MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Sanctuary City

Sanctuary City

2021 · 99 min

A quiet, dialogue-driven drama that asks you to sit with uncertainty and hope.

Directed by
Rebecca Frecknall
Starring
Jasai Chase-Owens, Sharlene Cruz, Julian Elijah Martinez
Overview
DREAMers. Love(r)s. Life-long friends. Negotiating the promise of safety and the weight of responsibility, they’ll fight like hell to establish a place for themselves and each other in America.

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

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Rebecca Frecknall
Starring
Jasai Chase-Owens, Sharlene Cruz, Julian Elijah Martinez
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • immigration
    • identity
    • friendship
    • love
    • survival
    Places
    • big city
    Era
    contemporary
    Audience
    adult
    Form
    None
    Content intensity
    • Gore none
    • Language mild
    • Violence none
    • Sex mild
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action1
    Horror0
    Humour2
    Realism8
    Romance4
    Tension5
    Darkness5
    Complexity6
    Emotional weight7

    More like this

    Titles like Sanctuary City

    Short film

    I Do

    2023

    A quiet, intimate short that sits with two people caught between duty and desire, asking for patient attention.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    21 min
    Details
    I DoHidden from your suggestions.
    Short film

    Home

    2025

    A quiet, grounded short that turns bureaucratic dread into something tender, carried by the warmth of friends refusing to look away.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    18 min
    Details
    HomeHidden from your suggestions.
    Short film

    Ángela

    2018

    A quiet, observant short that follows a newcomer through an unfamiliar city, carrying a steady undercurrent of loneliness and quiet resolve.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    12 min
    Details
    ÁngelaHidden from your suggestions.
    Short film

    Cartas de un río a otro

    2024

    This is a quiet, reflective experience that explores the internal journey of selfhood while navigating geographical displacement.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    8 min
    Details
    Cartas de un río a otroHidden from your suggestions.
    Short film

    Link

    2020

    A quiet, wordless encounter that builds to a gentle, aching reveal about the walls between people.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    4 min
    Details
    LinkHidden from your suggestions.
    Short film

    Daybreak

    2009

    A quiet, earnest short that immerses you in a migrant's struggle, balancing hope and hardship with emotional weight.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    14 min
    Details
    DaybreakHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Matares

    2020

    A tender, heart-wrenching look at childhood friendship blossoming amid the harsh realities of migration and survival.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    90 min
    Details
    MataresHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Preparation for the Next Life

    2025

    A tender, slow-burn romance that finds fragile hope amid the grind of immigrant survival and a soldier's return.

    Same writer: Martyna Majok · About immigration and love

    Also
    Same writer: Martyna Majok
    Via
    • immigration
    • love
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    116 min
    Details
    Preparation for the Next LifeHidden from your suggestions.
    Short film

    America

    2025

    A tense, intimate short film that keeps you uneasy as a fragile romance collides with outside threat.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    23 min
    Details
    AmericaHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Siblings

    2016

    A somber, patient journey that asks you to sit with uncertainty and displacement.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    demanding
    Runtime
    112 min
    Details
    SiblingsHidden from your suggestions.
    Movie

    Elder Son

    2026

    A quiet, contemplative character study that lingers on displacement and belonging, asking patience as it unfolds across cultures and generations.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    demanding
    Runtime
    118 min
    Details
    Elder SonHidden from your suggestions.
    Short film

    An Alien in New York

    2025

    A quiet, bittersweet plunge into a newcomer's loneliness and wonder, balancing homesickness with tentative hope.

    About immigration and identity

    Via
    • immigration
    • identity
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Runtime
    17 min
    Details
    An Alien in New YorkHidden from your suggestions.

    Where to watch in the UK

    No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

    Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

    Details

    Directed by
    Rebecca Frecknall
    Written by
    Martyna Majok
    Starring
    Jasai Chase-Owens, Sharlene Cruz, Julian Elijah Martinez
    Runtime
    99 min
    Country
    United States of America

    TMDB