Movies like Dearest 2012
If you like "Dearest" you are looking for sincere, touching and serious movies about / with road trip, widower, mourning, chance meeting, prison warden, last wish and humanity themes of Drama genre shot in Japan.
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1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
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Dearest (2012)
555
Original name: あなたへ
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
A prison officer hands in his resignation after his wife's death, to drive to the port where she wants her ashes scattered at sea. Eiji (Ken Takakura) works as a prison officer in Hokuriku. At the age of 53 Eiji loses his wife who he loved the most. Eiji then receives a letter from his dead wife which requests that her ashes be spread by in the sea next to her hometown. Her wife never mentioned such a thing while she was alive. In order to find out her real intentions, Eiji heads to his wife's hometown of Nagasaki with his homemade camper van.
Style:
sincere, touching, serious, realistic
Plot:
road trip, widower, mourning, chance meeting, prison warden, last wish, humanity, asian, tourist, last will and testament, prison, boat, car thief, squid, coffee, widow, festival, typhoon, cremation, dead wife, human ashes, eastern, lakeside
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Most similar movies to Dearest
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, serious, sincere and touching films with plots about family relations, parents and children, friendship, bittersweet, redemption, character study and loneliness mostly in Drama genres. Some movies like Dearest: Two Gates of Sleep (2010), Fly with the Crane (2012), The Rebirth (2007), The End of Summer (1961), The Visit (2000). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 78 min.
Story:
After preparing for their mother's imminent death, two brothers go on an arduous upriver journey to honor her final request.
Style:
touching, emotional, realistic, serious, sincere ...
Plot:
death in the family, last wish, family problems, family relations, introspection, hopes, siblings relations, dealing with death, brother brother relationship, minimalism, very little dialogue, death of mother ...
Time:
21st century
Similarity:
95%
Genre: Drama
Country: China, Japan, Hong Kong
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Takada, a Japanese fisherman has been estranged from his son for many years, but when the son is diagnosed with terminal cancer his daughter-in-law, Rie, summons him to the hospital. Through a series of obstacles and relationships, he is brought ...
Style:
touching, emotional, stylized, realistic, serious ...
Plot:
friendship, tour guide, father son relationship, redemption, family relations, parents and children, aging, estranged father, unfulfillment, estrangement, understanding, asian history ...
Time:
year 2005
Place:
china, east asia, tokyo, japan
Similarity:
94%
Genre: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Serenely resigned to his impending death but deeply afraid at the prospect of being cremated, an elderly carpenter seeks to have his last wishes carried out in this gentle, beautifully realized drama from director Li Ruijin. (TIFF)
Style:
sincere, touching, serious, realistic, poignant ...
Plot:
family relations, parents and children, family problems, death in the family, elderly, little girl, grandfather grandson relationship, grandfather granddaughter relationship, cousin cousin relationship, little boy, family drama, elderly man ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
china
Similarity:
80%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
Coincidence and the aftermath of violence. A man's middle-school daughter has been murdered. His wife is already deceased. He tells a counselor he wants to live in anonymity, working with his hands. He moves away and gets a job in a factory. ...
Style:
psychological, serious, emotional, sincere, melancholic ...
Plot:
small town, forgiveness, murder, haunted by the past, life is a bitch, friendship, loss of daughter, widower, loss, mourning, loneliness, grief ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
japan, hokkaido, asia
Similarity:
78%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
The Kohayakawa family is thrown into distress when childlike father Manbei takes up with his old mistress, in one of Ozu’s most deftly modulated blendings of comedy and tragedy.
Style:
touching, sincere, emotional, serious, realistic ...
Plot:
forbidden love, infidelity, family business, dishonesty, parents and children, couples, human nature, love and romance, small business, love, sister sister relationship, extramarital affair ...
Time:
year 1961
Place:
japan, asia, kyoto japan
Similarity:
71%
297
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A young man dying in prison brings his family together for a fateful visit, and proceeds to put his life back together.
Style:
touching, emotional, serious, realistic, independent film ...
Plot:
prison, prison life, redemption, destiny, society, rehabilitation, life is a bitch, hopes, family life, parents and children, black, blaxploitation ...
Time:
90s
Similarity:
62%
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Two gentlemen meet by chance and decide to go on an adventure together. Their journey becomes a quest for happiness.
Style:
heartfelt, road movie, touching, sincere, talky ...
Plot:
on the road, road trip, male friendship, dying and death, friends, friendship between men, death, last wish, sad ending, on the run, escapades, terminal illness ...
Similarity:
60%
740
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
After twenty years of broken bottles and empty hallways, Mort Gleason witnesses his nephew Moo being beaten while in a drunken stupor. The short contact with family brings Mort back to what are left of his senses and he returns to the last home he ...
Style:
realistic, sincere, serious, touching, sad
Plot:
family relations, single parent, haunted by the past, parents and children, youth, social relations, suburbs, coming of age, self discovery, teenage life, teenager, boat ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa, illinois
Similarity:
59%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
From the late 1950s through the '70s, more than 90,000 of the ethnic Koreans in Japan emigrated to North Korea, a country that promised them affluence, justice, and an end to discrimination. KAZOKU NO KUNI tells the story of one of their ...
