Movies like Malu
If you like "Malu" you are looking for emotional, psychological and captivating movies about / with female protagonist, mother daughter relationship, poverty, motherhood, family drama, character study and relationships themes of Drama genre shot in Brazil.
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.
Malu (2024)
465
Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Malu — a mercurial, unemployed actress living with her conservative mother in a precarious house in a Rio de Janeiro slum — tries to deal with her strained relationship with her own adult daughter while surviving on memories of her glorious artistic past.
Style:
emotional, psychological, captivating, thrilling, melancholic, art house, atmospheric, independent film, tense
Plot:
female protagonist, mother daughter relationship, poverty, motherhood, family drama, character study, relationships, kids and family, family relations, social problems, relationship problems, problem, family problems, survival, urban, nostalgia, identity crisis, slice of life, memory, defiant
Time:
contemporary
Place:
brazil, rio de janeiro
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Malu
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out captivating, psychological, thrilling and melancholic films with plots about female protagonist, family problems, slice of life, family relations, life is a bitch, relationships and intimate mostly in Drama, Romance and Comedy genres. Some movies like Malu: Pinto (2021), Pacified (2019), Little Loves (2024), My Daughter on the Run (2020), Asees (2018). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
908
Genre: Drama
Country: Iran
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
The film tells the story of a woman on the outskirts of the city who lives with her husband and child, but the story of their lives changes.
Style:
captivating, psychological, thrilling, emotional, realistic ...
Plot:
female protagonist, family drama, affair, husband wife relationship, lifestyle change, problem, relationship problems, male female relationship, relationships, family relations, changing lives, social problems ...
Time:
21st century
Similarity:
95%
325
Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil, USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Tati, an introspective 13 year old girl struggles to connect with her estranged father, Jaca, after he is released from prison in the turbulent wake of the Rio Olympics. As Brazilian Pacification Police battle to maintain a tenuous occupation of the ...
Style:
psychological, captivating, disturbing, tense, atmospheric ...
Plot:
father daughter relationship, prison, family drama, favela, coming of age, life is a bitch, family problems, relationship problems, ex convict, adolescence, teenage life, dysfunctional family ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
brazil, rio de janeiro
Similarity:
86%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Teresa changes her vacation plans to spend the summer with Ani, her mother. Living together day and night after so many years is not easy for either of them. Accustomed to living alone, it is difficult for them to agree on even the small things of ...
Style:
thrilling, psychological, captivating, emotional, realistic ...
Plot:
mother daughter relationship, old woman, family drama, relationships, family problems, parent child relationship, social problems, female protagonist, relationship problems, women, problem, mother and daughter ...
Similarity:
85%
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
When her daughter Chloé runs away from home, Jeanne is disappointed with the response of the police, for whom a teenager runaway is not a priority, and she realizes she can only rely on herself.
Style:
captivating, thrilling, psychological, tense
Plot:
mother daughter relationship, female protagonist, teenager, runaway, missing child, mother child relationship, teenage daughter, problem, motherhood, family problems, life is a bitch, family relations ...
Similarity:
84%
Movie in collections
363
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
At the heart of Asees is the story of an endearing mother-son duo. Through their journey, the film paints a poignant portrait of the powerful bond between a mother and her child.
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, sentimental, emotional ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
punjabi, motherhood, mother son relationship, relationships, mother, family drama, bonding, problem, family relations, parent child relationship, life, family problems ...
Place:
india
Similarity:
78%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min.
Story:
A Female DJ finds love in a new city, and shares her music in honor of her late mother.
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, atmospheric, emotional ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
dj, female protagonist, love story, relationships, musician's life, love affair, family problems, social problems, music, musician, family relations, changing lives ...
Similarity:
76%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
Widowed mother Mo's daughter Krissy begins chatting online with a closet predator who kidnaps and exploits her in sexually abusive live streams on the dark web.
Style:
psychological, captivating, thrilling, dark, disturbing ...
Plot:
widow, dark web, predator, sexploitation, relationships, family problems, female protagonist, life is a bitch, mother child relationship, family life, single mother, motherhood ...
Similarity:
74%
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
Milena travels to a remote opal mining community to see her estranged, ill father. Lost and alone, she falls into his bewildering world, where men escape society and share ideals of freedom. Soon, he doesn’t want her to leave. Stuck in time, ...
Style:
captivating, thrilling, psychological, contemplative, atmospheric ...
Plot:
father daughter relationship, dysfunctional family, estranged father, father and daughter, relationship problems, father, family problems, parent child relationship, family relations, life is a bitch, social problems, relationships ...
Similarity:
72%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
In rural Western Massachusetts, 11-year-old Lacy spends the summer of 1991 at home, enthralled by her own imagination and the attention of her mother, Janet. As the months pass, three visitors enter their orbit, all captivated by Janet.
