Best movies like Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies like Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors? Offer your knowledge to navigate others to films and tv series you've already watched that might appeal to them also. Support expanding the assembly of people recommending videos to one another. We encourage your participation!
Plot Summary:
In a Carpathian village, Ivan falls in love with Marichka, the daughter of his father's killer. When tragedy befalls her, his grief lasts months; finally he rejoins the colorful life around him, marrying Palagna. She wants children but his mind stays on his lost love. To recapture his attention, Palagna tries sorcery, and in the process comes under the spell of the sorcerer, publicly humiliating Ivan, who then fights the sorcerer. The lively rhythms of village life, the work and the holidays, the pageant and revelry of weddings and funerals, the change of seasons, and nature's beauty give proportion to Ivan's tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, emotional, realistic, stylized, psychedelic, contemplative, surreal, scenic, art house, poetic
Best tv shows and movies like Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965):
Similar in 86%
The Maids of Wilko (1979)
Plot Summary:
Set in the late '20s. A thirtyish young man, who heads a small factory, faints at the funeral of a close friend. He decides to go home to his aunt and uncle for a while, but gets involved with a family of five women who had been in love with him at one time though he had apparently loved only one, who, unknown to him, has died since his departure. The women are mainly disillusioned with life or estranged from husbands while the youngest has a crush on him.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Poland, France
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: existential, psychological, sentimental, atmospheric, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 79%
Springtime in a Small Town (2002)
Plot Summary:
In a mansion decimated during World War II, a frustrated, bored housewife, Yuwen, is torn between caring for her ailing husband and her longing for a former sweetheart, a doctor who has come to treat her husband.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China, Hong Kong, France, Netherlands
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: sentimental, thought provoking, serious, emotional, realistic, stylized, touching, contemplative, gloomy, crying
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 76%
The Color of Pomegranates (1969)
Plot Summary:
The life of revered the 18th-century Armenian poet and musician Sayat-Nova (Vilen Galstyan). Portraying events in the life of the artist from childhood up to his death, the movie addresses in particular his relationships with women, including his muse (Sofiko Chiaureli). The production tells Sayat-Nova's dramatic story by using both his poems and largely still camerawork, creating an impressionistic work.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Music
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: surreal, poetic, atmospheric, avant garde, psychedelic, mind bending, experimental, contemplative, scenic, disturbing
Similar in 88%
Wuthering Heights (2011)
Plot Summary:
A poor boy of unknown origins is rescued from poverty and taken in by the Earnshaw family where he develops an intense relationship with his young foster sister, Cathy. Based on the classic novel by Emily Bronte.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, realistic, serious, emotional, costume drama, period piece, romantic drama, bleak, social, melancholic
Similar in 87%
Dreaming of Joseph Lees (1999)
Plot Summary:
Set in rural England in the 1950s Eva (Samantha Morton) fantasises about her handsome, worldly cousin Joseph Lees (Rupert Graves), with whom she fell in love as a girl. However, stuck in a closed community she becomes the object of someone else's fantasy, Harry (Lee Ross). When Harry learns that Eva is planning to leave the village in order to live with and look after the injured Lees, he devises a gruesome scheme in order to force her to stay and look after him.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 920
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, atmospheric, touching, serious, realistic, gloomy, erotic, psychological, romantic
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 81%
The Woodlanders (1997)
Plot Summary:
The story is set in late 19th century rural corner of South England. The daughter of timber merchant Melbury, Grace, returns to the town after finishing school. Her father now believes she can find a better husband than her childhood sweetheart, woodsman Giles. She marries handsome young doctor Fitzpiers, but soon finds out he's not the man of her dreams and she still loves Giles.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 741
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: costume drama, serious, realistic, independent film, period piece, period drama
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 76%
Silent Light (2007)
Plot Summary:
Johan and his family are Mennonites from the north of Mexico. Against the law of God and Man, Johan falls in love with another woman.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Mexico, France, Netherlands, Germany
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, slow cinema, serious, realistic, contemplative, erotic, spiritual, christian film, inspirational
Similar in 82%
War and Peace (1965)
Plot Summary:
Seven-hour epic based on the eponymous book by Leo Tolstoy. Two main story-lines are complex and intertwined. One is the love story of young Countess Natasha Rostova and Count Pierre Bezukhov, who is unhappy in his marriage. Another is the "Great Patriotic War" of 1812 against the invading Napoleon's Armies. The people of Russia from all classes of society stand up united against the enemy.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 393 min
Plot tags: epic, fairy tale, inspirational, romantic, spiritual, smart, exciting, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 88%
