MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Instinct

Instinct

1999 · 124 min

A slow, serious psychological drama that pits wild nature against cold civilization, with a brooding, unsettling atmosphere.

Directed by
Jon Turteltaub
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Tagline
Nothing is more savage than civilization.
Overview
In a prison for the criminally insane, deranged anthropologist Ethan Powell is set to be examined by a bright young psychiatrist, Theo Caulder. Driven by ambition and a hunger for the truth, Caulder will eventually risk everything—even put his very life on the line—in a harrowing attempt to understand the bizarre actions of this madman.

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: Instinct

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

All your lists

In the USNot loaded yet.
Directed by
Jon Turteltaub
Genres
Drama, Thriller
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • isolation
  • nature
  • freedom
  • madness
  • identity
Places
  • prison
  • wilderness
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour2
Realism7
Romance1
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like Instinct

Movie

Gorillas in the Mist

1988

A sweeping, heartfelt portrait of a woman's fierce bond with gorillas, blending wonder and tragedy in equal measure.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation and nature

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • nature
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
129 min
Details
Gorillas in the MistHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011

A slow-building emotional bond gives way to thrilling, poignant uprising, blending heartbreak with awe.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation and freedom

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • freedom
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
105 min
Details
Rise of the Planet of the ApesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Escape from Alcatraz

1979

A patient, methodical prison procedural that builds quiet tension through meticulous detail and understated performances, culminating in a gripping, almost wordless escape sequence.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation and freedom

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • freedom
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
113 min
Details
Escape from AlcatrazHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Wildman

2026

A quiet, solitary descent into the wilderness that feels like watching someone slowly disappear, with only a camera between them and the void.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation and nature · single location

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • nature
  • single location
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
122 min
Details
WildmanHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

O.G.

2018

A quiet, heavy look at life inside, carried by a worn dignity and the constant pressure of choices.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation and freedom

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • freedom
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
113 min
Details
O.G.Hidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Misery

1990

A claustrophobic, nerve-shredding duel of wills that keeps you coiled tight long after the credits.

Tense · about isolation and madness · single location

Via
  • tense
  • isolation
  • madness
  • single location
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
107 min
Details
MiseryHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Grizzly Man

2005

A haunting, reflective plunge into one man's ecstatic obsession with wild nature, by turns tender, unsettling and quietly devastating.

Melancholic, earnest · about isolation and nature

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • isolation
  • nature
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
103 min
Details
Grizzly ManHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Ted K

2021

A cold, immersive descent into isolation and obsession, watching a brilliant mind curdle in the wilderness.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation and nature

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • nature
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
120 min
Details
Ted KHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Wild Child

1970

A quiet, humane, and absorbing study of a feral child's slow awakening, told with patience and tenderness.

Melancholic, earnest · about isolation and nature

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • isolation
  • nature
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
83 min
Details
The Wild ChildHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

White Hunter, Black Heart

1990

A slow, brooding character study that watches a driven man's arrogance curdle into reckoning, with the African wild as a quiet, heavy backdrop.

Melancholic, earnest · about nature and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • nature
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
112 min
Details
White Hunter, Black HeartHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

1984

A sweeping, poignant journey that contrasts wild freedom with stifling civilization, leaving a lingering sadness.

Melancholic, earnest · about isolation and nature

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • isolation
  • nature
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
143 min
Details
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the ApesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A Father's Miracle

2025

A sincere, emotionally heavy drama that finds warmth and hope inside a grim, unjust confinement.

Tense, earnest · about isolation

Via
  • tense
  • earnest
  • isolation
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
101 min
Details
A Father's MiracleHidden 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
drama, thriller
Directed by
Jon Turteltaub
Written by
Gerald Di Pego
Starring
Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding Jr., Donald Sutherland, Maura Tierney, George Dzundza, John Ashton, John Aylward, Doug Spinuzza
Music
Danny Elfman
Cinematography
Philippe Rousselot
Runtime
124 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.