Movie

The Luzhin Defence

2000 · 109 min

A slow, elegant tragedy of a fragile mind caught between love and obsession, played with quiet intensity.

Directed by: Marleen Gorris
Genres: Romance, Drama
Starring: John Turturro, Emily Watson, Geraldine James

Tagline: Two worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty.
Overview: Based upon the novel by Vladimir Nabokov, a chess grandmaster travels to Italy in the 1920s to play in a tournament and falls in love.

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: The Luzhin Defence

In the USNot loaded yet.

Directed by: Marleen Gorris
Genres: Romance, Drama
Starring: John Turturro, Emily Watson, Geraldine James

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: melancholicstrength 3 of 3
darkstrength 2 of 3
romanticstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 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: obsession
love
madness
betrayal
isolation
Places: big city
countryside
hospital
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	1
Horror	1
Humour	2
Realism	7
Romance	6
Tension	6
Darkness	7
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	8

Titles like The Luzhin Defence

Movie

Phantom Thread

2017

A meticulous, slow-burning psychodrama that wraps obsession and control in exquisite period detail, leaving a lingering unease.

Melancholic, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and love · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
dark
obsession
love
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 130 min

Details

Phantom ThreadHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Pawn Sacrifice

2015

A tense and melancholic character study that makes chess feel like psychological warfare, blending Cold War paranoia with a portrait of obsession and isolation.

Melancholic, dark · about obsession and madness · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
dark
obsession
madness
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 115 min

Details

Pawn SacrificeHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Red Shoes

1948

A visually stunning, emotionally intense melodrama about artistic obsession, with a mesmerizing ballet sequence and a tragic, unforgettable climax.

Melancholic, dark · about obsession and love · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
dark
obsession
love
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 133 min

Details

The Red ShoesHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Cold War

2018

A haunting, elliptical romance that sweeps you through years of longing and political exile, leaving a lingering ache.

Melancholic, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and love · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
dark
obsession
love
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 88 min

Details

Cold WarHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Casablanca

1942

A smoky, bittersweet romance wrapped in wartime tension, with sharp dialogue and a lingering sense of sacrifice.

Melancholic, romantic · about love and betrayal · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
romantic
love
betrayal
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 102 min

Details

CasablancaHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Anna Karenina

2012

A sumptuous, theatrical tragedy of passion and society, visually dazzling but emotionally wrenching.

Melancholic, dark · about love and betrayal · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
dark
love
betrayal
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 129 min

Details

Anna KareninaHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Deep Blue Sea

2011

A slow, aching plunge into a woman's desperate passion, told in fragments that feel like memory and regret.

Melancholic, romantic, slow-burn · about obsession and love · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
romantic
obsession
love
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 98 min

Details

The Deep Blue SeaHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Senso

1954

A lush, operatic descent into obsessive love and betrayal, gorgeous and suffocating, ending in madness and ruin.

Melancholic, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and love

Via: melancholic
dark
obsession
love
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 123 min

Details

SensoHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Letter from an Unknown Woman

1948

A wistful, gorgeously drifting romance that aches with longing and regret, sweeping you through memory like a fading waltz.

Melancholic, romantic, slow-burn · about obsession and love · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
romantic
obsession
love
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 87 min

Details

Letter from an Unknown WomanHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Talk to Her

2002

A quietly haunting and emotionally intricate drama that unfolds with deliberate grace, blending tenderness and unease into a deeply moving experience.

Melancholic, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and love · nonlinear