Movies like Balloon
If you like "Balloon" you are looking for captivating, suspenseful and tense movies about / with berlin wall, stasi, balloon, iron curtain, border patrol, manhunt and communism themes of Drama, History and Thriller genre shot in Germany or France.
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1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
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Balloon (2018)
15K
Original name: Ballon
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Germany, France, USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
Two families attempt a daredevil plan to escape DDR with a homemade hot air balloon, but it crashes just before the border. The Stasi finds traces of this attempt to escape and immediately starts investigations, while the two families are forced to build a new escape balloon. With each passing day the Stasi is closer on their heels – a nerve-wracking race against time begins.
Style:
captivating, suspenseful, tense, suspense
Audience:
date night
Plot:
berlin wall, stasi, balloon, iron curtain, border patrol, manhunt, communism, husband wife relationship, cold war, couples, danger, german history, biopic, father son relationship, teenage son, hunting, bully, moving, cold war era, based on real people, strong female lead, investigation, teenage girl, neighbor, physicist ...
Time:
20th century, year 1989, 70s, year 1979
Place:
east germany, german democratic republic, berlin germany, east berlin, west germany, germany, east berlin east germany
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Balloon
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out suspenseful, tense, serious and realistic films with plots about cold war, stasi, iron curtain, berlin wall, spy, communism and cold war era mostly in Drama, Thriller and History genres. Some movies like Balloon: The Same Sky (2017), The Lives of Others (2006), Night Crossing (1982), Bridge of Spies (2015), Septembers of Shiraz (2015). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 120 min.
TV show
Story:
Lars is a "Romeo agent" from East Germany in the 1970s. His task is to go West, first to seduce and then to spy on Western women who worked in government or defense institutions.
Style:
tense, suspenseful, captivating, serious, political
Plot:
stasi, berlin wall, espionage, sister sister relationship, seduction, spy, surveillance, cold war, resistance, covert operation, lgbt, iron curtain ...
Time:
year 1974, 20th century, 70s
Place:
east germany, berlin germany, germany, west germany, west berlin west germany ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
A tragic love story set in East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture. Stasi captain Wieler is ordered to follow author Dreyman and plunges deeper and deeper into his life until he reaches the threshold of doubting the ...
Style:
gloomy, political thriller, sincere, political, emotional ...
Audience:
date night, adult
Plot:
surveillance, cold war, spy, communism, berlin wall, stasi, politics, redemption, espionage, iron curtain, life philosophy, voyeurism ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1989, 2000s, 90s ...
Place:
east germany, germany, berlin germany, europe, soviet union ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Family, History, Thriller
Country: UK, West Germany, USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Two men want to escape from East Germany (under Communist rule) but they will only go if they can take their families with them. Based on a true story.
Style:
political, realistic, serious, christian film
Plot:
iron curtain, berlin wall, airplane, communism, cold war, german history, prison escape, spy, cold war era, stasi, totalitarian state, travel ...
Time:
70s, year 1982
Place:
east germany, germany, europe, west germany, german democratic republic
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: USA, India, Germany
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate ...
Style:
suspense, historical drama, dramatic, period piece, intense ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
cold war, espionage, lawyer, spy, cia, agent, soviet spy, courtroom, politics, berlin wall, court, negotiation ...
Time:
year 1960, year 2015, 2010s, year 1957, 1950s ...
Place:
east germany, berlin germany, soviet union, new york, west germany ...
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
In this adaptation of the critically acclaimed debut novel by Iranian American author Dalia Sofer, a secular Jewish family is caught up in the maelstrom of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Style:
tense, captivating, suspense, period piece, psychological ...
Plot:
political prisoner, revolution, danger, society, propaganda, party, fleeing, family relations, couples, friendship, rivalry, love ...
Time:
year 1979
Place:
tehran iran, iran
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 167 min.
Story:
Inspired by true events, Olympic swimmer Harry Melchior defects from East Germany in the 1960s and hatches a daring plot to help his sister and others flee East Berlin through a 145-yard underground tunnel.
Style:
suspense, suspenseful, political, compassionate, captivating ...
