Best movies like The Whales of August
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The Whales of August is a 1987 film based on a play by David Berry starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish as elderly sisters. Also in the cast were Ann Sothern as one of their friends, and Vincent Price as a peripheral member of the former Russian aristocracy. The film was shot on location on Maine's Cliff Island. The house still stands and is a popular subject of artists on the island. The film was directed by Lindsay Anderson, his final feature film, and the screenplay was adapted by David Berry from his own play.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: clever, touching, serious, realistic, gloomy, sentimental, independent film, eighties
Best tv shows and movies like The Whales of August (1987):
Similar in 78%
Little Foxes (2009)
Plot Summary:
Alzbeta and Tina are sisters bound by jealousy and love, an unspoken history hovering over them like a dark cloud. It is this history that compels Alzbeta to refuse Tina's help in finding a better life, until the day arrives that forces them to confront their common past.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 115
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland, Czech Republic, Slovakia
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, realistic, touching, emotional, tense, sincere, serious, gloomy
Similar in 90%
Wandering Streams (2010)
Plot Summary:
Emile is a 70-ish former horticulturalist who once raised bonsai trees "because they don't take up too much room." Indeed, his whole existence is safe and uneventful to a fault, somewhat juiced by friendship with raucous fishing companion Edmond. Still, they trade pleasantries rather than confidences -- so Emile is shocked when it turns out his elderly pal watches porn, paints nudes and shags women who are his contemporaries that he meets online.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 368
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sentimental, realistic, psychological, atmospheric, touching, serious
Similar in 77%
An Unremarkable Life (1989)
Plot Summary:
The close bond between two elderly sisters is threatened when one of them begins to have romantic feelings for a local mechanic.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 183
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, sincere, uplifting, touching, emotional, realistic
Similar in 88%
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982)
Plot Summary:
Esther Cimino, a music teacher who has reached retirement age, finds that her mental faculties are slipping somewhat. The film is a trenchant, realistic study of the ravages and displacements, socially, physically, and mentally, that are visited upon a once-proud, sensitive, and still highly intelligent woman who is declared mentally incompetent by her children. She is subjected to a hearing, where her blurred responses prompt the judge to put her in a nursing home, and she begins to deteriorate. However, her granddaughter who loves her rouses her back to life and helps her learn how to live again.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 774
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sincere, uplifting, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 76%
White Mama (1980)
Plot Summary:
A poor, elderly white woman living in a tenement in a black ghetto is befriended by a neighborhood boy, and the two of them form a mutually beneficial relationship: he provides her companionship and protection, and she becomes the mother he never had.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 783
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sincere, uplifting, thought provoking, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 82%
Sisters (1991)
Plot Summary:
Sisters is an Emmy Award-winning television drama which aired on NBC for six seasons, from 1991 to 1996. The series was created by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, who also created the Showtime series Queer as Folk and wrote the acclaimed Emmy and Peabody Award winning drama An Early Frost, also for NBC. The show debuted on May 11, 1991 for a seven-episode test run and was subsequently renewed for the 1991 fall schedule. Sisters was the first primetime network television series to focus specifically on the lives of women, and the issues relating to them. It was also one of the first 'demographic' hits because of its strong female viewership. Other series about women would eventually follow, but at the time it was regarded as being groundbreaking.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: soap opera, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, talky
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The White Angel (2007)
Plot Summary:
Beyaz Melek’ filmi; bir aşkın öyküsüdür.Bu aşk öyküsü, iki insanın birbirine duyduğu aşk değil, bir grup insanın hayata ve birbirlerine duyduğu aşkın ve sevginin hikayesidir.Filmde, doğudan batıya, mekteplisinden köylüsüne, gencinden yaşlısına sevginin her türlü motifi hem duygusal hem de esprili bir dille anlatılır.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, psychological, captivating, sentimental, serious
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The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000)
Plot Summary:
Hanoi comes across almost picture-perfect in director Tran Anh Hung's beautiful, elegiac tale about the lives and loves of three Vietnamese sisters. A mood characteristic of Hung's films is set early on with the vivid sounds of birds, insects and water and the way the lighting enhances the subtle use of color. They all combine to gem-like effect here.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: Vietnam, France, Germany