Style:
serious, touching, realistic, sincere, gloomy ...
Plot:
haunted by the past, fish out of water, culture clash, family life, homecoming, society, family problems, terminal illness, parents and children, life is a bitch, under the surface, family relations ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
japan, north korea, tokyo, asia
Similarity:
55%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min.
Story:
The story of a fire captain who lost eight men in the collapse of the World Trade Center and the editor who helps him prepare the eulogies he must deliver.
Style:
sincere, touching, emotional, serious, realistic ...
Plot:
hopes, firefighter, terrorism, fire brigade, journalism, writer's life, love and romance, danger, couple relations, couples, post september 11 2001, chance meeting ...
Time:
year 2002, september 11 2001
Place:
usa, new york
Similarity:
55%
180
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Over the course of a single day, four different men visit a massage parlor looking for some kind of emotional or physical connection. Simultaneously, the film explores the complex emotional experiences of the women who work there.
Style:
touching, serious, realistic, sentimental, sincere ...
Plot:
massage parlor, workplace, sexual relations, social relations, workplace situations, prostitute, masseuse, high maintenance, gift, chinawoman, talking to the dead, wedding planning ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
new york
Similarity:
53%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
Adapted from the bestselling Japanese autobiography of the same title, this gentle coming-of-age drama concerns an adolescent boy, Boku - Masaya, torn between the inherited recklessness of his father Oton and the inherited responsibility, wisdom and ...
Style:
serious, sincere, sentimental, touching, emotional ...
Plot:
parents separation, family life, mother and son, aging, life is a bitch, family relations, parents and children, terminal illness, single parent, fighting illness, nursing, overprotective mother ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
tokyo, asia, japan
Similarity:
52%
Genre: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Ane is in her mid-forties and delighted when a stunning bouquet of flowers is delivered to her home. But the site manager has no idea who to thank – one thing is for sure; her jealous husband, Ander, is not the unknown cavalier. As these ...
Style:
sincere, touching, serious, captivating, gloomy ...
Plot:
life is a bitch, animal life, life turned upside down, hopes, female protagonist, strong female presence, dealing with death, ashes, sheep, car accident, flowers, relationships ...
Time:
2010s, 21st century
Place:
spain, basque country, europe
Similarity:
52%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
Ginko’s younger brother Tetsuro, a failed comedian, is the oddball of the family. Embarrassing, loud and plain inappropriate at times causes Ginko to disown him. The two reunite when she discovers Tetsuro is terminally ill. Tetsuro’s impending ...
Style:
realistic, emotional, psychological, captivating, independent film ...
Plot:
family relations, human nature, family problems, bittersweet, redemption, family feud, unfulfillment, brother sister relationship, problem solving, brother, living together, relationships ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
japan, asia
Similarity:
52%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
London gentleman David spends a day and all his cash to bring his one-night stand a presentation folder at her office in Liverpool, only to be rather rudely ignored a minute later. After a night on the streets, he meets diner waitress Tina, who ...
Style:
touching, serious, realistic, sincere, romantic ...
Plot:
love and romance, looking for love, one night stand, gambling, male female friendship, confession, sightseeing, sex scene, making love, telephone call, overheard conversation, beach ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
england, liverpool
Similarity:
49%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
The story is of a married woman who, grieving her inability to have children, finds comfort and healing in her friendship with another man. It's about discovering grace in darkness and the unexpected places we find healing.
Style:
realistic, serious, sincere, touching
Plot:
friendship, human nature, couples, family problems, mysterious character, love and romance, crumbling marriage, infidelity, married, friends, woman, bare chested male ...
Time:
21st century
Similarity:
47%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
Jack Dodd was a London butcher who enjoyed a pint with his mates for over 50 years. When he died, he died as he lived, with a smile on his face watching a horse race on which he had bet, with borrowed money. But before he died he had a final ...
Style:
sentimental, realistic, touching, talky, atmospheric ...
Plot:
friendship, last wish, grief, road trip, memory, life, family relations, male friendship, self discovery, parents and children, partner, last will and testament ...
Time:
year 1989, year 2001, 21st century
Place:
england, europe, london, australia, california
Similarity:
46%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
Drama - An unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger forever changes the life of four travelers visiting the hometown of a James Dean-like celebrity actor. - Colin Alexander, Jeff Angel, David Grant Briggs
Style:
realistic, serious, sincere, captivating, road movie ...
Plot:
self discovery, road trip, hotshot hero, inventions and discoveries, secret, spirituality, movie star, character study, small town, mysterious stranger, bittersweet, personal growth ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
indiana
Similarity:
45%
Genre: Drama
Country: Algeria, France, Germany
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Passionné par l'histoire de son peuple, Alloune, un vieux guide du musée africain "La Maison des Esclaves" à Gorée, part en pèlerinage pour retrouver les descendants de ses ancêtres aux Etats-Unis. Cet émouvant voyage va le ...
Style:
serious, realistic, touching, sincere
Plot:
racism, slavery, family relations, immigrant, society, obsessive quest, family tradition, elderly, family history, interracial relations, ancestry, widow ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
africa, south carolina, harlem, new york, usa ...