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, suspenseful, independent film ...
Plot:
mother daughter relationship, summer, intimate, imagination, family drama, coming of age, motherhood, childhood, life is a bitch, teenage protagonist, family problems, teenager ...
Time:
year 1991, 90s
Place:
massachusetts
Similarity:
72%
Genre: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Amaia, who has just become a mother, decides to return to her parents' house along the Basque coast for guidance while her partner is temporarily away.
Style:
emotional, captivating, thrilling, psychological, reflective ...
Plot:
motherhood, female protagonist, woman, family relations, parenting, newborn baby, domestic drama, mother child relationship, family life, family problems, kids and family, husband wife relationship ...
Place:
basque country, spain, iberian peninsula
Similarity:
71%
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Daughter Ji-suk is now already a mother herself, but she'll always be a child in the eyes of her proud mom. The two decide to go on their first ever trip together. Over three days and two nights, their journey reveals the love and regrets, ...
Style:
sad, psychological, captivating, thrilling, realistic ...
Plot:
mother and daughter, family relations, family drama, bonding, love, motherhood, mother daughter relationship, female protagonist, life is a bitch, family problems, overprotective mother, kids and family ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
korea, south korea
Similarity:
71%
157
Genre: Drama
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
Hakim and Latifa fled the Algerian civil war in the early 90s. They live since in the Jura, with their two daughters: Nedjma 14 years, and Leila, the eldest, left to study hair in Paris. Three days before Christmas, Nedjma receives a terse SMS from ...
Style:
captivating, psychological, thrilling, melancholic
Plot:
father daughter relationship, missing daughter, family drama, relationships, sister, family problems, family relations, relationship problems, life is a bitch, social problems, immigration, character study ...
Place:
paris france
Similarity:
69%
Genre: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Álex and Cata, two young women who live on the outskirts of the city, a desolate place full of empty stores and ramshackle bars where dreams end up fading, have been preparing their escape all their lives.
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, emotional, bleak ...
Plot:
poverty, moral dilemma, escape, social realism, social problems, money problems, women, female protagonist, poor, lifestyle, dysfunctional family, choice ...
Time:
2020s
Similarity:
68%
Genre: Drama
Country: Nigeria
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
A taxi driver, already struggling to support his wife and children, finds an abandoned baby in the back of his cab.
Style:
captivating, thrilling, psychological, heartfelt, realistic ...
Plot:
abandoned baby, secrets, resilience, fatherhood, family drama, marital problem, taxi, relationship problems, family problems, husband wife relationship, couple relations, relationships ...
Similarity:
64%
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
Estela and her mother Clota must travel from Junín, where they live, to the town of Costa Bonita, in Necochea, to see some apartments that Estela's father has inherited from her.
Style:
captivating, thrilling, psychological, emotional, road movie ...
Plot:
mother daughter relationship, relationships, inheritance, town, mother, family relations, women, character study, family drama, motherhood, intimate, slice of life ...
Similarity:
61%
729
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
After getting laid off, young single-mom Beth finds herself living in her car and struggles to hide her homelessness from her estranged brother Ben.
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, emotional, independent film ...
Plot:
homelessness, single mother, female protagonist, poverty, social problems, dysfunctional family, life is a bitch, family relations, relationship problems, poor family, family problems, social issues ...
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
A young and successful insurance underwriter must allow her mentally unstable mother to move in with her after the institution in which the mother had been living is deemed unfit for occupancy. The mother then begins to dislike how close her ...
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, realistic, touching ...
Plot:
mother daughter relationship, family drama, family relations, male female relationship, problem, relationships, lifestyle, couple relations, relationship vs career, female protagonist, family problems, relationship problems ...
Place:
los angeles
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
A high-school girl who lives in a rural town in Japan struggles to define her own way in life. To help her impoverished family she works as a video fetish performer which leads to problems for her and her family with a criminal underworld.
Style:
psychological, captivating, thrilling, tense, emotional ...
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
coming of age, desperation, high school, poverty, problem, teenage life, life is a bitch, social problems, teenager, money problems, japanese girl, female protagonist ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
japan
Similarity:
59%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: Poland, Netherlands, France
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
A young Polish-born, Berlin-based lawyer working on refugee cases is unexpectedly reunited with his father, who is his only tie left with his homeland.
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, emotional, realistic ...
Plot:
father son relationship, family reunited, father, emigrant, immigration, refugee, relationships, problem, father son reunion, father and son, life is a bitch, family relations ...
Place:
berlin germany, poland, germany
Similarity:
56%
Genre: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 144 min.
