Movies like Distant Lights
If you like "Distant Lights" you are looking for contemplative, serious and captivating movies about / with border, immigrant, politics, human spirit, couples, danger and political unrest themes of Drama genre shot in Germany.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
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Distant Lights (2003)
2K
Original name: Lichter
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Lichter is an episodic tale from Hans-Christian Schmid about the life on the boarder between Germany and Poland. The film sheds light on the everyday stories of escape and desperateness.
Style:
contemplative, serious, captivating, sincere, atmospheric, realistic, gloomy
Plot:
border, immigrant, politics, human spirit, couples, danger, political unrest, life is a bitch, injustice, redemption, rebelliousness, against the odds, hopes, state affairs, illegal immigrant, violence, architect, immigration, migration, international relations, prostitute, escape, house, jealousy, translator ...
Time:
21st century, contemporary
Place:
poland, germany, ukraine, europe
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Distant Lights
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, serious, sincere and captivating films with plots about society, hopes, life is a bitch, injustice, rebellion, misfit and state affairs mostly in Drama genres. Some movies like Distant Lights: Strike (2006), Goodbye (2011), The Dust of Time (2008), Dance Town (2010), When We Leave (2010). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
510
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany, Poland
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
In poverty, she found strength. In oppression, she found courage. In solidarity, she found a reason to believe again. Acclaimed German actress Katharina Thalbach (THE TIN DRUM, SOPHIES CHOICE) stars in this hard-hitting historical drama set during ...
Style:
serious, realistic, touching, emotional, captivating ...
Plot:
politics, working class, labor union, rebellion, fighting the system, human spirit, ambition, injustice, life is a bitch, legal, rebelliousness, rivalry ...
Time:
year 2006, 21st century
Place:
poland, europe
Similarity:
100%
899
Genre: Drama
Country: Iran
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Without her husband and without her lawyer’s licence, which has been withdrawn, Noora is left pregnant and alone in her apartment. Her attempt to leave Iran turns into a fight with male chauvinism. A personal, nerve-wracking and infuriating film ...
Style:
serious, sincere, realistic, contemplative, islamic ...
Plot:
rebelliousness, immigrant, woman in danger, society, danger, rebellion, life is a bitch, injustice, political unrest, chaos, arab, strong female presence ...
Place:
persia, middle east, iran
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Drama
Country: Greece, Italy, Germany, Russia, France
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
A, an American film director of Greek ancestry, is making a film that tells his story and the story of his parents. It is a tale that unfolds in Italy, Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan, Canada and the USA. The main character is Eleni, who is claimed and ...
Style:
sincere, atmospheric, touching, sentimental, serious ...
Plot:
couples, politics, love affair, parents and children, hopes, couple relations, love triangle, state affairs, society, introspection, love and romance, political unrest ...
Time:
60s, 50s, 70s, 90s, 20th century ...
Place:
kazakhstan, greece, new york, canada, russia ...
Similarity:
27%
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
A North Korean refugee, Jung-Nim, is trying to find a new life in South Korea, with people suspecting that she is a spy.
Style:
serious, realistic, captivating, touching, contemplative ...
Plot:
couples, social differences, starting over, injustice, forceful separation, political corruption, couple relations, life is a bitch, dishonesty, society, state affairs, hopes ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
korea, asia, north korea, south korea
Similarity:
26%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
Umay is a young woman of Turkish descent, fighting for an independent and self-determined life in Germany against the resistance of her family. Her struggle initiates a dynamic, which results in a life-threatening situation.
Style:
sincere, disturbing, emotional, serious, cute ...
Plot:
family relations, immigrant, self discovery, family problems, against the rules, society, life is a bitch, conservative, unhappy marriage, reconciliation, parents and children, marital rape ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
germany, turkey, europe, berlin germany, istanbul turkey
Similarity:
26%
Genre: Drama
Country: Egypt
Duration: 150 min.
Story:
A female talk show host in Cairo, Egypt, stirs up a political controversy when she focuses her on-air discussions on the topic of women's issues.
Style:
realistic, serious, touching, tense, islamic ...
