Best movies like Release
Last updated March 2024
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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
Best tv shows and movies like Release (2010):
Similar in 84%
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 76%
Soft Lad (2015)
Plot Summary:
A young man involved in a love affair that will change his life forever, whilst his lover wrestles his demons on a journey that will force him to come to terms with his sexuality, leaving lives destroyed in the wake.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, sexy, touching, lgbt cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 78%
No Night Is Too Long (2002)
Plot Summary:
Young Tim Cornish's life has begun with great promise. Blessed with extraordinary good looks, Tim enjoyed much attention and cared little of broken hearts. At University he was a favored student in a prestigious creative writing course, but a chance meeting, a stolen kiss and a sudden flare of passion sets Tim on a journey of betrayal, heartbreak and murder. In a flashback, he tells his story of cruelty, love and a soul-destroying guilt that offers little chance for redemption.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: UK, Canada
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, suspense, sexual, lgbt cinema, controversial, sexy, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 81%
Looking for Simon (2011)
Plot Summary:
Simon, a young German doctor who lives and works in Marseille, goes missing. His appartment is empty. His mother Valérie is desperate. She doesn't understand the reason of his disappearance. Therefore she asks Jens, Simon's former boyfriend, to come to Marseille and help her finding him.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 312
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, realistic, psychological, captivating, sincere, serious, gloomy
Similar in 89%
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 82%
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 82%
About Us (2017)
Plot Summary:
The Love Story between Matheus and Diego is portrayed in the film script Diego writes when he becomes a filmmaker.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 421
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Brazil
Duration: 70 min
Plot tags: psychological, sentimental, romantic, sexy, touching, melancholic, unusual plot structure, queer cinema
Similar in 88%
Like It Is (1998)
Plot Summary:
A young, bare-knuckle boxer Craig (played by real-life boxer Steve Bell) moves from Blackpool to London, where he falls for a twenty-something music producer, Matt. Trouble ensues when shy, awkward Craig tries squeezing into Matt's glib lifestyle and Matt's scheming boss (played by Roger Daltrey) tries to break up the couple.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: UK
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: lgbt cinema, independent film, rough, sexy, serious, emotional, realistic, sexual, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 88%
Eyes Wide Open (2009)
Plot Summary:
A beautifully affecting love story that has rightly earned comparisons to Brokeback Mountain, Haim Tabakman's potent yet impeccably restrained tale has won awards and accolades at film festivals the world over. Aaron, a pillar in Jerusalem's Orthodox community is respected by friends and family. However, when he hires handsome runaway student Ezri to assist with his business, sexual tensions bristle and the pair cautiously embark on a love affair. Meanwhile, a neighbouring shopkeeper persists in seeing a man of her own choosing, even though she's been promised by her father to another. As forbidden truths come to the fore, these lovers are forced to either confront or relent in the face of a centuries-old religious community, with startling results.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Israel, Germany, France
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: bleak, realistic, captivating, lgbt cinema, tense, erotic, homoerotic, powerful, independent film, serious
Similar in 81%
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 87%
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 89%
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%
Leather (2013)
Plot Summary:
Birch, a young man living in the Catskill Mountains, reunites with his childhood friend from the city, Andrew.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 536
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: psychological, sexy, touching, humorous, captivating, melancholic, independent film, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 78%
Redwoods (2009)
Plot Summary:
Both original and incredibly romantic, Redwoods tells the story of an already-partnered man whose love is tested when a mysterious drifter passes through his small Northern California town.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, emotional, serious, lgbt cinema, sexual, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 82%
Westerland (2012)
Plot Summary:
In the midst of a freezing winter on the island of Sylt, Cem comes across Jesús, who is on the verge of committing suicide. The two young men become fast friends, with their friendship unexpectedly threatening to develop into something more. Cem and Jesús - laconic, alienated loners - find their previously uneventful lives starting to spin out of control now that each has someone who means something to him.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 237
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Germany
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: tense, touching, psychological, sexy, melancholic, romantic, unusual plot structure, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 79%
After Louie (2017)
Plot Summary:
As an AIDS activist and member of ACT UP in the 1980s and 90s, Sam witnessed the deaths of too many friends and lovers. Battlewounded and struggling with survivor's guilt, Sam now resents the complacency of his former comrades and derides what he sees as the younger generation's indifference to the politics of sex, and of death. An unexpected intimacy with a much younger man challenges Sam's understanding of contemporary gay life. Through this unconventional romance, he is forced to deal with the trauma that so informs his past, their present, and an unknown future.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 447
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, romantic, sexy, touching, melancholic, queer cinema
Similar in 87%
Cal (2013)
Plot Summary:
Twenty-year-old Cal returns from France to Britain after receiving news that his mother is ill. His finds his home city of Bristol facing hard economic times brought on by the global economic crisis, with poverty and crime on the rise and rioting and looting almost a nightly occurrence. It is not a warm homecoming as his sick mother remains stubbornly homophobic and wants nothing to do with the now openingly gay Cal while his battered Auntie Jane, now living in a run down council house, dulls her stagnation with welfare funded booze and disturbing attempts to sexually seduce her nephew. Navigating his way across this new landscape he meets a young student who needs his help. However his act of kindness brings him into contact with a lawless drug dealing pimp and a race against time to make peace with his mother and get out of town as quickly as possible. An intense tale of a family mired in poverty, angry and lost but still searching for love, respect and acceptance.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 474
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, erotic, tense, gloomy, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 79%
Save Me (2007)
Plot Summary:
A sex and drug addicted young man who is forced into a Christian-run ministry in an attempt to cure him of his "gay affliction", where instead he is faced with the truth in his heart and spirit.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic, erotic, heartfelt, gloomy, crying, queer cinema
Similar in 89%
Getting Go, the Go Doc Project (2013)
Plot Summary:
Too shy to make a proper introduction, a recent college grad devises to shoot a documentary about the NYC nightlife scene in order to meet the go-go guy he’s cyber-obsessed with.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: realistic, sexual, psychological, rough, captivating, erotic, lgbt cinema, independent film, sincere, serious
Similar in 83%
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 79%
The Falls (2012)
Plot Summary:
The Falls is a feature film about two missionaries that fall in love while on their mission. RJ travels to a small town in Oregon with Elder Merrill to serve their mission and teach the words of Joseph Smith. Living together and sharing the challenge of leaving home, the two men help each other discover their strengths. They share a passion for their faith and learn to express their feelings, risking the only community they have for a forbidden intimacy.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, captivating, lgbt cinema, psychological, heartbreaking, independent film, humorous, serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
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 83%
Something Must Break (2014)
Plot Summary:
When Sebastian meets Andreas for the first time, he knows they belong together. While Sebastian defies gender norms — flouting convention in his androgynous fluidity — straight-identifying Andreas becomes unable to accept his attraction to another man, as their relationship progresses. Struggling with his identity, Sebastian becomes increasingly determined to become “Ellie,” even if it means walking away from Andreas. Something Must Break brims with raw electricity as it explores questions of gender and sexuality with refreshing candor.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Sweden
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, avant garde, depressing, bleak, queer cinema
Similar in 83%
August (2011)
Plot Summary:
August tells the story of two former lovers, Troy and Jonathan, who reunite after a long ago painful breakup. After spending several years in Spain, Troy returns to Los Angeles and decides to phone Jonathan and meet for coffee. A seemingly innocent rendezvous turns into an attempt to revive passions past. Only this time it's not that simple as Jonathan has a new beau, Raul, and is trying to make the right decision a second time around.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: realistic, sentimental, psychological, captivating, emotional, homoerotic, sexy, touching, serious, non-linear
Similar in 83%
Antarctica (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set in Tel Aviv, focuses on an interconnected group of friends and their various relationships. At the center is the adorably bookish Omer, about to turn 30, who still hasn't found himself, and his free-spirited best friend Miki, who both end up inadvertently dating the same handsome journalist, Ronen.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 847
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Israel
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, sexy, gloomy, sexual, crying, queer cinema
Similar in 89%
Monster Pies (2013)
Plot Summary:
Mike has felt alienated and alone for as long as he can remember, until a new boy arrives at his school - awakening feelings and a world of possibilities he'd never before dared to dream of.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, serious, psychological, captivating, lgbt cinema, cute, independent film, queer cinema
Similar in 84%
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 84%
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 80%
From Beginning to End (2009)
Plot Summary:
Two brothers develop a very close relationship as they are growing up in an idyllic and happy family. When they are young adults their relationship becomes very intimate, romantic, and sexual.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Brazil
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, sincere, sexy, captivating, lgbt cinema, psychological, erotic, sensual, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 86%
Maurice (1987)
Plot Summary:
In 1909, Maurice Hall (James Wilby) enters Cambridge, where he befriends wealthy Clive Durham (Hugh Grant). Clive confesses he is sexually attracted to Maurice, who realizes he is a homosexual when he begins to return Clive's feelings. The two embark on an intense but chaste affair to avoid tarnishing Clive's reputation, but eventually the relationship ends, and Clive marries Anne (Phoebe Nicholls). While visiting Clive, Maurice is drawn toward his friend's servant, Alec Scudder (Rupert Graves).
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: homoerotic, sexy, melancholic, scenic, costume drama, erotic, romantic, period piece, touching, lgbt cinema