Movies and TV shows set in poetic realism
The list contains the best, new and most relevant movies set in poetic realism ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out melancholic, art house, existential, slow cinema, psychological and contemplative films and TV shows about / with intimate, bittersweet, isolation, coming of age, character study, minimalism, nostalgia, loneliness, moral ambiguity and alienation plots mostly in Drama, Adventure and Comedy genres shot in Soviet Union, France, Greece and other countries.
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TOP 10 movies tagged as poetic realism: The Striker with Number 9 (1988), The Village Had No Walls (1996), Soliloquy (2009), The Lord of the Seagull (2017), Chhattisgarh Sketches (2004), The Chronology of Water (2025), The Rebellion of Red Maria (2011), The Roe's Room (1997), Beauty (2012), Man Follows Birds (1976).
Best films
New films
List of movies set in poetic realism
Genre: Drama, Sport
Country: Greece
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
The story of a talented yet self-destructive soccer player in Greece.
Style:
melancholic, intense, emotional, art house, cult classic ...
Plot:
football, soccer, sacrifice, ambition, obsession, realism, literary, working class, determination, character study, underdog, poverty ...
Time:
80s
Place:
greece, poetic realism, athens greece
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
A young man from the city journeys to his first teaching post, the small hamlet of Bangarwadi, deep in the jungle, inhabited by a few shepherds and farmers as well as a criminal tribe known as the Ramoshis. After the initial shock of his strange new ...
Style:
contemplative, pastoral, melancholic, period drama
Plot:
teacher, social realism, humanism, village life, teacher student relationship, literary, community, bittersweet, nostalgia, memory, journey, minimalism ...
Time:
1940s
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Philippines
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A bus takes-off from urban Manila to the rural southeastern side of the country, carrying a group of mixed passengers from all walks of life, each one has a personal story to tell and they are telling it in their own voice. During the long journey, ...
Style:
melancholic, art house, atmospheric
Plot:
road trip, life & death, slice of life, destiny, symbolism, memory, class differences, healing, social realism, nostalgia, daily life, superstition ...
Place:
poetic realism, the philippines
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
The Lord of the Seagull (MEF) is a man living a calm life on the seashore in Istanbul. There is someone he has been waiting for years. Finally the guest he waits will come out. In white, a woman who shoots on the shore like a tale will change the ...
Style:
realistic, touching, captivating, slow cinema, contemplative ...
Plot:
hopes, schizophrenia, suicide, love, love and romance, loneliness, isolation, fall in love, couples, recluse, village, tragedy ...
Place:
istanbul turkey, turkey, poetic realism
Is relevant?
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Country: India, USA
Duration: 77 min.
Story:
A digital diary reflecting Jon Jost's experiences in India in 2003, when he was teaching filmmaking with digital cameras there. The material in this impressionistic film is adapted to the Indian way of life, with the cheerfulness of vibrant ...
Style:
experimental, reflective, independent film, social documentary, slow cinema
Plot:
diary, village life, filmmaking, travelogue, humanist, intimate, poverty, minimalism, vignette
Place:
india, poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: USA, France, Latvia
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
Growing up in an environment torn apart by violence and alcohol, a young woman finds her voice through the written word and her salvation as a swimmer.
Style:
reflective, intense, non-linear
Plot:
alcoholism, coming of age, female protagonist, personal growth, resilience, mental health, soul searching, escape, domestic violence, literary, university, bittersweet ...
Time:
90s
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: Greece
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
In a city - with heavy metal music haunting the heroes and the voice of Maria Callas being heard, an aged man, ex-terrorist, who dresses like a woman, the "red Maria", lives without any law and is hiding in the social shadows as a ...
Style:
transgressive, bleak, crime drama, intense, tragic ...
Plot:
rebellion, moral ambiguity, anti fascism, magic realism, urban decay, drag, survival, homelessness, addiction, performance art, existentialism, prostitution ...
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Music
Country: Poland
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Bound to a suffocating existence, a young man embarks on a marvelous journey of the imagination, transforming ordinary details of his room into fantastic images of natural beauty, where the cycles of life mysteriously play themselves out.
Style:
poetic, art house, surreal, lyrical, experimental ...
Plot:
opera, symbolism, dreaming, escape, intimate, coming of age, claustrophobia, parent child relationship, family drama, bittersweet, dance, minimalism ...
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina
Duration: 83 min.
Story:
Set in the north of Argentina. Yolanda, a young girl of Wichi origin, tells in her native language (Wichi Lhämtes), the story of how, as a family maid in a "criollo" home, she has her hair unjustly cut: this is her most particular trait, ...
Style:
reflective, melancholic, art house, slow cinema
Plot:
maid, beauty, discrimination, intimate, female protagonist, symbolism, class conflict, language barrier, coming of age, memory, minimalism, bittersweet ...
Place:
argentina, poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
On the eve of his fortieth anniversary Sergei Makarov looks back at his life and learns that he has achieved nothing. He was not able to be happy and to bring happiness to the closest people in his life, neither to his long-suffering wife nor young ...
Style:
psychological, melancholic, poignant, period piece, satirical ...
Plot:
middle aged man, midlife crisis, character study, loneliness, regret, alienation, existential crisis, family drama, intimate, infidelity, urban, slice of life ...
Place:
soviet union, poetic realism, ussr
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
Man Follows Birds is a coming-of-age story of a young Uzbek poet surrounded by violence. Farouk is fascinated by trees and Khamraev films him with a lot of melancholy and tenderness. Cast apart because he’s poor and his father’s drunk, Farouk ...
Style:
art house, pastoral, existential, slow cinema
Plot:
nature, coming of age, melancholy, friendship, violence, journey, bittersweet, grief, tenderness, tree, poverty, youth ...
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
The film is Sokurov's feature film debut and is based on the novel The River Potudan by Andrei Platonov. It's a story about the lives of people in the Russian countryside in the beginning of the 20th century. The film was completed in 1979 ...
Style:
poetic, melancholic, psychological, art house, existential ...
Plot:
loneliness, character study, isolation, post war, trauma, alienation, memory, slow burn, bittersweet, moral dilemma, symbolism, desperation ...
Time:
1920s
Place:
soviet union, poetic realism, ussr, russia
Is relevant?
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Genre: Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 82 min.
Story:
A young, idealistic poet, turns his back on civilization and goes to small, backwood village, rents a bed in the house of an old woman, and decides to make his living as a lumberjack. Soon he realizes that the world around him is far from perfect.
Style:
existential, melancholic, bleak, art house, period piece
Plot:
lumberjack, outsider, alienation, loneliness, isolation, introspection, backwoods, small town, poet, frustration, self discovery, intimate ...
Place:
poetic realism, poland
Is relevant?
144
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 84 min.
Story:
A village boy meets his tragic fate when he is sent to the city to work for a rich trader.
Style:
poignant, melancholic, atmospheric, grim, sentimental ...
Plot:
coming of age, loss of innocence, innocence lost, tragedy, social class, poverty, class struggle, injustice, alienation, intimate, bittersweet, tragic hero ...
Time:
19th century
Place:
armenia, poetic realism, caucasus, tbilisi, georgia
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Music
Country: India
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
The mother of the Indian female singer Pallavi (Kitu Gidwani) is at the end of her life. She was master and teacher for her daughter for the art of Indian singing. But she will not be able to complete her lessons. So Pallavi experiences the lack of ...
Style:
meditative, mystical
Plot:
legacy, female protagonist, grief, resilience, child prodigy, spirituality, identity crisis, minimalism, emancipation, theft, husband wife relationship, old man ...
Place:
india, poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Portugal
Duration: 131 min.
Story:
A man exiled in Paris makes various trips to Portugal after the Carnation Revolution. Each trip is represented by a woman.
Style:
melancholic, reflective, existential, intercultural, political drama
Plot:
exile, memory, character study, symbolism, alienation, getting home, bittersweet, nostalgia, journey, emigration, mature, slice of life ...
Time:
70s
Place:
portugal, poetic realism, paris france
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Romania
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
Inspired by true events, "Dreptate în lanturi" is a rough and poetic film, whose action is placed at the beginning of the last century. The movie sheds light on a Romanian peasant who fights against social injustice.
Style:
historical drama, melancholic, period piece, bleak, art house ...
Plot:
social injustice, resilience, small village, class struggle, perseverance, tragic hero, political corruption, slow burn, moral ambiguity, explosions, heist, theft ...
Time:
turn of the century
Place:
poetic realism, romania
Is relevant?
364
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Country: Cuba, Spain, France, Italy
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Carla, a young postal worker in Havana, spends her days postmarking thousands of letters and dreaming of the day when she can be reunited with her parents, who moved to Miami when she was fifteen. To fulfill her longing for intimacy, she opens ...
Style:
slapstick comedy
Plot:
postman, post office, immigration, green card, longing, bureaucracy, satire, nostalgia, hopes, daydreamer, choice, exile ...
Place:
cuba, poetic realism, miami, havana cuba
Is relevant?
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Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Tunisia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
N is coming from the desert to reach the north of Africa and make an illegal crossing to Europe. Alone in Tunisia, he decides to cross the solitary sea. He steals a boat and begins his journey, but it soon sinks into the water. From that moment, N ...
Style:
psychological, disturbing, captivating, surreal, existential ...
Plot:
migrant, self discovery, nature, surrealism, shipwreck, journey, loneliness, border crossing, isolation, identity, soul searching, humanity ...
Place:
tunisia, mediterranean sea, north africa, poetic realism
Is relevant?
1K
Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
André, a teenager, lives in an industrial town in Brazil near an old aluminum factory. One day, a factory worker, Cristiano, suffers an accident. Asked to go to Cristiano’s house to pick up clothes and documents, André stumbles on a notebook, ...