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: melancholic, sincere, psychological, sentimental, touching, serious, talky, emotional, uplifting, artsy
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My Sister's Keeper (2002)
Plot Summary:
Two sisters take a journey of discovery and reconciliation based on the memoirs of Margaret Moorman. Christine has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and must rely on others for support even though she longs for and independent and ordinary life. When her mother dies, her sister Judy becomes responsible for her care. The two are left to face the struggles of finding common ground.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 456
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: uplifting, sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, captivating, feel good
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Emoticon ;) (2014)
Plot Summary:
Elena Gallenti is an anthropology graduate student struggling to complete her thesis on 'modern means of communication.' All that changes when she meets her new boyfriend's teenage kids, who are going through their own journeys of self-discovery. All of them learn to navigate love and intimacy in the digital age.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 125
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: realistic, sentimental, psychological, contemplative, independent film, serious
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The Music Teacher (2012)
Plot Summary:
Music Teacher revolves around Alyson Daley (Potts), a high school music teacher who is on the brink of losing her beloved school music program because of district budget cuts. In an effort to spare the program, Daley's former students band together to stage a musical to raise money to keep the program alive.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 179
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: realistic, sentimental, touching, serious
Similar in 82%
A Streetcar Named Desire (1995)
Plot Summary:
Blanche Dubois goes to visit her pregnant sister and husband Stanley in New Orleans. Stanley doesn't like her, and starts pushing her for information on some property he know was left to the sisters. He discovers she has mortgaged the place and spent all the money, and wants to find out all he can about her. Even more friction develops between the two while they are in the apartment together.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 156 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, touching, serious, emotional, atmospheric, realistic
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Steam (2007)
Plot Summary:
Three women — a young coed, a forty-something single mother, and one a senior-aged widow — meet in the sauna of the local gym, where they gradually get to know one another and bond over their respective trials and tribulations.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 213
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, talky, erotic, realistic, gloomy, sexual, sexy
Similar in 77%
The Stone Angel (2007)
Plot Summary:
The feisty aging Hagar Shipley has lived an unconventional life. Her rebellious heart has always ruled and her choices have put her at odds with family and friends. Faced with her own mortality, and desperate to find solace, she goes on the run. In both the past and the present, she is forced to come to terms with the pain and pleasure, the disappointments and the exhilarations of her life.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, UK
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, sexual, sexy
Similar in 83%
Sweet Lorraine (1987)
Plot Summary:
Serio-comic look at the residents and staff of a Catskill Mountains resort during its final days.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 266
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious
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Ladies in Lavender (2004)
Plot Summary:
Andrea, a gifted young Polish violinist from Krakow, is bound for America when he is swept overboard by a storm. When the Widdington sisters discover the handsome stranger on the beach below their house, they nurse him back to health. However, the presence of the musically talented young man disrupts the peaceful lives of Ursula and Janet and the community in which they live.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Music, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, atmospheric, emotional, period piece, witty, retro, gothic, feel good, costume drama
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The Locket (2002)
Plot Summary:
A bereaved man takes a job at a health care center, where he befriends an elderly and embittered woman - and as time passes, he becomes obsessed with reuniting her with her long-lost true love.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 671
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, uplifting, touching, feel good, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
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Jacknife (1989)
Plot Summary:
A conflict develops between a troubled Vietnam veteran and the sister he lives with when she becomes involved romantically with the army buddy who reminds him of the tragic battle they both survived.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, talky, psychological, sincere, cult classic, independent film, serious, gloomy, melancholic
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Hannah Free (2009)
Plot Summary:
A film about a lifelong love affair between an independent spirit and the woman she calls home.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 413
