis (2012)
Plot Summary:
Syd is an eccentric bookseller with delusions of grandeur fueled by red wine. He caused a rift 5 years ago between his bohemian housemates and the family next door, but now tries to recruit his 14-year-old neighbor as a collaborator.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 257
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, psychological, touching, suspenseful, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 89%
Giant Little Ones (2018)
Plot Summary:
Two popular teen boys, best friends since childhood, discover their lives, families, and girlfriends dramatically upended after an unexpected incident occurs on the night of a 17th birthday party.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: captivating, emotional, realistic, thought provoking, lgbt cinema, independent film, freeze frame, indie film, meditative, queer cinema
Similar in 81%
1969 (1988)
Plot Summary:
Two rebellious youths, Ralph and Scott, find themselves struggling with adulthood as the Vietnam War rages. Feeling trapped in their small town, Scott battles with his conservative veteran father, Cliff, and Ralph deals with his desperately sexual mother, Ev. When tragic news arrives from overseas, the entire town, inspired by Ralph and Scott's antiwar efforts, reevaluates its attitude toward the war.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: realistic, independent film, sentimental, sincere, thought provoking, serious, road movie, intellectual, feel good, emotional
Similar in 83%
Green Dragon (2001)
Plot Summary:
A tale about Vietnamese refugees sent to an orientation camp on the Camp Pendleton Marine Base in California, 'Green Dragon' focuses on a young boy and his sister. Set in 1975, the film chronicles the stories told to the two children by other refugees in the camp and of Tai Tran, who dares to introduce himself to Sergeant Jim Lance. In developing a relationship with Lance, Tran is able to improve.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, touching, emotional, independent film, serious, realistic
Similar in 76%
A Small Circle of Friends (1980)
Plot Summary:
In the late 1960s, three Harvard students Jessica (Karen Allen), Leo (Brad Davis) and Nick (Jameson Parker) grow close as they undergo personal changes, but their friendship is jeopardized by romantic feelings both men develop for Jessica.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 496
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: sex comedy, independent film, sincere, sexy, touching, serious, realistic, sexual
Similar in 76%
Whatever (1998)
Plot Summary:
In the early 1980s, Anna, a New Jersey teenager faces her impending adulthood, dreaming of a life as a successful New York artist. When she gets caught up in the carefree sport of pre-AIDS sex and drugs, Anna's future becomes less certain.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: realistic, independent film, sentimental, touching, humorous, gloomy, semi serious, erotic, sexy, feel good