Best movies like The Dawning
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A young woman in her late teens is caught up in the political unrest of Southern Ireland in the 1920s in this drama that features an excellent cast. Nancy (Rebecca Pidgeon) befriends the pistol packing stranger she dubs Cassius (Anthony Hopkins) while he hides in a beach hut. He talks the naive Nancy into delivering a message to Dublin. There she meets Joe Mulhare (Mark O'Regan) and befriends the recipient of the message. Only when she witnesses the shooting deaths of 12 British officers does she realize the content of the lethal message. After the shootings, Nancy rushes to try and warn Cassius about the military police who are closing in on him. Trevor Howard is the old army officer and grandfather in his last screen role, with Jean Simmons as Aunt Mary. Watch for Hugh Grant as Harry, the stuffed shirt on whom Nancy has a huge crush.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 405
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, sincere, factual, thought provoking, touching, independent film
Best tv shows and movies like The Dawning (1988):
Similar in 85%
The Irishman (1978)
Plot Summary:
Paddy Doolan is a man who refuses to accept change. In a new century where the motor car is changing the way things are done, the stubborn Irishman, the last of the draught-horse teamsters, continues to haul timber the old way.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 129
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: independent film, uplifting, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 78%
Flowers of Evil (2010)
Plot Summary:
Paris-Tehran. A rootless love story between Gecko, young and free, and Anahita, an Iranian woman in exile - tangled up in History and steeped in Internet, unique and spontaneous.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 156
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: realistic, emotional, psychological, captivating, sincere, offbeat, serious
Similar in 83%
The Railway Station Man (1992)
Plot Summary:
An Irish artist, widowed by an IRA bombing, gradually learns that the American man she has become involved with is not who he seems.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 238
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 81%
Fools of Fortune (1990)
Plot Summary:
A Protestant Irish family is caught up in a conflict between Irish Republicans and the British army.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 254
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, independent film
Similar in 82%
Cal (1984)
Plot Summary:
Cal, a young man on the fringes of the IRA, falls in love with Marcella, a Catholic woman whose husband, a Protestant policeman, was killed one year earlier by the IRA.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, Romance
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: political, art house, tense, sincere, bleak, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 87%
Gentlemen (2014)
Plot Summary:
Beaten up, bruised, and scared, a young writer hides in a Stockholm apartment, writing the story of its disappeared inhabitants: the flamboyant and charismatic Morgan brothers.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 965
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Norway
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, tense, realistic
Similar in 75%
So Young (2013)
Plot Summary:
In the brink of the 90s, 18-year-old Zheng Wei steps into her university life with a hopeful heart for love. She forms a great friendship with her roommates and united as a group, they embark on their university life together. Wei meets Chen Hao-Zheng in a chance encounter, and despite initial reluctance, Chen accepts Wei as his girlfriend and the two become inseparable. Four years of university life pass and Wei looks forward to establishing a life together with Chen. However, Chen is forced into an impossible decision to leave Wei. Devastated, Wei decides to start afresh. A decade later, Wei’s previous lovers Lin and Chen both find their way back into her life and she has to make a choice of her next step in life.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 79%
Lipstikka (2011)
Plot Summary:
Two women reunite in London, where they go over the details of a life-changing event which occurred when they were teenagers in Jerusalem.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 241
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Israel, UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, thought provoking, psychological, tense, sincere, rough, controversial
Similar in 88%
Red Rose (2014)
Plot Summary:
A politically complacent middle-aged man and a young pro-democracy activist debate about the future of their country while hiding from the police, in this fascinating drama that blends scripted scenes with on-the-ground footage from Iran’s 2009 Green Revolution.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 261
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Iran, Greece
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 78%
Year of the Nail (2007)
Plot Summary:
A love story between a Mexican teenager and an American woman who meet one summer in Mexico.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 487
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Mexico
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, atmospheric, captivating, touching, serious, experimental, sexual
Similar in 86%
Cherrybomb (2009)
Plot Summary:
Cherry Bomb follows teenagers Luke, Malachy, and Michelle as they embark on a wild weekend of drink, drugs, shop-lifting and stealing cars. But what starts out as a game turns deadly serious when the three discover that they can't get off the wild ride they've set in motion.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 76 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, serious, captivating, realistic, erotic, sad, sexual, sexy
Similar in 84%
Girl with Green Eyes (1964)
Plot Summary:
Catholic-Irish farm girl Kate, along with her gregarious best friend Baba, moves to Dublin to pursue a more exciting life.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, romantic drama, independent film
Similar in 82%
The Run of the Country (1995)
Plot Summary:
An Irish lad (Matt Keeslar) who fled from his oppressive, widowed father (Albert Finney) falls for a girl (Victoria Smurfit) from an affluent family.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 443
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Ireland, USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy, sexy, thought provoking, brutal, enigmatic
Similar in 89%
This Is the Sea (1997)
Plot Summary:
The film is set in Northern Ireland shortly after 1994 cease-fire. Hazel is a Protestant and Malachy a Catholic. Romance between them is threatened by Rohan (leader in militant underground and pal of Malachy's brother Padhar), who wants Malachy to be recruited and fight for the cause and by Hazel's brother Jef, who spies on her meetings.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 380
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Ireland
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, bleak, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 89%
Salt of This Sea (2008)
Plot Summary:
Born in Brooklyn to Palestinian refugee parents, Soraya (Suheir Hammad) decides to journey to the country of her ancestry when she discovers that her grandfather's savings have been frozen in a Jaffa bank account since his 1948 exile. She soon finds, however, that her simple plan is a complicated undertaking -- and one that takes her farther from her comfort zone (both geographically and emotionally) than she'd imagined in this romantic drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, sincere, emotional, realistic, political, sad, islamic, contemplative
Similar in 78%
Summer Rain (2006)
Plot Summary:
A coming-of-age tale charting the first loves, lusts and obsessions of friends on vacation at the end of the 1970s.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Spain, UK, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, captivating, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, stylized
Similar in 78%
The Goob (2014)
Plot Summary:
We’re in the middle of a heat-wave in Fenland England. Goob Taylor has spent each of his sixteen summers helping Mum run the transport cafe and harvest the surrounding beet fields. When Mum shacks up with swarthy stock-car supremo and ladies’ man gene Womack, Goob becomes an unwelcome side thought. However Goob’s world turns when exotic beet picker Eva arrives. Fuelled by her flirtatious comments, Goob dreams of better things.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: realistic, sentimental, captivating, emotional, sincere, touching, serious
Similar in 84%
The Scouting Book for Boys (2009)
Plot Summary:
Thomas Turgoose (This Is England) stars as David, a young boy who lives a carefree life on a coastal caravan park with his best friend Emily (Holliday Grainger). When David learns that Emily is being forced to move away, he helps her hide out in a remote cave on the beach. But as David watches the police close in on his missing friend, their innocent secret takes on a life of its own. When the real reason Emily wants to escape comes to light, David's world is shattered. Swept up in a situation out of his control, and with his feelings for his best friend growing stranger by the day, David is forced to take action.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, captivating, sad, independent film, teen, realistic, witty
Similar in 89%
The Mighty Celt (2005)
Plot Summary:
Centred around greyhound racing in a Catholic community after the "Troubles" have ended but where their legacy remains strong. Donal is a 14-year old who works in a greyhound racing kennel owned by Good Joe. If Donal's favourite greyhound, The Mighty Celt, wins three races in a row, Good Joe has promised him full ownership.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 956
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland, UK
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, realistic, captivating, sincere, uplifting, touching, serious
Similar in 84%
What the Day Owes the Night (2012)
Plot Summary:
Algeria, the 1930s. Younes is nine years old when he is put in his uncle's care in Oran. Rebaptized Jonas, he grows up among the Rio Salado youths, with whom he becomes friends. Emilie is one of the gang; everyone is in love with her. A great love story develops between Jonas and Emilie, which is soon unsettled by the conflicts troubling the country.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 162 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, captivating, emotional, serious, realistic, family saga, saga, iconic
Similar in 80%
Under the Protection of Ka'Bah (2011)
Plot Summary:
Growing up in West Sumatra in the 1920s, Hamid and Zainab comes from families from very different social classes. Hamid is poor, while Zainab is wealthy. Hamid receives a scholarship from Zainab’s father and Hamid’s mother works for Zainab’s family. Hamid and Zainab fall in love and dream of finding a way for society to accept their union, and also to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 124
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Indonesia
