MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Orphans

Orphans

1987 · 115 min

A claustrophobic, slow-burning character study that simmers with tension and unexpected tenderness.

Directed by
Alan J. Pakula
Genres
Drama, Crime
Starring
Albert Finney, Matthew Modine, Kevin Anderson
Tagline
Love moves in mysterious ways.
Overview
Brothers Treat and Philip have only had each other since they were kids, when a small-time criminal abruptly upends their routine lives.

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

Rent or buy in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Alan J. Pakula
Genres
Drama, Crime
Starring
Albert Finney, Matthew Modine, Kevin Anderson
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 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • family
  • isolation
  • identity
  • betrayal
  • redemption
Places
  • home
  • big city
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
Horror1
Humour3
Realism7
Romance1
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like Orphans

Movie

High and Low

1963

A slow-burning moral thriller that moves from a tense domestic standoff to a meticulous police procedural, ending on a haunting note of class resentment.

Tense, melancholic · about family

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
142 min
Details
High and LowHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Hotel New Hampshire

1984

A bittersweet, eccentric family saga that veers between whimsy and tragedy, leaving a lingering sense of affection for its oddball characters.

Melancholic, dark · about family and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details
The Hotel New HampshireHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Daughter of the Nile

1987

A quiet, drifting portrait of a young woman holding a fragile family together, observed with patient lyricism and a lingering ache.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and isolation

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
91 min
Details
Daughter of the NileHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

I'm Your Woman

2020

A slow-burn, tense character study that keeps you quietly anxious, anchored by a raw performance and a pervasive sense of isolation.

Tense, melancholic · about family and isolation

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • family
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
120 min
Details
I'm Your WomanHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Heat

1995

A cool, controlled crime epic that builds tension through meticulous detail and quiet character moments, culminating in explosive set pieces and a haunting sense of inevitability.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation and betrayal

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
170 min
Details
HeatHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Klute

1971

A slow-burn, psychologically tense character study that immerses you in a paranoid, melancholic atmosphere of urban isolation.

Same director: Alan J. Pakula · Tense, melancholic · about isolation and identity

Also
Same director: Alan J. Pakula
Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
114 min
Details
KluteHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Léon: The Professional

1994

A tender, uneasy bond grows between a lonely killer and a grieving girl, wrapped in stylish, violent menace that lingers.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation · single location

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • single location
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
111 min
Details
Léon: The ProfessionalHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Girl in the Basement

2021

A suffocating, joyless watch that traps you in a young woman's long captivity, leaving a heavy, lingering sense of dread.

Tense, melancholic · about family and isolation · single location

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • family
  • isolation
  • single location
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
88 min
Details
Girl in the BasementHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Brother

2020

A quiet, heavy family drama that sits with you, letting small tensions and unspoken hurt build until they ache.

Tense, melancholic · about family and identity

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Details
BrotherHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hard Eight

1997

A quiet, brooding character study that unfolds with slow-burn tension and a pervasive sense of melancholy and moral ambiguity.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation and betrayal

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

Shoplifters

2018

A quietly devastating portrait of makeshift family bonds, poverty, and love, unfolding with tender restraint and piercing emotional honesty.

Melancholic · about family

Via
  • melancholic
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
120 min
Details
ShopliftersHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Half Brother

2014

A tense, uncomfortable family drama that feels like being trapped in a small house full of resentment.

Tense, melancholic · about family and isolation · single location

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • family
  • isolation
  • single location
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
75 min
Details
Half BrotherHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, crime
Directed by
Alan J. Pakula
Written by
Lyle Kessler
Starring
Albert Finney, Matthew Modine, Kevin Anderson, John Kellogg, Anthony Heald, Novella Nelson, Elizabeth Parrish, B. Constance Barry
Music
Michael Small
Cinematography
Donald McAlpine
Runtime
115 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.