Best movies like The Serpent's Way
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies related to The Serpent's Way? Offer your insights to guide others to tv shows and films you've previously watched that may also fascinate them. Help widen the community of people alluding videos to one another. We welcome your input!
Plot Summary:
A salesman and his son sexually abuse the generations of women of a poor family as payment for debt. Janni must see his mother, sister, niece and wife all being exploited, and the family grow bigger with the abuser's kids.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 614
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, bleak, serious, realistic, disturbing, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like The Serpent's Way (1986):
Similar in 88%
Blood and Bones (2004)
Plot Summary:
In 1923, the young Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island (South Korea), to Osaka (Japan). Through the years, he becomes a cruel, greedy and violent man and builds a factory of kamaboko (processed seafood products) in his poor Korean-Japanese community exploiting his employees. He makes a fortune, abuses and destroys the lives of his wife and family, has many mistresses and children and shows no respect to anyone. Later he closes the factory, lending out the money with high interest and becomes a loan shark. His hateful behavior remains unchanged to his last breath, alone in North Korea. The film is told from the perspective of Masao, his legitimate son by his abused and degraded wife, who knows nothing about his father other than to fear him.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, realistic, bleak
Similar in 84%
Wolfy (2009)
Plot Summary:
There are two of them: a mother and a girl. They have no names. And they are in a constant run. The mother runs away from the daughter in an attempt to start new life, and the girl runs after her mother as she has no idea how to live without her. This endless run is full with repeated mistakes and resembles a barrel-organ sorrowful song or a spinning-top rotation. This small ridiculous toy "volchok" was the first toy in the girl's life, the only thing that tied her with the mother.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: rough, realistic, serious, tense, disturbing, neorealism, gloomy, bleak, art house, weird
Similar in 80%
Black and Blue (1999)
Plot Summary:
After a woman's husband beats and abuses her, she and her son join the witness protection program and move away secretly.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 568
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, emotional, realistic, suspenseful, gloomy
Similar in 90%
Don't Be Afraid (2011)
Plot Summary:
Silvia is a young girl marked by a dark childhood. When she is barely twenty-five, she decides to start over and to face the people, feelings and emotions that keep her bound to the past. In her fight against adversity and against herself, she will learn to control her fears and become an adult, responsible for her own actions.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 864
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, realistic, captivating, melancholic, sad, sincere, touching, serious, disturbing
Similar in 77%
The Hawk Is Dying (2006)
Plot Summary:
A Gainesville Florida auto upholsterer (Giamatti) attempts to subvert his mundane life by training a wild, red-tailed hawk.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, bleak, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 80%
Barren Lives (1963)
Plot Summary:
'Vidas secas' tells in vivid images the almost documentary like story of a drover and his family in the northern interior states of Brazil during the drought. A family in the search of a new hope and destiny.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 75%
90 Minutes (2012)
Plot Summary:
Director Eva Sørhaug (Cold Lunch) reveals the rage and violence lurking beneath seemingly tranquil domesticity in her bold and uncompromising sophomore feature.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Norway
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: tense, bleak, disturbing, rough, serious, realistic, contemplative, hot
Similar in 80%
A Perfect Day (2008)
Plot Summary:
Antonio and Emma have been separated for years, but he does not accept when Emma dates other men. Indeed Antonio proves obsessive, aggressive and intrusive, and again threatens Emma to hurt the children: little Kevin, shy and introverted, and the adolescent Valentina.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, psychological, suspense, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 76%
Home for the Weekend (2012)
Plot Summary:
On the request of his mother Gitte, Marko, who has been living in Berlin for years, drives off to the countryside to visit his parents. His hopes of spending a quiet and relaxing time with his family fall short when Gitte surprises everyone by revealing that she has recovered after a long mental illness. Marko is the only one who respects her wish from now on to be treated as a full member of this family and, as a result, ends up tipping more than just the delicate balance of his parent’s seemingly harmonious relationship.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 996
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, suspense, disturbing, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 79%
A Way of Life (2004)
Plot Summary:
At 17 LeighAnne Williams has a six month old baby to look after, with only the help of three teenage squatters who flog stolen gear to make ends meet. A neighbour (actually from Turkey) across the street becomes target to her growing paranoia that Social Services are going to take her daughter, Rebecca, away from her. Her behavior becoming increasingly desperate as her delusions over her neighbor grow.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 669
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, realistic, disturbing, sad, serious, gloomy
Similar in 76%
About Sunny (2011)
Plot Summary:
As things unravel for a struggling single mother in Las Vegas, she must decide what she's willing to give up to get by.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 380
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, emotional, psychological, independent film, sincere, touching, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 87%
Raven's End (1963)
Plot Summary:
In the middle of this film, about the working class in pre-world war II Sweden, is Anders who wishes to become an author. His father who is a notorious dreamer and liar, and his mother, who struggles to keep their family alive.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 82%
The Promised Life (2002)
Plot Summary:
Sylvie is a hooker whose illegitimate daughter commits a crime. She and her daughter flee to find Sylvie's first love in the countryside. The daughter is trying to get to know her unwilling mother. Along the way, the two meet a male fugitive and bond with each other.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 756
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, rough, bleak, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 89%
Gebo and the Shadow (2012)
Plot Summary:
Despite his age and general weariness, Gebo keeps on working as an accountant to provide for his family. He lives with his wife, Doroteia, and his daughter-in-law, Sofia, but it is the absence of João, son and husband, that worries them.Gebo seems to be hiding something, especially to Doroteia, who is anxiously waiting to see her son again. Sofia is also waiting for her husband to come home, and yet she fears him. All of a sudden, João arrives and everything changes..
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 691
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Portugal
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, bleak, suspense, tense, realistic
Similar in 84%
Moebius (2013)
Plot Summary:
A wife, overwhelmed with hatred for her husband, inflicts an unspeakable wound on their son, as the family heads towards horrific destruction.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, serious, semi serious, erotic, controversial, scary, psychological thriller, brutal, dark
Similar in 80%
Home Sweet Home (2001)
Plot Summary:
The wife and son of an unemployed, foul-tempered man suffer under ever-worsening domestic violence. One day while his father is taking a nap, the young son decides to take matters into his own hands. In a panic, the wife and son both believe the man is dead and dump him on a roadside. The man survives, however, and returns home weeks later confined to a wheelchair probably for the rest of his life. How will each member in the family cope with this new situation?.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 450
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, psychological, realistic
Similar in 89%
The Cruel Embrace (1987)
Plot Summary:
Nicole (Marianne Basler) gives birth to a mentally challenged boy after she is gang-raped by American soldiers at the close of World War II in this grim dramatic tragedy. Young Ludo is hidden in the attic of the family home and continues to yearn for his mother's affection. Nicole enters into a loveless marriage with an older man who agrees to adopt Ludo, but her deteriorating mental health leads her to sloth and alcoholism. Ludo is sent off to an asylum, but escapes and takes up residence on a deserted beach in an old tanker that has run aground. This feature won the grand prize at the 1987 Barcelona Film Festival.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 181
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, France
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, bleak, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 82%
She Is Not Crying, She Is Singing (2011)
Plot Summary:
A tale of deliverance. Laura, 27 years old, lives alone in the outskirts of a large town. She learns that her father is in a coma, after a serious car accident. She decides to visit him at the hospital as a last opportunity to settle old scores, perhaps even to get revenge.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 130
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, Luxembourg, France
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, psychological, captivating, sincere, touching, disturbing, gloomy
Similar in 84%
Mouth to Mouth (2005)
Plot Summary:
The teenage girl Vera left her family after an incident at home, and is now living with a middle-aged drug addict, Morgan, who is using her as a prostitute to get money for drugs and debts. Meanwhile, the rest of her family is falling apart, and her father, Mats, is trying to figure out how to get her back before it's too late.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 463
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 89%
The Sound and the Fury (2014)
Plot Summary:
A look at the trials and tribulations of The Compson siblings, living in the deep south during the early part of the 20th century.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: serious, touching, realistic, southern gothic, captivating, gloomy
