MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Backsliding

Backsliding

1992 · 88 min

A slow-burning, claustrophobic drama of faith and friction under a harsh outback sun.

Directed by
Simon Target
Genres
Drama
Starring
Tim Roth, Jim Holt, Odile Le Clezio
Overview
While in prison, Jack had two momentous experiences: he got religion, and met the woman who would become his wife. He and Alison are devoted to the idea of staying in God's good graces, so they have moved to a remote power station in central Australia, far from anything. Into this possibly idyllic arrangement comes a rootless young man who the power company has hired on to be the station's handyman. Tensions escalate between the men as their conflicting values rub up against one another.

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

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Simon Target
Genres
Drama
Starring
Tim Roth, Jim Holt, Odile Le Clezio
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • faith
  • isolation
  • betrayal
  • obsession
  • identity
Places
  • wilderness
  • workplace
  • single country house
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror2
Humour2
Realism7
Romance3
Tension7
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight6

More like this

Titles like Backsliding

Movie

Check-In

2026

A slow-burning, intimate drama that simmers with quiet tension and desire in a confined, downbeat setting.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about isolation and betrayal · single location

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • betrayal
  • single location
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Details
Check-InHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Believers

2022

A slow, unsettling study of isolation and belief that quietly tightens around you as desire erodes discipline.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about faith and isolation

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • faith
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
118 min
Details
BelieversHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Closet

2018

A tense, claustrophobic vigil as a trapped man wrestles with guilt and fear in near-darkness.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about faith and isolation · single location

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • faith
  • isolation
  • single location
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
The ClosetHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Flashpoint

1972

A slow, tense study of jealousy and isolation in a harsh mining town, with a gritty, realistic atmosphere.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about isolation and betrayal

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
55 min
Details
FlashpointHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

La luz

2026

A quiet, heavy watch that sits with a man's reckoning and asks you to feel every uneasy silence.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about faith and betrayal

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • faith
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
120 min
Details
La luzHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Vic + Flo Saw a Bear

2013

A quiet, unsettling slow burn that lingers in the silences and the looming threat of the past.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about isolation and betrayal

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
95 min
Details
Vic + Flo Saw a BearHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Disco

2019

A tense, slow-burn character study that unsettles as it probes faith, bodily distress, and a young woman's isolation.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about faith and isolation · single location

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • faith
  • isolation
  • single location
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
94 min
Details
DiscoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Męczeństwo Mariana

2006

A quiet, serious character study that unfolds slowly, asking you to sit with a young man's unease and uncertainty.

Melancholic, slow-burn · about faith and isolation

Via
  • melancholic
  • faith
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Details
Męczeństwo MarianaHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

God's Will

2019

A quiet, uneasy short that turns a simple woodland outing into a slow knot of dread and moral weight.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about faith and isolation

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • faith
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
20 min
Details
God's WillHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Tentação

1997

A quiet village turns suffocating as a good man's faith and desire grind against each other.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about faith and isolation

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • faith
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
115 min
Details
TentaçãoHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Beasts

2023

A hushed, oppressive family drama that simmers with unspoken resentment until the polite surface cracks.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about faith and isolation

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • faith
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
15 min
Details
BeastsHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

No Place for Nonbelievers

2023

A quiet, charged conversation where every pause carries weight and belief is tested.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about faith and betrayal · single location

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • faith
  • betrayal
  • single location
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
10 min
Details
No Place for NonbelieversHidden 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
Simon Target
Written by
Ross Wilson, Simon Target
Starring
Tim Roth, Jim Holt, Odile Le Clezio, Ross McGregor, Michelle Fillery, Patrick Duggan, Jim Morlock, Adrian Shirley
Music
Nigel Westlake
Cinematography
Tom Cowan
Runtime
88 min
Country
Australia, United Kingdom
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.