Best movies like West Beirut
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies like West Beirut? Share your familiarity to lead others to movies and tv shows you've viewed before that may likewise appeal to them. Support broadening the network of people mentioning videos to one another. We appreciate your involvement!
Plot Summary:
In April, 1975, civil war breaks out; Beirut is partitioned along a Moslem-Christian line. Tarek is in high school, making Super 8 movies with his friend, Omar. At first the war is a lark: school has closed, the violence is fascinating, getting from West to East is a game. His mother wants to leave; his father refuses. Tarek spends time with May, a Christian, orphaned and living in his building. By accident, Tarek goes to an infamous brothel in the war-torn Olive Quarter, meeting its legendary madam, Oum Walid. He then takes Omar and May there using her underwear as a white flag for safe passage. Family tensions rise. As he comes of age, the war moves inexorably from adventure to tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance, War
Country: France, Norway, Lebanon, Belgium
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: touching, melancholic, compassionate, emotional, sad, islamic, sincere, serious, realistic, sexy
Best tv shows and movies like West Beirut (1998):
Similar in 83%
Under the Bombs (2007)
Plot Summary:
In the wake of Israel's 2006 bombardment of Lebanon, a determined woman finds her way into the country convincing a taxi driver to take a risky journey around the scarred region in search of her sister and her son.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: France, Lebanon, UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, sincere, touching, offbeat, islamic, crying
Similar in 76%
In the Shadows of the City (2000)
Plot Summary:
To escape the civil war between Christians and Muslims, a Lebanese family moves from the countryside to Beirut, only to find themselves caught in an equally dangerous situation.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 51
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: France, Lebanon
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 89%
Where Do We Go Now? (2011)
Plot Summary:
On a remote, isolated, unnamed Lebanese village inhabited by both Muslims and Christians. The village is surrounded by land mines and only reachable by a small bridge. As civil strife engulfed the country, the women in the village learn of this fact and try, by various means and to varying success, to keep their men in the dark, sabotaging the village radio, then destroying the village TV.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France, Lebanon, Egypt, Italy, Qatar
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, thought provoking, uplifting, humorous, poignant, islamic, sentimental, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 76%
Campfire (2004)
Plot Summary:
The story of one woman's personal battle for acceptance, but also a portrait of a political movement that has forever affected millions of lives in the Middle East.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 684
Genere: Drama
Country: Israel
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, crying
Similar in 76%
The Sky Is Falling (2000)
Plot Summary:
1943, an estate north of Firenze. The weight of the world is on the shoulders of Penny, who's about 10. An orphan, she must watch over her little sister when they go to live with her aunt and uncle. Penny's a Catholic, and worries about her uncle's soul. He's Jewish, progressive and a free thinker, a fair boss, and devoted to his family. He can be stern, so Penny also worries that she'll never please him and that he won't love her. Then, after the Allied forces land in Sicily and the Germans begin their retreat, Penny must worry about her uncle's life. She tries logic and appeals to human decency. Can a child keep the sky from falling?.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 488
Genere: Drama, Music, Romance, War
Country: Italy
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, crying
Similar in 75%
Closely Watched Trains (1966)
Plot Summary:
In a small town still occupied by the Germans as World War II's tide is turning toward the Allies, apprentice train-watcher Milos is oblivious to the war. Instead, he is obsessed with having his first sexual experience. Despite the favors of train conductor Masa, Milos has no luck. His quest leads him to a female Resistance fighter who, in passing, recruits him to the cause. As Milos finally finds love, danger draws closer.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance, War
Country: Czechoslovakia
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, talky, touching, sincere, realistic, erotic, absurd, dark comedy, thought provoking, avant garde
Similar in 76%
Valentin (2002)
Plot Summary:
Valentin, a 9-year-old boy living with his grandmother in late-1960s Buenos Aires, believes his family has problems that only he can solve. The youngster dreams of being reunited with his mother, who's separated from Valentin's abusive father.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Argentina, Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, sweet, uplifting, realistic, lyrical, sincere, hispanic, serious, crying
Similar in 87%
Tito and Me (1992)
Plot Summary:
Goran Markovic, known more for his dramatic work, achieved something that's eluded many great filmmakers - both smart and funny comedy. Based loosely on his own life as a kid growing up in Tito's communist Yugoslavia in the 1950s, the movie centers around 10-year-old Zoran whose inspired poem about Tito written on a spur-of-the-moment-basis as an in-class assignment, earns him a trip with other deserving pupils retracing Tito's "revolutionary trails" in Tito's hometown of Kumrovec.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: sentimental, humorous, captivating, realistic, semi serious, slapstick comedy, slapstick
Similar in 76%
American Son (2008)
Plot Summary:
The story of a young Marine, fresh from Camp Pendleton, who is forced to confront the complexities of adulthood and a volatile home life during a four-day Thanksgiving leave.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 913
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative, hispanic, independent film, crying
Similar in 78%
Killer Kid (1994)
Plot Summary:
Eleven-year-old Laïd lives in war-torn Lebanon. Chosen and trained by an extremist organisation, he has been forced to enter the adult world far too early. He has been transformed into a fanatical and programmed machine, whose life could be summed up in the words "kill without hesitation".Because of his intellect and his commitment to the holy war he is handpicked for a deadly assignment in Paris. But in order to get access to the target he has to learn how to merge in, to become an ordinary eleven-year-old. Karim becomes his role model. Karim is the same age as Laïd and grew up in one of the Paris suburbs. He is carefree and "hip" and becomes the perfect teacher in a world of skateboards, rap music and video games.Despite the cultural differences, despite the fact that one of them is an indoctrinated machine and the other one a perfectly ordinary carefree boy, a friendship begins to grow between the two.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 237
Genere: Drama, War
Country: France
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, disturbing, crying
Similar in 83%
Strayed (2003)
Plot Summary:
Fleeing the June 1940 arrival of Hitler's army in Paris, a young war widow and her two children are rescued from dive-bombing German fighters by a cocky, reckless teenager. He finds them refuge in an abandoned house, but despite the fact that the family quickly comes to be depending much on his cunning and survival abilities, their cohabitation proves uneasy.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: France, UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, suspenseful, erotic, road movie, thought provoking, intelligent, romantic drama, tense
Similar in 76%
Games of Love and Chance (2003)
Plot Summary:
The life of a band of teenager in a suburb near Paris. But instead of showing what would be the "urban legend" of this kind of poor suburb (violence, rapes...), Abdelatif Kechiche shows us what's the daily life of those guys: not much to do, not much dreams. Still, some of them have fun rehearsing for a play. Among those "players", Lydia, long time friend of Krimo... And Krimo, a bit shy, finds himself in love with this joyful girl.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: slang, touching, semi serious, sincere, humorous, realistic, anthology, crying, multicultural
Similar in 81%
Carla's Song (1996)
Plot Summary:
A Glasgow man (Robert Carlyle) visits war-torn Nicaragua with a refugee (Oyanka Cabezas) tormented by her memories.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK, Spain, Germany
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: political, independent film, tense, sincere, rough, thought provoking, serious, realistic, suspense, crying
Similar in 80%
Divine Intervention (2002)
Plot Summary:
Santa Claus tries to outrun a gang of knife-wielding youth. It's one of several vignettes of Palestinian life in Israel - in a neighborhood in Nazareth and at Al-Ram checkpoint in East Jerusalem. Most of the stories are droll, some absurd, one is mythic and fanciful; few words are spoken. A man who goes through his mail methodically each morning has a heart attack. His son visits him in hospital. The son regularly meets a woman at Al-Ram; they sit in a car, hands caressing. Once, she defies Israeli guards at the checkpoint; later, Ninja-like, she takes on soldiers at a target range. A red balloon floats free overhead. Neighbors toss garbage over walls. Life goes on until it doesn't.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War, Comedy
Country: France, Morocco, Germany
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: surreal, meditative, stylized, thought provoking, touching, semi serious, clever, humorous, offbeat, realistic
Similar in 89%
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Plot Summary:
Tracing the struggle of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale to gain freedom from French colonial rule as seen through the eyes of Ali from his start as a petty thief to his rise to prominence in the organisation and capture by the French in 1957. The film traces the rebels' struggle and the increasingly extreme measures taken by the French government to quell the revolt.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Italy, Algeria
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: political, black and white, art house, bleak, realistic, disturbing, philosophical, sad, sincere, touching
Similar in 85%
Windhorse (1998)
Plot Summary:
Clandestinely filmed on location in Chinese-ruled Tibet (several actors and crew members had their names withheld for fear of reprisal), documentarian Paul Wagner's compelling drama follows three young Tibetans faced with moral dilemmas: a rising pop star asked by her Chinese official boyfriend to sing pro-government songs; her brother, an embittered drunk; and their cousin, a Buddhist nun savagely beaten after shouting anti-Chinese slogans.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 175
Genere: Drama, Music, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: independent film, sincere, thought provoking, bleak, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, contemplative, crying
Similar in 88%
The Bubble (2006)
Plot Summary:
The movie follows a group of young friends in the city of Tel Aviv and is as much a love song to the city as it is an exploration of the claim that people in Tel Aviv are isolated from the rest of the country and the turmoil it's going through. The movie looks at young people's lives in Tel Aviv through the POVs of gays and straights, Jews and Arabs, men and women.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Israel
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, emotional, serious, epic, lgbt cinema, controversial, existential, powerful, realistic
Similar in 75%
The Year That Trembled (2002)
Plot Summary:
The Year That Trembled is a 1970 coming-of-age story set in the shadow of Kent State that focuses on a group of young characters facing the Vietnam Draft Lottery.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 222
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, emotional, serious, realistic, contemplative, independent film
Similar in 87%
Circle of Deceit (1981)
Plot Summary:
Georg Laschen leaves his family in West Germany to go work as a war correspondent in Beirut during the fights between Christians and Palestinians.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 948
Genere: Drama, War
Country: West Germany, France
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: political, sincere, rough, thought provoking, bleak, serious, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 86%
Full Speed (1996)
Plot Summary:
A brief extract of four kids' lives somewhere in France. Quentin, who won a writers contest and now pays more attention to his career as an author than to his friends, beautiful Julie, his girl-friend, much more mature than she looks, falling in love with Quentin's very best friend Jimmy, who is kind of stuck in his unability of self-expression and grown up under bad social circumstances. And there is the shy boy Samir, exiled from Algeria, who lost his "brother" and only friend some time ago. Samir heavily falls in love with Quentin, but he can't handle it.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 877
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: erotic, sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, sexual, sexy, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 79%
Talk of Angels (1998)
Plot Summary:
This is the story of a young Irish woman who comes to Spain to escape from the pressures she feels about her impending marriage to a political activist in Ireland. But in Spain in the 1930's, taking a job of governess in a wealthy family, she finds the same kinds of political unrest. In fact, it isn't long before she finds herself attracted to a married man who is similarly involved in the struggle against fascism and Franco. This awakens her to her nature that brings her to such men and resolves for her what she must do about the life she left in Ireland.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 893
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, sentimental, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 80%
Red Cherry (1995)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story, this horrifying tale follows two orphaned friends as they struggle to survive during World War II.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 745
Genere: Drama, War
Country: China
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: touching, bleak, serious, mesmerizing, saga, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 82%
Turtles Can Fly (2004)
Plot Summary:
Turtles can fly tells the story of a group of young children near the Turkey-Iran border. They clean up mines and wait for the Saddam regime to fall.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Iran, France, Iraq
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: sincere, bleak, emotional, atmospheric, stylized, rough, heartbreaking, political, dramatic, realistic
Similar in 77%
Monsieur Ibrahim (2003)
Plot Summary:
Monsieur Ibrahim is a story about a young Jewish boy in Paris who meets an old Muslim Turkish grocery store owner. The film touches the themes of friendship and love as the old man is a father figure to the boy as he teaches him of the Koran. The film is based on a book of the popular book by the French author Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, sweet, emotional, uplifting, feel good, atmospheric, serious, captivating, dramatic
Similar in 86%
Together (2000)
Plot Summary:
Elisabeth leaves her abusive and drunken husband Rolf, and goes to live with her brother, Göran. The year is 1975 and Göran lives in a commune called Together. Living in this leftist commune Elisabeth learns that the world can be viewed from different perspectives.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Sweden, Denmark, Italy
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, witty, sincere, realistic, talky, romantic, feel good, clever
Similar in 77%
Fateless (2005)
Plot Summary:
An Hungarian youth comes of age at Buchenwald during World War II. György Köves is 14, the son of a merchant who's sent to a forced labor camp. After his father's departure, György gets a job at a brickyard; his bus is stopped and its Jewish occupants sent to camps. There, György find camaraderie, suffering, cruelty, illness, and death. He hears advice on preserving one's dignity and self-esteem. He discovers hatred. If he does survive and returns to Budapest, what will he find? What is natural; what is it to be a Jew? Sepia, black and white, and color alternate to shade the mood.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Hungary, Germany, UK, Israel, France, USA
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, disturbing, emotional, realistic, gloomy, retro, touching, educational, sad
Similar in 84%
Starter for 10 (2006)
Plot Summary:
In 1985, against the backdrop of Thatcherism, Brian Jackson enrolls in the University of Bristol, a scholarship boy from seaside Essex with a love of knowledge for its own sake and a childhood spent watching "University Challenge," a college quiz show. At Bristol he tries out for the Challenge team and falls under the spell of Alice, a lovely blond with an extensive sexual past.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: feel good, witty, light, sweet, melancholic, touching, humorous, semi serious, clever, realistic
Similar in 83%
Outside Providence (1999)
Plot Summary:
In this coming-of-age comedy, Tim Dunphy is leading a go-nowhere existence, spending his days smoking pot and hanging out with his best friend, Drugs Delaney. But Tim's lazy days of getting high are jettisoned after a brush with the law convinces his blue-collar dad to send him to a Connecticut prep school. The one saving grace of the new school is Jane, a fellow student Tim falls for immediately.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, sweet, intense, semi serious, touching, independent film, epic, sentimental, realistic
Similar in 85%
Earth (1998)
Plot Summary:
It's 1947 and the borderlines between India and Pakistan are being drawn. A young girl bears witnesses to tragedy as her ayah is caught between the love of two men and the rising tide of political and religious violence.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: India, Canada
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, touching, offbeat, poignant, art house, romantic drama, tense, sincere, serious
Similar in 85%
Butterfly (1999)
Plot Summary:
The film centres on Moncho and his coming-of-age experience in Galicia in 1936. Moncho develops a close relationship with his teacher Don Gregorio who introduces the boy to different things in the world. While the story centres on Moncho's ordinary coming-of-age experiences, tensions related to the looming Spanish Civil War periodically interrupt Moncho's personal growth and daily life.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Spain
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, touching, realistic, political, compassionate, melancholic, intense, psychological, sincere