Plot:
journalism, politics, hopes, introspection, injustice, rebelliousness, idealism, state affairs, media, dentist, political corruption, couple relations ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
africa, middle east, egypt
Similarity:
24%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Marc is a passionate cyclist and urban slacker who avoids work and responsibility. Marc's life changes from one moment to the next when he suffers a life-changing accident. He can either wallow in self-pity or tackle the beast called life with ...
Style:
serious, touching, sincere, psychological, emotional ...
Plot:
cyclist, life is a bitch, couple relations, hopes, disability, parents and children, human nature, misfit, human spirit, redemption, family relations, new love ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
europe, germany
Similarity:
24%
Genre: Drama
Country: Russia, Germany, Italy
Duration: 70 min.
Story:
20 short films about human rights.
Style:
touching, sentimental, serious, gloomy, contemplative ...
Plot:
human spirit, introspection, redemption, youth, life is a bitch, social differences, discrimination, idealism, injustice, hopes, society, human nature ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
africa, asia, usa, europe
Similarity:
24%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
A poor silk weaver promises his wife to dress their newborn daughter in a silk saree for her marriage. Facing systemic oppression and the vicissitudes of his fortune, he struggles to keep his word.
Style:
sincere, serious, realistic, touching, social ...
Plot:
rebelliousness, jail, injustice, life is a bitch, family relations, hopes, political unrest, fighting the system, idealism, revolution, society, village ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century
Place:
asia, india
Similarity:
23%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Based on the true story of Benjamin Prufer and Sreykeo Solvan. The unexpected and uncertain love story of Sreykeo, a 21 year old bar girl in Phnom Penh and Ben, a young German student traveling to Cambodia on a post graduation summer trip. When Ben ...
Style:
touching, atmospheric, realistic, sentimental, serious ...
Plot:
fall in love, hopes, young lovers, unlikely couple, love affair, interracial relations, life is a bitch, social differences, society, terminal illness, youth, love and romance ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
cambodia, europe, asia, germany
Similarity:
23%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, Afghanistan
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
The Mansouri family opens up a new restaurant after the fall of the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan only to be subsequently targeted by factional Taliban elements.
Style:
serious, realistic, emotional, sentimental, islamic ...
Plot:
hopes, rebellion, fighting the system, against the rules, danger, human spirit, society, life is a bitch, terrorism, state affairs, injustice, political unrest ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
afghanistan, middle east
Similarity:
23%
Genre: Drama
Country: Iran
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
An official is sent from his home in Tehran to hear the final appeal of a woman sentenced to death, a political prisoner. The official's wife of nearly 20 years, Fereshteh Samimi, writes him a letter to read when he reaches the hotel - the ...
Style:
captivating, thought provoking, serious, sincere, islamic ...
Plot:
injustice, fighting the system, political unrest, couples, society, feminism, state affairs, couple relations, legal, life is a bitch, rebelliousness, legal action ...
Time:
70s
Place:
iran, persia, middle east
Similarity:
23%
Genre: Drama
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Germany, Croatia
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Loving young couple Luna and Amar try their best to overcome unexpected obstacles that threaten their relationship. After Amar's dramatic change in a fundamentalist community, Luna tears herself apart searching if love is truly enough to keep ...
Style:
thought provoking, captivating, sincere, contemplative, realistic ...
Plot:
religion, muslim, addiction, self discovery, couple relations, couples, religions or cults, introspection, society, redemption, life is a bitch, alcohol abuse ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
bosnia, former yugoslavia, balkan, sarajevo, bosnia herzegovina
Similarity:
22%
578
Genre: Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Michał jedzie do miasta swojego urodzenia, aby załatwić sprawę o którą prosi go szef i od razu wracać. Sprawy przybierają jednak inny obrót. Michał musi pozostać tu parę dni dłużej. Chodząc po mieście spotyka bliskie mu niegdyś ...
Style:
contemplative, atmospheric, realistic, psychological, captivating ...