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, emotional, serious, realistic, independent film, queer cinema
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A Beautiful Secret (2002)
Plot Summary:
The beloved screen legend Katy Jurado, the lights one last time in the history of a special friendship that develops between a lonely old woman and Jorge, a rebellious teenager in Mexico City in 1984. Through the use flashbacks, Jorge, now an adult, remembers the unforgettable lessons and conversations about human nature and society in general. This fascinating film provides a beautiful tribute to the legendary actress in a history of heart that will make you laugh and think.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 219
Genere: Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 81%
On Golden Pond (1981)
Plot Summary:
For Norman and Ethel Thayer, this summer on golden pond is filled with conflict and resolution. When their daughter Chelsea arrives, the family is forced to renew the bonds of love and overcome the generational friction that has existed for years. Norman must find his way through his anger and fear of growing old, while Chelsea struggles to rebuild their relationship. Ethel's consistent support of her "Knight in shining armor" is inspirational in its simplicity. This is a movie to ponder and always keep in your heart.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: inspirational, sentimental, touching, emotional, realistic, witty, feel good, colorful, captivating, contemplative
Similar in 77%
What Girls Learn (2001)
Plot Summary:
Two teenage girls must come to terms with their stepfather when their mother is struck by illness.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 340
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, sincere, emotional, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 81%
Clara's Heart (1988)
Plot Summary:
David is a teenager whose parents are in a deteriorating marriage after their infant daughter dies. Clara is a chambermaid at a Jamaican resort who's hired to be a housekeeper. She and David develop a close bond, opening his eyes and heart to new experiences, and eventually leading to a disturbing secret in Clara's past.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, emotional, serious, realistic, romantic, sexy, feel good, unusual plot structure, melancholic
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A Day Late and a Dollar Short (2014)
Plot Summary:
When irascible matriarch Viola Price learns that her next asthma attack will likely kill her, she is determined to fix her fractured family before she leaves this world.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 732
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, sentimental, captivating, uplifting, touching, serious
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September (1987)
Plot Summary:
At a summer house in Vermont, neighbor Howard falls in love with Lane, who's in a relationship with Peter, who's falling for Stephanie, who's married with children.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: talky, emotional, sentimental, serious, realistic, philosophical, independent film, psychological, clever, light
Similar in 82%
Crimes of the Heart (1986)
Plot Summary:
Three sisters with quite different personalities and lives reunite when the youngest of them, Babe, has just shot her husband. The oldest sister, Lenny, takes care of their grandfather and is turning into an old maid, while Meg, who tries to make it in Hollywood as a singer/actress, has had a wild life filled with many men. Their reunion causes much joy, but also many tensions.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: touching, talky, humorous, dark comedy, emotional, melancholic, black comedy, sentimental, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 78%
Face (2002)
Plot Summary:
Genie, a Chinese-American teenager, develops feelings for a charming African-American DJ, but her grandmother forbids their romance forcing Genie to choose between family and love.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 350
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, emotional, sentimental, serious, realistic, contemplative
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Marvin's Room (1996)
Plot Summary:
A leukemia patient attempts to end a 20-year feud with her sister to get her bone marrow.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sentimental, sincere, realistic, semi serious, sad, talky, compassionate, epic
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Me Without You (2001)
Plot Summary:
During a long, hot summer in seventies London, young neighbors Holly and Marina make a childhood pact to be friends forever. For Marina, troubled, fiercely independent, determined to try everything, Holly stays the only constant in a life of divorcing parents, experimental drugs and fashionable self-destruction. But for Holly, a friendship that has never been equal gradually starts to feel like a trap.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: humorous, sentimental, sincere, touching, teen, realistic, romantic, offbeat, contemplative, semi serious
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Guilty Hearts (2006)
Plot Summary:
Over the course of this drama's six separate stories, a variety of couples struggle with the infidelity, dishonesty and heartbreak that plagues their varied pasts. In overcoming their challenges, these diverse individuals embrace a brighter future.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 818
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, realistic