Movies like Waitresses Wanted
If you like "Waitresses Wanted" you are looking for emotional, independent film and art house movies about / with lesbian, strip club, survival, female protagonist, sex work, friendship and poverty themes of Drama genre shot in Canada.
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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Waitresses Wanted (2008)
149
Original name: Serveuses Demandées
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Story:
Brazilian native Priscilla Paredes is intent on staying in Montreal, despite the expiration of her student visa. Out of desperation, she takes a job as an exotic dancer at the Elixir, a downtown strip club, where she meets Milagro, a headstrong Quebecoise and fellow dancer who, ironically, longs to move to Brazil. Priscilla is welcomed into Milagro's secret family life, and introduced to her young daughter Chloé; Milagro in turn teaches Priscilla how to fight for what she wants, for what she needs.
Style:
emotional, independent film, art house, multicultural
Plot:
lesbian, strip club, survival, female protagonist, sex work, friendship, poverty, immigration, desperation, working class, realism, resilience, female empowerment, undocumented immigrant, character study, sexuality, motherhood, mother daughter relationship, urban, identity, slice of life, intimate, language barrier, women, female nudity ...
Time:
contemporary
Place:
montreal, quebec, montreal quebec canada
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Waitresses Wanted
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out melancholic, emotional, independent film and captivating films with plots about poverty, intimate, survival, working class, slice of life, urban and social realism mostly in Drama and Comedy genres. Some movies like Waitresses Wanted: A Szerencse lányai (1999), Tess (2016), Rose Stone Star (2020), Malu (2024), Twelve Thousand (2019). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama
Country: Poland, Hungary
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
A story of a mother who had to change her profession from a teacher to a high class prostitute to make a living.
Style:
emotional, realistic, intense, melancholic, period piece ...
Plot:
prostitution, female protagonist, sacrifice, survival, poverty, mother and daughter, motherhood, social realism, branding iron, moral dilemma, class struggle, resilience ...
Time:
90s
Place:
moscow russia, warsaw poland
Similarity:
95%
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:
78%
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Carmela is thirty, beautiful and as untamed as an horsewoman. She is jobless and struggles to get by on her own, doing small day-to-day tasks. She makes ends meet by making use of the immigrants who populate the maze of alleyways of Naples' old ...
Style:
serious, dramatic, captivating, suspenseful, independent film ...
Plot:
female protagonist, character study, immigration, poverty, survival, thirtysomething life, life is a bitch, woman, illegal immigrant, 30 year old, life, immigrant ...
Place:
naples italy
Similarity:
77%
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 ...
Style:
emotional, thrilling, psychological, captivating, melancholic ...
Plot:
female protagonist, mother daughter relationship, character study, motherhood, family drama, poverty, family problems, family relations, social problems, relationship problems, kids and family, problem ...
Place:
rio de janeiro, brazil
Similarity:
71%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
While he loses his clandestine work, and because he believes that Maroussia and him will no longer be able to love each other as well, Frank leaves to earn as much as she: twelve thousand, just what it takes to have a year before them. No more no ...
Style:
melancholic
Plot:
employment, working life, poverty, working class, realism, urban, slice of life, intimate, resilience, character study, social realism, sacrifice ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
france
Similarity:
70%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A racially mixed single mother accepts an amateur porn gig to take care of her daughter and herself.
Style:
independent film, tense, melancholic, sexy, erotic
Plot:
single mother, trust, sex work, survival, female protagonist, mother daughter relationship, character study, poverty, social commentary, sexuality, desperation, working class ...
Place:
new york
Similarity:
63%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Five young women, each with children, meet once a week for $2 margaritas and discuss life, love and change.
Style:
independent film, dark comedy
Plot:
lactation, female friendship, unwed mother, character study, friendship, slice of life, realism, identity crisis, sexuality, self discovery, survival, poverty ...
Place:
brooklyn new york city, new york
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Drama
Country: Austria
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
Anna, 12, lives with her deaf mother in a loving bond, yet under humble conditions, that are a source of social shame when she begins high school. Staying close to its heroines, this refreshing debut blends solidarity, feminism and tons of melodies.
Style:
compassionate, emotional
Plot:
mother daughter relationship, coming of age, female protagonist, heartwarming, motherhood, empathy, adolescence, family drama, friendship, identity, slice of life, self discovery ...
Place:
vienna
Similarity:
58%
Movie in collections
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:
57%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
An Irish illegal immigrant (Karl Geary) works for a bartender (James Belushi) while struggling to survive and adapt to life in the Bronx.
Style:
melancholic, intercultural, independent film
Plot:
immigrant, deportation, social issues, fear, survival, diaspora, working class, identity, realism, resilience, uncertainty, friendship ...
