MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Light of Day

Light of Day

1987 · 107 min

A raw, music-driven family drama that feels lived-in and emotionally bruising, with moments of rock catharsis.

Directed by
Paul Schrader
Genres
Music, Drama
Tagline
When your family is closing you in, music may be the only way out.
Overview
Cleveland siblings rise with a rock band while coping with personal problems.

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: Light of Day

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

All your lists

In the USNot loaded yet.
Directed by
Paul Schrader
Genres
Music, Drama
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 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
  • family
  • grief
  • music
  • redemption
  • isolation
Places
  • big city
  • workplace
  • hospital
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • serialised
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror0
Humour2
Realism8
Romance2
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like Light of Day

Movie

Ordinary People

1980

A quietly devastating look at a family choking on unspoken grief, acted with raw restraint.

Same cinematographer: John Bailey · Melancholic, earnest · about family and grief

Also
Same cinematographer: John Bailey
Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
124 min
Details
Ordinary PeopleHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Wild Rose

2019

A heartfelt, music-filled journey of self-discovery with raw performances and emotional honesty.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and redemption

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • redemption
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
101 min
Details
Wild RoseHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Sentimental Value

2025

A deeply human, bittersweet drama about family wounds and creative reconciliation, told with warmth, wit, and emotional precision.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
133 min
Details
Sentimental ValueHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Yi Yi

2000

A quietly absorbing, novelistic look at ordinary lives that rewards patience with deep emotional resonance.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
174 min
Details
Yi YiHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Paris, Texas

1984

A quiet, wandering journey through loss and half-remembered love that slowly opens into aching tenderness and regret.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
145 min
Details
Paris, TexasHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Judge

2014

A slow-burning family drama wrapped in a courtroom thriller, balancing sharp banter with heavy emotional reckoning and quiet reconciliation.

Same composer: Thomas Newman · Melancholic, earnest · about family and grief

Also
Same composer: Thomas Newman
Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
141 min
Details
The JudgeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

I Can Only Imagine

2018

A heartfelt, faith-driven drama that traces pain to forgiveness, with earnest performances and a moving musical climax.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details
I Can Only ImagineHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

C'mon C'mon

2021

A quiet black-and-white wander through tender conversations and small frustrations, leaving you moved and unexpectedly hopeful about people.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details
C'mon C'monHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

8 Mile

2002

A gritty, scrappy climb through a bleak city, powered by raw performance and a hard-won sense of self-belief.

Melancholic, earnest · about family

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
111 min
Details
8 MileHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Sound of Metal

2020

An immersive, quietly devastating plunge into sensory loss that makes you hear the world differently and sit with silence.

Melancholic, earnest · about isolation

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
121 min
Details
Sound of MetalHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Almost Famous

2000

A warm, bittersweet ride through rock-and-roll nostalgia, balancing humor and heartache as it captures the thrill and confusion of growing up.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and music

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • music
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
124 min
Details
Almost FamousHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Searching

2018

A taut, emotionally charged thriller told entirely through screens, keeping you glued as a father pieces together his daughter's secret life.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
SearchingHidden 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
music, drama
Directed by
Paul Schrader
Written by
Paul Schrader
Starring
Michael J. Fox, Gena Rowlands, Joan Jett, Michael McKean, Thomas G. Waites, Cherry Jones, Michael Dolan, Paul J. Harkins
Music
Thomas Newman
Cinematography
John Bailey
Runtime
107 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.