Style:
existential, psychological, thought provoking, thrilling, captivating ...
Plot:
existentialism, working class, lonely, social issues, poverty, social commentary, character study, social realism, life is a bitch, society, social problems, coming of age ...
Place:
brazil, poetic realism
Is relevant?
159
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
After a difficult separation, Serge Jr. takes his daughter Lily, 9, on a truck ride across Canada. They head to Alberta and its legendary Badlands World’s Best Truck Rodeo, a race Lily and him have been dreaming about. On the road, under his ...
Style:
road movie, emotional, serious, exciting, captivating ...
Plot:
wasteland, father daughter relationship, fatherhood, truck, father and daughter, father, daughter, family drama, road trip, relationships, family relations, parent child relationship ...
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
A road movie that shows the simple things in life in a poetic light through the eyes of three young people with Down syndrome, who love movies and work at the video library of the institution where they have always lived in. One day, inspired by the ...
Style:
road movie, heartfelt, semi serious, satirical, captivating ...
Plot:
down syndrome, friendship, road trip, dream, freedom, friends, satire, escapades, travel, social problems, slice of life, self discovery ...
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, War
Country: Slovenia, Ireland, Finland, Sweden
Duration: 77 min.
Story:
A man stays alone with his children in a half demolished house in the middle of a desolate field. His wife has just been killed by a grenade in a military battle. He is expecting a new attack. Instead a wandering caravan called Circus Fantasticus ...
Style:
surreal, touching, stylized, serious, atmospheric ...
Plot:
circus, hopes, wartime life, human spirit, performer's life, parents and children, family relations, life is a bitch, death in the family, magic realism, grief, mourning ...
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
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Genre: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 131 min.
Story:
Humble, unassuming Ma and timid Cao have been cast off by their families and forced into an arranged marriage. They have to combine their strength and build a home to survive. In the face of much adversity, an unexpected bond begins to blossom, as ...
Style:
thrilling, captivating, meditative, slow cinema, melancholic ...
Plot:
village life, lovers apart, intimate, character study, farming, love story, family relations, male female relationship, relationships, love and romance, tragic love, star crossed lovers ...
Place:
poetic realism, china
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Based on Guimarães Rosa's (classic Brazilian author) short story, the movie tells the story of Augusto Matraga, a bankrupt and violent farmer who lives above the Law in Minas Gerais' hinterland. During a difficult time, he finds himself ...
Style:
suspense, captivating, tense, disturbing, period piece ...
Plot:
redemption, faith, literary, life is a bitch, battles, fighting crime, gang, fight, criminal gang, character study, violence, moral ambiguity ...
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Thailand, France, China
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Near a coastal village of Thailand, a local fisherman rescues a stranger, who does not speak a word, offers him his friendship and names him Thongchai. When the fisherman suddenly disappears at sea, Thongchai slowly begins to take over his ...
Style:
art house, slow cinema, atmospheric, independent film, existential ...
Plot:
sea, identity, loss, migration, moral ambiguity, impersonation, village life, haunting, isolation, friendship, grief, minimalism ...
Place:
thailand, poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, Greece
Duration: 78 min.
Story:
Friends Cory and Anna are drifting through life, struggling to find their place. Cory is sick of life in the desert and wants to be on a reality show so he can prove to his brother that he isn't a screw-up. Anna is in the country illegally, ...
Style:
art house, contemplative, melancholic, realistic, experimental ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
identity, illegal immigration, character study, desert, poverty, sex work, intimate, social realism, slice of life, family conflict, punk rock, coming of age ...
Place:
poetic realism
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Former theatre actress comes back to Rome and meets old and new friends.
Style:
melancholic, art house, reflective, psychological, wistful
Plot:
summer, character study, depression, alienation, melancholy, getting home, nostalgia, identity crisis, memory, wandering, isolation, disappearance ...
Time:
2000s
Place:
poetic realism, italy, rome italy
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Chile, France, Germany
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Ana, Verónica, Marta, and Toro are four lonely people who live an unadventurous and quiet existence in southern Chile. They are with each other without the need of using words, trying to save themselves in a stealthy and extreme way. In order not ...
Style:
slow cinema, melancholic, art house, atmospheric, contemplative ...
Plot:
loneliness, alienation, isolation, everyday life, intimate, minimalism, bittersweet, character study, intimacy, coastal town, sexual tension, dog ...
Place:
poetic realism, chile
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Three farmers work on a farm in Entre Ríos, a sparsely populated lowland region of Argentina traversed by rivers. Their crops are affected by ‘black frost’ which threatens to destroy their harvest. One day, a young woman appears at their door; ...
Style:
atmospheric, slow cinema
Plot:
farm, agriculture, mystery woman, superstition, belief, small town life, isolated community, hopes, plague, isolation, symbolism, magic realism ...
Place:
argentina, poetic realism
Is relevant?
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