Best movies like The Past
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
After four years apart, Ahmad returns to his wife Marie in Paris in order to progress their divorce. During his brief stay, he cannot help noticing the strained relationship between Marie and her daughter Lucie. As he attempts to improve matters between mother and daughter Ahmad unwittingly lifts the lid on a long buried secret.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: France, Italy, Belgium
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, emotional, sincere, captivating, art house, cerebral, realistic, inspirational, touching, depressing
Best tv shows and movies like The Past (2013):
Similar in 88%
Mark of an Angel (2008)
Plot Summary:
Elsa, a woman with a long history of depression in the midst of a divorce from her husband of 12 years develops an obsession with a seven year old girl she sees at a birthday party when she comes to pick up her son Thomas. Determined to find out more about the girl, Elsa uses Thomas as a way into the girl's family by aiding to develop a friendship between Thomas and the girl's brother Jeremy so that in turn Elsa can then befriend the girl's mother Claire. She uses Thomas more and more in her pursuit of this obsession telling her employer and fellow employees that Thomas is seriously ill so that she can run off watch the girl (Lola) wherever she goes. Elsa even tells her parents lies that she is going out with a friend so they will baby-sit so Elsa can even go as far as hiding in the bushes outside of Lola's house and watching her at night.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 899
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sincere, psychological, emotional, suspenseful, tense, mind bending, serious, realistic, stylized
Similar in 82%
Leila (1997)
Plot Summary:
This film tells the story of a semi modern Iranian couple, who are trying to fight the old beliefs & old generation. This is a failing battle because the man is not strong enough.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Family, Romance
Country: Iran
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, islamic, tense, serious, emotional, realistic, biting, crying, suspense
Similar in 86%
Hold Back (2012)
Plot Summary:
Paris, today. Dorcy, a young black Christian, wants to marry Sabrina, a young North African. It what would be a simple matter if it weren't for the fact that Sabrina has 40 brothers and that this easygoing wedding has crystallized a taboo still rooted in the mentalities of the two communities: no marriages between Blacks and Arabs. Slimane, the elder brother, and guardian of traditions, will oppose this union in every way possible.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 233
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative, tense, thought provoking
Similar in 86%
Nobody's Life (2002)
Plot Summary:
It all began with a little white lie.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, captivating, realistic, sexual, crying, sexy
Similar in 76%
The Salesman (2016)
Plot Summary:
Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Iran, France
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, suspenseful, intense, atmospheric, harsh, stylized, cerebral, social, surprise ending
Similar in 85%
Fireworks Wednesday (2006)
Plot Summary:
On the day before their holiday trip to Dubai, a wife who believes her husband is unfaithful enlists the help of Roohi, a young woman sent by an agency to clean the house. She asks Roohi to make an appointment and gather information at the salon of the woman she suspects. Roohi is betrothed, innocent of marital discord. Over the course of the day, she, the couple, their small son, the wife's sister and husband, and the beautician engage in a series of exchanges, confrontations, and prevarications. Are the wife's suspicions unwarranted; is her behavior imperiling her marriage? Acts of kindness may go awry. And the trip to Dubai?.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: Iran
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic, suspense, social, art house, islamic, clever, contemplative
Similar in 87%
About Elly (2009)
Plot Summary:
The mysterious disappearance of a kindergarten teacher during a picnic in the north of Iran is followed by a series of misadventures for her fellow travelers.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: Iran, France
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, atmospheric, captivating, realistic, depressing, suspense, existential, inspirational, philosophical
Similar in 80%
Everybody Knows (2018)
Plot Summary:
Laura, a Spanish woman living in Buenos Aires, returns to her hometown outside Madrid with her Argentinian husband and children. However, the trip is upset by unexpected events that bring secrets into the open.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Spain, France, Italy, Argentina, Germany
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: suspense, atmospheric, thought provoking, realistic, independent film, compassionate, depressing, hispanic, suspense thriller, twisted
Similar in 80%
Don't Tell (2005)
Plot Summary:
Sabina has a regular life. She is satisfied with her job and her love for Franco. Lately nightmares start disturbing her, and almost in the same time she discovers to be pregnant. Step by step she remembers her childhood spent within a severe middle-class family. But a big secret is hidden within her heart. Sabina wants to contact again her brother, a University teacher in the US, to try to understand what is happened in their past. What is the secret? She is determined to bring clarity and serenity in her life. She finally manages to free herself from her "beast in the heart".
