Best movies like The Magdalene Sisters
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Four women are given into the custody of the Magdalene sisterhood asylum to correct their sinful behavior: Crispina and Rose have given birth to a premarital child, Margaret got raped by her cousin and the orphan Bernadette had been repeatedly caught flirting with the boys. All have to work in a laundry under the strict supervision of the nuns, who break their wills through sadistic punishment.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: bleak, disturbing, brutal, controversial, harsh, depressing, suspense, factual, compassionate, rough
Best tv shows and movies like The Magdalene Sisters (2002):
Similar in 90%
Beyond the Hills (2012)
Plot Summary:
A drama centered on the friendship between two young women who grew up in the same orphanage; one has found refuge at a convent in Romania and refuses to leave with her friend, who now lives in Germany.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama
Country: Romania, France, Belgium
Duration: 152 min
Plot tags: sincere, disturbing, realistic, bleak, depressing, slow cinema, touching, spiritual, lgbt cinema, social
Similar in 86%
The Day Will Come (2016)
Plot Summary:
Set in the blooming 1960s, the film centres around two young brothers who are instantly robbed of their lives when they are placed in a boy's home forgotten by time. Armed only with a vivid imagination and a fickle hope, the boys engage in the frightening battle against Headmaster Heck and his lethal tyranny. The film is based on actual events.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, social
Similar in 79%
The Nun (2013)
Plot Summary:
Suzanne Simonin describes her life of suffering in letters. As a young woman she is sent to a convent against her will. Since her parents cannot afford the dowry required for a marriage befitting her rank they decide she must instead become a nun. Although a kind and understanding Mother Superior helps her to learn the convent’s daily routine, Suzanne’s desire for freedom remains unabated. When the Mother Superior dies, Suzanne finds herself faced with reprisals, humiliation and harassment at the hands of the new Abbess and the other Sisters. For many years, Suzanne is subjected to bigotry and religious fanaticism. (Berlinale.de).
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Germany, Belgium
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, atmospheric, serious, psychological, erotic, sincere, independent film, period drama
Similar in 82%
The Nun (1966)
Plot Summary:
In eighteenth-century France, a girl is forced against her will to take vows as a nun. Three mothers superior treat her in radically different ways, ranging from maternal concern, to sadistic persecution, to lesbian desire.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: art house, sensual, historical drama, atmospheric, thought provoking, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, controversial
Similar in 82%
Stella Days (2011)
Plot Summary:
A priest stationed in Tipperary, Ireland, is eager to return to Rome. Told he cannot do so until he has raised enough money for the building of a new church, he decides to open a cinema in the local town.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 468
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland, Norway, Germany
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: realistic, captivating, sincere, serious, intellectual
Similar in 81%
Our Fathers (2005)
Plot Summary:
In the '80s, priests and especially the Father Geoghan arrested for sexual abuse of minors. Cardinal Law, also indicted, and the diocese was aware of the actions of these men of the church and was kept secret for years, until the victims decide to seek redress.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 567
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, sincere, serious, realistic
Similar in 76%
The Boys of St. Vincent (1992)
Plot Summary:
The true story of boys being sexually abused at their orphanage ran by a religious community in Newfoundland.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: realistic, disturbing, bleak, sad, art house, sincere, rough, thought provoking, serious, emotional
Similar in 88%
Tyrannosaur (2011)
Plot Summary:
The story of Joseph a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction. As Joseph's life spirals into turmoil a chance of redemption appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker. Their relationship develops to reveal that Hannah is hiding a secret of her own with devastating results on both of their lives.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: bleak, depressing, disturbing, psychological, emotional, realistic, thought provoking, sad, talky, lyrical
Similar in 82%
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
Plot Summary:
Gabita is pregnant, abortion is strictly forbidden in Romania during the communist regime. Despite this it is common practice and Gabita wants an abortion. The movie follows her and her friend Otilia during the day she has made the appointment with Mr. Bebe to have the abortion.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 63000
Genere: Drama
Country: Romania, Belgium
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: depressing, disturbing, bleak, emotional, melancholic, tense, controversial, art house, independent film, serious
Similar in 81%
Osama (2003)
Plot Summary:
Teenage girl Osama cuts her hair and dresses like a boy to get a job and support her widowed mother and grandmother. When Osama is called by the Taliban to join school and military training she embarks on a terrifying and confusing journey as she tries to keep the Taliban from finding out her true identity.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama
Country: Afghanistan, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Iran
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, disturbing, sincere, bleak, thought provoking, breathtaking, talky, stylized, captivating
Similar in 88%
A Brand New Life (2009)
Plot Summary:
Young Jinhee is taken by her father to an orphanage near Seoul. He leaves her there never to return, and she struggles to come to grips with her fate. Jinhee desperately believes her father will come back for her and take her on a trip. The film is based on the experiences of the director, an ethnic Korean who was adopted by a French couple in the 1970s.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, South Korea
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic, captivating, emotional, inspirational, sad, poignant
Similar in 85%
Abandoned (2001)
Plot Summary:
Áron is a happy child in his family. But at some point things take a different turn, and his mother starts to lose her health rapidly. As this happens, the man in charge decides what's best for Áron without consulting the young boy's opinion, and the boy finds himself thrown out of his warm home into an orphanage in the woods. He's utterly displeased by what's happening, without knowing he has yet to face much worse. After a hard time getting over the harrassment of his classmates and being accepted as one of them, another obstacle on the way to his peace of mind faces him: His obnoxious teachers. He has no intention of being bad, but it's beyond his ability to blend into the revolting place he's in. The nasty treatment of the teaching crew gets the better of him, and he's not all that calm and passive anymore. But that leads into unpleasant events which Áron himself wouldn't want.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 610
Genere: Drama
Country: Hungary
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, art house, bleak, emotional, realistic
Similar in 83%
Fat Girl (2001)
Plot Summary:
Elena is 15, beautiful and flirtatious. Her less confident sister, Anais, is 12, and constantly eats. On holiday, Elena meets a young Italian student who is determined to seduce her. Anais is forced to watch in silence, conspiring with the lovers, but harboring jealousy and similar desires. Their actions, however, have unforeseen tragic consequences for the whole family.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: bleak, erotic, psychological, sexy, tense, controversial, disturbing, sensual, stylized, sexual
Similar in 83%
The War Zone (1999)
Plot Summary:
An alienated teenager, saddened that he has moved away from London, must find a way to deal with a dark family secret.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Italy, UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: disturbing, bleak, depressing, heartbreaking, rough, emotional, controversial, atmospheric, brutal, serious
Similar in 78%
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Plot Summary:
"The Passion of the Christ" is a film about the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus. Director Mel Gibson received much criticism from critics and audiences for his explicit depiction of and focus on violence and on christs suffering, especially on the part of the jewish community. The films languages are Arabic, Latin and Hebrew and its actors are laymen which was controversially received as well.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 246000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: biblical, christian film, controversial, brutal, rough, emotional, factual, spiritual, visually stunning, disturbing
Similar in 75%
Doubt (2008)
Plot Summary:
In 1964, a Catholic school nun questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student, suspecting him of abuse. He denies the charges, and much of the film's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality, and authority.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 135000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: suspense, period piece, sincere, psychological, clever, enigmatic, depressing, bleak, serious, surprise ending
Similar in 88%
Evelyn (2002)
Plot Summary:
Desmond Doyle is devastated when his wife abandons their family on the day after Christmas. His unemployment and the fact that there is no woman in the house to care for the children, Evelyn, Dermot and Maurice, make it clear to the authorities that his is an untenable situation. The Catholic Church and the Irish courts decide to put the Doyle children into Church-run orphanages.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, Germany, Ireland, UK, Netherlands
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sentimental, emotional, touching, sincere, feel good, intense, social, uplifting, bleak, serious
Similar in 87%
North Country (2005)
Plot Summary:
A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States -- Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: dramatic, sincere, emotional, factual, disturbing, inspirational, realistic, educational, rough, touching
Similar in 76%
Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
Plot Summary:
Difficult tale of poor, struggling South Carolinian mother & daughter, who each face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance. The film won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Special" and was nominated for "Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Special", "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special", and "Outstanding Made for Television Movie". It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: disturbing, emotional, realistic, touching, suspense, thought provoking, serious, heartbreaking, depressing, gothic
Similar in 85%
The Hunt (2012)
Plot Summary:
A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son’s custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 355000
Genere: Drama
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: bleak, thought provoking, psychological, depressing, sad, disturbing, controversial, emotional, intense, captivating
Similar in 76%
Precious (2009)
Plot Summary:
Set in Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother, an angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is chaotic and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and a secret--she can't read.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 115000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: bleak, depressing, emotional, rough, sad, inspirational, disturbing, touching, independent film, harsh
Similar in 77%
Evil (2003)
Plot Summary:
Stockholm, the fifties. Though academically bright, violent pupil Erik Ponti is expelled from his state school with the headmaster’s words “there’s only one word for people like you – evil… what you need is a good thrashing, and more”. In fact already Erik frequently receives a ‘good’ thrashing at the hands of his sadistic stepfather – so he is packed off by his mother to boardingschool.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden, Denmark
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, touching, rough, emotional, bleak, harsh, teen, realistic, serious
Similar in 81%
Song for a Raggy Boy (2003)
Plot Summary:
William Franklin is a teacher who was born in Ireland and moved to the United States only to repatriate in 1939 after his leftist political views cause him to lose his job. Franklin becomes the first non-cleric instructor at St. Jude's, a school for wayward boys run by Brother John, who is a firm believer in strong discipline.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Ireland, Denmark, UK, Spain
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, disturbing, bleak, serious, sincere, depressing, realistic
Similar in 79%
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Plot Summary:
In a small and conservative Scottish village, a woman's paralytic husband convinces her to have extramarital intercourse so she can tell him about it and give him a reason for living.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 71000
Genere: Drama
Country: Denmark, Sweden, France, Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Spain, UK
Duration: 159 min
Plot tags: disturbing, sad, bleak, heartbreaking, emotional, psychological, erotic, depressing, art house, touching
Similar in 85%
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Plot Summary:
While serving time for insanity at a state mental hospital, implacable rabble-rouser, Randle Patrick McMurphy inspires his fellow patients to rebel against the authoritarian rule of head nurse, Mildred Ratched.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, dramatic, serious, captivating, surprise ending, tragicomedy, bleak, emotional, inspirational
Similar in 89%
The Handmaid's Tale (2017)
Plot Summary:
Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship. A TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 253000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, melancholic, bleak, captivating, apocalyptic, intellectual, thought provoking, erotic, exciting
Similar in 88%
Thirteen (2003)
Plot Summary:
Tracy is a normal 13-year-old trying to make it in school. After befriending the most popular girl at school, Evie, Tracy's world is turned upside down when Evie introduces her to a world of sex, drugs and cash. But it isn't long before Tracy's new world and attitude finally takes a toll on her, her family, and old friends.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 96000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: teen, sincere, realistic, tense, disturbing, emotional, intense, serious, depressing, bleak
Similar in 78%
The Help (2011)
Plot Summary:
Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 484000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, India
Duration: 146 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, thought provoking, uplifting, emotional, feel good, captivating, period piece, sad, sentimental
Similar in 76%
The Color Purple (1985)
Plot Summary:
An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 94000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: sentimental, uplifting, touching, inspirational, sad, sincere, emotional, compassionate, period piece, heartbreaking
Similar in 77%
King of Devil's Island (2010)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story: Norwegian winter, 1915. On the island Bastøy, outside Oslo, a group of young boys aged 11 to 18, are held in an institution for delinquent youth, notorious for its sadistic regime. One day a new boy, Erling, arrives, determined to escape from the island. After a tragic incident, he ends up leading the boys in a violent uprising. When the boys manage to take over the island, 150 soldiers are sent in to restore order.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Norway, France, Sweden, Poland
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: bleak, tense, atmospheric, visually appealing, serious, thought provoking, intense, social, breathtaking, esoteric