Best movies like The Strait Story
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The year is 1943 and Taiwan is under Japanese colonization. After finishing his studies in Japan, famous Taiwanese sculptor and painter Ching-Cheng Huang receives an offer to teach in Beiping Art School. He decides to visit friends and family back home before leaving for China. He boards the passenger liner "Takachiho Maru" in Kobe, Japan, with his girlfriend, a pianist. Tragically, the luxurious liner is torpedoed by an American submarine and sinks off the coast of Keelung, Taiwan. Decades later, Shou-shou, a fine art restorer with a crippling illness, finds one of Huang's paintings in an exhibition. As she restores the painting, Shou-shou learns about the artist, the stories behind his work and his death at sea. She recreates the story of the painting "Woman in Black", and romantically imagines the ways the artist painted his girlfriend. The more she studies, the more she was inspired by Huang's value of art and of life. Restoring Huang's painting thus becomes Shou-shou's way of.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 10
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Taiwan
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, captivating
Best tv shows and movies like The Strait Story (2005):
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Lovesick (2016)
Plot Summary:
A 30-something man between relationships must move quick when an exciting new woman enters his life.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 299
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, captivating, romantic, romantic comedy, independent film
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The Portrait (2017)
Plot Summary:
A musical tale about two impoverished sisters' anguish over whether or not to sell the final masterpiece of their recluse father days before the second world war, in Manila.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 147
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: Philippines
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, captivating, surprise ending, neo noir
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Goodbye Summer (2019)
Plot Summary:
A timeless teenage romance chronicling an impossible relationship that fights against the advance of a terminal disease.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 73
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Duration: 67 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, psychological, captivating, disturbing
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Love and Lies (1981)
Plot Summary:
Vam i ne snilos... A movie about two high school kids who meet in class and fall madly in love with each other. Unfortunately, His father and her mother had a history of their own between them which creates uneasiness in both of them. Also because of that, the boy's mother is very jealous and tries to separate them. The only person that tries to help them is their teacher who has relationship problems of her own.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: captivating, touching, sincere, sentimental, psychological
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A Moment In Time (2013)
Plot Summary:
A painter's new muse becomes his nemesis when he discovers her connection to his past.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 121
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Philippines
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sincere, romantic, captivating
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Late Spring (2014)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 1960's. Joo-Goo (Park Yong-Woo) is viewed as Korea's best sculptor, but he suffers from a disease which will slowly paralyze his body. He gives up interests in the arts and just spends his days meaninglessly. His wife, Jung-sook (Kim Seo-hyung), tries to find a nude model for him, hoping the model might inspire him to sculpt again. One day, Jung-sook meets Min-gyung (Lee Yoo-young).
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 125
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: sentimental, psychological, captivating, realistic
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You Shine in the Moonlight (2019)
Plot Summary:
Takuya Okada (Takumi Kitamura) is a high school student. He visits his classmate Mamizu Watarase (Mei Nagano) in the hospital. Mamizu Watarase suffers from the mysterious ailment “Luminescence disease.” People who have the disease show a faint sparkle under the moonlight and the sparkle gets brighter as their death gets closer. Mamizu Watarase is not allowed out of the hospital and she will not live long enough to become an adult. Takuya Okada offers to help her carry out her wishes before she passes away. He also tells her how he feels about her, but Mamizu Watarase’s death is approaching. --asianwiki.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 339
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, tense, sincere, thought provoking, contemplative, unusual plot structure
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Bless the Woman (2003)
Plot Summary:
Tiny Soviet village by the sea, in the years before the Second World War... A very young girl, Vera, falls madly in love with an older military officer who is visiting from out of town. She leaves her home and family to live with him in various military posts where he serves with the army. Through the difficulties of army life, and years of war, her love for this older man survives, and she gives herself completely without reservation. This film is about friendship, loss, survival, loyalty, and the wonderful gift of unconditional love, which is only given to a few.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 451
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Russia
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, captivating, disturbing, crying
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Sunflower (2005)
Plot Summary:
Sunflower is the story of the Zhang family in Beijing father, mother and son across three decades, centering on the tensions and misunderstandings between father and son. Nine-year-old Xiangyang is having the time of his life, free of adult supervision until the day he meets the father he can hardly remember. Having spent years away, he returns with strong ideas about his son learning to draw. But Xiangyang chafes under his father's constant rules and soon stages his own revolution against the lessons enforced.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 719