Story:
Gu Wentong, a middle-aged food critic, is drifting through the local eateries of vibrant Beijing with his younger photographer colleague Oyang. A divorcé with a 6-year-old daughter and estranged from his father for decades, he is looking for a new ...
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, reflective, realistic ...
Plot:
father son relationship, estrangement, father, family relations, search for father, family drama, father son reunion, absent father, relationships, estranged father, relationship problems, family reunited ...
Place:
china
Similarity:
54%
1K
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Sarah, a free spirited young girl looking to surgically reassign her gender and Antony, a once exuberant but now a dejected and dispirited young man. What will happen when they meet?
Style:
thrilling, captivating, psychological, emotional, art house ...
Plot:
self discovery, transgender, lgbtq, desire for fame, relationship problems, male female relationship, life is a bitch, relationships, coming of age, identity crisis, character study, acceptance ...
Place:
india
Similarity:
53%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Beth is a helpline volunteer – part of the small army that gets on the phone every night across America, fielding calls from all kinds of people feeling lonely, broken, hopeless. Over the last year the tide has become a tsunami. As Beth goes ...
Style:
emotional, heartfelt, thrilling, captivating, psychological ...
Plot:
social issues, volunteer, telephone call, social problems, empathy, social worker, loneliness, compassion, mental health, relationship problems, trust, character study ...
Similarity:
49%
1K
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina, Mexico
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Julia is a mother, or rather, one of many mothers, sisters, daughters, colleagues, who have had their lives torn apart by the widespread violence in a country waging a war against its women. Julia is searching for Ger, her daughter. And in her ...
Style:
psychological, captivating, suspenseful, thrilling, tense ...
Plot:
female protagonist, daughter, vanished man, life is a bitch, mother daughter relationship, missing person, problem, family problems, mysterious disappearance, investigation, bereavement, women's rights ...
Time:
2020s
Place:
latin america
Similarity:
49%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
She has never lived in a high-rise apartment, and she wonders how her sister can live at this height every day. A few days ago she kind of burst in to stay with her sister, and she is now becoming re-accustomed to life in Korea. While seeming to ...
Style:
captivating, psychological, thrilling, contemplative, art house ...
Plot:
female protagonist, secret, character study, lifestyle change, relationships, male female relationship, relationship problems, intimate, city life, minimalism, slice of life, sibling relationship ...
Place:
korea, seoul
Similarity:
46%
Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
The film uses delicacy and humor to describe the authoritarian functioning of a typically Brazilian 1950 family in Rio de Janeiro. The family is headed by a matriarch anxiously waiting for the night to hear Carlos Lacerda. The intense emotional plot ...
Style:
art house, period piece, melancholic
Plot:
family drama, matriarchy, character study, slice of life, gender roles, satire, middle class, nostalgia, family relations, family
Time:
1950s
Place:
rio de janeiro
Similarity:
44%
126
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A father and son work together as agents.
Style:
thrilling, psychological, captivating, emotional, realistic ...
Plot:
father son relationship, relationships, problem, relationship problems, family problems, family relations, life is a bitch, father, father and son, nightclub, family drama, nightlife ...
Time:
turn of the century
Place:
new york
Similarity:
44%
Genre: Drama
Country: Finland
Duration: 163 min.
Story:
Maja and Janne move to the barren and remote island of Stormskerry, where survival is a daily struggle. Growing up in a world of old values, Maja becomes aware of a new era: a woman can be an equal partner instead of a mere bystander. The couple ...
Style:
psychological, captivating, thrilling, emotional, family saga ...
Plot:
island, female protagonist, resilience, gender roles, remote island, relationship problems, life, social problems, life is a bitch, problem, sacrifice, survival ...
Time:
1800s
Similarity:
44%
77
Genre: Drama
Country: New Zealand, Nigeria
TV show
Story:
Tarela, a young lady who works at a local bar where she is constantly owed salary, struggles to make ends meet as the survival of her mother, Ebiere and her younger sister, Kome, rests squarely on her shoulders.
Style:
thrilling, captivating, psychological, realistic, melancholic
Plot:
female protagonist, stripper, family problems, poverty, female bartender, financial problem, life is a bitch, money problems, dysfunctional family, mother daughter relationship, family relations, social problems ...
Place:
new zealand
Similarity:
44%
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Camille a 16 years old pregnant girl was placed in a maternal center by the Judge. She became friends with Alison, an immature young mother, and fought against the authority of Nadine, an educator as passionate as she was disillusioned.
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, emotional, intense
Plot:
motherhood, young mother, teenage pregnancy, teenage protagonist, adolescence, family problems, life is a bitch, kids and family, mother love, female protagonist, pregnant teenager, young girl ...
Time:
2020s
Similarity:
43%
326
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:
42%
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