Best movies like The Pornographers
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Subu makes pornographic films. He sees nothing wrong with it. They are an aid to a repressed society, and he uses the money to support his landlady, Haru, and her family. From time to time, Haru shares her bed with Subu, though she believes her dead husband, reincarnated as a carp, disapproves. Director Shohei Imamura has always delighted in the kinky exploits of lowlifes, and in this 1966 classic, he finds subversive humor in the bizarre dynamics of Haru, her Oedipal son, and her daughter, the true object of her pornographer-boyfriend’s obsession. Imamura’s comic treatment of such taboos as voyeurism and incest sparked controversy when the film was released, but The Pornographers has outlasted its critics, and now seems frankly ahead of its time.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: surreal, dark comedy, erotic, mind bending, psychedelic, cult classic, erotic drama, clever, offbeat, humorous
Best tv shows and movies like The Pornographers (1966):
Similar in 84%
The Ceremony (1971)
Plot Summary:
Oshima’s magisterial epic, centering on the ambivalent surviving heir of the Sakurada clan, uses ritual and the microcosm of the traditional family to trace the rise and fall of militaristic Japan across several decades.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: spiritual, avant garde, cult film
Similar in 85%
The Funeral (1984)
Plot Summary:
At the beginning of the film the father-in-law of the protagonist dies unexpectedly of a heart attack. The remainder of the film is episodic, moving from one incident to another over the course of the three-day funeral, which is held (as is customary) in the home. These incidents contrast old ways and new ways, young and old, ritual ceremony and true feelings, often comically, but sometimes with real poignancy.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Japan
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: art house, touching, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious
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Permanent Vacation (2007)
Plot Summary:
A camping trip results in some twisted family memories in this off-the-wall black comedy. Hoping for one last family vacation before his children leave the nest, laid-back dad Eric Bury (Frank Harper) takes his brood to a trailer park teeming with oddballs. The clan's plans for a relaxing holiday go down the drain as they encounter sex addicts, a sadistic cop (Michael Bowen), decapitated corpses, bloodthirsty fish and a sage (David Carradine).
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 200
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, erotic, offbeat, dark comedy
Similar in 84%
Alex in Wonderland (1970)
Plot Summary:
Bohemian Alex Morrison has just finished directing his first feature length movie. In its previews, the movie is considered a critical, artistic and surefire commercial success. As such, Alex seemingly has his choice of what his next project will be. Alex has a few thoughts in mind, such as a biopic of Lenny Bruce, or a movie about a black uprising in Los Angeles. As he makes the rounds both in the Hollywood community and European movie centers for ideas, he fantasizes about movie scenarios of those everyday situations he is in. These fantasies are influenced by his movie idols, some who he meets such as Italian director Federico Fellini and French actress Jeanne Moreau. Concurrently, he is considering what to do about his personal life. He is wondering if he and his middle-class family should "move up". The need for commercial success may ultimately take artistic control out of his hands.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 970
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychedelic, offbeat, humorous, realistic, surreal, witty, semi serious, cult film
Similar in 79%
The Northerners (1992)
Plot Summary:
A black comedy set in the 1960s in a small Netherlands community, populated by a cast of eccentrics, all of whom hold a range of sexual obsessions and frustrated desires.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Netherlands
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, slasher, art house, black comedy, cult classic, atmospheric, offbeat, humorous, realistic, surreal
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Drowning by Numbers (1988)
Plot Summary:
An ironic black comedy of love and death that takes place an a lyrically beautiful landscape. Three related women, all named Cissie Colpitts share a solidarity for one another which brings about three copy-cat drownings. The local coroner is in love with all three women and helps to disguise the murders.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Netherlands
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: surreal, black comedy, dark comedy, art house, humorous, disturbing, witty, talky, erotic, postmodern
Similar in 87%
Hi, Mom! (1970)
Plot Summary:
Vietnam vet John Rubin returns to New York and rents a rundown flat in Greenwhich Village. It is in this flat that he begins to film, 'Peeping Tom' style, the people in the apartment across the street. His obsession with making films leads him to fall in with a radical 'Black Power' group, which in turn leads him to carry out a bizarre act of urban terrorism.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, funny, social, surreal, cult classic, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical
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Twister (1989)
Plot Summary:
An oddball family on a Kansas farm are trapped in their farmhouse by an impending storm. The patriarch of the clan is a retired soda pop tycoon. He is currently dating a children's TV evangelist. Also living at the farm is his layabout daughter and her precocious 8 year old daughter, his would-be artist son, the son's fiancée, and the black maid. Also thrown into the mix is the daughter's ex-husband, a ne-er-do-well who is seeking to get back in his ex-wife's good graces.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sad, independent film, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, contemplative, semi serious, exciting, light
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Eulogy (2004)
