Best movies like Summer Hours
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Two brothers and a sister witness the disappearance of their childhood memories when they must relinquish the family belongings to ensure their deceased mother's succession.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: France
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, enigmatic, lyrical, stylized, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, crying
Best tv shows and movies like Summer Hours (2008):
Similar in 88%
Flight of the Red Balloon (2007)
Plot Summary:
The first part in a new series of films produced by Musée d'Orsay, 'Flight of the Red Balloon' tells the story of a French family as seen through the eyes of a Chinese student. The film was shot in August and September 2006 on location in Paris. This is Hou Hsiao-Hsien's first Western film. It is based on the classic French short The Red Balloon directed by Albert Lamorisse.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: France, Taiwan
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: enigmatic, absurd, art house, melancholic, lyrical, sentimental, atmospheric, touching, contemplative, stylized
Similar in 76%
Cold Water (1994)
Plot Summary:
An outer suburb of Paris, 1972. Gilles and Christine, both sixteen, are classmates and lovers who have become frustrated with the aloofness of their families and the general monotony of their lives. When the pair are caught shoplifting, Christine's father ships her off to a home for emotionally disturbed children, temporarily putting space between her and Gilles. Luckily for them, though, she escapes and the couple contemplate running away together.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, realistic, serious, emotional, thought provoking, art house, independent film, atmospheric, gloomy
Similar in 83%
Pretend I'm Not Here (2000)
Plot Summary:
Student Eric kills time by spying on his neighbors. Compulsively taking notes on everything within binocular range from his bedroom window, he harasses his neighbors by sending unsigned notes and making their private affairs public. When they discover his identity and draw him in, will this release him from his solitude, or confirm in his mind that he will always be the outsider?.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 425
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, suspenseful, tense, contemplative, gloomy, sexual, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 86%
Marussia (2013)
Plot Summary:
In cities like Paris there are countless people from Eastern Europe who have forsaken their homelands because they can see no future there. Lucia and her little daughter Marussia are two such people. They have been thrown out by the Russian acquaintances they were staying with and must tramp the streets with their trolley suitcases searching for somewhere else to live. A Russian Orthodox priest offers them their first night's shelter. They spend the second night in a homeless hostel and party through the third with a chance acquaintance. On the fourth night they sleep clandestinely in a cinema and on the fifth with a Russian artist in a hotel … Lucia is good-looking, dresses elegantly and is certainly not shy of men. This serves the mother and her daughter well. In spite of all the uncertainties in their lives, the two frequently share tender moments.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 95
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: France, Russia
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, sincere, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 75%
Homecoming (1996)
Plot Summary:
When their mother disappears, a group of siblings are forced to fend for themselves, and make their way on their own. They eventually meet their grandmother, a loner who is reluctant to take them in. Based on the novel by Cynthia Voigt.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sentimental, uplifting, touching, feel good, serious, realistic, crying
Similar in 85%
How I Killed My Father (2001)
Plot Summary:
When his long-time disappeared father is entering his life again, Jean-Luc, a successful doctor, has no option but to face his own life story. Will he ever be able to forget and forgive?.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, psychological, serious, emotional, realistic, captivating, sincere, contemplative, talky, gloomy
Similar in 77%
Elina: As If I Wasn't There (2002)
Plot Summary:
In rural Sweden of the early 1950s, little Elina goes to school again after recovering from tuberculosis, the same illness that has killed her father a few years earlier. Elina's family belongs to Finnish-speaking Finns frowned upon by a staunch schoolmistress who starts hounding Elina for questioning her authority. Elina's mother, sister, and a liberal young male teacher all try to mediate the ensuing battle of wills between Elina and Miss Holm. Elina finds consolation in wandering out on the dangerous marshlands to have imaginary conversations with her dead father. Written by Markku Kuoppamäki.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Sweden, Finland
Duration: 77 min
Plot tags: touching, captivating, realistic, atmospheric, serious, stylized
Similar in 76%
Something in the Air (2012)
Plot Summary:
During the 1970s a student named Gilles gets entangled in contemporary political turmoils although he would rather just be a creative artist. While torn between his solidarity to his friends and his personal ambitions he falls in love with Christine.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, realistic, political, psychological, captivating, philosophical, social, sincere, touching, serious
Similar in 75%
Youth (2012)
Plot Summary:
Juliette, twenty, falls in love. At the same time her father is diagnosed with a fatal disease.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 40
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: France
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, crying
Similar in 90%
Summer's End (1999)
Plot Summary:
12-year-old boy and his older brother have just lost their dad. At their summer cottage, the younger boy befriends a black doctor who has to deal with local prejudice and racism.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 466
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: independent film, sincere, atmospheric, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 81%
