Movies like Woman in the Dunes
If you like "Woman in the Dunes" you are looking for atmospheric, surreal and avant garde movies about / with existentialism, trapped, love affair, metaphor, escape attempt, surrealism and isolation themes of Drama and Thriller genre shot in Japan.
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1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
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Woman in the Dunes (1964)
25K
Original name: 砂の女
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 147 min.
Story:
An entomologist suffers extreme psychological and sexual torture after being taken captive by the residents of a poor seaside village.
Style:
atmospheric, surreal, avant garde, psychological, philosophical, erotic, black and white, experimental, disturbing, cerebral ...
Plot:
existentialism, trapped, love affair, metaphor, escape attempt, surrealism, isolation, insect, sun, held captive, desert, male nudity, obsession, beautiful scenery, solitude, entomologist, sex, trap, mental disorder, philosophy, spirituality, landscape, captivity, love and romance, village ...
Time:
60s, 20th century, 1960s
Place:
japan, asia, tokyo
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Woman in the Dunes
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out psychological, surreal, serious and weird films with plots about psychological drama, obsession, loneliness, existentialism, storytelling, dream and surrealism mostly in Drama, Thriller and Mystery genres. Some movies like Woman in the Dunes: The Face of Another (1966), Persona (1966), The Collector (1965), Red Desert (1964), The Exterminating Angel (1962). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
A businessman with a disfigured face obtains a lifelike mask from his doctor, but the mask starts altering his personality.
Style:
allegory, surreal, philosophical, black and white, psychological ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
incest, disfigured face, brother sister incest, philosophy, new identity, existentialism, face, plastic surgery, plastic surgeon, disfigured, surgery, body horror ...
Time:
year 1966, distant future, 60s
Place:
japan, asia
Similarity:
100%
140K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 83 min.
Story:
A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer. Alma eventually ...
Style:
mind twisting, cerebral, surreal, black and white, sexual ...
Plot:
surrealism, mute character, actress, silence, patient, existentialism, medical, nordic, art, dream, alienation, insanity ...
Time:
year 1966, 60s, 20th century
Place:
scandinavia, eastern europe
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
Freddie is an inept bank clerk with no future. His only hobby is collecting butterflies, which gives him a feeling of power and control that is otherwise totally missing from his life. He comes into a large sum of money, and buys himself a country ...
Style:
disturbing, tense, serious, tension, suspense ...
Plot:
kidnapping, psychopath, obsession, collector, loneliness, confined, woman in danger, danger, mentally unstable, dangerous attraction, stockholm syndrome, serial killer ...
Time:
year 1965, 60s, 20th century
Place:
london
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
Amid the modern wastelands and toxic factories of Italy, wife and mother Giuliana (Monica Vitti) desperately tries to conceal her tenuous grip on reality from those around her, especially her successful yet neglectful husband, Ugo (Carlo Chionetti). ...
Style:
psychological, thought provoking, realistic, atmospheric, serious ...
Plot:
loneliness, depression, fog, ship, hypochondriac, extramarital affair, existentialism, mother son relationship, society, factory, passion, car accident ...
Time:
20th century, 60s
Place:
europe, italy
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Country: Mexico
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
The guests at an upper-class dinner party find themselves unable to leave. The Exterminating Angel is a 1962 surrealist film, written and directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Silvia Pinal. Sharply satirical and allegorical, the film contains a view ...
Style:
surreal, dark comedy, black comedy, black and white, philosophical ...
Plot:
surrealism, religion, social satire, room, mansion, dinner party, absurdism, satire, class differences, piano, isolation, symbolism ...
Time:
year 1962, 20th century, 60s
Place:
spain, paris france
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Italy, France, Spain
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
David Locke (Jack Nicholson) is a world-weary American journalist who has been sent to cover a conflict in northern Africa, but he makes little progress with the story. When he discovers the body of a stranger who looks similar to him, Locke assumes ...
Style:
cerebral, road movie, philosophical, existential, tense ...
Plot:
desert, reporter, escape, journalism, journalist, existentialism, hotel, on the road, loneliness, espionage, identity, road trip ...