Plot:
berlin wall, tunnel, politics, communism, breast feeding, political unrest, cold war, wartime, heroes, danger, daring rescue, prison escape ...
Time:
ancient times, 60s, year 2001
Place:
east germany, germany, berlin germany, west berlin west germany, german democratic republic ...
Similarity:
75%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 50 min.
TV show
Story:
Weissensee is a German television series. The series is set in East Berlin in 1980 and 1987 and follows two families.
Style:
realistic, poignant, serious, compassionate, touching ...
Plot:
stasi, communism, forbidden love, spy, family feud, parents and children, dysfunctional family, prejudice, social differences, first love, adolescence, star crossed lovers ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
berlin germany, east germany, east berlin, germany, german democratic republic
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, History
Country: Germany
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
It's 1956. During a visit to a cinema in West Berlin, East German high school pupils Theo and Kurt see disturbing newsreel footage of the uprising in Budapest. Back in Stalinstadt, one of the GDR’s flagship workers’ settlements, they have ...
Style:
disturbing, thought provoking, suspenseful, captivating, political ...
Plot:
cold war, solidarity, teenager, friendship, learning the truth, border crossing, high school, communism, betrayal, father son relationship, twists and turns, nazi ...
Time:
1950s, year 1956, 50s, year 1953
Place:
east germany, west berlin west germany, germany, hungary, german democratic republic ...
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 50 min.
TV show
Story:
Martin Rauch experiences the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 during his activities as an East German spy.
Style:
tense, suspense, suspenseful
Plot:
cold war, propaganda, stasi, cia, communism, politics, espionage, political unrest, police corruption, one man army, save the day, spy ...
Time:
80s, year 1989
Place:
east germany, berlin germany, romania, east berlin, germany
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: West Germany, USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Director Robert Siodmak's 1962 film, inspired by true events, is about an East Berlin resident who attempts to escape to West Berlin with his family and girlfriend through a secret underground tunnel.
Style:
political
Plot:
berlin wall, cold war, cold war era, communism, iron curtain, tunnel, stasi, family relations, loss of son, anti communism, house, group ...
Time:
60s, year 1961
Place:
berlin germany, east berlin, west berlin west germany, germany, german democratic republic ...
Similarity:
43%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
In Berlin in 1961, an American soldier and a German engineer join forces to build a tunnel under the Berlin Wall in order to smuggle out refugees, including the soldier's East German girlfriend.
Style:
serious, realistic, exciting, tense, rough ...
Plot:
iron curtain, cold war era, berlin wall, escape, cold war, communism, stasi, tunnel, new love, love letter, political unrest, against the odds ...
Time:
60s, 20th century, year 1961
Place:
germany, east germany, berlin germany, europe, east berlin
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
In this vivid historical drama set in 1980s East Germany, two dockworkers and best friends who dream of escaping the repressive regime are forced to choose their loyalties when the state police promise them safe passage out of the country — if ...
Style:
realistic, serious, suspenseful, captivating, tense
Plot:
friendship, ambition, relationship vs career, dishonesty, moral dilemma, danger, betrayal, investigation, snitch, dictatorship, dictator, boyfriend girlfriend relationship ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
germany, east germany, german democratic republic
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
During the Cold War, an American scientist appears to defect to East Germany as part of a cloak and dagger mission to find the formula for a resin solution, but the plan goes awry when his fiancee, unaware of his motivation, follows him across the ...
Style:
suspense, enigmatic, tense, suspenseful, stylized ...
Plot:
cold war, espionage, spy, secret agent, stasi, iron curtain, politics, murder mystery, nobility, cold war era, secrets, police investigation ...
Time:
20th century, year 1966, 60s
Place:
east germany, berlin germany, germany, europe, east berlin ...
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 47 min.
TV show
Story:
Abandoned by Moscow and desperate for cash, the East German leadership pushes their secret operatives to experiment with global capitalism and save their sinking socialist ship. Long banished to Africa for his sins in 1983, Martin Rauch is now sent ...
Style:
captivating, suspense, exciting, suspenseful, political ...
Plot:
stasi, cold war, communist, spy, communism, terrorism, espionage, berlin wall, homosexual, corruption, gay, socialism ...
