Best movies like Puzzle of a Downfall Child
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Lou Andreas Sand, a once famous model, recalls her past as she tries to make success in the modeling world of New York, her stressfull workdays, her affair with Mark, an advertising executive, her friendship with photographer Aaron, and her downward spiral into ruin.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 891
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, bleak, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970):
Similar in 85%
Seize the Day (1986)
Plot Summary:
Tommy Wilhelm (Robin Williams) is a salesman. An honest, hard-working guy who has lost his job, his girlfriend, and left part of his sanity behind as he heads to New York to pick up the pieces of his life. He's always been able to sell, but caught in a downward spiral, he must, in addition, face the father who never really understood him, while trying to balance his newly precarious existence.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: depressing, independent film, bleak, realistic, gloomy, semi serious, thinking, road movie, touching, feel good
Similar in 78%
Back Street (1961)
Plot Summary:
Ambitious but thwarted, Rae Smith meets handsome Marine Paul Saxon, (of the Saxon department store chain), as he passes through Lincoln, Nebraska, on his way home from World War II. There's a definite spark between them but circumstances intervene and he leaves town without her. Later she learns he's married. Determined to make it as a fashion designer, Rae moves to New York and becomes a great success. One day she happens to meet Paul again and again there's that spark but he's still married so, as a form of escape, Rae moves to Rome to set up shop. Once again she meets Paul and finally they begin an actual affair since Paul's shrewish, drunken wife, Liz, won't give him a divorce. Time passes, the affair continues whenever time and place permit, but then, Paul's young son finds out about Rae and Rae's back-street world begins to crumble.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, soap opera
Similar in 83%
We'll Take Manhattan (2012)
Plot Summary:
We’ll Take Manhattan explores the explosive love affair between Sixties supermodel, Jean Shrimpton, and photographer, David Bailey. Focusing on a wild and unpredictable 1962 Vogue photo shoot in New York, the drama brings to life the story of two young people falling in love, misbehaving and inadvertently defining the style of the Sixties along the way.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sexy, realistic, stylized, serious, period piece, period drama
Similar in 90%
High Tide (1987)
Plot Summary:
Story about a backup singer for an Elvis impersonator who re-enters her past when she leaves a tour in a small town and finds her daughter in a mobile home park.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 957
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: retro, touching, serious, realistic, biting, crying, independent film, suspense, eighties
Similar in 84%
Play It As It Lays (1972)
Plot Summary:
A Hollywood actress undergoes a psychic breakdown and recalls the traumatic events which led to her stay at a sanitarium.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 763
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, black comedy, dark comedy
Similar in 83%
Maladies (2012)
Plot Summary:
A talented and successful actor retires at a young age due to a perceived mental illness. Now living in a small town with his deranged sister and his best friend, we watch as their Maladies intertwine.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 787
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, emotional, realistic, captivating, tense, rough, serious, independent film
Similar in 84%
Perfume (2001)
Plot Summary:
A week in the lives of a group of models, photographers, agents, reporters, publicists and other characters during a wild modeling show in New York City.
IMDB Rating: 3.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: realistic, semi serious, captivating, sex comedy, sexual, sexy
Similar in 77%
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
Plot Summary:
Drama while a tour bus driver shows church ladies around Mexico. Helped establish Puerto Vallarta as tourist destination.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: black and white, atmospheric, talky, psychological, tense, serious, sexual, retro, uplifting, existential
Similar in 89%
A Brother's Kiss (1997)
Plot Summary:
Two brothers, Lex and younger Mick, are living in Harlem. Mick is a policeman, and Lex, who spent youth years in reformatory because of injustice after he confronted the cop who tried to sodomize Mick on the street, is living with his wife Debbie trying to make ends meet and failing. One day Lex calls Mick - he has a problem.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 412
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, serious, rough, bleak, erotic, independent film, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 87%
Mrs. Harris (2005)
Plot Summary:
Based on the sensational 1980s media event, famed cardiologist Herman Tarnower meets a particularly brutal end at the hands of his jilted lover, Jean Harris.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, realistic, witty, biting, crying, detective, suspense
Similar in 75%
Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)
Plot Summary:
A recovering alcoholic film director tries for a comeback in Rome.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: retro, meta, sincere, serious, realistic, stylized, soap opera
Similar in 77%
Most High (2004)
Plot Summary:
When Julius (Marty Sader) loses his girlfriend, his job and the life of his pseudo father, Jack, his itch for a "quick fix" suffocates his ambitions and takes him on a trip through the disturbing addiction of crystal meth. Julius confides in Erica (Laura Keys), who lures him into her erratic lifestyle, and their crazy romance brings him terrifying hallucinations and isolation as he learns that hedonism will not eliminate his pain.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 294
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, realistic, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 78%
Ashley (2013)
Plot Summary:
A teenage girl, distraught from her vain attempt to connect with her estranged mother, resorts to cutting herself. When she develops an online relationship with an older woman, she learns to accept her sexuality and the endless solitude of sprawling suburbia.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, psychological, erotic, sad, crying, bleak, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 87%
Lilith (1964)
Plot Summary:
Lilith is a about a mysterious young woman in an elite sanitarium in New England, who seems to weave a magical spell all around her. A restless, but sincere young man with an equally obscure past is seemingly drawn into her web. As time passes, their relationship deepens and intensifies, and the differences between them begin to blur, leading to a shocking, but oddly logical conclusion.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, suspense, retro, social, surreal, sexual, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 87%
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
Plot Summary:
Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer (Joanne Woodward) and her daughters Ruth (Roberta Wallach) and Matilda (Nell Potts) are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, psychological, sentimental, realistic, emotional, talky, surreal, art house, sincere, clever
Similar in 76%
Clean and Sober (1988)
Plot Summary:
Hotshot real estate salesman Daryl has a bad cocaine habit. After embezzling his company's money, he wakes up next to a girl who overdosed. To hide from the police, he checks into a rehabilitation program guaranteeing anonymity. Under the mentorship of counselor Craig, Daryl accepts that he has a substance abuse problem. As he falls in love with fellow patient Charlie, Daryl begins committing to a newly sober life.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, emotional, compassionate, melancholic, sincere, serious, psychological, depressing, spiritual
Similar in 88%
Chelsea Walls (2001)
Plot Summary:
This movie tells five stories set in a single day at the famed Chelsea Hotel in New York City, involving an ensemble cast of some 30-35 characters.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: meditative, intense, touching, serious, talky, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, entertaining, detective
Similar in 77%
Down to the Bone (2004)
Plot Summary:
A woman stuck in a stale marriage struggles to raise her children and manage her secret drug habit. But when winter comes to her small town, her balancing act begins to come crashing down.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, scary, bleak, realistic, gloomy, crying
Similar in 87%
Heatwave (1982)
Plot Summary:
A woman attempts to stop a redevelopment plot which she thought was the cover-up for fraud and other criminal activity.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 410
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: neo noir, retro, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, independent film, detective
Similar in 89%
The End of Innocence (1990)
Plot Summary:
Seemingly autobiographical story of a woman overwhelmed with trying to please everyone except herself, and not finding any answers until she's admitted to a rehab center by her parents. Eventually here is where she finds her answers.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 233
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, psychological, serious, emotional, contemplative, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 89%
Bright Lights, Big City (1988)
Plot Summary:
A young kid from Kansas moves to New York to work on a magazine. He gets caught up in the world of drink and drugs, and starts a steady decline. The only hope is the cousin of one of his drinking partners, can she pull him through it ?.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: intense, serious, sentimental, touching, bleak, realistic, stylized, unusual plot structure, suspense, melancholic
Similar in 75%
Particles of Truth (2003)
Plot Summary:
Life, love, and the fear of failing... Lilli Black, battling her painful memories and the secrets surrounding her dying father, collides into the complicated and obsessive life of Morrison Wiley on the streets of New York City. This peculiar love story exposes Lilli's internal bouts and her nightmarish "bad luck". We weave in and out of eight defective lives and go for a turbulent mental ride where Lilli's reality spirals out of control and we're lead to an unforgettable climax where some fall apart and some piece themselves together.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 587
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 85%
About Alex (2014)
Plot Summary:
A circle of twenty-something friends reunite for a weekend away to console a suicidal member of their group. Yet, despite their best efforts to enjoy themselves, a tinderbox of old jealousies, unrequited love, and widening political differences leads to an explosion of drama that, coupled with the flammable combination of drugs, wine, and risotto, cannot be contained. A Big Chill for our current social media moment, About Alex is a lighthearted look at the struggles of a generation that has it all—and wants more.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: independent film, inspirational, atmospheric, surreal, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, talky, romantic
Similar in 86%
Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
Plot Summary:
Difficult tale of poor, struggling South Carolinian mother & daughter, who each face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance. The film won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Special" and was nominated for "Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Special", "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special", and "Outstanding Made for Television Movie". It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: disturbing, emotional, realistic, touching, suspense, thought provoking, serious, heartbreaking, depressing, gothic
Similar in 88%
Cake (2014)
Plot Summary:
After having visions of a member of her support group who killed herself, a woman who also suffers with chronic pain seeks out the widower of the suicide.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: heartbreaking, depressing, psychological, touching, sentimental, bleak, compassionate, emotional, serious, sad
Similar in 85%
Losing Chase (1996)
Plot Summary:
An intimate and turbulent relationship develops between Chase, a woman recovering from a nervous breakdown and Elizabeth, the caretaker employed to look after her.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 909
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: independent film, emotional, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, sentimental, sexy, feel good
Similar in 83%
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001)
Plot Summary:
The lives of a lawyer, an actuary, a housecleaner, a professor, and the people around them intersect as they ponder order and happiness in the face of life's cold unpredictability.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: philosophical, psychological, bleak, meditative, depressing, touching, serious, contemplative, existential, cerebral
Similar in 87%
Interiors (1978)
Plot Summary:
A look at a dysfunctional family dominated by the controlling madness of its matriarch, Eve. Her reluctant husband and their three daughters make doomed efforts to cope with Eve's demands, while also trying to get on with their own lives. But, all bets are off when an ebullient stranger enters the picture.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, realistic, melancholic, touching, depressing, heartbreaking, emotional, disturbing, serious
Similar in 76%
Ordinary People (1980)
Plot Summary:
Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: psychological, emotional, depressing, realistic, sentimental, compassionate, crying, serious, existential, inspirational
Similar in 90%
Gia (1998)
Plot Summary:
Gia Carangi travels to New York City with dreams of becoming a fashion model. Within minutes of arriving, she meets Wilhelmina Cooper, a wise and high-powered agent who takes Gia under her wing. With Cooper's help and her own natural instincts, Gia quickly shoots to the top of the modeling world. When Cooper dies of lung cancer, however, Gia turns to drugs – and both she and her career begin to spiral out of control.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 49000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, melancholic, erotic, sexy, rough, sad, serious, touching, bleak, thought provoking