MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Water Man

The Water Man

2020 · 92 min

A gentle, heartfelt adventure that blends childhood imagination with real-world grief, offering a warm and earnest journey through loss and connection.

Directed by
David Oyelowo
Genres
Adventure, Fantasy
Overview
Hoping to save his sick mother, a boy named Gunner and his friend Jo venture into the remote Wild Horse forest to search for a mythical figure who possesses the secret to immortality. When they go missing, Gunner's father Amos must immerse himself in his son's world to find them.

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 Water Man

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

In the USNot loaded yet.
Directed by
David Oyelowo
Genres
Adventure, Fantasy
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • warmstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 3 of 3
  • whimsicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • grief
  • family
  • coming-of-age
  • immigration
  • healing
Places
  • small town
  • wilderness
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
teen
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour3
Realism6
Romance1
Tension4
Darkness4
Complexity4
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like The Water Man

Movie

Bridge to Terabithia

2007

A gentle childhood friendship story that quietly turns devastating, leaving you tender and tearful long after the credits.

Warm, melancholic · about grief and family

Via
  • warm
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
95 min
Details
Bridge to TerabithiaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A Monster Calls

2016

A deeply emotional and visually striking journey through a boy's grief, blending harsh reality with dark fantasy to create a cathartic and haunting experience.

Melancholic, earnest · about grief and family · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • family
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
108 min
Details
A Monster CallsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Beasts of the Southern Wild

2012

A raw, dreamlike plunge into a child's fierce world of survival, where beauty and hardship blur together.

Warm, melancholic · about grief and family · nonlinear

Via
  • warm
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
93 min
Details
Beasts of the Southern WildHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Onward

2020

A bright, funny quest that sneaks up on you and ends in a genuine, tearful hug about brothers and loss.

Warm, melancholic · about grief and family

Via
  • warm
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
OnwardHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The NeverEnding Story

1984

A sweeping, heartfelt fantasy that balances wonder with melancholy, drawing you into a story within a story.

Melancholic, earnest · about grief and coming-of-age · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • coming-of-age
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
101 min
Details
The NeverEnding StoryHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

My Neighbor Totoro

1988

A gentle, enchanting escape into childhood wonder, blending everyday family warmth with quiet magical encounters.

Warm, earnest · about family and coming-of-age

Via
  • warm
  • earnest
  • family
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
86 min
Details
My Neighbor TotoroHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Summer Ghost

2021

A quiet, bittersweet coming-of-age story that blends gentle supernatural mystery with raw adolescent pain and fragile hope.

Melancholic, earnest · about grief and coming-of-age · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • coming-of-age
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
40 min
Details
Summer GhostHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Kubo and the Two Strings

2016

A visually stunning, heartfelt stop-motion adventure that blends Japanese folklore with a poignant story about family and memory.

Warm, melancholic · about grief and family · nonlinear

Via
  • warm
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
Kubo and the Two StringsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Pete's Dragon

2016

A gentle, heartfelt adventure that blends wonder and melancholy, with a slow, sincere pace and a strong emotional pull.

Warm, melancholic · about grief and family

Via
  • warm
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
103 min
Details
Pete's DragonHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Song of the Sea

2014

A hand-painted watercolor dream that wraps you in gentle folklore and quiet sorrow, then lifts you toward a tender, tearful release.

Warm, melancholic · about grief and family

Via
  • warm
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
94 min
Details
Song of the SeaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet

2013

A quirky, tender journey through grief and wonder, full of whimsical invention and quiet heartache.

Warm, melancholic · about grief and family · nonlinear

Via
  • warm
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
105 min
Details
The Young and Prodigious T.S. SpivetHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Stand by Me

1986

A warm, bittersweet nostalgia trip that balances boyish adventure with tender, painful lessons about friendship and loss.

Warm, melancholic · about grief and family · nonlinear

Via
  • warm
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
89 min
Details
Stand by MeHidden from your suggestions.

Cast

Where to watch in the US

Change country

We have not loaded where to watch in the US for this title yet. Check again in a day or two.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
adventure, fantasy
Directed by
David Oyelowo
Written by
Emily A. Needell
Starring
David Oyelowo, Amiah Miller, Lonnie Chavis, Rosario Dawson, Maria Bello, Alfred Molina, Aaron Trainor, Ted Rooney
Cinematography
Matthew J. Lloyd
Runtime
92 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.