MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Shotgun Stories

Shotgun Stories

2007 · 92 min

A quiet, brooding Southern Gothic that simmers with family tension and erupts into sudden violence, leaving a lingering sadness.

Directed by
Jeff Nichols
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Tagline
Two families. One feud. No going back.
Overview
Shotgun Stories tracks a feud that erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Southeast Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family.

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: Shotgun Stories

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

All your lists

In the USNot loaded yet.
Directed by
Jeff Nichols
Genres
Drama, Thriller
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 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
  • family
  • revenge
  • grief
  • loyalty
  • violence
Places
  • countryside
  • small town
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror1
Humour2
Realism8
Romance2
Tension6
Darkness7
Complexity5
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like Shotgun Stories

Movie

In the Bedroom

2001

A quiet, patient study of grief that slowly tightens into dread, carried by restrained performances and the weight of ordinary people making terrible choices.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about family and revenge

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • family
  • revenge
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
131 min
Details
In the BedroomHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Mud

2012

A slow, humid riverbank coming-of-age tale that drifts between boyish adventure and grown-up heartbreak, ending in sudden violence and quiet hope.

Same writer: Jeff Nichols · Melancholic, tense, slow-burn · about family and loyalty

Also
Same writer: Jeff Nichols
Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • family
  • loyalty
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
130 min
Details
MudHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Winter's Bone

2010

A cold, quiet trudge through hard country, gripping you with dread and stubborn grit rather than speed.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about family

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
101 min
Details
Winter's BoneHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Road to Perdition

2002

A somber, visually poetic journey of vengeance and father-son bonds, unfolding with quiet tension and deep emotional weight.

Melancholic, tense, slow-burn · about family and revenge

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • family
  • revenge
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
117 min
Details
Road to PerditionHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Blue Ruin

2014

A grim, tense revenge thriller that feels raw and unpredictable, with a quietly desperate protagonist and bursts of brutal violence.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about family and revenge

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • family
  • revenge
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
Blue RuinHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Take Shelter

2011

A slow-burn psychological thriller that burrows under your skin with mounting dread and an ambiguous, haunting finale.

Same director: Jeff Nichols · Melancholic, tense, slow-burn · about family

Also
Same director: Jeff Nichols
Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
120 min
Details
Take ShelterHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Calm with Horses

2020

A slow, grim immersion into rural crime and fragile fatherhood, heavy with dread and quiet tenderness.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about family and loyalty

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • family
  • loyalty
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
100 min
Details
Calm with HorsesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Out of the Furnace

2013

A slow, heavy descent into Rust Belt grief and violence, carried by quiet performances and a mounting sense of doom.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about family and revenge

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • family
  • revenge
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
116 min
Details
Out of the FurnaceHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Warrior

2011

A raw, emotionally charged drama that builds tension through brutal fights and fractured family bonds, culminating in a cathartic release.

Melancholic, tense · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
140 min
Details
WarriorHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Let Him Go

2020

A slow-building, tense neo-Western that weighs heavily on the heart, with moments of stark violence and a pervasive sense of loss.

Melancholic, tense, slow-burn · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
114 min
Details
Let Him GoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Ballast

2008

A quiet, heavy immersion into grief and poverty, where small gestures carry the weight of survival and fragile connection.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about family and grief

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
96 min
Details
BallastHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

East of Eden

1955

A brooding, emotionally raw family drama that simmers with youthful restlessness and paternal rejection, building to a quietly devastating reckoning.

Melancholic, tense · about family

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
115 min
Details
East of EdenHidden 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
Jeff Nichols
Written by
Jeff Nichols
Starring
Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon, Barlow Jacobs, Michael Abbott Jr., Travis Smith, Lynnsee Provence, David Rhodes, Glenda Pannell
Music
Ben Nichols, Lucero
Cinematography
Adam Stone
Runtime
92 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.