Movies like The Aerialist

If you like "The Aerialist" you are looking for emotional, independent film and psychological movies about / with female protagonist, resilience, ageism, character study, circus, mature and showbiz themes of Drama genre shot in USA.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps: 1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below). 2. Look for them in the presented list.
The Aerialist (2020)
 5.7
 173
The Aerialist (2020)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story: An aerialist rehearsing for a rock tour battles age, injury, and a young director scheming to end her career, while a mysterious reporter digs into the ghosts of her past.
Style: emotional, independent film, psychological, suspense, melancholic, intense, nostalgic
Plot: female protagonist, resilience, ageism, character study, circus, mature, showbiz, manipulation, comeback, redemption, identity, performance art, female empowerment, trauma, investigation, betrayal, memory, musical tour, urban, director, injury, investigative
Time: contemporary

Movie in categories

Most similar movies to The Aerialist

The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out emotional, intense, psychological and melancholic films with plots about urban, character study, redemption, isolation, identity, slow burn and trauma mostly in Drama and Romance genres. Some movies like The Aerialist: Happy Baby (2016), King Frankie (2024), Rhino (2022), Euphoria (2013), Shivan (2020). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge and Michel'le (2016)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story: Discovered at a young age, the shy, squeaky-voiced Michel'le was plucked straight from South Central, Los Angeles and catapulted into the spotlight while riding N.W.A.'s rocket ride of early success. Surrounded by industry visionaries from ...
Style: suspense, psychological, captivating, disturbing, intense ...
Plot: female protagonist, price of fame, biopic, music, rising to stardom, musician, pop music, toxic relationship, survival, music industry, domestic violence, abuse ...
Place: los angeles
Similarity:
95%
 4.4
 40
Happy Baby (2016)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story: An abused, former orphan living in San Francisco returns to New York to reconnect with the love of his life and understand how his past has shaped his future. It's a semi-autobiographical work based on the book of the same name originally ...
Style: emotional, psychological, realistic, independent film, semi autobiographical ...
Plot: character study, trauma, foster home, male protagonist, lost love, introspection, identity, literary, memory, urban, intimate, self discovery ...
Place: new york, san francisco
Similarity:
87%
 7.6
 85
King Frankie (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: Ireland
Duration: 95 min.
Story: Following the death of his father, the past catches up with Dublin taxi driver, Frank Burke.
Style: emotional, reflective, tense, intense, realistic ...
Plot: taxi driver, mourning, grief, loss, father son relationship, character study, working class, secrets, family secret, regret, urban, social realism ...
Place: dublin ireland
Similarity:
77%
 6.7
 29
Rhino (2022)
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina
Duration: 85 min.
Story: Damián, an 11-year-old boy who is separated from his violent family, is taken to live in a children's home by state intervention. Accompanied by Leandro, a social worker with a personal story similar to his, Damián will have to accept that ...
Style: emotional, melancholic, psychological
Plot: social issues, domestic violence, coming of age, childhood, trauma, foster home, children's home, healing, intimate, social worker, empathy, resilience ...
Time: 2020s
Place: argentina
Similarity:
71%
Movie in collections
 6.4
 29
Euphoria (2013)
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 100 min.
Story: Euphoria brings together two intersecting road stories about the same person - a little girl called Lily who is taken away from home by her mother Celeste, and a young woman, Michelle, who journeys home to unravel the truth about her mysterious past.
Style: tense, psychological, suspense, disturbing, captivating ...
Plot: female protagonist, family secret, investigation, mother daughter relationship, troubled past, secret past, confronting the past, uncover truth, multiple storylines, tragic past, journey, road trip ...
Similarity:
70%
 7.4
 1K
Shivan (2020)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 119 min.
Story: Shivan revolves around a couple who are very much in love but one day the woman is found dead and the man is found guilty and imprisoned. But once he is in jail he recollects certain memories that change everything.
Style: tense, suspense, intense, psychological, emotional ...
Plot: love, innocence, flashback, memory, murder, wrongful conviction, investigation, prison, justice, moral ambiguity, guilt, character study ...
Similarity:
69%
All About Araya (2022)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Story: With the odds already not in her favor, Araya tells her side of the story while being interrogated for possibly killing the man who was responsible for her father's death.
Style: tense, intense, suspense, psychological, dramatic ...
Plot: interrogation, investigation, moral ambiguity, female protagonist, suspect, character study, murder, revenge, accusation, claustrophobia, guilt, police procedural ...
Similarity:
66%
 5.7
 132
Long Shadows (2008)
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 92 min.
Story: After two decades in prison Widmer, a former German RAF-terrorist, is released. He meets Valerie, his next door neighbour. The young woman tries to get her life back on track after she lost child custody for her little son. She shows some interest ...
Style: crime drama, psychological, captivating, thrilling, serious ...
Plot: relationships, raf, terrorism, guilt, male female relationship, life is a bitch, love affair, couple relations, tragic past, confronting the past, ex convict, secrets ...
Place: west germany
Similarity:
66%
Movie in collections
 6.3
 34
L (2016)
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 107 min.