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: Italy, UK, France, Spain
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, emotional, sincere, touching, realistic, gloomy, crying
Similar in 88%
The Son (2002)
Plot Summary:
A joinery instructor at a rehab center refuses to take a new teen as his apprentice, but then begins to follow the boy through the hallways and streets.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: Belgium, France
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, meditative, compassionate, atmospheric, sincere, spiritual, art house, christian film, suspense
Similar in 81%
After the Wedding (2006)
Plot Summary:
A manager of an orphanage in India is sent to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he discovers a life-altering family secret.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Drama
Country: Denmark, Sweden, UK, Norway
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, emotional, realistic, melancholic, light, serious, contemplative, thought provoking, existential
Similar in 90%
Two Days, One Night (2014)
Plot Summary:
Sandra is a young woman who has only one weekend to convince her colleagues they must give up their bonuses in order for her to keep her job — not an easy task in this economy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, France, Italy
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: depressing, independent film, sincere, serious, compassionate, atmospheric, emotional, thought provoking, bleak, cerebral
Similar in 90%
Daybreak (2003)
Plot Summary:
Sweden, shortly before Christmas. Surgeon Rickard is told the job he expected goes to a Dane, because of his substance abuse. It's too late to cancel dinner with his in-laws. The guest couple announces their in-vitro is a success. Then Richard's wife learns he cheated her with Sofie. Meanwhile ugly hag Anita trades drugs to afford a taser to use on her ex Olof and his former physiotherapist. Workaholic builder Anders is disgusted by his grieve-deranged client Knut's plan and decides to spend time on his family, not just money.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, touching, bleak, realistic, serious, emotional, gloomy
Similar in 85%
Saraband (2003)
Plot Summary:
The movie is a sequel to Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage (1973), where we revisit the characters of Johan and Marianne, then a married couple. After their divorce, Johan and Marianne haven't seen each other for 32 years. Marianne is still working, as a divorce lawyer. Johan is quite well off and has retired to a house in the Orsa finnmark district of Sweden. On a whim, Marianne decides to visit him. Johan's son from a previous marriage, Henrik, lives nearby in a cottage with his daughter Karin, a gifted cello player. The relationship between father and son is strained. Plot by Mattias Thuresson.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Finland, Germany, Austria
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: psychological, emotional, meditative, sincere, touching, depressing, art house, cerebral, philosophical, eros
Similar in 87%
All or Nothing (2002)
Plot Summary:
Penny's love for her partner, taxi-driver Phil, has run dry. He is a gentle, philosophical guy, and she works on the checkout at a supermarket.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, France
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: depressing, emotional, bleak, serious, realistic, meditative, sentimental, sincere, talky, offbeat
Similar in 77%
Little Jerusalem (2005)
Plot Summary:
An orthodox Jewish teen living with her family in France attempts to balance her religious upbringing with her increasingly complex view of the outside world.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 904
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, sexual, sexy
Similar in 83%
The Kid with a Bike (2011)
Plot Summary:
Abandoned by his father, a young boy is left in the hands of an unqualified childcare provider.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, France, Italy
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: sincere, realistic, meditative, atmospheric, emotional, surreal, disturbing, compassionate, touching, psychological
Similar in 85%
The Father (2020)
Plot Summary:
A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages and, as he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 183000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: sad, psychological, thought provoking, emotional, sentimental, philosophical, touching, social, tear jerker, compassionate
Similar in 85%
Under the Sand (2000)
Plot Summary:
When her husband goes missing at the beach, a female professor begins to mentally disintegrate as her denial of his disappearance becomes delusional.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: France, Japan
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: bleak, enigmatic, melancholic, atmospheric, stylized, psychological, sincere, suspenseful, surreal, art house
Similar in 89%