Plot:
self discovery, haunted by the past, homecoming, family relations, buddies, parents and children, redemption, estrangement, bittersweet, profanity, friends, hopes ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
poland, europe
Similarity:
22%
Genre: Drama
Country: Cuba, USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
An intellectual leaves the Cuban revolution and 'underdevelopment' behind only to find himself at odds with the ambiguities of his new life in the 'developed' world. A portrait of alienation, of an outsider with no clear-cut ...
Style:
captivating, serious, atmospheric, thought provoking, surreal ...
Plot:
idealism, fighting the system, self discovery, state affairs, hopes, redemption, rebelliousness, rebellion, society, lifestyle, politics, introspection ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
cuba, japan, latin america, utah, paris france ...
Similarity:
22%
957
Genre: Drama
Country: Belgium, Luxembourg, France
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Tania, a young Russian woman who lives illegally in Belgium with her 13-year-old son Ivan. Constantly on her guard, she dreads police checks until the day she is arrested.
Style:
captivating, touching, emotional, sentimental, political ...
Plot:
illegal alien, escape, human spirit, fighting the system, social differences, injustice, immigrant, family relations, hopes, life is a bitch, parents and children, society ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
belgium, europe
Similarity:
22%
378
Genre: Drama
Country: Mexico, Spain
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Andres reaches the Mexican border to cross into the United Sates. There between each attempt, he discovers that Tijuana is a troubled city. As he waits there, Andres is not only confronted with his feelings and what he left behind, but also with ...
Style:
serious, realistic, touching, sincere
Plot:
immigrant, u.s. mexico border, follow your dream, human spirit, friendship, social decay, hopes, society, bittersweet, migration, mexican american border, border ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
mexico, latin america, tijuana mexico
Similarity:
21%
Genre: Drama
Country: Czech Republic, Poland, France
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Dostoevsky’s latter-day opus about the siblings and their father is among the masterpieces of world literature. It asks profound questions about ethics and religion. Is there a God? Does the devil exist? Is everything allowed because we live in a ...
Style:
captivating, atmospheric, sincere, serious, realistic ...
Plot:
theater, lifestyle, hopes, parents and children, society, human nature, performer's life, dealing with death, artists and showbiz, redemption, siblings relations, family relations ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
europe, eastern europe, prague, poland, central europe ...
Similarity:
21%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: Iran
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Squatters live on a mothballed oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. The children attend a school on board; men harvest scrap metal and old oil in the hull; women keep house and raise children and Captain Nemat runs it all with an iron hand. We follow a ...
Style:
contemplative, realistic, serious, thought provoking, sincere ...
Plot:
forbidden love, young lovers, ship, human nature, power relations, injustice, misfit, hopes, human spirit, anarchist, life is a bitch, society ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
iran, middle east, persia
Similarity:
20%
Genre: Drama
Country: Mexico, Germany
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
After five failed attempts to go to the United States, 18-year-old Ramón decides to look for a friend’s aunt in Germany, but never finds her. With no papers or money, and without knowing the language, he barely survives living on the street until ...
Style:
touching, realistic, emotional, captivating, motivational ...
Plot:
beggar, friendship, immigrant, hopes, society, fish out of water, life is a bitch, unemployed, migration, mexican american border, old age, disorder ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
germany, europe
Similarity:
20%
391
Genre: Drama
Country: Chile, Spain
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
In 1897, in Lota, Chile, in the face of long days, low pay, debts to the company store, unsafe and deadly working conditions, and widespread child labor, men try to establish a miners' association at one of the largest coal mines in the world. ...
Style:
serious, realistic, captivating, contemplative, epic ...
Plot:
working class, injustice, fighting the system, workplace, rebellion, rebelliousness, racism, love affair, family business, political unrest, workplace situations, life is a bitch ...
Time:
19th century, 1890s
Place:
chile
Similarity:
20%
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
When Chand arrives in Brampton, Ontario to meet her new husband, she leaves behind a loving family and supportive community. Now, in a new country, she finds herself living in a modest suburban home with seven other people and two part-time tenants. ...
Style:
captivating, serious, sincere, atmospheric, multicultural ...