Time:
year 1975, 20th century, 70s
Place:
africa, europe, barcelona, north africa, italy ...
Similarity:
100%
20K
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
An awkward young teen working at a spa becomes overly attached to her fellow worker, a lonely outcast. They hang out at a bar owned by a strange pregnant artist and her has-been cowboy husband. Amid emotional crises, the three woman steal and trade ...
Style:
surreal, stylized, art house, depressing, visually stunning ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
surrealism, insanity, psychology, suicide attempt, women, feminist, identity, feminism, gender issues, mental disorder, artist, psychotic ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, year 1977
Place:
california, usa, texas
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 134 min.
Story:
Nothing is as it seems when a woman experiencing misgivings about her new boyfriend joins him on a road trip to meet his parents at their remote farm.
Style:
mindfuck, suspense, thought provoking, disturbing, psychological ...
Plot:
dementia, suicide, winter, farm, relationships, high school, waitress, blizzard, road trip, elderly couple, estrangement, haunted by the past ...
Time:
2020s, 21st century
Place:
america, oklahoma
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Amidst a nuclear war, a plane carrying a group of schoolboys crash lands on a deserted island. With no adult survivors, the boys are forced to fend for themselves. At first they cooperate, but when the they split into two separate camps -- one led ...
Style:
suspenseful, disturbing, black and white, atmospheric, thought provoking ...
Audience:
teens, kids
Plot:
wilderness, island, desert island, bullying, innocence lost, survival, children, stranded on an island, literary, coming of age, skinny dipping, isolation ...
Time:
year 1963, 20th century, 60s, future, near future
Place:
fictional island, britain, pacific ocean
Similarity:
100%
32K
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
A collection of magical tales based upon the actual dreams of director Akira Kurosawa.
Style:
anthology, psychedelic, cerebral, philosophical, art film ...
Plot:
dream, surrealism, artist, tunnel, art, nuclear disaster, environmentalism, magic realism, spirit, radiation, philosophy, beautiful scenery ...
Time:
year 1990, 80s, 20th century
Place:
japan, mount fuji, asia, pacific ocean, tokyo
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Andreas, a man struggling with the recent demise of his marriage and his own emotional isolation, befriends a married couple also in the midst of psychological turmoil. In turn he meets Anna, who is grieving the recent deaths of her husband and son. ...
Style:
art house, cerebral, surreal, psychological, bleak ...
Plot:
nightmare, depression, isolation, self pity, animal cruelty, suicide, guilt, female nudity, psychology, dialogue, insanity, nordic ...
Time:
year 1969, 20th century, 60s
Place:
eastern europe
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
A decadent London aristocrat hires a man-servant to attend to his needs. However, the balance of power starts to shift...
Style:
sexy, psychological, psychosexual thriller, atmospheric, surreal ...
Plot:
manipulation, servant, master and servant, decadence, class differences, dysfunctional relationship, alcoholism, master servant relationship, classism, gay subtext, lgbt, sexual repression ...
Time:
60s, year 1963, 20th century, 1930s
Place:
england, london, america, britain, united kingdom
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Poland
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
Set in pre- World War II era. A young man is on a strange train to see his dying father in a sanatorium. But the place is going to ruin and recalls a lot of memories from the past. He is beset by soldiers from the past, colonial black mercenaries, ...
Style:
surreal, psychological, psychedelic, dark, cerebral ...
Plot:
surrealism, alternate dimension, alternate reality, metaphysics, nightmare, female nudity, renaissance, magic realism, time travel, macabre, trippy, existentialism ...
Time:
year 1973, 20th century
Place:
poland, eastern europe
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 77 min.
Story:
Set in an anonymous Japanese metropolis, the film tells the tale of shy career woman, Rinko and Shigehiko, her hygiene-obsessed, workaholic husband. The couple explore their sexuality in a number of ways, causing their lives to be disrupted.
Style:
sexy, surreal, psychological, suspenseful, erotic ...
Plot:
couple relations, dysfunctional marriage, power relations, stalking, sexual relations, female masturbation, sex, surrealism, erotica, photograph, sexual blackmail, pink film ...
