Best movies like The Handmaiden
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl (Sookee) is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress (Hideko) who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle (Kouzuki). But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to elope with him, rob her of her fortune, and lock her up in a madhouse. The plan seems to proceed according to plan until Sookee and Hideko discover some unexpected emotions.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 166000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, atmospheric, melancholic, suspenseful, scenic, tense, visually stunning, sexual, black comedy
Best tv shows and movies like The Handmaiden (2016):
Similar in 82%
In the Realm of the Senses (1976)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story set in pre-war Japan, a man and one of his servants begin a torrid affair. Their desire becomes a sexual obsession so strong that to intensify their ardor, they forsake all, even life itself.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan, France
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sexy, erotic, sexual, controversial, disturbing, art house, psychological, sensual, transgressive, surreal
Similar in 87%
Lust, Caution (2007)
Plot Summary:
During World War II a secret agent must seduce, then assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai. Her mission becomes clouded when she finds herself falling in love with the man she is assigned to kill.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, Thriller, War
Country: Taiwan, USA, Hong Kong, China
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: sexual, disturbing, sexy, erotic, tense, neo noir, captivating, sensual, suspense, political
Similar in 79%
Fire (1996)
Plot Summary:
In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha's life takes an irresistible turn when her beautiful young sister-in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada, India
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: touching, controversial, sexy, romantic, offbeat, art house, art film, sincere, serious, realistic
Similar in 87%
Lady Vengeance (2005)
Plot Summary:
After a 13-year imprisonment for the kidnap and murder of a 6 year old boy, beautiful Lee Guem-ja starts seeking revenge on the man that was really responsible for the boy's death. With the help of fellow inmates and reunited with her daughter, she gets closer and closer to her goal. But will her actions lead to the relief she seeks?.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 85000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, suspense, atmospheric, bloody, cerebral, brutal, serious, bleak, surreal
Similar in 75%
The Skin I Live In (2011)
Plot Summary:
A brilliant plastic surgeon creates a synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 163000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Spain, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, suspenseful, sexy, clever, surreal, breathtaking, dark, non-linear, twist ending
Similar in 88%
My Summer of Love (2004)
Plot Summary:
In the Yorkshire countryside, working-class tomboy Mona meets the exotic, pampered Tasmin. Over the summer season, the two young women discover they have much to teach one another, and much to explore together.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, psychological, romantic, sexual, melancholic, sincere, teen, realistic, emotional
Similar in 81%
Water Lilies (2007)
Plot Summary:
Set during a sultry summer in a French suburb, Marie is desperate to join the local pool's synchronized swimming team, but is her interest solely for the sake of sport or for a chance to get close to Floriane, the bad girl of the team? Sciamma, and the two leads, capture the uncertainty of teenage sexuality with a sympathetic eye in this delicate drama of the angst of coming-of-age.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: romantic, serious, realistic, sexy, psychological, sexual, erotic, sad, anthology, art house
Similar in 90%
Match Point (2005)
Plot Summary:
Match Point is Woody Allen’s satire of the British High Society and the ambition of a young tennis instructor to enter into it. Yet when he must decide between two women - one assuring him his place in high society, and the other that would bring him far from it - palms start to sweat and a dark psychological match in his head begins.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 226000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: UK, USA, Luxembourg
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: tense, romantic, psychological, talky, clever, cerebral, suspense, suspenseful, sexy, erotic
Similar in 85%
Original Sin (2001)
Plot Summary:
A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 59000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA, Mexico, France, UK
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: sexy, romantic, erotic, suspense, atmospheric, sensual, period piece, psychosexual thriller, suspenseful, exciting
Similar in 87%
Scarlet Innocence (2014)
Plot Summary:
A university professor gradually succumbing to blindness is entranced by an obsessive love, in this modern-day adaptation of a classic Korean fairy tale.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, psychological, realistic, cynical, romantic, action thriller, sexual
Similar in 89%
Chloe (2009)
Plot Summary:
A doctor hires an escort to seduce her husband, whom she suspects of cheating, though unforeseen events put the family in danger.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 77000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, France, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, sexy, sexual, suspense, psychological thriller, suspenseful, erotic, sensual, emotional, romantic
Similar in 80%
Fifty Shades Darker (2017)
Plot Summary:
When a wounded Christian Grey tries to entice a cautious Ana Steele back into his life, she demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian’s past start to circle the couple, determined to destroy their hopes for a future together.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 109000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA, China, Japan
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: sexy, romantic, sexual, sensual, intense, exciting, emotional, erotic, enigmatic, captivating
Similar in 89%
Our Love Story (2016)
Plot Summary:
A fine arts student meets an attractive bartender, and the two women begin an intimate relationship.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 790
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: light, sincere, romantic, heartbreaking, melancholic, queer cinema
Similar in 85%
Sister My Sister (1994)
Plot Summary:
The film is based on a true incident in Le Mans, France in 1933 called the Papin murder case, where two sisters brutally murdered their employer and her daughter. The murder shocked the country, and there was much speculation about the sisters, including allegations that they were having an incestous lesbian affair with each other.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, suspenseful, erotic, suspense, sexy, gothic, depressing, controversial, period piece
Similar in 79%
