Best movies like The Bell Jar
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Adaptation of the 1963 novel by Sylvia Plath. Details a young woman's summer in New York working for a Mademoiselle-like magazine, return home to New England, and subsequent breakdown all amidst the horrors of the fifties, from news of the Rosenbergs' execution to sleazy disc jockeys and predatory college boys.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 289
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: independent film
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Best tv shows and movies like The Bell Jar (1979):
Similar in 79%
Diary for My Children (1984)
Plot Summary:
A semi-autobiographical story of a young woman's life in Budapest under Stalin.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 981
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Hungary
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: art house, masterpiece, banned
Similar in 75%
Wojaczek (1999)
Plot Summary:
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IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 443
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags:
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Similar in 81%
The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Robert Elliot Burns, the prisoner who, after being sentenced to a Georgia chain gang, attempted two daring escapes.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 711
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags:
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Similar in 82%
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979)
Plot Summary:
Based on writer Maya Angelou's childhood, this story is about a young girl in the South who is sent to live with her grandmother after her parents divorce.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 327
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags:
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Similar in 82%
Marilyn: The Untold Story (1980)
Plot Summary:
The story of how Norma Jean, once an orphan in Hollywood California, becomes Marilyn Monroe, the movie star and celebrity.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 263
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 156 min
Plot tags: iconic
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Similar in 82%
Bud and Lou (1978)
Plot Summary:
The professional and personal lives of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are examined.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 247
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Starving in Suburbia (2014)
Plot Summary:
When seventeen-year-old Hannah stumbles upon a website about Thinspiration--an online community devoted to anorexia as a life choice--she becomes an obsessive follower of the site founder, ButterflyAna. By the time Hannah's family realizes what is happening and get Hannah the help she needs, the disease has fully taken hold and Hannah is refusing to eat. Will this family be able to exorcise the demon of anorexia from their lives?.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, social, disturbing, exciting, neurotic, humorous, realistic, semi serious
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Similar in 75%
Joni (1979)
Plot Summary:
Based on Joni Eareckson's autobiography. She becomes paralyzed after breaking her neck in a swimming accident at age 17. Trying to cope with her new life, she learns to paint using her mouth and finds strength in her new Christian faith.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 361
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: christian film, independent film
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Similar in 78%
Veronika Decides to Die (2009)
Plot Summary:
After a frantic suicide attempt, Veronika awakens inside a mysterious mental asylum. Under the supervision of an unorthodox psychiatrist who specializes in controversial treatment, Veronika learns that she has only weeks to live.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, melancholic, emotional, intense, sincere, controversial, erotic, surreal, neurotic
Similar in 81%
The Other Side of the Mountain (1975)
Plot Summary:
A female skiing champion is paralyzed in a tragic skiing accident. Her girlfriend is taken out of competition when she contracts polio.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: independent film, sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, sentimental
Similar in 79%
Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982)
Plot Summary:
The story of singer Rosemary Clooney's rise to fame, her marriage to Jose Ferrer, and her nervous breakdown.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 101
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic
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Similar in 84%
Sophia Loren: Her Own Story (1980)
Plot Summary:
Dramatization of the life of Italian actress Sophia Loren who plays herself during adulthood and also that of her mother Romilda Villani.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 187
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags:
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Similar in 88%
Sybil (2007)
Plot Summary:
A true story of a young woman whose abusive childhood results in her developing a multiple personality disorder.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, heartbreaking, sad, disturbing
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Similar in 76%
An Angel at My Table (1990)
Plot Summary:
Janet Frame grows up in a poor family. She is different than the other kids. She is considered abnormal and locked away in a mental institution for eight years. Everything changes when she starts writing books.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA
Duration: 158 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, erotic, depressing, spiritual, ironic, neurotic, cult classic, spooky, sincere
Similar in 90%
Brain on Fire (2016)
Plot Summary:
Susannah Cahalan, an up-and-coming journalist at the New York Post becomes plagued by voices in her head and seizures, causing a rapid descent into insanity.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Canada, Ireland
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: medical drama, thought provoking, realistic, suspenseful, neurotic, inspirational, touching, sad, cult classic
Similar in 80%
Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Plot Summary:
The story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: inspirational, sincere, touching, captivating, bleak, bad ending, twist ending, intelligent, sensitive, sad
Similar in 77%
My Left Foot (1989)
Plot Summary:
In this true story told through flashbacks, Christy Brown is born with crippling cerebral palsy into a poor, working-class Irish family. Able only to control movement in his left foot and to speak in guttural sounds, he is mistakenly believed to be retarded for the first ten years of his life.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 79000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Ireland, UK
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, sincere, unusual plot structure, dramatic, sentimental, motivational, sad, captivating, biting
Similar in 77%
My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Plot Summary:
Sir Laurence Olivier is making a movie in London. Young Colin Clark, an eager film student, wants to be involved and he navigates himself a job on the set. When film star Marilyn Monroe arrives for the start of shooting, all of London is excited to see the blonde bombshell, while Olivier is struggling to meet her many demands and acting ineptness, and Colin is intrigued by her. Colin's intrigue is met when Marilyn invites him into her inner world where she struggles with her fame, her beauty and her desire to be a great actress.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 89000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: sentimental, period piece, romantic, melancholic, factual, touching, historical drama, smart, cute, informative
Similar in 75%
Beautiful Boy (2018)
Plot Summary:
After he and his first wife separate, journalist David Sheff struggles to help their teenage son Nic, who goes from experimenting with drugs to becoming devastatingly addicted to methamphetamine.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 93000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: disturbing, sentimental, rough, captivating, social, sad, psychological, touching, intellectual, serious
Similar in 86%
Mommie Dearest (1981)
Plot Summary:
In this biographical film, glamorous yet lonely star Joan Crawford takes in two orphans, and at first their unconventional family seems happy. But after Joan's attempts at romantic fulfillment go sour and she is fired from her contract with MGM studios, her callous and abusive behavior towards her daughter Christina becomes even more pronounced. Christina leaves home and takes her first acting role, only to find her mother's presence still overshadowing her.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: disturbing, controversial, factual, talky, intense, psychological, tense, serious, rough, emotional
Similar in 79%
Gods and Monsters (1998)
Plot Summary:
It's 1957, and Whale's heyday as the director of "Frankenstein," "Bride of Frankenstein" and "The Invisible Man" is long behind him. Retired and a semi-recluse, he lives his days accompanied only by images from his past. When his dour housekeeper, Hannah, hires a handsome young gardener, the flamboyant director and simple yard man develop an unlikely friendship, which will change them forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: enigmatic, melancholic, captivating, sentimental, cult classic, independent film, touching, witty, entertaining, costume drama
Similar in 84%
Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996)
Plot Summary:
This film follows Norma Jean from her simple, ambitious youth to her sex star pinnacle and back down. She moves from lover to lover in order to further her career. She finds fame but never happiness, only knowing seduction but not love.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, serious, realistic, disturbing, contemplative, gloomy, iconic
Similar in 82%
Prozac Nation (2001)
Plot Summary:
Elizabeth is on the verge of losing her grip on life after she leaves her emotionally fraught home to start college. Quickly, her life takes a turn for the worse: She clashes with her roommate and decides her boyfriend, Rafe, is her sole salvation. Her psychiatrist prescribes Prozac … but is that her only choice?.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: Germany, Canada, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, depressing, emotional, melancholic, teen, intense, realistic, sad, disturbing, erotic
Similar in 89%
Christine (2016)
Plot Summary:
Christine is an ambitious 29-year-old news reporter, in Sarasota, FL, circa 1974. Relentlessly motivated to succeed, she knows she has talent, but being a driven career woman in the 1970s comes with its own challenges, especially when competition for a promotion, unrequited love for a coworker and a tumultuous home life lead to a dissolution of self. With ratings in the cellar, the station manager issues a mandate to deliver juicier and more exploitative stories, a story firmly at odds with Christine’s serious brand of issue-based journalism. To accomplish her goals, she must overcome her self-doubt and give the people what they want.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: sad, bleak, melancholic, depressing, disturbing, independent film, psychological thriller, dark, mumblecore, controversial
Similar in 81%
The End of the Tour (2015)
Plot Summary:
The story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's groundbreaking epic novel, 'Infinite Jest.'.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: philosophical, meditative, psychological, sincere, serious, talky, depressing, novela, aesthetic, twisted
Similar in 82%
Awakenings (1990)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy research physician, uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Leonard is the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled with awe and enthusiasm, proves a rebirth for Sayer too, as the exuberant patient reveals life's simple but unutterably sweet pleasures to the introverted doctor.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 155000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: inspirational, motivational, sentimental, sincere, uplifting, psychological, touching, serious, cerebral, emotional
Similar in 85%
Temple Grandin (2010)
Plot Summary:
A biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of top scientists in humane livestock handling.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, sincere, compassionate, emotional, feel good, thought provoking, intense, visually appealing, psychological
Similar in 90%
Angels of the Universe (2000)
Plot Summary:
The story of an Icelandic man and his slow descent into madness. Along his journey he meets Dagný, the initial cause of his breakdown. Other people he meets in the asylum have been committed for various reasons, such as signing cheques for Adolf Hitler and, believing themselves to be writing songs for the Beatles and telepathically transmitting to the band.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Iceland, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Denmark
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, atmospheric, captivating, surreal, dark, sad, offbeat, serious, contemplative
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Similar in 88%
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Plot Summary:
Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, Susanna Kaysen's prescribed "short rest" from a psychiatrist she had met only once becomes a strange, unknown journey into Alice's Wonderland, where she struggles with the thin line between normal and crazy. Susanna soon realizes how hard it is to get out once she has been committed, and she ultimately has to choose between the world of people who belong inside or the difficult world of reality outside.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 206000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: psychological, depressing, serious, crying, captivating, heartbreaking, touching, teen, gothic, gloomy
Similar in 84%
The Aviator (2004)
Plot Summary:
A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable due to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 379000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 170 min
Plot tags: realistic, epic, stylized, period piece, captivating, suspense, factual, visual, visually stunning, compassionate