Story: L stopped enjoying life as a little girl. She flees abuse at the hands of her adoptive parents and heads for the big city. There, L's life is wrecked by a string of bad relationships, and she takes the fall for a friend who commits murder and ...
Style: emotional, thrilling, captivating, psychological, melancholic ...
Plot: female protagonist, love, loneliness, character study, psychological trauma, relationships, love story, love affair, love interest, mature, city life, alienation ...
Time: 2010s
Place: japan
Similarity:
65%
Stolen Virginity (2016)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story: Travis was working his dream job, but his boss was a nightmare. When his back was against the wall, he chose to be a "Taker." This time he went too far. - He stole a Woman's most prized possession.
Style: crime drama, dark, suspense, tense, intense ...
Plot: moral dilemma, choice, sexual abuse, moral ambiguity, sex crime, loss of innocence, mature, manipulation, victim, criminal, betrayal, power struggle ...
Similarity:
64%
 5.8
 137
Diva (2012)
Genre: Drama
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 102 min.
Story: When an accident temporarily robs her of her voice, Diva J flees to a small deserted village to heal both her mental and physical wounds. Her life changes when she meets and falls in love with the blind Hu Ming, who inspires her to make a comeback. ...
Style: thrilling, captivating, psychological, emotional, melancholic
Plot: dream, singing, comeback, problem, male female relationship, relationships, life is a bitch, relationship problems, glory, female rivalry, pop star, showbiz ...
Time: 2010s
Similarity:
63%
 6.0
 2K
Jai Ganesh (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 125 min.
Story: In the unforgiving shadows of sympathy, Ganesh Gangadharan, a paraplegic designer, wrestles with his inner demons, striving for a semblance of normalcy.
Style: thought provoking, emotional, intense, realistic, melancholic ...
Plot: disability, paraplegic, resilience, introspection, character study, healing, isolation, identity, redemption, empathy, grief, loss ...
Similarity:
62%
 6.8
 1K
Sujo (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: Mexico, USA, France
Duration: 126 min.
Story: When a hitman is murdered, he leaves behind Sujo, his beloved 4-year-old son. The shadow of violence stalks Sujo at every stage of his life. As he grows into a man, Sujo will discover that fulfilling his father's destiny seems inevitable.
Style: intense, suspenseful, crime drama, dark, grim ...
Plot: father son relationship, hitman, assassin, coming of age, legacy, trauma, moral ambiguity, identity, underworld, revenge, survival, orphan ...
Similarity:
61%
 2.6
 24
Holed-Up (2017)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Story: A story of a famous actor named Grahme who witnessed a director assault an actress two years ago. Now Grahme is working with Richard (the very same director), on a new film and this time with Malorie, a new leading lady. Grahme's manager Steve ...
Style: dark, intense, tense, psychological, suspenseful ...
Plot: director, trauma, sexual assault, female victim, celebrity, guilt, film industry, actor, hollywood, ethical dilemma, character study, behind the scenes ...
Place: portland oregon, oregon
Similarity:
60%
 6.0
 539
Immaculate (2021)
Genre: Drama
Country: Romania
Duration: 114 min.
Story: When young Daria enters rehab to kick the drug habit her first love left her with, her perceived innocence saves her from the sexual advances of the mostly male junkies inside and gains her their protection. Suddenly thrown into the spotlight and ...
Style: intense, emotional, dark, disturbing, realistic ...
Plot: drug rehab, addiction, trauma, female protagonist, recovery, manipulation, survival, abuse of power, sexual content, sexual manipulation, character study, moral ambiguity ...
Similarity:
60%
 6.4
 173
Patchwork (2021)
Genre: Drama
Country: Cyprus, Israel, Slovenia
Duration: 87 min.
Story: Chara’s family is everything to her, and yet she sometimes ponders a life without them. When she strikes up a hesitant friendship with a young girl, she is inexorably forced to confront a painful past and to answer a burning question: Is ...
Style: emotional, melancholic, realistic, psychological, atmospheric ...
Plot: motherhood, domestic drama, character study, identity, female protagonist, gender roles, intimate, realism, family secret, trauma, friendship, intimacy ...
Similarity:
58%
Abandoned Man (2025)
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 91 min.
Story: After serving time in prison for his brother's crime, a man warily reunites with family, finding hope and healing in a life-changing bond with his niece.
Style: dramatic, emotional, realistic, melancholic, suspense
Plot: family drama, second chance, redemption, guilt, trauma, family secret, healing, uncle niece relationship, bittersweet, moral dilemma, intimate, forgiveness ...
Similarity:
57%
Linked (2017)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min.
Story: A troubled young man battles his inner demons as he seeks redemption and a second chance in his life.
Style: reflective, emotional, realistic, serious, melancholic ...
Plot: redemption, second chance, self discovery, personal growth, soul searching, regret, coming of age, trauma, moral dilemma, loss, isolation, identity ...
Similarity:
57%
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 6.0
 109
Redemption (2003)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story: Christian is a young man growing up in Hollywood who dreams of following in his father's footsteps into show business. When he meets Tony, an industry insider with "connections," he is convinced that he has found his big break -- ...
