Best movies like The Enlightener
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies related to The Enlightener? Provide your knowledge to guide others towards tv shows and films you've seen before that they may enjoy also. Assist in enlarging the group of people proposing videos to each other. We appreciate your input!
Plot Summary:
Returning from Mecca, Darwis changes his name to Ahmad Dahlan as he is disturbed by the trend of Islamic laws in his society; that borders on heresy, Syrik (polytheism), and Bid’ah (wrong innovation). Using a compass, he proves that the direction of Qibla (that points to Mecca), in the Great Mosque of Kauman is wrong. The discovery angers every Kyai (Islamic experts), especially the head of the Great Mosque of Kauman, Kyai Penghulu Cholil Kamaludiningrat. Dahlan, who studied in Mecca for five years, is seen as a rebel upstart. Since the proposal of changing the direction of Qibla is rejected, Dahlan starts a movement calling for the change. On his first sermon as a preacher, Dahlan criticizes the habits of residents in his village in Yogyakarta: "In a prayer, only a sincere and patient heart is needed, it requires no Kyais, money, let alone offerings". As a result, Dahlan gets a hostile reception.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Indonesia
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: inspirational
Best tv shows and movies like The Enlightener (2010):
Similar in 87%
The Grizzlies (2018)
Plot Summary:
In a small Arctic town struggling with the highest suicide rate in North America, a group of Inuit students' lives are transformed when they are introduced to the sport of lacrosse.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: Canada
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, feel good, inspirational
Similar in 81%
Kartini: Princess of Java (2017)
Plot Summary:
Kartini is an Indonesian drama biographical film of a national heroine, Kartini. Kartini was a prominent Indonesian national heroine from Java. She was also a pioneer in the area of education for girls and women's rights for Indonesians.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 633
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family, History
Country: Indonesia, Netherlands
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: emotional
Similar in 85%
The Fencer (2015)
Plot Summary:
Fleeing from the Russian secret police, a young Estonian fencer is forced to return to his homeland, where he becomes a physical education teacher at a local school. The past however catches up and puts him in front of a difficult choice.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Sport
Country: Finland, Estonia, Germany
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: inspirational, captivating, sincere, disturbing
Similar in 85%
Buya Hamka Vol. 1 (2023)
Plot Summary:
Discover the life of renowned Muslim scholar Buya Hamka, from his humble West Sumatra origins to his political achievements.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 470
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Indonesia
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: period piece, period drama
Similar in 79%
Pocket Hercules: Naim Suleymanoglu (2019)
Plot Summary:
From defecting to the Olympics, an underdog weightlifter powers through adversity to raise up his community in this biopic of Naim Süleymanoğlu.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Sport
Country: Turkey
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, captivating, inspirational, iconic
Similar in 75%
Worth (2020)
Plot Summary:
Kenneth Feinberg, a powerful D.C. lawyer appointed Special Master of the 9/11 Fund, fights off the cynicism, bureaucracy, and politics associated with administering government funds and, in doing so, discovers what life is worth.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Canada, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, social, period piece, cult classic, historical drama
Similar in 77%
Hamka & Siti Raham Vol. 2 (2023)
Plot Summary:
Siti Raham loyally supported Buya Hamka when he fought for independence and preached. Especially when Hamka was desperate because he was living in prison, Siti Raham continued to support him with sincerity. Thanks to Siti Raham's support, Hamka succeeded in completing Tafsir Al-Azhar while in detention. In the midst of trials, the love and harmony of Buya Hamka and Siti Raham's relationship never wavered.