Similar in 77%
Nobody Owns Me (2013)
Plot Summary:
The story of a lone father's relationship with his daughter, of the destructive power of alcohol, of a child's vulnerability, but also of love, betrayal and socialist politics in 1970s Sweden. A unique and moving story freely based on Åsa Linderborg's best-selling novel.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: touching, bleak, serious, emotional, realistic, social
Similar in 86%
Bluebird (2013)
Plot Summary:
On a freezing January evening, school bus driver Lesley completes her route, but her final inspection abruptly ends when a bluebird comes into view. What happens next shakes her small Maine logging town, proving that even the slightest actions have enormous consequences.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 976
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, bleak, serious, realistic, independent film, atmospheric, gloomy
Similar in 78%
That Lovely Girl (2014)
Plot Summary:
Moshe and Tami are a couple, Moshe is in his fifties and Tami is in her early twenties. They live together in a cruel and violent relationship, from which Tami seems unable to set herself free. Tami and Moshe are father and daughter.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 207
Genere: Drama
Country: Israel, Germany, France
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, psychological, bleak, disturbing, erotic, rough, realistic
Similar in 89%
Accused (2005)
Plot Summary:
On the surface Henrik and Nina Christofferson are an ordinary family living happily. But they have a problem. Their daughter, Stine, a difficult 14 year old, has a habit of telling lies in class. When Stine accuses her father of sexual abuse, and is believed by seemingly eager social workers, their family is thrust into crisis. Could Henrik have done it? And when Stine prepares to return home, the ugly side of family life is exposed.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Denmark
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: disturbing, tense, bleak, serious, gloomy, depressing, sexual, realistic, sexy
Similar in 75%
Return to Innocence (2001)
Plot Summary:
Director Rocky Costanzo's searing legal drama centers on a highly credentialed child psychologist named Glen Erskine (Richard Meese) whose life is shattered when he's accused of sexually assaulting a young boy he's been treating. Based on the novel of the same name by Gary M. Frazier, this poignant tale also stars Andrew Martin, Steve De Forest, Jeff Harman and Brett Chukerman.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 823
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, serious, art house, bleak, independent film
Similar in 86%
Blondie (2012)
Plot Summary:
Three sisters, all adrift and in crisis, reunite at their childhood home as their domineering mother arranges a big birthday. But as the festivities come to an end, repressed conflicts rise to the surface. Old wounds are opened and a new family is born.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 707
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: realistic, atmospheric, touching, serious, emotional, gloomy
Similar in 76%
Delta (2008)
Plot Summary:
A man comes home to meet his mother and sister after many years away. He finds his mother living with a new boyfriend, and his sister to be grown-up. He begins to settle down in this new place by building a new home for himself on the delta. But when his sister moves in with him and the two begin a romance, there are tragic consequences.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Hungary, Germany
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, emotional, realistic, erotic, bleak, stylized, gloomy, sexual, independent film
Similar in 85%
Balancing Act (2012)
Plot Summary:
Having cheated on his wife, Giulio, a municipal employee, moves out, but has to find a solution on how to still support his family, and himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 823
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, serious, psychological, tense, captivating, sincere, gloomy
Similar in 80%
Oxen (1991)
Plot Summary:
In desperation brought on by near-starvation, Helge Roos kills his master's ox and feeds it to his wife and baby daughter. No-one suspects anything until the meat is finished and Helge tries to sell the hide at a local market. He is spotted by the local vicar and, wracked with guilt, confesses. The vicar assures him that if he gives himself up, he'll be treated leniently, but Helge's sentence is far harsher than anyone predicted.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 979
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden, Norway, Denmark
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, bleak, serious, realistic
Similar in 89%
Zero Kelvin (1995)
Plot Summary:
Larsen, an aspiring poet in '20s Oslo, leaves his girlfriend to spend a year as a trapper in East Greenland. There he is teamed with a seemingly rough old sailor/trapper, Randbæk, and a scientist, Holm. Trapped in a tiny hut together as the Arctic winter sets in, a complex and intense love/hate relationship develops between Randbæk and Larsen, who are more similar than either would like to admit. A powerful psychological and physical drama set against stunningly bleak Arctic scenery.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Norway, Sweden
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: psychological, philosophical, atmospheric, neurotic, tense, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, erotic