What Maisie Knew (2012)
Plot Summary:
Based on the Henry James novella, the story frames on 7-year-old Maisie, caught in a custody battle between her mother – a rock and roll icon – and her father. What Maisie Knew is an evocative portrayal of the chaos of adult life seen entirely from a child’s point of view.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sad, atmospheric, talky, sincere, captivating, serious, depressing, melancholic
Similar in 81%
The Son's Room (2001)
Plot Summary:
A psychoanalyst and his family go through profound emotional trauma when their son dies in a scuba diving accident.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, emotional, depressing, sad, meditative, lyrical, psychological, realistic, philosophical
Similar in 81%
The Celebration (1998)
Plot Summary:
A grandiose party to celebrate a sixtieth birthday unleashes a family drama with all the lies that conceal horrendous secrets. The eldest son, Christian, stages a showdown with the popular pater familias; his provocative, moving after-dinner speech dislodges all the masks, which finally fall completely as the father-son conflict intensifies and the bewildered guests look on.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 92000
Genere: Drama
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, black comedy, art house, disturbing, bleak, surreal, independent film, gloomy, psychological, dark
Similar in 83%
Disconnect (2012)
Plot Summary:
Disconnect interweaves multiple storylines about people searching for human connection in today’s wired world. Through poignant turns that are both harrowing and touching, the stories intersect with surprising twists that expose a shocking reality into our daily use of technology that mediates and defines our relationships and ultimately our lives.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, depressing, suspenseful, independent film, intense, emotional, atmospheric, sincere, psychological, touching
Similar in 89%
A Separation (2011)
Plot Summary:
A married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 255000
Genere: Drama
Country: Iran, France, Australia
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: heartbreaking, emotional, realistic, tense, talky, bleak, suspense, compassionate, sad, contemplative
Similar in 84%
Julieta (2016)
Plot Summary:
The film spans 30 years in Julieta’s life from a nostalgic 1985 where everything seems hopeful, to 2015 where her life appears to be beyond repair and she is on the verge of madness.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: Spain, France, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: emotional, melancholic, sentimental, thought provoking, art house, colorful, erotic, epic, hispanic, sexual
Similar in 78%
Hidden (2005)
Plot Summary:
A married couple is terrorized by a series of videotapes planted on their front porch.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 84000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, Austria, Germany, Italy
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, psychological thriller, art house, surreal, tense, neo noir, clever, bleak, confusing
Similar in 90%
The Promise (1996)
Plot Summary:
In this acclaimed and gripping social portrait of immoral lives in need of rescue, Igor (Jérémie Renier), aged 15, and his father Roger (Olivier Gourmet) deal in housing and peddling illicit labor in the outlying districts of Liege, Belgium. Scams, lies and swindling rule their lives. When one of his father’s illegal workers gets injured on the job and asks Igor to promise to take care of his wife and baby, Igor finds himself at a crossroad. He wants to keep the promise, but the price would be to betray his father.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Tunisia
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, slow cinema, inspirational, thought provoking, art house, aesthetic, mesmerizing, tense, touching, serious
Similar in 86%
Seven Pounds (2008)
Plot Summary:
An IRS agent with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 313000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: touching, sad, emotional, depressing, inspirational, sentimental, tear jerker, psychological, compassionate, heartbreaking
Similar in 78%
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Plot Summary:
After her son Kevin commits a horrific act, troubled mother Eva reflects on her complicated relationship with her disturbed son as he grew from a toddler into a teenager.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 165000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA, Spain
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, bleak, depressing, suspense, surreal, gloomy, independent film, thought provoking, tense
Similar in 78%
Magnolia (1999)
Plot Summary:
An epic mosaic of many interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 325000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 188 min
Plot tags: philosophical, cerebral, sincere, depressing, mind bending, clever, non-linear, mindfuck, meditative, mind blowing