IMDB Rating:
IMDB Votes:
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Indonesia
Duration:
Plot tags: period drama
Similar in 80%
Muhammad: The Messenger of God (2015)
Plot Summary:
By the order of King of Habasha Abraha, one of his army commanders charges ahead Mecca to ruin the House of God. He leads thousands of soldiers, horses and elephants all fully equipped. By God’s will in 3km distance from Mecca, in its outskirts the elephants come to a standstill refusing to take any more steps. Millions of small birds throw red hellish pebbles carrying in their beaks on Abraha’s forces and the army is all annihilated. A month later, the Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (PBUH) is born. This film depicts the age of Paganism and all its oppressions, cruelty and injustice through the eyes of Muhammad up to the age of 13. “We’re going to help open your eyes to what Islam really is all about,” Majidi added. “We have a lot of positive things to share with the world, provided that the West is ready for such a dialogue. I think that Iran can have something someting strong to say through its arts and culture.”.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Iran
Duration: 162 min
Plot tags: christian film, sincere, serious, captivating, islamic, historical drama
Similar in 75%
Janosik (1963)
Plot Summary:
This film is one of the most popular pictures of Slovak cinema and relates the story about the legendary folk hero and brigand Juro Jánošík [1688-1713] and the social situation in Slovakia of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The first part talks about Jánošík's childhood, studies and return to his native village. In the second part Jánošík leaves for the hills, where he organizes his band of brigands and starts an anti-feudal resistance. The film concludes with Jánošík's execution.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 171
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Czechoslovakia
Duration: 163 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Dear David (2023)
Plot Summary:
A secret fantasy blog might jeopardize the promising future of Laras, a talented student, when the blog is revealed to her entire school.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 882
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Indonesia
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 78%
The Wild Child (1970)
Plot Summary:
Director François Truffaut makes a rare on-screen appearance in one of his most unusual films. Based on a true story, the film follows the discovery of a feral child (Jean-Pierre Cargol) who's grown up wild in the forest in late-18th-century France. Truffaut plays Dr. Jean Itard, the deaf specialist who tries to civilize the boy, teaching him to walk, speak and read; the screenplay was adapted from Itard's writings.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: France
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, touching, black and white, social, intelligent, historical drama, anthropological, tense, clever, serious
Similar in 77%
Jeanne du Barry (2023)
Plot Summary:
The life of Jeanne Bécu, who was born as the illegitimate daughter of an impoverished seamstress in 1743 and went on to rise through the Court of Louis XV to become his last official mistress.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: France, Belgium, UK, Russia, Saudi Arabia
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
This Earth of Mankind (2019)
Plot Summary:
A Javanese royal and half-Dutch woman fall in love as Indonesia rises to independence from colonial rule.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 847
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Indonesia
Duration: 181 min
Plot tags: psychological, romantic, captivating, disturbing, period piece, period drama
Similar in 83%
Jimmy's Hall (2014)
Plot Summary:
In the 1930s political activist Jimmy Gralton is deported from Ireland during the 'Red Scare'.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Japan
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, touching, serious, inspirational, political, factual, historical drama, period drama, political drama
Similar in 86%
Dangerous Minds (1995)
Plot Summary:
Former Marine Louanne Johnson lands a gig teaching in a pilot program for bright but underachieving teens at a notorious inner-city high school. After having a terrible first day, she decides she must throw decorum to the wind. When Johnson returns to the classroom, she does so armed with a no-nonsense attitude informed by her military training and a fearless determination to better the lives of her students -- no matter what the cost.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, sentimental, hood, sincere, rough, sexy, political, social, hispanic
Similar in 87%
Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story (2011)
Plot Summary:
Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story is a made-for-TV film starring Australian actress Poppy Montgomery. The film, which was shot in B.C. Canada locations altered to look like British locations, details the journey of struggling single mother J. K. Rowling, her bid to become a published author, and her rise to fame that followed the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The film aired on Lifetime on July 18th and was criticized for being too lacklustre (mainly down to the fiercely private author having no say in the production) but it also shed some light on her personal life and featured scenes such as her highly abusive first husband and the death of her mother. The eponymous J.K. Rowling is the world's first billionaire (in terms of US dollars) author and the films inspired by her books have been the highest grossing films of all time. Poppy Montgomery reportedly got blue contact lenses to play the role of the highly influential author.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, sincere, touching, realistic, inspirational, art film, ridiculous