Time:
80s, year 1986
Place:
east germany, germany, south africa, berlin germany, africa ...
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Italy, West Germany
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Roaring across the danger zone of europe...A sealed international express, with a human cargo that can explode a continent!
Style:
suspenseful, tense, political thriller, dramatic, independent film ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
cold war, escape, refugee, border crossing, escape attempt, moral dilemma, desertion, iron curtain, fear, moral ambiguity, suspicion, political oppression ...
Time:
60s
Place:
east germany, west berlin west germany
Similarity:
37%
652
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 180 min.
Story:
Adapted from an award-winning best-selling book by Uwe Tellkamp, 'The Tower' depicts a higher class family’s struggles during crumbling communist rule in 1980’s East Germany. It illustrates the weaknesses and pending downfall of the ...
Style:
tense, historical drama, disturbing, captivating, suspense ...
Plot:
double life, stasi, cold war, communism, repression, secret police, family drama, social problems, family problems, political unrest, fear, family secret ...
Time:
80s
Place:
east germany, german democratic republic
Similarity:
37%
Genre: Drama, History
Country: Germany
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Autumn 1961: The GDR regime secures the border between the workers' and peasants' state and the class enemy in the West. To ensure this, the leadership also orders the use of firearms against those fleeing the republic. In Böseckendorf, ...
Style:
suspenseful, captivating, psychological, thrilling, tense ...
Plot:
iron curtain, cold war, repression, political oppression, society, social issues, life is a bitch, social problems, resistance, realism, emigration, refugee ...
Place:
german democratic republic, east germany, germany
Similarity:
37%
Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 42 min.
TV show
Story:
A gripping coming-of-age story set against the real culture wars and political events of Germany in the 1980s. The drama follows Martin Rauch as the 24 year-old East Germany native is pulled from the world as he knows it and sent to the West as an ...
Style:
realistic, tense, serious, suspenseful, suspense ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
cold war, espionage, stasi, spy, secret police, german soldier, double agent, working undercover, state affairs, rivalry, undercover, military ...
Time:
year 1983, 20th century, 80s
Place:
germany, east germany, west berlin west germany, german democratic republic, west germany ...
Similarity:
37%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
British agent Alec Leamas refuses to come in from the cold war during the 1960s, choosing to face another mission, which may prove to be his final one.
Style:
political, black and white, suspense, grim, realistic ...
Plot:
cold war, spy, espionage, berlin wall, british intelligence, iron curtain, double agent, spy thriller, literary, politics, great ending, secret agent ...
Time:
60s, year 1965, 20th century
Place:
east germany, berlin germany, london, england, persia ...
Similarity:
37%
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Country: Germany
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Rita Vogt is a radical West German terrorist who abandons the revolution and settles in East Germany with a new identity provided by the East German secret service. She lives in constant fear of having her cover blown, which unavoidably happens ...
Style:
melancholic, captivating, tense, suspenseful, political ...
Plot:
lesbian, politics, terrorism, berlin wall, runaway, raf, loneliness, existentialism, starting over, danger, state affairs, lesbian sex ...
Time:
70s, 80s, 20th century
Place:
germany, east germany, angola, berlin germany, german democratic republic ...
Similarity:
36%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
A lighthearted look at the opening of the border crossing of Bornholmer Straße in Berlin from the point of view of the confused border guards.
Style:
tense, humorous, captivating, light, satirical ...
Plot:
berlin wall, propaganda, cold war, border crossing, society, friendship, rivalry, social change, iron curtain, bureaucracy, satire, political satire ...
Time:
year 1989
Place:
german democratic republic, germany, east germany
Similarity:
36%
Genre: Drama, History
Country: Germany
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Its 1959. German Public Prosecutor Bauer is convinced he has found the long sought Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. This tense drama shows his struggle to have him brought to justice against the power jielded by old Nazi functionaries in ...
Style:
serious, historical drama, bleak, tense, period piece ...
Plot:
mossad, post war germany, investigation, justice, cold war, realism, legal battle, biopic, nazi, courtroom, conspiracy, investigative journalism ...
Time:
1950s, 50s
Place:
west germany
Similarity:
36%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Sam Laker is an American industrialist, working in Britain, who has just been awarded an international award for industrial design. He is planning to travel to East Germany to attend a trade show and show off his invention, taking his 10 year old ...
