Movie

The Citizen

2012 · 99 min

A sober, earnest immigrant drama that carries quiet weight as a man's hard-won hopes collide with a changed country.

Directed by: Sam Kadi
Genres: Drama
Starring: Khaled El Nabawy, Agnes Bruckner, Cary Elwes

Overview: Yearning to leave behind his life of misfortune in the Middle East, Ibrahim Jarrah wins the U.S. Green Card Lottery for a chance to become an American citizen. Ibrahim lands in New York City the day before 9/11…and the events of the September terrorist attacks forever shape the struggles he faces on his journey to capture the American dream.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: The Citizen

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

Directed by: Sam Kadi
Genres: Drama
Starring: Khaled El Nabawy, Agnes Bruckner, Cary Elwes

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: earneststrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: identity
isolation
justice
family
survival
Places: big city
workplace
Era: contemporary
Audience: teen
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	1
Humour	2
Realism	8
Romance	3
Tension	6
Darkness	6
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	8

Titles like The Citizen

Movie

The Citizen

2017

A quiet, aching slog through bureaucracy and exile that wears you down with its dignity and quiet fury.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and isolation

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 108 min

Details

The CitizenHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Good Lie

2014

A heartfelt and earnest drama that balances painful memories with warmth and hope, asking for emotional engagement rather than spectacle.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and family

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
family
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 110 min

Details

The Good LieHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

My Name Is Khan

2010

A sweeping, heartfelt journey that balances warmth and heartbreak, anchored by a singular performance and a plea for compassion.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and isolation

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 165 min

Details

My Name Is KhanHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Blue Bayou

2021

A tender, aching family drama that slowly tightens into heartbreak, carried by raw performances and a lingering sense of injustice.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and isolation

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 117 min

Details

Blue BayouHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

La Haine

1995

A raw, tense day-in-the-life that simmers with anger and despair, pulling you into its restless, volatile world.

Earnest, tense · about identity

Via: earnest
tense
identity
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 98 min

Details

La HaineHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

2019

A lyrical, melancholic meditation on belonging and loss, steeped in a city's changing face and quiet moments of friendship.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and isolation

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 121 min

Details

The Last Black Man in San FranciscoHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Small, Slow But Steady

2022

A quiet, patient character study that asks you to sit with small struggles and small victories, rewarding attention with gentle emotional weight.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and isolation

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 99 min

Details

Small, Slow But SteadyHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Souleymane's Story

2024

A tense, immersive ride through Paris streets, carrying the weight of a precarious life and an impending interview.

Melancholic, tense · about isolation and survival

Via: melancholic
tense
isolation
survival
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 94 min

Details

Souleymane's StoryHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Samba

2014

A gentle, humanistic drama that balances bureaucratic frustration with warmth and quiet hope.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and isolation

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 118 min

Details

SambaHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Imperial Dreams

2014

A quiet, heavy, closely observed struggle that stays with you, asking you to sit with a man trying to hold on.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and justice

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
justice
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 86 min

Details

Imperial DreamsHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

I'm No Longer Here

2019

A slow, melancholic immersion into a displaced teenager's longing, where dance and music offer fleeting solace against harsh realities.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and isolation

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 112 min

Details

I'm No Longer HereHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Insult

2017

A tense, talky courtroom drama that digs into personal and national wounds, leaving you unsettled and thoughtful.

Earnest, melancholic · about identity and justice

Via: earnest
melancholic
identity
justice
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 112 min

Details

The InsultHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: drama
Directed by: Sam Kadi
Written by: Jazmen Darnell Brown, Sam Younis
Starring: Khaled El Nabawy, Agnes Bruckner, Cary Elwes, Rizwan Manji, Abe Larkin, William Atherton, Jay R. Adams, Rachael Adams
Music: Christopher Brady
Cinematography: Joseph White
Runtime: 99 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English, Arabic

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

The Citizen

How it feels

More like this

Titles like The Citizen

Where to watch in the UK

Details