Similarity:
45%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
Nagisa is transgender. She grew up in Hiroshima as a man, but now lives in Shinjuku, Tokyo as a woman. Due to an incident, she begins to live with middle school student Ichika, who is a distant relative. Ichika has been neglected by her mother ...
Style:
sincere, serious, captivating, emotional, melancholic ...
Plot:
trans woman, transgender, transsexuality, motherhood, family drama, desire for fame, character study, lgbtq, relatives, relationships, instinct, transsexual ...
Place:
japan, tokyo
Similarity:
43%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to maintain the household and bring up her ...
Style:
touching, serious, sincere, realistic, emotional ...
Plot:
mother son relationship, world war two, life is a bitch, japanese military, nationalism, parents and children, wartime life, political unrest, single parent, unsupportive parent, state affairs, death in the family ...
Time:
20th century, 1940s
Place:
japan, hiroshima japan, asia, tokyo
Similarity:
42%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
A railway stationmaster at a dying end-of-the-line village in Hokkaido is haunted by memories of his dead wife and daughter. When the railroad line is scheduled to be closed, he is offered a job at a hotel, but he is emotionally unable to part with ...
Style:
art house, melancholic, reflective, poignant
Plot:
winter, grief, mourning, nostalgia, bittersweet, loneliness, loss, character study, memory, regret, aging, family tragedy ...
Place:
japan, hokkaido
Similarity:
42%
Genre: Drama
Country: France, Belgium, Luxembourg
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
After ten years, Jacques comes back to France to handle his father’s succession. He had left France to live in the USA to escape a painful past he shared with Mado, his former wife, who in the meantime built a new life with Stéphane and their 7 ...
Style:
serious, realistic, sincere, touching, gloomy
Plot:
starting over, family relations, couples, lovers reunited, parents and children, couple relations, death in the family, dead son, loss of child, dealing with death, basement, cemetery ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
europe, france
Similarity:
41%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Set in 1974 Texas, three teen siblings struggle with the death of their father and try to live with their abusive mother. When one of the teens is sent away because the mother can't cope with his autism, the teens embark on a life changing road ...
Style:
sentimental, serious, realistic, captivating, sincere ...
Plot:
autism, road trip, dysfunctional family, family problems, on the road, youth, family relations, escapades, self discovery, obsessive quest, death in the family, teenage life ...
Time:
20th century, 70s
Place:
usa, texas
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Drama
Country: Romania, Sweden, Germany
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
A teenager prisoner awaits his release when two weeks before that happens he's told that his mother is returned home. Meanwhile, he finds himself in love with a Sociology student, Ana, working in the penitentiary as an intern.
Style:
serious, rough, touching, realistic, psychological ...
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
forced sexual contact, prison warden, teenage love, redemption, power relations, family relations, parents and children, unfulfilled love, confined, society, hopes, bittersweet ...
Time:
year 2010, 21st century
Place:
romania, europe
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Despite his fame, Taillandier has suddenly stopped painting. Deeply depressed, the sixty-year-old decides to go away. He has no clear goal and explains nothing to his close friends. During his travels, he has a strange encounter with Marylou, a wild ...
Style:
sentimental, road movie, sincere, light, serious ...
Plot:
self discovery, starting over, encounter, chance meeting, elderly, meaning of life, friendship, teenager, painter, depression, changing lives, family relations ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
france
Similarity:
39%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan, France
Duration: 217 min.
Story:
In Kyushu, southwest Japan, one hot summer morning, a municipal bus is hijacked. In the carnage only three people survive: the driver, a school girl, and her older brother.
Style:
bleak, psychological, sincere, lyrical, depressing ...
Plot:
road trip, on the road, bus driver, haunted by the past, family relations, serial killer, orphan, starting over, hijacking, bus, redemption, asian ...
Time:
2000s, 90s
Place:
japan, east asia, asia, tokyo
Similarity:
39%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
In this excursion into Tokyo's dark side, a sexually repressed woman finds liberation by turning tricks at night a sex worker is taken by surprise when her ex drops by and a sex blogger finds strange kinship with a loner.
Style:
realistic, serious, sincere, touching, erotic drama ...
Plot:
couples, city life, lifestyle, singleness, strong female presence, prostitute, female sexuality, prostitution, sex work, loneliness, isolation, sexually liberated ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
tokyo, japan, asia
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Three former band mates enter a cave after hearing it has the power to give them what they need. As unsettling desires rise to the surface, they all wonder if the cave has real power.
Style:
sincere, touching, talky, serious, realistic ...
Plot:
desert, friendship, adolescence vs adulthood, introspection, love triangle, love and romance, twentysomething life, bittersweet, art, coming of age, friends, road not taken ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
california, usa
Similarity:
36%
665
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min.
Story:
An ageing jazz pianist learns something about his wife of 65 years, leading him to question their life together.
Style:
realistic, psychological, captivating, thought provoking, sincere ...
Plot:
aging, introspection, jazz, flashback sequence, memory, death of wife, friendship, elderly, dealing with death, dishonesty, husband wife relationship, flashback ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
Similarity:
36%
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