Style:
realistic, serious, atmospheric, suspenseful, independent film ...
Plot:
spy, cold war, espionage, assassination, iron curtain, holiday, cold war era, on the run, intelligence, invention, secret agent, child in peril ...
Time:
year 1967, 60s, 20th century
Place:
europe, germany, london, east germany, copenhagen
Similarity:
36%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: France, West Germany
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Professor Bower, an American physicist, is effectively blackmailed by a shady CIA agent named Adams to help the CIA obtain secret microfilm from a defecting Russian scientist. The reluctant Bower travels to East Germany undercover as an antiques ...
Style:
exciting, realistic, serious, rough, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
cold war, spy, iron curtain, espionage, renegade, secret agent, conspiracy, hitman, race against time, danger, state affairs, escapades ...
Time:
year 1966, 60s
Place:
europe, germany, east germany, west berlin west germany, west germany ...
Similarity:
36%
Genre: Drama
Country: West Germany, USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
American judge in Germany must decide if the hijacking of an East German plane into West Berlin was justified.
Style:
realistic, serious, suspense, touching, sincere ...
Plot:
terrorism, justice, politics, hijacking, courtroom drama, legal action, legal, culture clash, confined, danger, save the day, husband wife relationship ...
Time:
70s
Place:
germany, europe, east berlin, berlin germany, west berlin west germany ...
Similarity:
36%
Genre: Drama, History
Country: Germany
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
August 13, 1961: The passengers on the interzonal train from Munich to East Berlin learn 3½ hours before crossing the border that the Wall is being built in Berlin. They have 3½ hours to make a life-changing decision: to get off the train or keep ...
Style:
emotional, historical drama, period piece, tense, suspenseful ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
berlin wall, train travel, train, cold war, getting home, moral dilemma, family reunited, claustrophobia, escape, identity, regret, cold ...
Place:
east germany, east berlin, german democratic republic
Similarity:
35%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, Norway
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Europe 1990, the Berlin wall has just crumbled: Katrine, raised in East Germany, but now living in Norway for the last 20 years, is a “war child”; the result of a love relationship between a Norwegian woman and a German occupation soldier during ...
Style:
tense, realistic, serious, captivating, psychological ...
Plot:
trial, haunted by the past, undercover, family life, hidden truth, dishonesty, stasi, testimony, whodunit, lawyer, female protagonist, husband wife relationship ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, year 2012, year 1990, year 1969
Place:
germany, east germany, german democratic republic
Similarity:
35%
Genre: Comedy, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Germany
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
A coming-of-age story set in Germany in the 1960s. Siggi becomes involved in a love triangle when he falls for Luise, but the tightening political climate forces him to make a fateful decision.
Style:
serious, realistic, emotional, sentimental
Audience:
teens, date night, pre-teens
Plot:
stasi, love triangle, youth, rebellion, infidelity, berlin wall, against the rules, couples, couple relations, lifestyle, dishonesty, self discovery ...
Time:
60s, 20th century, year 1961
Place:
german democratic republic, germany, europe, east germany
Similarity:
35%
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
From the John le Carre novel about a British spy who sends a Polish defector to East Germany to verify missile sites.
Style:
neo noir, political thriller, contemplative, talky, realistic ...
Plot:
espionage, cold war, british intelligence, secret agent, spy, undercover, cold war era, politics, undercover agent, sexual assault, bare chested male, political intrigue ...
Time:
20th century, 60s
Place:
east germany, berlin germany, geneva switzerland, finland, germany ...
Similarity:
35%
Genre: Drama, History, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA, Czech Republic
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Cold War spy Greville Wynne and his Russian source try to put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Style:
suspense, tense, captivating, powerful, action drama ...
Plot:
spy, cold war, russian spy, cuban missile crisis, counter intelligence, husband wife sex, cold war era, agent, prospector, spy hero, reconnaissance, politics ...
Time:
2020s, 1950s, 60s, year 1962, year 1964 ...
Place:
germany, berlin germany, cuba, langley virginia, moscow russia ...
Similarity:
35%
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