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Hong Kong, China, Netherlands
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: uplifting, sentimental, sincere, touching, captivating, family saga, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative
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Faneflukt (1975)
Plot Summary:
1941, Norway. The young kitchen maid Liv and the German officer Franz meet in the military camp where Liv works. They develop a friendship and decides to flee to Sweden.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 43
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Norway
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags:
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Just a Sigh (2013)
Plot Summary:
In the short break between performances in Calais, stage actress Alix makes a quick escape to Paris. On the train she meets a mysterious English stranger and, for the most fleeting of afternoons, imagines what the future could hold down a different road.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Belgium, Ireland
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, captivating, disturbing, touching, realistic, semi serious
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See Girl Run (2012)
Plot Summary:
What happens when a 30-something woman allows life's "what ifs" to overwhelm her appreciation for what life actually is. Disregarding her current obligations, she digs into her romantic past in hopes of invigorating her present.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, psychological, sentimental, captivating, sincere, clever, semi serious, independent film
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Postcard (2010)
Plot Summary:
Toward the end of World War II, middle-aged soldier Keita is entrusted with a postcard from a comrade who is sure he will die in battle. After the war ends, Keita visits his comrade's wife Yuko and bears witness to the tragic life she has led. This year's Oscar entry from Japan finds SHINDO in top form and his 49th and reportedly last film as fresh and poignant as ever. (from imdb).
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 264
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, captivating, realistic
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One-Two-Three Now! (2016)
Plot Summary:
Jeppe falls deeply in love with the mysterious and beautiful girl, Cecilie, from school. But their time is limited as Cecilie is diagnosed with cancer and Jeppe has to balance school, social life and the dream of becoming a professional basket ball player while staying beside Cecilie as this summer may be her last. The story is about life, death, love, time - nothing lasts forever, but if you truly love something, it will never really leave you.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 351
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Denmark
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, psychological, sentimental, romantic, captivating, suspenseful, disturbing
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I Give My First Love to You (2009)
Plot Summary:
As a child Takuma is diagnosed with a heart condition that requires care from a cardiologist. He soon becomes friends with his doctors young daughter Mayu while being treated at the hospital. One day Mayu overhears her father saying that Takumas condition is serious enough that he most likely wont live beyond the age of 20. Takuma isn't aware of this himself, however, so at 8-years-old he makes a promise to marry Mayu when they turn 20. Later in life, Takuma becomes aware that he wont be able to keep this promise and he begins distancing himself from Mayu in hopes of protecting her.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, suspense, sentimental, romantic, uplifting, shoujo, sweet, romantic drama
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Go (2001)
Plot Summary:
Isao Yukisada spins this gritty coming-of-age tale about Sugihara, a Japanese-born, third-generation Korean who struggles to find a place in a society that will not accept him. The film begins with Sugihara studying at a Korean junior high school that is dedicated to memory of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. His father is a grizzled ex-boxer who recently changed his citizenship from North to South Korea so he and his wife – Sugihara's mom – could visit Hawaii. Though his father regularly gets drunk and thrashes him, he also taught Sugihara the finer point of the sweet science. At one point in the film, Sugihara takes out an entire basketball team that was bent on taking him out. Upon graduation, Sugihara enters a normal Japanese high school where he meets and soon falls for Sakurai – a loose-sock copper-haired damsel who is attracted to Sugihara's restless spirit. As the film progresses, Sugihara struggles to throw off the stigma of his ethnicity and live a quiet, successful life.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, sweet, realistic
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The Makioka Sisters (1983)
Plot Summary:
This sensuously beautiful film chronicles the activities of four sisters who gather in Kyoto every year to view the cherry blossoms. It paints a vivid portrait of the pre-war lifestyle of the wealthy Makioka family from Osaka, and draws a parallel between their activities and the seasonal variations in Japan.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: independent film, sincere, touching, serious, captivating, realistic
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Crying Out Love in the Center of the World (2004)
Plot Summary:
While searching for his fiancee Ritsuko, Sakutarou rediscovers through flashbacks the void deep within him caused by the events from his high school days.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, serious, realistic, sincere, romantic, sad, crying
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Together (2013)
Plot Summary:
Comprised by two love stories: The first story features Donnie Yen as a traffic cop, “Mr. Cool” who never smiles due to a rare disease. He meets and falls in love with Michelle Chen, a patient with amnesia, and spends most of her time looking for her missing fiancé. The second story features Zhendong Ke as a Criminal Intelligence Bureau cop who falls in love with Angela Baby after a 7-day "game of romantic" with her. But when his bureau starts monitoring her, he begins to have doubt on her. Is she a criminal?.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 264
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, touching, realistic, captivating, serious
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Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (2010)
Plot Summary:
Diving to save a camera from a fall down a flight of stairs, high school junior Naomi Sukuse wakes with no memory of the last four years. Naomi must remember who she was and figure out who she wants to be in this story of love and second chances.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 674
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: sentimental, emotional, contemplative, captivating, sincere, psychological, romantic, touching, serious, realistic
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Sparrow (2016)
Plot Summary:
This drama is set during the revolutionary time in Shanghai, based on a novel of the same name of Hai Fei. During the republican revolution, Chen Shen is a secret agent under Special Operations Executive Director Bi Zhongliang, among the agents called “sparrow” (similar to the program “zero” in Japan).
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 55
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: China
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Plot tags: sentimental, captivating, factual
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Plot Summary:
Eight people try to end their loneliness by searching for that one person to love, who can make their life complete.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Taiwan, China
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, emotional, captivating, romantic, romantic comedy, sentimental, serious
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The Left Ear (2015)
Plot Summary:
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IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 525
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, sentimental, sincere, captivating, disturbing
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Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010)
Plot Summary:
The daughter of a right-winger, schoolgirl Jing Qiu (Zhou Dong-Yu) is sent to the countryside for reeducation, and tasked to help write a textbook. There she meets Lao San (Shawn Dou), a young soldier with a bright future ahead. Despite the class divide and parental disapproval, romance blooms against turbulent times.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, sincere, realistic, romantic, serious, emotional
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Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti (2017)
Plot Summary:
Paul Gauguin feels smothered by the atmosphere prevailing in Paris in the year 1891. Around him, everything is so artificial and conventional: he needs authenticity to renew his art. Failing to convince his wife Mette and his five children to follow him to Paradise Lost, he sets out for Tahiti alone. Once there, he chooses to settle down in Mataiera, a village far away from Papeete, installing himself in a native-made hut. He soon starts working passionately, painting and carving in a style close to the primitive art specific to the island. During his two-year stay the artist will experience poverty, cardiac problems and other displeasures but also happiness in the arms of Tehura, a beautiful young native girl.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
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Close to the Horizon (2019)
Plot Summary:
Jessica knows exactly what her life is supposed to look like and where it takes her. But then she meets Danny. He has a complicated past and could confuse all their plans. Jessica has to decide.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
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Country: Germany, France
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Plot tags: touching, emotional, sentimental, romantic, sincere, heartbreaking, tear jerker, crying, tearjerker
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Heartland (2016)
Plot Summary:
A young Oklahoma artist, struggling with a recent death, finds escape in a reckless affair with her brother's girlfriend.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 825
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
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Endless (2020)
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When madly in love high school graduates Riley and Chris are separated by a tragic car accident, Riley blames herself for her boyfriend's death while Chris is stranded in limbo. Miraculously, the two find a way to connect. In a love story that transcends life and death, both Riley and Chris are forced to learn the hardest lesson of all: letting go.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
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Country: USA
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The Little House (2014)
Plot Summary:
Following the death of the unmarried and childless Taki, Takeshi, a young relative of hers, discovers several pages of closely written lines in which the old lady has recorded her memories. This is how he learns the truth about her youth working as a housemaid and nanny for the Hirai family in a little house in Tokyo with a red gabled roof.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: sentimental, realistic, psychological, captivating, touching, serious, stylized
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Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Plot Summary:
A sweeping romantic epic set in Japan in the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 158000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Japan, France
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: romantic, sentimental, captivating, dramatic, stylized, serious, touching, emotional, atmospheric, costume drama