Time:
90s
Place:
new york, bronx new york city, ireland
Similarity:
56%
33
Genre: Drama
Country: Ireland
Duration: 71 min.
Story:
EDEN deals with what could possible be a future for most people caught up in the current economic climate in Ireland and how we have taken a bite of the financial apple and borrowed beyond our means. We follow Adam who has been left unemployed and ...
Style:
melancholic, independent film, bleak, existential, grim
Plot:
homelessness, street life, realism, social commentary, unemployment, poverty, empathy, character study, working class, survival, desperation, urban decay ...
Similarity:
56%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 70 min.
Story:
The story of three women and the circumstances that led each to get involved in prostitution as call girls.
Style:
realistic, period piece, psychological, intense, retro ...
Plot:
sex work, prostitution, sexuality, character study, women's issues, prostitute, exploitation, survival, taboo, branding iron, urban, social realism ...
Time:
60s
Similarity:
55%
72
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 75 min.
Story:
An ordinary day in Romania. Under a highway exit close to Bucharest, Lidia and Denisa are changing their clothes; warm pullovers and sneakers are exchanged for tight tops and heels. The two are then waiting for clients, an icy wind gusting around ...
Style:
melancholic, bleak, slow cinema
Plot:
prostitution, sex work, poverty, social realism, everyday life, working class, survival, character study, desperation, female friendship, resilience, humiliation ...
Place:
romania, bucharest
Similarity:
54%
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Karine, a housekeeper of 34, is the full-time mother of 17 year-old Ziggy. When the company that employed her is taken over, subject to the laws of capitalism, Karine will have to choose between being true to herself, or lie to protect herself and ...
Style:
emotional, realistic, melancholic, tense
Plot:
moral dilemma, motherhood, female protagonist, parent child relationship, empathy, social realism, domestic drama, moral ambiguity, single mother, capitalism, housekeeper, working class ...
Similarity:
53%
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
In a poor neighborhood crisscrossed by a polluted river, Tati, a 14-year-old girl, is forced to grow up alone in a troubled and confusing context. While learning to sail on the river, she dreams of being a boat rower. A job only ruled by men.
Style:
emotional
Plot:
female protagonist, gender roles, adolescence, coming of age, ambition, struggle, river, youth, poverty, working class, resilience, dream ...
Similarity:
46%
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
Three women who share a familial bond but little more come to know each other better in this beautifully-photographed drama. Marie-Madeleine (Sylvie Drapeau) is a photographer in her mid-30s who, for the first time, has come into contact with Mado ...
Style:
scenic, emotional, meditative, reflective, independent film ...
Plot:
adoption, women, mother and daughter, three generations, road trip, identity, character study, photography, intimate, relationships, bonding, travel ...
Similarity:
44%
110
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
An orphaned Indigenous girl is forced to live with her reluctant, street-smart, francophone auntie and her two best friends in 80's Montreal.
Style:
satirical, semi serious, psychological, captivating, thrilling ...
Plot:
friendship, friend, coming of age, satire, women, female protagonist, lifestyle, family life, indigenous people, family relations, orphan, teenage girl ...
Time:
80s
Place:
montreal, quebec
Similarity:
44%
776
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
Blaise and Nessa are outcast methadone users in a small town that doesn’t offer an easy way out. Each day starts in a long lineup at the tiny pharmacy, then it’s door-to- door begging to cut grass for people who just want them to not exist. At ...
Style:
bleak, melancholic, dark, art house, moody
Plot:
drug use, addiction, small town, poverty, realism, intimate, escape, desperation, hopelessness, working class, claustrophobia, slice of life ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
nova scotia, canada
Similarity:
43%
Movie in collections
143
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
When teenaged Fern is orphaned in the middle of a harsh Montreal winter, she is determined to avoid her mother’s tragic fate, and take care of herself. With Youth Protection nipping at her heels, she lies about her name and age, to get a job as a ...
Style:
psychological, disturbing, contemplative, thought provoking, captivating ...
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
female protagonist, mother daughter relationship, orphan, teenage girl, teenage protagonist, cleaning lady, life is a bitch, coming of age, determination, resilience, society, new life ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
montreal, canada
Similarity:
42%
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
In the immediate post-war period, amidst the rubble of a poverty-ridden Naples, two kids, Carmine and Celestina, try to survive as best they can by helping each other out. One night, they secretly board a ship bound for New York to reach ...
Style:
realistic, emotional, neorealism, historical drama, period piece ...
Plot:
post war, journey, immigration, struggle, social realism, hopes, resilience, working class, poverty, coming of age, friendship, survival ...