Place:
japan, europe, asia, italy, tokyo ...
Similarity:
21%
25K
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
In medieval times, on a remote plain, a widow and her mother-in-law kill wandering samurai, put their bodies in a hole in the ground and sell their armour and valuables, until the daughter-in-law falls in love with one of their intended victims.
Style:
black and white, scary, surreal, art house, creepy ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
folk horror, samurai, swamp, murder, witch, sexuality, sex, medieval, survival, danger, vengeance, samurai sword ...
Time:
middle ages, medieval times, 14th century
Place:
japan, asia, east asia, tokyo
Similarity:
21%
4K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Hiroshi wakes up in a hospital room and realizes that he was in a serious car accident that caused the death of his girlfriend, Ryoko, as well as the loss of his memory. While trying to regain his memory, one of the first clues that Hiroshi finds ...
Style:
atmospheric, emotional, surreal, captivating, psychological ...
Plot:
obsession, haunted by the past, body horror, memory loss, love triangle, medical school, crazy love, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, medical student, autopsy, dream, loneliness ...
Similarity:
20%
27K
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, Italy, West Germany
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
An unassuming office worker is arrested and stands trial, but he is never made aware of his charges.
Style:
surreal, black and white, psychological, disturbing, psychedelic ...
Plot:
surrealism, paranoia, dystopia, courtroom, courtroom drama, distopia, trial, insanity, oppression, legal, existentialism, literary ...
Time:
20th century, year 1962, 60s, 1920s, 18th century
Place:
america, russia
Similarity:
20%
439K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain, USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
The Machinist is the story of Trevor Reznik, a lathe-operator who is dying of insomnia. In a machine shop, occupational hazards are bad enough under normal circumstances; yet for Trevor the risks are compounded by fatigue. Trevor has lost the ...
Style:
psychological, twist ending, surprise ending, depressing, surreal ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
insomnia, insanity, uncover truth, obsession, mysterious character, paranoia, losing-it hero, twists and turns, schizophrenia, life is a bitch, secrets, alienation ...
Time:
year 2004, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, america, persia, los angeles
Similarity:
19%
Movie in collections
477K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Ireland, Canada, UK, USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Jack is a young boy of 5 years old who has lived all his life in one room. He believes everything within it are the only real things in the world. But what will happen when his Ma suddenly tells him that there are other things outside of Room?
Style:
sentimental, heartbreaking, emotional, sad, thought provoking ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, date night, adult
Plot:
kidnapping, isolation, kidnapped, captive, room, mother son relationship, child born of rape, female protagonist, child protagonist, rape, boy, childhood ...
Time:
year 2015, 2010s, near future, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
ireland, persia, canada
Similarity:
50%
236K
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, Spain, France
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
A mild-mannered college professor discovers a look-alike actor and delves into the other man's private affairs.
Style:
surreal, psychological, twist ending, mind bending, clever ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
doppelganger, obsession, mental illness, symbolism, paranoia, nightmare, lookalikes, infidelity, disturbed individual, spider, surrealism, boyfriend girlfriend relationship ...
Time:
year 2013, year 2014, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
toronto ontario canada, canada
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
The seventh film of “The Perfect Education” series tells the tale of a man and a girl who pursue love to the point of madness. With erotic dances and love scenes shot in 3D, the film dpicts a “pure love” story tied with sexual desires. ...
Style:
psychological, erotic, thrilling, captivating, tense ...
Plot:
kidnapping, obsession, obsessive love, captivity, mature, possessiveness, abduction, maid, sexual content, relationships, male female relationship, lifestyle ...
Place:
japan, tokyo
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Karin hopes to recover from her recent stay at a mental hospital by spending the summer at her family's cottage on a tiny island. Her husband, Martin, cares for her but is frustrated by her physical withdrawal. Her younger bother, Minus, is ...
Style:
psychological, philosophical, art house, black and white, serious ...
Plot:
schizophrenia, mental illness, older sister, religion, insanity, psychology, nordic, existentialism, dysfunctional family, mental disorder, illness, spirituality ...