Similar in 90%
Manjhi: The Mountain Man (2015)
Plot Summary:
Dashrath Manjhi was a poor man from the lowest of the low castes, living in a remote village cut off from the world by a rocky mountain range. Life for him was a daily struggle for survival. He loved his wife, Phaguniya, beyond belief. One day, while climbing the mountain to bring him food, his wife slipped, fell and died. Overwhelmed by grief, Dashrath decided to carve out a path through the mountain, so that no one else would suffer his fate. For 22 years, all by himself, with just a hammer and a chisel, he hammered away at the rocks, till the path was carved out from the mountain.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: inspirational, realistic, psychological, captivating, poignant, art film, avant garde
Similar in 77%
Cry Freedom (1987)
Plot Summary:
A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Zimbabwe, USA
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: inspirational, political, cult classic, political thriller, edutainment, tense, thought provoking, bleak, serious, captivating
Similar in 79%
Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018)
Plot Summary:
Zamperini returns to California where he wound up marrying Cynthia Applewhite while wrestling with untreated PTSD, suffering constant nightmares, angry, bitter and deeply depressed, his wife convinces Zamperini to attend the 1949 Billy Graham Crusade.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: uplifting, tense, sentimental, thought provoking, captivating, inspirational, spiritual, christian film
Similar in 79%
Victoria & Abdul (2017)
Plot Summary:
Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, History
Country: UK, USA, China
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, atmospheric, stylized, touching, melancholic, exciting, motivational, inspirational, thought provoking
Similar in 90%
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
Plot Summary:
Against all the odds, a thirteen year old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Malawi
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: motivational, rough, inspirational, disturbing, touching, bleak, factual, psychological, uplifting
Similar in 82%
Grace Kelly (1983)
Plot Summary:
The fairy tale story of the actress who became a princess is told in this biography that traces her rise from Philadelphia socialite to Hollywood movie star.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 344
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 84%
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
Plot Summary:
Charlton Heston stars as Renaissance artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), who begrudgingly paints the Sistine Chapel for imperious Pope Julius II in this epic adaptation of Irvine Stone's novel directed by Carol Reed. While the novel covers Michelangelo's life from birth to death, the film focuses on the battle of wills between the perfectionist artist and the impatient Pope who commissions (and eventually commands) him to paint the famed chapel.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: epic, inspirational, uplifting, serious, biblical, christian film, psychedelic, art film, technicolor, sincere
Similar in 85%
Colonel Redl (1985)
Plot Summary:
Set during the fading glory of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the film tells of the rise and fall of Alfred Redl, an ambitious young officer who proceeds up the ladder to become head of the Secret Police only to become ensnared in political deception.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, West Germany
Duration: 144 min
Plot tags: political, clever, serious, realistic, witty, cynical, biting, suspense, period drama, queer cinema
Similar in 79%
Flamin' Hot (2023)
Plot Summary:
The inspiring true story of Richard Montañez, the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 80%
The Ron Clark Story (2006)
Plot Summary:
Matthew Perry is real-life inspiration Ron Clark, a passionate and innovative teacher who leaves his small hometown to teach in one of Harlem's toughest schools. But to break through to this students, Clark must use unconventional methods, including his ground-breaking classroom rules, to drive them toward their potential.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, emotional, realistic, inspirational, touching, teen, indie film, learning
Similar in 83%
Stand and Deliver (1988)
Plot Summary:
Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: inspirational, sentimental, uplifting, touching, realistic, hispanic, motivational, intellectual, spiritual, political
Similar in 86%
Gandhi (1982)
Plot Summary:
In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 238000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, India, USA, South Africa
Duration: 191 min
Plot tags: epic, spiritual, inspirational, political, uplifting, factual, motivational, touching, compassionate, emotional
Similar in 80%
The Dig (2021)
Plot Summary:
As WWII looms, a wealthy widow hires an amateur archaeologist to excavate the burial mounds on her estate. When they make a historic discovery, the echoes of Britain's past resonate in the face of its uncertain future.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 81000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, thought provoking, captivating, inspirational, philosophical, atmospheric, depressing, art film, powerful
Similar in 81%
The Last Emperor (1987)
Plot Summary:
A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 110000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: China, Italy, UK, France
Duration: 163 min
Plot tags: visually stunning, epic, political, breathtaking, visually appealing, period piece, emotional, historical drama, historically accurate, erotic