Style: dark, intense, realistic, independent film, suspense ...
Plot: hollywood, redemption, drug addiction, self destructing, celebrity culture, character study, showbiz, nightlife, secrets, desperation, betrayal, isolation ...
Place: los angeles
Similarity:
57%
 6.7
 326
Tess (2016)
Genre: Drama
Country: South Africa
Duration: 86 min.
Story: When sex worker Tess falls pregnant, she has to fight to keep her past from swallowing her whole.
Style: disturbing, suspense, captivating, emotional, independent film ...
Plot: pregnancy, afrikaans, female protagonist, sex worker, prostitute, motherhood, sex work, unwanted pregnancy, troubled past, changing lives, prostitution, unplanned pregnancy ...
Place: africa, south africa
Similarity:
55%
A Place by the Sea (1988)
Genre: Drama
Country: Israel
Duration: 93 min.
Story: A former prostitute and her reformed convict boyfriend try to make a new start in life. They begin to refurbish a derelict building close to the sea, but people from their past come back to haunt them.
Style: emotional, melancholic, independent film, suspense
Plot: redemption, second chance, female protagonist, ex prostitute, branding iron, ex convict, seaside, trauma, intimate, rehabilitation, male protagonist, social realism ...
Similarity:
54%
 4.7
 145
The Missing (2022)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story: When Raina's child goes missing, she gets help from Holly, a local Detective. However, when they're confronted with Raina's abusive ex, Maurice, she is thrown back into danger as her child becomes a pawn in his latest game of ...
Style: psychological thriller, detective, suspense, crime drama, emotional ...
Plot: missing child, manipulation, female protagonist, kidnapping, domestic abuse, cat and mouse, small town, investigation, danger, revenge, moral ambiguity, stalker ...
Similarity:
54%
Breaking the Silence (1992)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story: Defending a teen charged with patricide drudges up dark memories for a lawyer.
Style: dramatic, dark, serious, emotional, psychological ...
Audience: adult
Plot: patricide, trauma, child abuse, murder, courtroom, shame, guilt, ethical dilemma, defense attorney, family secret, character study, secrets ...
Similarity:
53%
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Two Pictures (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story: Two strangers - Ruth, a burn unit nurse and Conrad, a shipyard worker - cross paths over a strange weekend in Seattle.
Style: captivating, psychological, thrilling, emotional, independent film ...
Plot: dreaming, nurse, problem, bonding, character study, redemption, empathy, heroism, intimate, blue collar, slice of life, second chance ...
Similarity:
53%
 6.6
 167
Suffocation (2019)
Genre: Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration: 88 min.
Story: After getting out of jail, where she learned to care for the sick, Alma, an albino woman, is determined to recover at any cost something much more important than her own freedom. In order to do so, Alma must spend her nights taking care of Clemente, ...
Style: emotional, psychological thriller, melancholic, intense, atmospheric ...
Plot: fear of death, obsession, female protagonist, compassion, character study, loneliness, moral ambiguity, redemption, domestic drama, manipulation, isolation, slow burn ...
Place: mexico city
Similarity:
53%
Souvenirs intimes (1999)
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 118 min.
Story: In this French Canadian drama, the life of a paraplegic painter implodes when an old girlfriend comes back into his life and accuses him of raping her 15 years earlier.
Style: emotional, psychological, melancholic, controversial, intense ...
Plot: painter, guilt, introspection, character study, memory, moral ambiguity, flashback, artist, betrayal, male protagonist, identity crisis, isolation ...
Time: 90s
Similarity:
53%
 7.4
 198
Home (2013)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story: The story of a man suffering from mental illness who attempts to rebuild his life.
Style: realistic, uplifting, sincere, independent film, psychological ...
Plot: mental illness, redemption, parents and children, starting over, hopes, family relations, friendship, empathy, realism, character study, isolation, independence ...
Time: 21st century
Place: usa, new york
Similarity:
53%
 3.8
 57
Normal (2015)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Story: A young woman's birthright hides a dark secret.
Style: psychological, disturbing, captivating, independent film, suspense ...
Plot: female protagonist, secret, dark secret, secrets, seduction, seductress, lifestyle, life philosophy, identity, family secret, revelation, identity crisis ...
Place: new york
Similarity:
53%
 4.9
 259
Landing Up (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story: When a young woman finds herself living life on the streets she learns the art of picking up men to put a roof over her head. But when she meets the guy of her dreams her secret threatens to ruin their perfect relationship.
Style: thrilling, captivating, psychological, emotional, heartfelt ...
Plot: con artists, secret, homelessness, love affair, relationship problems, female protagonist, couple relations, love and romance, intrigue, love interest, male female relationship, relationships ...
Similarity:
52%
I Can't Breathe (God Forgive Them) (2022)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 65 min.
Story: What lies beyond Death? Does Justice indeed Prevail? The testing of your faith is more precious than gold. So, keep on believing.
Style: religious drama, inspirational, reflective, emotional, intense ...
Plot: faith, police brutality, hopes, forgiveness, religious, spirituality, resurrection, redemption, justice, miraculous event, moral dilemma, resilience ...
Similarity:
52%