Bad Girl (2012)
Plot Summary:
Louise simultaneously discovers that she is pregnant and that her mother is seriously ill. Happiness and guilt, euphoria and sadness, filial love and love, period. She'll need a good nine months to cope with all this.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 182
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, psychological, captivating, sexy, sincere, serious, gloomy
Similar in 75%
Father of My Children (2009)
Plot Summary:
Gregoire Canvel has everything a man could want: a wife he loves, three delightful children and his dream job - he is a film producer. Discovering talented filmmakers and developing films that fit his conception of the cinema, free and true to life, is precisely his reason for living. Gregoire devotes almost all of his time and energy to his work. Although he spends weekends with his family at their house in the country, even these precious moments are regularly interrupted by demanding directors and concerned investors. While Gregoires very presence commands admiration, and his exceptional charisma lead many to believe he is invincible, the future of his prestigious production company, Moon Films, is in doubt; too many productions, too many risks, too many debts. Storm clouds are gathering, and Gregoires realisation that he may have made one gamble too many will trigger a series of events that will change the lives of his family forever.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Germany, Belgium
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, captivating, emotional, sincere, art house, serious, realistic, crying, entertaining
Similar in 89%
Private Property (2006)
Plot Summary:
Since Luc granted a divorce to Pascale ten years ago, he paid generous alimony and left a fine country house as long as their twin sons remain at home. Pascale always acted as if she was the provider and head of the household, even now the inseparable brothers are twenty. But she started a secret affair with Flemish neighbor, cook Jan, whose ambition is to start a restaurant and B&B with her. As the boys learn she wants to cancel her job and sell the house for the project, college-man Thierry, who has a steady girl Anne, naturally refuses to let her spend dad's money meant for them. Gentler François, content to remain a handyman, would consider letting her and maybe working in the 'family business'. This causes trouble, even after Pascale moves out to Gerda's indefinitely, leading to tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, France, Luxembourg
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, sexy, gloomy
Similar in 76%
I've Loved You So Long (2008)
Plot Summary:
A woman struggles to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Germany
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, psychological, sincere, emotional, heartbreaking, melancholic, independent film, serious, political
Similar in 85%
Ponette (1996)
Plot Summary:
A four-year-old girl must come to terms with the loss of her mother and the reality of death in this award-winning French drama. Little Ponette (Victoire Thivisol) is riding in a car with her mother when they're involved in a serious accident; Ponette survives, but her mother does not. Her father (Xavier Beauvois) initially reacts with anger over his late wife's careless driving, while her Aunt Claire (Claire Nebout) tries to comfort the child by telling her about Jesus and the resurrection. However, none of this does much to reassure Ponette or clarify her confusion about the practical realities and spiritual dilemma posed by death. In time, Ponette and her cousins Matiaz (Matiaz Caton) and Delphine (Delphine Schiltz) are sent off to boarding school, where they have to resolve their confusion and loss on their own. ~Mark Deming, Rovi.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, realistic, talky, depressing, philosophical, spiritual, psychological, sincere, serious
Similar in 85%
Alice and Martin (1998)
Plot Summary:
At the age of 20, Martin leaves his home town and comes to Paris, where he fortunately becomes a model by chance. He meets Alice, his brother's friend, and falls in love with her. They start a passionate relationship, although Martin remains very mysterious about his past and the reasons why he left his family. But when Alice tells him she's pregnant, he is suddenly almost driven to madness, as his past comes back to his mind. Alice will now do anything she can to help him.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Spain
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: melancholic, enigmatic, emotional, psychological, romantic, erotic, sentimental, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 75%
Summer 1993 (2017)
Plot Summary:
After her mother's death, six-year-old Frida is sent to her uncle's family to live with them in the countryside. But Frida finds it hard to forget her mother and adapt to her new life.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Spain
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: semi autobiographical, sincere, touching, serious, captivating, sentimental, crying
Similar in 85%
Mommo (2009)
Plot Summary:
A brother and sister are split up after their mother dies, their father remarries, and their new stepmother rejects them.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Turkey
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, gloomy
Similar in 85%
Taliesin Jones (2000)
Plot Summary:
Not quite a religious film, not quite a coming-of-age story, not quite a kiddie flick, and not quite a supernatural horror movie, Taliesin Jones's identity crisis nonetheless reveals a sweet examination of one child and his thoughts on God.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 263
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, serious, realistic, independent film
Similar in 88%
My Sweet Orange Tree (2012)
Plot Summary:
Zezé is an 8 year old boy who, although a naughty boy, has a good heart. He leads a very modest life, due to the fact that his father has been unemployed for a long time, and has the habit of having long conversations with a sweet orange tree which is in his backyard. Until one day he meets Portuga, a man who begins to help him and soon becomes his best friend.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Brazil