Plot Summary:
A black comedy that follows three generations of a family, who come together for the funeral of the patriarch - unveiling a litany of family secrets and covert relationships.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, absurd, black comedy, stylized, cynical, funny, cult classic, clever, talky, satirical
Similar in 77%
The Adjuster (1991)
Plot Summary:
An uptight insurance man and his film-censor wife become a kinky couple's landlords.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: realistic, witty, semi serious, erotic, entertaining, dark comedy, disturbing, sexy, social, anamorphic
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The House of Yes (1997)
Plot Summary:
Jackie-O is anxiously awaiting the visit of her brother home for Thanksgiving, but isn't expecting him to bring a friend. She's even more shocked to learn that this friend is his fiance. It soon becomes clear that Jackie Kennedy's obsession is nothing compared to her obsession with her brother, as it also becomes clear she isn't the only member of the family with problems.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, humorous, black comedy, independent film, surreal, absurd, offbeat, dark, cult classic, psychological
Similar in 90%
Intimate Relations (1996)
Plot Summary:
A young merchant marine turns up in an English coastal town looking for a brother he barely knows. When his brother's wife rebukes him he takes up with the Beasley family. However, soon the mother and daughter are chasing and ending up in the man's bed. However, soon both women start showing up at the same time which is a little much for him.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 777
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada, UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: erotic, offbeat, humorous, realistic, disturbing, semi serious, biting, sexual, independent film, black comedy
Similar in 88%
The Family Game (1983)
Plot Summary:
A sendup of the stereo-typical Japanese family: dad is a salaryman jerk, unable to relate to anyone; mom is a hopeless housewife; the older son is a moderate academic success; but the younger son is a rebellious goof-off for whom a tutor must be hired. The tutor, played by the prototypical bad-boy actor Matsuda Yusaku, proceeds to blow the entire family apart.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sentimental, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, biting, suspense
Similar in 77%
The Ape (2005)
Plot Summary:
A young writer, nearing a mental breakdown caused by his family and boss, moves into an apartment occupied by a walking, talking, foul-mouthed ape in a Hawaiian shirt and Converse High Tops.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, captivating, tense, offbeat, cynical, biting, exciting, suspense
Similar in 80%
The New Age (1994)
Plot Summary:
Peter and Katherine Witner are Southern California super-yuppies with great jobs but no center to their lives. When they both lose their jobs and begin marital infidelities, their solution is to start their own business together. In order to find meaning to their empty lives, they follow various New Age gurus and other such groups. Eventually, they hit rock bottom and have to make some hard decisions.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: satirical, melancholic, meditative, disturbing, humorous, cynical, realistic, witty, semi serious, cult classic
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Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976)
Plot Summary:
Giacinto lives with his wife, their ten children and various other family members in a shack on the hills of Rome. Some time ago he has lost his left eye while at work, and got a consistent sum of money from the insurance company, which he keeps hidden from the rest of the family. His whole life is now based on defending the money he sees as his own, while the rest of the family tries to kill him.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: black comedy, dark comedy, dark, disturbing, humorous, realistic, political, social, controversial, art house
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The Guatemalan Handshake (2006)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious power failure in a small mountain town coincides with the disappearance of one of its most eccentric young residents. Mystery piles upon mystery as his family and friends search for him, fail, and ultimately try to forget about him, an undertaking that results in many unexpected, and in some cases bizarre, effects on the town's already peculiar community.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 379
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: stylized, humorous, realistic, surreal, semi serious, mumblecore, independent film, offbeat, black comedy, dark comedy
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Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966)
Plot Summary:
In this excoriating satire of the fashion industry, Polly Maggoo is a 20-year-old Brooklyn-born fashion model in Paris, on the runway at the big shows where magazine editor Ms. Maxwell is the reigning opinion maker. The ridiculous passes for sublime. Polly becomes the subject of an episode of a vapid TV news documentary series called "Qui êtes-vous?" and is pursued by the filmmaker and by the prince of Borodine, a small country in the Soviet bloc.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: surreal, mind bending, psychedelic, offbeat, humorous, realistic, contemplative, semi serious, biting, avant garde
Similar in 75%
Human Nature (2001)
Plot Summary:
A philosophical burlesque, Human Nature follows the ups and downs of an obsessive scientist, a female naturalist, and the man they discover, born and raised in the wild. As scientist Nathan trains the wild man, Puff, in the ways of the world - starting with table manners - Nathan's lover Lila fights to preserve the man's simian past, which represents a freedom enviable to most.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: surreal, humorous, philosophical, witty, semi serious, psychological, black comedy, dark comedy, clever, talky
Similar in 75%
Two or Three Things I Know About Her... (1967)
Plot Summary:
The story of a housewife who must work the streets to earn an extra living - and who becomes the starting point for a larger socio-political essay.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: political, surreal, absurd, clever, talky, cynical, avant garde, mind bending, psychedelic, social
Similar in 85%
Bliss (1985)
Plot Summary:
An advertising executive dies and goes to hell... except nothing changes. Well, his daughter is buying drugs with sexual favours from her brother, and the number of cancer-causing products is on the increase. But the notes he writes to himself to prove he hasn't gone insane are getting more disjointed, and he runs off with an ex-prostitute called Honey Barbera.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, surreal, retro, mind bending, psychedelic, art house, cult classic, offbeat, humorous, realistic
Similar in 89%
Living in Oblivion (1995)
Plot Summary:
Nick is the director of a low-budget indie film. He tries to keep everything together as his production is plagued with an insecure actress, a megalomaniac star, a pretentious, beret-wearing director of photography and lousy catering. Divided in three acts, each representing a different scene to shoot, this film is an essential for amateur filmmakers.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: surreal, independent film, humorous, funny, atmospheric, talky, light, art house, semi serious, cult classic
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The Acid House (1998)
Plot Summary:
THE ACID HOUSE is a surreal triptych adapted by "Trainspotting" author Irvine Welsh from his acclaimed collection of short stories. Combining a vicious sense of humor with hard-talking drama, the film reaches into the hearts and minds of the chemical generation, casting a dark and unholy light into the hidden corners of the human psyche. Directed by Paul McGuigan, the film dramatises three stories from the book: 1- The Granton Star Cause, 2- A Soft Touch & 3- The Acid House.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychedelic, mind bending, dark comedy, disturbing, humorous, absurd, independent film, clever, controversial
Similar in 77%
Intimate Affairs (2001)
Plot Summary:
When a scholar, is haunted by an overwhelming desire to understand the mystery of sex, he decides to conduct an investigation. With two beautiful assistants joining the case, the stakes are raised.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: humorous, captivating, talky, psychological, witty, semi serious, sexy, erotic, clever, realistic
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Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970)
Plot Summary:
Tina Balser is a bored New York housewife-mother married to Jonathan, a pompous, social-climbing lawyer who ridicules her in front of their children, criticizing everything she does or wears. She begins an affair with George Prager, a dashing, successful and blatantly sadistic writer. Finally after George has tormented Tina in much the same manner Jonathan has, and has been unfaithful to boot, she goes back to her husband and begins group therapy.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: romantic, sexy, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, biting, sex comedy, suspense
Similar in 79%
Stuart Saves His Family (1995)
Plot Summary:
Stuart Smalley, the Saturday Night Live character, comes to the big screen. Stuart, the disciple of the 12 step program, is challenged by lifes injustices.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: humorous, satirical, talky, not serious, realistic, touching, skit, clever, offbeat, witty
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Conspirators of Pleasure (1996)
Plot Summary:
Six outwardly average individuals have elaborate fetishes they indulge with surreptitious care. A mousy letter carrier makes dough balls she grotesquely ingests before bed. A shop clerk fixates on a TV news reader while he builds a machine to massage and masturbate him. One of his customers makes an elaborate chicken costume for a voodoo-like scene with a doll resembling his plump neighbor. She, in turn, has a doll that resembles him, which she whips and dominates in an abandoned church. The TV news reader has her own fantasy involving carp. Her husband, who is indifferent to her, steals materials to fashion elaborate artifacts that he rubs, scrapes and rolls across his body.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Czech Republic, Switzerland, UK
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: surreal, experimental, sexy, dark comedy, psychedelic, psychotronic, sex comedy, erotic, mind bending, gothic
Similar in 83%
Two-Bit Waltz (2014)
Plot Summary:
Suspension from school, the loss of a friend, a broken heart and lack of inspiration lead to Maude's downfall in this romp through teenage error. Your teenage years are never easy… but for Maude, things couldn't be worse. Within one week, she is suspended from school, stranded by her best friend, dumped by the boy she loved and inherits an enormous amount of money with the passing of her grandmother– only to be claimed under one condition: Maude must prove by age 18 that she knows exactly what to do with her life. But with her 18th birthday rapidly approaching, Maude must dive into a world of self-discovery or else lose the inheritance.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 455
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: semi serious, sentimental, humorous, realistic, witty, stylized, clever, offbeat, independent film
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The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008)
Plot Summary:
A commitment-phobic man reunites with his estranged, ailing father and comes to terms with his own childhood.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, offbeat, independent film
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Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (2001)
Plot Summary:
A newly unemployed salaryman meets a particularly sexual woman.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan, France
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: surreal, sexy, erotic, sentimental, sincere, touching, contemplative, art house, humorous, romantic