Time:
1950s, 1940s
Place:
new york, naples italy, italy
Similarity:
40%
63
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Suzie, a 58 year old depressed taxi driver on the night shift. On Halloween, she finds a 10 year old autistic boy in the back seat of her taxi with 50$ and an address. As Suzie arrived at the father's address, she realizes the mess this family ...
Style:
emotional, realistic, melancholic, independent film, road movie ...
Plot:
autism, loneliness, connection, character study, female protagonist, compassion, lost child, isolation, parent child relationship, midlife crisis, redemption, taxi driver ...
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
The prostitutes of Palermo are pictured in this episodic Italian drama. The film lacks a real unifying thread as it presents scenes from the lives of 7 hookers. Five are women. One is a man, and one is a transvestite. In one episode, an aging ...
Style:
erotic, realistic, melancholic, controversial, period piece ...
Plot:
making love, pimp, sexuality, survival, mature, working class, character study, street life, city life, social realism, exploitation, friendship ...
Time:
90s
Place:
italy, palermo italy, sicily
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
A young girl with a background of urban poverty and juvenile crime, attempts to become a fashion model. The hypocrisy and double standards of society are juxtaposed against the confusion and frustration she feels as she struggles to become part of a ...
Style:
emotional, bleak, period piece, independent film
Plot:
female protagonist, struggle, modeling, poverty, young woman, urban, survival, ambition, street life, coming of age, working class, aspiration ...
Time:
80s, year 1980
Place:
melbourne
Similarity:
38%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
Eli has four children, an unemployed husband and a job with an almost impossible commute. Vale is single and makes ends meet by working in clubs as a dancer. Tied by a profound emotional bond of true sisterhood, the two women's lives are two ...
Style:
captivating, thrilling, psychological, melancholic, independent film
Plot:
friendship, female friendship, social issues, struggle, sisterhood, everyday life, girlfriend girlfriend relationship, life, women, female protagonist, girlfriend, lifestyle ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
italy, rome italy
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
In Margate, England, life is not easy for teenager Sarah Taylor, between being bullied at school, being exploited by a dominant boss and having to take care of her depressive mother and her two siblings. But Sarah finds a way to channel her growing ...
Style:
emotional, independent film, bleak, intense, black humor
Plot:
teenager, stand up comedy, coming of age, mental illness, working class, bullying, caregiver, realism, british, poverty, social issues, depression ...
Similarity:
36%
Genre: Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Patrick Kong-produced look at promotion girls mildly serves his devotees – which, all things considered, does account for something. Closer to PG-13 than PG, if you're looking for a ratings guide.
Style:
captivating, thrilling, psychological, realistic, emotional ...
Plot:
money, urban setting, multiple storylines, looking for love, society, social problems, female protagonist, social issues, women, city life, life, relationships ...
Place:
china, hong kong
Similarity:
36%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria, USA, Monaco
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Follows Georgian ex-wrestler’s journey to Brooklyn, New York. His aim is to get his son out of a gambling debt. He meets people who help him and people who ignore him.
Style:
psychological, captivating, disturbing, emotional, intercultural ...
Plot:
father son relationship, gambling debt, immigrant, family drama, life is a bitch, gambler, financial problem, debt, needing money, father and son, money problems, family problems ...
Place:
brooklyn new york city
Similarity:
36%
Genre: Drama
Country: Spain
Story:
Many things can go wrong, or not , when a drug addict , a prostitute and a singer past his prime come together to rob their employer.
Style:
crime drama, emotional, tense, crime thriller, ambiguous ending ...
Plot:
desperation, moral ambiguity, heist, addiction, street life, survival, character study, realism, anti hero, prostitution, mature, urban ...
Similarity:
35%
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Isabelle Brodeur embarks on a journey to Vietnam, her adopted daughter’s birthplace. Throughout this stunningly beautiful journey, Isabelle discovers her daughter’s country through the eyes of the woman who brought her into this word.
Style:
psychological, disturbing, captivating, intercultural, melancholic ...
Plot:
grief, loss of child, mixed race child, adoption, mother daughter relationship, healing, cross cultural relations, culture, father daughter relationship, changing lives, family relations, culture shock ...
Place:
vietnam
Similarity:
35%
Genre: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Father got leukaemia. Mother was laid off long ago. She had to borrow money for her husband everywhere. Sister went to a night club to be a waitress secretly and soon became a “call girl”. Lin was cold-shouldered at school because of father’s ...
Style:
emotional, melancholic, realistic, art house, tragic
Plot:
leukemia, family drama, illness, mother son relationship, poverty, financial difficulty, coming of age, teenage protagonist, desperation, empathy, loss, social realism ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
china
Similarity:
34%
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