Time:
year 1961, 20th century, 60s
Place:
eastern europe, scandinavia
Similarity:
18%
263K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Novelist Paul Sheldon crashes his car on a snowy Colorado road. He is found by Annie Wilkes, the "number one fan" of Paul's heroine Misery Chastaine. Annie is also somewhat unstable, and Paul finds himself crippled, drugged and at her ...
Style:
psychological, suspenseful, disturbing, atmospheric, scary ...
Audience:
girls' night, adult
Plot:
obsession, insanity, hostage, loneliness, psychopath, stephen king, kidnapping, snow, isolation, captivity, obsessed fan, female psychopath ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1990, 80s
Place:
colorado, persia, usa, new york
Similarity:
18%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, Japan, Germany
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Jakob arrives at the Institute Benjamenta (run by brother and sister Johannes and Lisa Benjamenta) to learn to become a servant. With seven other men, he studies under Lisa: absurd lessons of movement, drawing circles, and servility. He asks for a ...
Style:
black and white, art house, surreal, cult classic, psychological ...
Plot:
surrealism, servant, poetry, snow, spirituality, love letter, manipulation, dream, high school life, family relations, power relations, boarding school ...
Time:
90s
Place:
england, europe, tokyo
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Das Experiment is a shocking psycho thriller about the potential for brutality that humans hide. Even more shocking is the fact that it’s based on an actual occurrence—a 1971 psychological experiment at Stanford University that was aborted ...
Style:
psychological, suspense, thought provoking, rough, tense ...
Plot:
prison, experiment, torture, abuse, social experiment, aggression, prison escape, disorder, degradation, warden, psychology, violence ...
Time:
year 2001, 70s, year 2002, 21st century
Place:
germany, canada
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
The wealthy president of a company has built up an unpayable debt to a local crime lord, and to escape punishment he sells his famous dancer wife to the lecherous old man figuring a 90 year old can’t do too much bad with her. Perhaps not, but ...
Style:
erotic, sexy, disturbing, psychological, serious ...
Plot:
bdsm, sexual relations, voyeur, sadism, bondage, submission, sexual abuse, lesbian sex, japanese mafia, female nudity, yakuza, sex slavery ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
japan, tokyo
Similarity:
18%
33K
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy, Soviet Union
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
The Russian poet Andrei Gorchakov, accompanied by guide and translator Eugenia, is traveling through Italy researching the life of an 18th-century Russian composer. In an ancient spa town, he meets the lunatic Domenico, who years earlier had ...
Style:
philosophical, atmospheric, cerebral, art house, contemplative ...
Plot:
philosophy, art, church, existentialism, poetry, dream, obsession, storytelling, great ending, poet, memory, redemption ...
Time:
year 1983, 80s, 18th century
Place:
rome italy, italy, soviet union, russia, ussr ...
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
The mind is a terrible thing to waste
Style:
bleak, psychedelic, dark, mind bending, psychological thriller ...
Plot:
cult leader, betrayal, psychotic, symbolism, self mutilation, mental breakdown, trauma, hallucination, isolation, paranoia, captivity, claustrophobia ...
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 67 min.
Story:
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a 1989 Japanese cyberpunk film by cult-film director Shinya Tsukamoto produced by Japan Home Video. This, his third film, is an extremely graphic but also strikingly-filmed fantasy shot in the same low-budget, ...
Style:
cult classic, psychotronic, independent film, disturbing, splatter ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
cyberpunk, surrealism, body horror, male nudity, very little dialogue, mutilation, gay subtext, fetishist, transformation, sex, rape, extreme ...
Time:
80s, year 1989
Place:
japan, asia, tokyo
Similarity:
67%
122K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Greece
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that could very well be on another planet. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes that teach them a whole new vocabulary. Any word that comes from beyond their family ...
Style:
disturbing, black comedy, sexy, psychological, art house ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens, teen drama, adult
Plot:
incest, dysfunctional family, isolated house, brother sister incest, paranoia, sadism, brother sister sex, child abuse, overprotective father, eccentric family, abuse, isolation ...
Time:
2000s, year 2010, year 2009, 21st century
Place:
greece, europe
Similarity:
18%
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