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, atmospheric, captivating, serious, realistic
Similar in 84%
Eskil & Trinidad (2013)
Plot Summary:
Eskil moves from town to town with his father in Northern Sweden. He misses his mother and sucks at playing hockey, the main activity among the boys his age. Things changes when he meets Trinidad, a mysterious woman who lives outside society spending her time building a great ship that perhaps could take Eskil to his mother.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 185
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Sweden
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, feel good, sentimental, light, sincere, captivating, exciting, tense
Similar in 82%
The Kid with a Bike (2011)
Plot Summary:
Abandoned by his father, a young boy is left in the hands of an unqualified childcare provider.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, France, Italy
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: sincere, realistic, meditative, atmospheric, emotional, surreal, disturbing, compassionate, touching, psychological
Similar in 86%
Booky & the Secret Santa (2007)
Plot Summary:
Booky does everything she can to make an enjoyable Christmas, for her family, during the depression as her father is out of work.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 311
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, realistic, sincere, captivating, feel good, serious
Similar in 81%
Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (1998)
Plot Summary:
Friends of painter Jean-Baptiste Emmerich gather at a Paris railroad station for a four-hour journey to Limoges, where Emmerich wanted to be buried. The dozen travelers include art historian François and his lover Louis, who develops an interest in teenage Bruno. Traveling parallel with the train is a station wagon with Jean-Baptiste's body, and this vehicle is driven by Thierry, husband of Catherine, who's on the train with their daughter. François plays a taped interview with Jean-Baptiste, revealing his sexual appeal to both men and women. Lucie is convinced that she was his main love. Also on board is his nephew, Jean-Marie and Jean-Marie's estranged wife Claire. After the funeral in "Europe's largest cemetery," the story continues in the mansion of Jean-Baptiste's brother Lucien.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, psychological, realistic, talky, anthology, touching, serious, crying, romantic
Similar in 90%
My Sister's Keeper (2009)
Plot Summary:
Sara and Brian live an idyllic life with their young son and daughter. But their family is rocked by sudden, heartbreaking news that forces them to make a difficult and unorthodox choice in order to save their baby girl's life. The parents' desperate decision raises both ethical and moral questions and rips away at the foundation of their relationship. Their actions ultimately set off a court case that threatens to tear the family apart, while revealing surprising truths that challenge everyone's perceptions of love and loyalty and give new meaning to the definition of healing.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 97000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sad, tear jerker, heartbreaking, touching, sentimental, emotional, thought provoking, compassionate, suspense, dramatic
Similar in 83%
Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)
Plot Summary:
A veteran actress comes face-to-face with an uncomfortable reflection of herself when she agrees to take part in a revival of the play that launched her career 20 years earlier.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Germany, Switzerland
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, melancholic, atmospheric, thought provoking, serious, cerebral, clever, talky, philosophical
Similar in 75%
Still Walking (2008)
Plot Summary:
Twelve years after their beloved eldest son, Junpei, drowned while saving a stranger's life, Kyohei and Toshiko welcome their surviving children home for a family reunion. Younger son Ryota still feels that his parents resent that he isn't the one who died; his new wife, Yukari, is awkwardly meeting the rest of the family for the first time. Daughter Chinami strains to fill the uncomfortable pauses with forced cheer.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: serious, contemplative, sincere, touching, realistic, philosophical, thought provoking, disturbing, poignant, art house
Similar in 87%
Sisters (2009)
Plot Summary:
Lyon, France in 1970s, Sibylle, Corinne, and Georgette are sisters who share everything, as they live with their Italian mother. Sibylle is the only blonde in the family, except for their father who abandoned them, and she feels isolated. She dreams of meeting her French father one day.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 230
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, captivating, entertaining
Similar in 88%
Bee Season (2005)
Plot Summary:
11-year-old Eliza is the invisible element of her family unit: her parents are both consumed with work and her brother is wrapped up in his own adolescent life. Eliza ignites not only a spark that makes her visible but one that sets into motion a revolution in her family dynamic when she wins a spelling bee. Finding an emotional outlet in the power of words and in the spiritual mysticism that he sees at work in her unparalleled gift, Eliza's father pours all of his energy into helping his daughter become spelling bee champion. A religious studies professor, he sees the opportunity as not only a distraction from his life but as an answer to his own crisis of faith. His vicarious path to God, real or imagined, leads to an obsession with Eliza's success and he begins teaching her secrets of the Kabbalah. Now preparing for the National Spelling Bee, Eliza looks on as a new secret of her family's hidden turmoil seems to be revealed with each new word she spells.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, depressing, realistic, psychological, sincere, thought provoking, serious, spiritual, anamorphic
Similar in 77%
We Shall Overcome (2006)
Plot Summary:
A drama about a boy who's inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and challenges repressive school authority in 1969 Denmark.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Denmark
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, captivating, realistic, uplifting