Ride or Die (2021)
Plot Summary:
Rei helps the woman she's been in love with for years escape her abusive husband. While on the run, their feelings for each other catch fire.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags: tense, romantic, captivating, suspense, sexy, lgbt cinema, crying, road movie, queer cinema
Similar in 76%
Bound (1996)
Plot Summary:
Corky, a tough female ex con and her lover Violet concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caesar.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sexy, neo noir, erotic, suspense, tense, suspenseful, psychological thriller, tricky, sexual, psychosexual thriller
Similar in 80%
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Plot Summary:
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the 18th century, an artist is commissioned to paint a young woman's wedding portrait.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 105000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: touching, costume drama, scenic, disturbing, sexy, period piece, visual, erotic, cute, romantic
Similar in 88%
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Plot Summary:
After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesic, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 377000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, art house, neo noir, atmospheric, mind bending, disturbing, cerebral, surprise ending, enigmatic
Similar in 79%
Elena Undone (2010)
Plot Summary:
The wife of a pastor who preaches against homosexuality embarks on an affair with a female writer.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, touching, sexual, sexy, erotic, romantic drama, steamy, independent film, serious
Similar in 81%
Disobedience (2017)
Plot Summary:
A woman learns about the death of her father. She returns to her Orthodox Jewish home and falls in love with her best childhood friend who is now married to her cousin.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland, UK, USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: melancholic, depressing, sexy, sincere, ambiguous ending, romantic, touching, heartbreaking, social, sad
Similar in 75%
I Can't Think Straight (2008)
Plot Summary:
I Can't Think Straight is a 2007 romance movie about a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding. A turn of events causes her to have an affair and subsequently fall in love with another woman, Leyla, a British Indian. The movie is distributed by Enlightenment Productions. It was released in different theatres between 2008 and 2009. The DVD was released on 4 May 2009. The movie is directed by Shamim Sarif and stars Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth. The two actresses star in another movie with lesbian characters, namely The World Unseen, released in 2008.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: touching, semi serious, sincere, realistic, contemplative, romantic, erotic, sexy, eros, humorous
Similar in 78%
The World Unseen (2007)
Plot Summary:
A drama centered on two women who engage in a dangerous relationship during South Africa's apartheid era.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Africa, UK
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, erotic, romantic, deep, historical drama, independent film, bleak, queer cinema
Similar in 85%
Eloïse's Lover (2009)
Plot Summary:
A sensuous and ethereal story of two young women falling in love for the first time. Young, beautiful Àsia lies in a coma, her mother and boyfriend keeping constant vigil by her side. In flashback we see what led up to her accident, her life studying architecture at university, the somewhat overbearing relationship she has with her mother and her passionless relationship with Nathaniel.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Spain
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, romantic, sexy, erotic, crying, sexual, queer cinema
Similar in 86%
Desert Hearts (1985)
Plot Summary:
The story of straight-edge literature professor Vivian who travels to Reno to get away from a relationship breakup when she falls in love with an attractive and unconventional girl named Cay.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: sexy, touching, sentimental, realistic, sincere, captivating, erotic, independent film, lgbt cinema, romantic drama
Similar in 84%
When Night Is Falling (1995)
Plot Summary:
A prudish woman, working on tenure as a literacy professor at a large urban university, finds herself strangely attracted to a free-spirited, liberal woman whom works at a local carnival which comes to town.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, romantic, art house, sexual, heartbreaking, eros, romantic drama, steamy, sincere
Similar in 76%
Below Her Mouth (2016)
Plot Summary:
An unexpected affair quickly escalates into a heart-stopping reality for two women whose passionate connection changes their lives forever.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, sensual, romantic, psychological, captivating, eros, erotic drama, queer cinema, hot
Similar in 80%
Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)
Plot Summary:
Adèle's life is changed when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire, to assert herself as a woman and as an adult. In front of others, Adele grows, seeks herself, loses herself, finds herself.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 161000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Belgium, Spain
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexual, psychological, emotional, heartbreaking, sexy, touching, atmospheric, realistic, art house
Similar in 88%
Kiss Me (2011)
Plot Summary:
Mia (Ruth Vega Fernandez) and Frida (Liv Mjönes), both in their thirties, meet each other for the first time at their parents' engagement party. Mia's father, Lasse (Krister Henriksson), is about to get married to Frida's mother, Elizabeth (Lena Endre), which will make Mia and Frida stepsisters. Lasse's daughter, Mia, has not visited her father in years and arrives with her boyfriend, Tim (Joakim Nätterqvist), with whom she is about to get married. As Mia and Frida get to know one another, strong emotions begin to stir between them. Their relationship will turn everything upside down for everyone close to them with dramatic consequences.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Sweden, Denmark, Germany
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sexy, realistic, serious, erotic, heartbreaking, lgbt cinema, eros, romantic drama, steamy, touching
Similar in 76%
Carol (2015)
Plot Summary:
In 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 139000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA, Australia
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: sexy, serious, emotional, heartbreaking, atmospheric, realistic, erotic, costume drama, romantic, intense
Similar in 75%
Room in Rome (2010)
Plot Summary:
A hotel room in the center of Rome serves as the setting for two young and recently acquainted women to have a physical adventure that touches their very souls.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Spain
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sexy, erotic, sexual, atmospheric, sensual, sincere, realistic, serious, stylized, minimal cast