Madame Bovary (1991)
Plot Summary:
Bored with the limited and tedious nature of provincial life in 19th-century France, the fierce and sensual Emma Bovary finds herself in calamitous debt and purses scandalous sexual liaisons with absolute abandon. However, when her volatile lifestyle catches up to her, the lives of everyone around her are endangered.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: realistic, melancholic, sexy, costume drama, intense, romantic, erotic, spiritual, art house, romantic drama
Similar in 88%
Nostalgia (1983)
Plot Summary:
The Russian poet Andrei Gorchakov, accompanied by guide and translator Eugenia, is traveling through Italy researching the life of an 18th-century Russian composer. In an ancient spa town, he meets the lunatic Domenico, who years earlier had imprisoned his own family in his house for seven years to save them from the evils of the world. Seeing some deep truth in Domenico's act, Andrei becomes drawn to him. In a series of dreams, the poet's nostalgia for his homeland and his longing for his wife, his ambivalent feelings for Eugenia and Italy, and his sense of kinship with Domenico become intertwined.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, Soviet Union
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, philosophical, art house, cerebral, contemplative, poetic, black and white, visual, mind twisting, emotional
Similar in 76%
Julie Walking Home (2002)
Plot Summary:
Julie's son is dying of cancer and her marriage falling apart. She goes to Poland in search of a man who can heal using his hands. Julie finds not only a magical cure for her son, but also comes across a love so pure it begins to heal the aching in her heart.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Germany, Canada, Poland, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: psychological, emotional, realistic, atmospheric, serious, contemplative, erotic, spiritual, crying, allegory
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 78%
Amy Foster (1997)
Plot Summary:
The film tells the story of Russian emigree and the only survivor from ship crash Yanko Goorall and servant Amy Foster in the end of 19th century. When Yanko enters a farm sick and hungry after the shipwreck, everyone is afraid of him, except for Amy, who is very kind and helps him. Soon he becomes like a son for Dr. James Kennedy and romance between Yanko and Amy follows.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: romantic, scenic, touching, captivating, sad, emotional, political thriller, tear jerker, cute, romantic drama
Similar in 84%
The Waiting City (2009)
Plot Summary:
An outwardly happy Australian couple journey to Calcutta to collect their adopted baby, but on arrival find that the arrangements have yet to be finalized. Soon, the intoxicating mystic power of the Indian city pulls them in separate and unexpected directions, and the vulnerability of their marriage begins to reveal itself.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 947
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, captivating, realistic, tense, serious, gloomy, spiritual
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 81%
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1980)
Plot Summary:
This is a life story of three girlfriends from youth to autumn ages. Their dreams and wishes, love, disillusions.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, romantic, uplifting, realistic, emotional, art house, insightful, semi serious, fairy tale
Similar in 77%
To the Wonder (2012)
Plot Summary:
After falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Their church's Spanish-born pastor struggles with his faith, while Neil encounters a woman from his childhood.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: emotional, melancholic, philosophical, non-linear, stylized, light, intense, art house, visual, surreal
Similar in 82%
Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)
Plot Summary:
In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow - she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Mexico, UK, Colombia
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: psychological, sexy, romantic, costume drama, emotional, serious, sentimental, atmospheric, realistic, erotic
Similar in 81%
Onegin (1999)
Plot Summary:
In the opulent St. Petersburg of the Empire period, Eugene Onegin is a jaded but dashing aristocrat - a man often lacking in empathy, who suffers from restlessness, melancholy and, finally, regret. Through his best friend Lensky, Onegin is introduced to the young Tatiana. A passionate and virtuous girl, she soon falls hopelessly under the spell of the aloof newcomer and professes her love for him.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, period piece, romantic, costume drama, romantic drama, realistic, art house, historical romance, contemplative, clever
Similar in 76%
Tess (1979)
Plot Summary:
This multiple-Oscar-winning film by Roman Polanski is an exquisite, richly layered adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. A strong-willed peasant girl (Nastassja Kinski, in a gorgeous breakthrough) is sent by her father to the estate of some local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumor that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit commences an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge, which Polanski unfolds with deliberation and finesse. With its earthy visual textures, achieved by two world-class cinematographers—Geoffrey Unsworth (Cabaret) and Ghislain Cloquet (Au hasard Balthazar)—Tess is a work of great pastoral beauty as well as vivid storytelling.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, France
Duration: 186 min
Plot tags: period piece, scenic, costume drama, visually appealing, atmospheric, art house, epic, philosophical, psychedelic, cynical
Similar in 77%
Days of Heaven (1978)
Plot Summary:
In 1910, a Chicago steel worker accidentally kills his supervisor and flees to the Texas panhandle with his girlfriend and little sister to work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer. A love triangle, a swarm of locusts, a hellish fire—Malick captures it all with dreamlike authenticity, creating at once a timeless American idyll and a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: breathtaking, art house, atmospheric, visual, visually stunning, psychological, scenic, visually appealing, surreal, lyrical
Similar in 82%
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Plot Summary:
Director Franco Zeffirelli's beloved version of one of the most well-known love stories in the English language. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall in love against the wishes of their feuding families. Driven by their passion, the young lovers defy their destiny and elope, only to suffer the ultimate tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Italy
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: romantic, sweet, colorful, period piece, emotional, costume drama, atmospheric, erotic, sad, romantic drama
Similar in 79%
Romeo & Juliet (2013)
Plot Summary:
In Verona, bad blood between the Montague and Capulet families leads to much bitterness. Despite the hostility, Romeo Montague manages an invitation to a masked ball at the estate of the Capulets and meets Juliet, their daughter. The two are instantly smitten but dismayed to learn that their families are enemies. Romeo and Juliet figure out a way to pursue their romance, but Romeo is banished for his part in the slaying of Juliet's cousin, Tybalt.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Italy, Switzerland, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: romantic, dramatic, touching, emotional, realistic, sentimental, disturbing, fairy tale, gothic, sweet
Similar in 89%
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Plot Summary:
In director Baz Luhrmann's contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 241000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Mexico, Australia
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: romantic, stylized, visual, sexy, emotional, period piece, visually stunning, atmospheric, tense, depressing
Similar in 81%
Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)
Plot Summary:
Based on the literary classic by Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd is the story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene, who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy, a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba's choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love – as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 53000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: romantic, period piece, emotional, costume drama, sexy, visually stunning, scenic, talky, historical drama, inspirational
Similar in 82%
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Plot Summary:
Emmi Kurowski, a cleaning lady, is lonely in her old age. Her husband died years ago, and her grown children offer little companionship. One night she goes to a bar frequented by Arab immigrants and strikes up a friendship with middle-aged mechanic Ali. Their relationship soon develops into something more, and Emmi's family and neighbors criticize their spontaneous marriage. Soon Emmi and Ali are forced to confront their own insecurities about their future.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: West Germany
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: art house, atmospheric, political, emotional, stylized, serious, realistic, black and white, bleak, contemplative
Similar in 79%
Biutiful (2010)
Plot Summary:
This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 94000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Mexico, Spain
Duration: 148 min
Plot tags: depressing, bleak, sad, sincere, emotional, gloomy, philosophical, surreal, touching, cerebral
Similar in 80%
Like Water for Chocolate (1992)
Plot Summary:
Tita is passionately in love with Pedro, but her controlling mother forbids her from marrying him. When Pedro marries her sister, Tita throws herself into her cooking and discovers she can transfer her emotions through the food she prepares, infecting all who eat it with her intense heartbreak.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Mexico
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, compassionate, romantic, sweet, emotional, melancholic, intense, atmospheric, sensual
Similar in 88%
The Heart of Me (2002)
Plot Summary:
Drama set in 1930s London with two sisters, Madeleine married to Rickie, and Dinah, who falls in love with him. Rickie and Dinah begin an affair which is to have repercussions throughout all their lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, romantic drama, clever, erotic, romantic, spiritual, cult classic
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 75%
The Road Home (1999)
Plot Summary:
Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: emotional, romantic, road movie, sentimental, atmospheric, stylized, sad, psychedelic, feel good, epic
Similar in 77%
The Painted Veil (2006)
Plot Summary:
A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 95000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China, Canada, USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, scenic, captivating, heartbreaking, melancholic, costume drama, romantic, period piece, atmospheric
Similar in 80%
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Plot Summary:
A melancholy story about the love between a woman and a man who live in the same building and one day find out that their husband and wife had an affair with each other. More and more the two meet during their daily lives as they determine that they both don’t want to be lonely in their marriage.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 163000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Hong Kong, France
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: art house, atmospheric, melancholic, visually stunning, artsy, contemplative, visually appealing, visual, sexy, psychological