Plot:
immigrant, couple relations, destructive relationship, self discovery, dysfunctional family, family problems, family relations, couples, hopes, society, redemption, parents and children ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
canada, india, asia, toronto ontario canada
Similarity:
19%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Anesthesist Doug Peeno hopes to pay for the legal costs of preventing his son Bryan being left in his first wife's bad custody with he proceeds of his present wife Linda's new job. She's the first graduate in her family and eagerly ...
Style:
sincere, emotional, realistic, serious
Plot:
public health, idealism, uncover truth, rebellion, ambition, fighting the system, against the odds, couples, negligence, family problems, injustice, society ...
Similarity:
19%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany, France, Turkey
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
A woman struggles with love and personal loss against the backdrop of a land torn by civil war in this drama from filmmaker Ozcan Alper. Sumru (Gaye Gursel) is a Turkish woman who studies ethnic music at a college in Istanbul and frequently makes ...
Style:
atmospheric, contemplative, realistic, emotional, art house ...
Plot:
journey, on the road, unfulfillment, haunted by the past, tragic love, life is a bitch, missing person, ethnic conflict, self discovery, society, wartime life, black market ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
middle east, kurdistan, turkey
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Liu returns to his native city Shanghai after 50 years spent in Taiwan. He has come to find the first love of his life, Qiao, who he left behind pregnant. In the meantime, Qiao has married and formed a family. But Liu is determined to get the ...
Style:
emotional, atmospheric, touching, realistic, captivating ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
redemption, love affair, lovers reunited, homecoming, soldier, unfulfillment, politics, aging, elderly, hopes, political unrest, family relations ...
Time:
20th century, 1940s, 21st century
Place:
taiwan, china, asia
Similarity:
18%
399
Genre: Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
19 year old Wojtek lives in a poverty stricken Polish town. He is in love with an older woman, an illegal emigrant from Ukraine. He boxes in illegal matches to get money and is spotted by a man running a security business. Accepting this man's ...
Style:
bleak, rough, touching, serious, realistic ...
Plot:
life is a bitch, couples, contests and competitions, gangster, couple relations, unlikely couple, immigrant, misfit, ambition, social decay, social misfits, chance ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
poland, europe
Similarity:
18%
730
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Based on a true story, one woman takes on the U.S. military and General Dynamics; maker of the F-16, thought to be the very best tactical fighter in the world. Air Force Captain Theodore T. Harduvel was one of the best F-16 pilots the U.S. had to ...
Style:
captivating, disturbing, serious, thought provoking, suspenseful ...
Plot:
aviation, hopes, politics, state affairs, heroes, law enforcement, righting the wronged, danger, uncover truth, military, rivalry, investigation ...
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
A Polish contractor, Nowak, leads a group of workmen to London so they can provide cheap labor for a government official based there. Nowak (Irons) has to manage the project and the men as they encounter the tempations of the West and loneliness and ...
Style:
political, realistic, tense, bleak, dark comedy ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
renaissance, culture clash, worker, survival, adaptation, polish, construction worker, state affairs, misfit, society, boss and employee, workplace ...
Time:
year 1982, 80s
Place:
london, poland, eastern europe, england, europe ...
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Drama
Country: Denmark
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
A soldier returning from war is hired by her own father to drive his prostitutes around town. She calls upon herself to help one of them.
Style:
serious, sincere, touching, atmospheric, tense ...
Plot:
life is a bitch, haunted by the past, friendship, family problems, injustice, family relations, feminism, hopes, military, redemption, human spirit, dysfunctional family ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
denmark, europe
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
In 1939, the author Annemarie Schwarzenbach and the ethnologist Ella Maillart travel together by car to Kabul, but each is in pursuit of her own project. Annemarie Schwarzenbach, who was among Erika and Klaus Mann's circle of friends in the ...
Style:
psychological, captivating, serious, atmospheric, contemplative ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
lesbian, journey, self discovery, on the run, obsessive quest, on the road, society, couples, politics, redemption, life is a bitch, love affair ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
afghanistan, switzerland
Similarity:
18%
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