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 87%
Labor Day (2013)
Plot Summary:
Depressed single mom Adele and her son Henry offer a wounded, fearsome man a ride. As police search town for the escaped convict, the mother and son gradually learn his true story as their options become increasingly limited.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, realistic, sincere, sentimental, serious, captivating, romantic, intense, romantic drama
Similar in 75%
Mickybo and Me (2004)
Plot Summary:
The film tells the story of two boys who become friends at the start of the Troubles in 1970. The boys share an obsession with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with the consequence that they run away to Australia.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, France, Ireland
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sincere, sentimental, touching, semi serious, humorous, captivating, realistic
Similar in 90%
Partition (2007)
Plot Summary:
Determined to leave the ravages of war behind, 38 year old Gian Singh resigns from the British Indian Army to a quiet life. His world is soon thrown in turmoil, when he suddenly finds himself responsible for the life of a 17 year old girl, traumatized by the events that separated her from her family.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK, Canada, South Africa, India, Pakistan
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, inspirational, political, informative, atmospheric, epic
Similar in 86%
Lorna Doone (2000)
Plot Summary:
The year is 1675. England is threatened by religious and political rivalries. King Charles II's Catholic brother, James, is next in line for the throne, but many Protestants put their faith in Charles' illegitimate son, The Duke of Monmouth. On the king's death, conflict is inevitable... Over seven days journey from London, Exmoor is a primitive and lawless area. Here, farmer Jack Ridd lives with his wife Sarah, son John, and two daughters. The only shadow over their simple life is cast by the notorious outlaw family the Doones. The aristocratic Doones were banished from their ancestral lands and now live through looting, theft, and murder. Their brutality is legendary.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, serious, captivating, stylized, period piece, costume drama, historical drama, historical romance, epic
Similar in 86%
The Last September (1999)
Plot Summary:
In 1920s Ireland, an elderly couple reside over a tired country estate. Living with them are their high-spirited niece, their Oxford student nephew, and married house guests, who are trying to cover up that they are presently homeless. The niece enjoys romantic frolics with a soldier and a hidden guerrilla fighter. All of the principals are thrown into turmoil when one more guest arrives with considerable wit and unwanted advice.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 938
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: France, UK, Ireland
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: period piece, psychological, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy, independent film, period drama
Similar in 80%
Ryan's Daughter (1970)
Plot Summary:
World War I seems far away from Ireland's Dingle peninsula when Rosy Ryan Shaughnessy goes horseback riding on the beach with the young English officer. There was a magnetic attraction between them the day he was the only customer in her father's pub and Rosy was tending bar for the first time since her marriage to the village schoolmaster. Then one stormy night some Irish revolutionaries expecting a shipment of guns arrive at Ryan's pub. Is it Rosy who betrays them to the British? Will Shaugnessy take Father Collin's advice? Is the pivotal role that of the village idiot who is mute?.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 200 min
Plot tags: sentimental, epic, emotional, touching, realistic, romantic, scenic, serious, captivating, erotic
Similar in 78%
Half of a Yellow Sun (2013)
Plot Summary:
An epic love story: Olanna and Kainene are glamorous twins, living a privileged city life in newly independent 1960s Nigeria. The two women make very different choices of lovers, but rivalry and betrayal must be set aside as their lives are swept up in the turbulence of war.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Nigeria, UK
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 84%
Circle of Friends (1995)
Plot Summary:
'Circle Of Friends' is set in 1950's Ireland. The movie focuses on Benny Hogan and her best friend, Eve Malone. The story centers around Benny and Eve as they enter student life at University College, Dublin. Here Benny and Eve reunite with their childhood friend, the ice-cool Nan Mahon, the 'college belle'. They also encounter the handsome and charming Jack Foley, whom Benny quickly falls for.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Ireland, USA, UK
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: emotional, period piece, sentimental, realistic, sweet, captivating, sincere, feel good, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 76%
The Remains of the Day (1993)
Plot Summary:
A rule bound head butler's world of manners and decorum in the household he maintains is tested by the arrival of a housekeeper who falls in love with him in post-WWI Britain. The possibility of romance and his master's cultivation of ties with the Nazi cause challenge his carefully maintained veneer of servitude.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 82000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: period piece, costume drama, emotional, romantic, breathtaking, sad, sincere, touching, depressing, romantic drama