MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Kindergarten Teacher

The Kindergarten Teacher

2018 · 96 min

A quietly unsettling character study that tightens like a vise, blending poetic beauty with mounting dread as boundaries dissolve.

Directed by
Sara Colangelo
Genres
Drama
Starring
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Parker Sevak, Gael García Bernal
Overview
Lisa Spinelli is a Staten Island teacher who is unusually devoted to her students. When she discovers one of her five-year-olds is a prodigy, she becomes fascinated with the boy, ultimately risking her family and freedom to nurture his talent.

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

Free in the UK
  • Rakuten TV
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Sara Colangelo
Genres
Drama
Starring
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Parker Sevak, Gael García Bernal
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
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • obsession
  • art
  • identity
  • isolation
  • parenthood
Places
  • big city
  • suburbs
  • road trip
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
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
Realism8
Romance2
Tension7
Darkness7
Complexity7
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like The Kindergarten Teacher

Movie

The Lost Daughter

2021

A quietly unsettling, emotionally raw character study that simmers with unspoken tension and lingering regret.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about obsession and identity · nonlinear

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • obsession
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
122 min
Details
The Lost DaughterHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Verity

2026

A sleek, chilly thriller that keeps you uneasy, constantly second-guessing what's real and who's lying.

Tense, dark · about obsession

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
117 min
Details
VerityHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Dark Knight

2008

A brooding, tightly wound crime epic that feels like a pressure cooker of moral dilemmas and escalating chaos.

Tense, dark · about obsession and identity

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
152 min
Details
The Dark KnightHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Burning

2018

A slow, haunting experience that lingers in ambiguity, with quiet tension and a sense of unease that builds to a disturbing climax.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about obsession and identity · nonlinear

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • obsession
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
148 min
Details
BurningHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Queen of Hearts

2019

A slow-burning, tense drama that feels like watching a car crash in slow motion, with a chilling and emotionally devastating atmosphere.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about obsession

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • obsession
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
127 min
Details
Queen of HeartsHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Dependencia

A short, uneasy plunge into creative obsession, watching someone surrender to a relationship that feeds and drains him at once.

Tense, melancholic · about obsession and art

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • obsession
  • art
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
13 min
Details
DependenciaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Magnolia

1999

A sprawling, emotionally intense mosaic that sweeps you through interconnected lives with raw performances and surreal moments, demanding full attention.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about isolation · nonlinear

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
189 min
Details
MagnoliaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Blame

2018

A slow-burning, uncomfortable drama that simmers with jealousy and taboo desire, leaving a lingering sense of unease.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about obsession and identity · nonlinear

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • obsession
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
100 min
Details
BlameHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Hunt

2012

A slow, suffocating watch that tightens around you as a kind community turns cold and cruel.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about isolation

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
116 min
Details
The HuntHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Poetry

2010

A quiet, haunting immersion into a woman's fractured consciousness, balancing beauty and horror with unflinching tenderness.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · nonlinear

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
139 min
Details
PoetryHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

May December

2023

An uncomfortable, absorbing drama that blurs performance and reality, making you squirm with quiet tension and moral unease.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about obsession and identity · nonlinear

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • obsession
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
117 min
Details
May DecemberHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Lolita

1997

A queasy, beautifully shot descent into obsession, where tenderness and predation blur and every scene leaves you uneasy.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about obsession and identity · nonlinear

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • obsession
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
137 min
Details
LolitaHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • Rakuten TV
Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Sara Colangelo
Written by
Sara Colangelo
Starring
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Parker Sevak, Gael García Bernal, Michael Chernus, Rosa Salazar, Ajay Naidu, Anna Baryshnikov, Daisy Tahan
Music
Asher Goldschmidt
Cinematography
Pepe Avila del Pino
Runtime
96 min
Country
Canada, Israel, United Kingdom, United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata