MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key

2010 · 111 min

A somber, emotionally devastating dual-timeline drama that quietly builds tension as it uncovers painful historical truths.

Directed by
Gilles Paquet-Brenner
Genres
Drama, War
Starring
Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup
Tagline
Uncover the mystery.
Overview
On the night of 16 July 1942, ten year old Sarah and her parents are being arrested and transported to the Velodrome d'Hiver in Paris where thousands of other jews are being sent to get deported. Sarah however managed to lock her little brother in a closet just before the police entered their apartment. Sixty years later, Julia Jarmond, an American journalist in Paris, gets the assignment to write an article about this raid, a black page in the history of France. She starts digging archives and through Sarah's file discovers a well kept secret about her own in-laws.

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 in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
  • Rakuten TV
  • Amazon Video
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Gilles Paquet-Brenner
Genres
Drama, War
Starring
Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • grief
  • guilt
  • memory
  • family
  • identity
Places
  • big city
  • countryside
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
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror3
Humour1
Realism8
Romance2
Tension6
Darkness8
Complexity6
Emotional weight9

More like this

Titles like Sarah's Key

Movie

LA BOLA NEGRA

2026

A sweeping, lyrical epic that moves between eras, blending tenderness and sorrow into an emotionally overwhelming experience.

Melancholic, dark · about grief and memory · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • grief
  • memory
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
159 min
Details
LA BOLA NEGRAHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Pianist

2002

A harrowing, quietly devastating descent through ruins and hunger, sustained by fragile moments of beauty and one man's stubborn will to endure.

Melancholic, tense · about grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
150 min
Details
The PianistHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Incendies

2010

A haunting, slow-burning mystery that burrows into you, revealing devastating truths with quiet, cumulative force.

Melancholic, dark · about grief and family · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • grief
  • family
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
131 min
Details
IncendiesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Ida

2013

A stark, quiet black-and-white journey through grief and identity, heavy with unspoken history and moral unease.

Melancholic · about grief and guilt · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • guilt
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
82 min
Details
IdaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Au revoir les enfants

1987

A quietly devastating, autobiographical coming-of-age story that builds its emotional power through restraint and precise observation, leaving a lasting ache.

Melancholic, tense · about guilt

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • guilt
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
105 min
Details
Au revoir les enfantsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Poetry

2010

A quiet, haunting immersion into a woman's fractured consciousness, balancing beauty and horror with unflinching tenderness.

Melancholic, dark · about grief and guilt · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • grief
  • guilt
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
139 min
Details
PoetryHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Schindler's List

1993

A harrowing, black-and-white immersion into the Holocaust that is emotionally devastating yet ultimately offers a glimmer of hope.

Melancholic, dark · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
195 min
Details
Schindler's ListHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Forbidden Games

1952

A quietly devastating look at childhood innocence colliding with war, told with tender observation and a lingering ache.

Melancholic · about grief and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
87 min
Details
Forbidden GamesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Three Colours: Blue

1993

A quiet, immersive plunge into grief and fragile liberation, carried by luminous imagery and haunting music.

Melancholic, dark · about grief and identity · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • grief
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
98 min
Details
Three Colours: BlueHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Sentimental Value

2025

A deeply human, bittersweet drama about family wounds and creative reconciliation, told with warmth, wit, and emotional precision.

Melancholic · about grief and memory · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • memory
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
133 min
Details
Sentimental ValueHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Lore

2012

A harrowing, intimate journey through a devastated landscape, demanding emotional endurance as innocence is stripped away.

Same composer: Max Richter · Melancholic, tense · about family and identity · nonlinear

Also
Same composer: Max Richter
Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • family
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
109 min
Details
LoreHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Manchester by the Sea

2016

A quietly devastating, deeply human portrait of grief and guilt, leavened by moments of everyday humor and tenderness.

Melancholic, dark · about grief and guilt · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • grief
  • guilt
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
138 min
Details
Manchester by the SeaHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Rent
  • Apple TV Store
  • Rakuten TV
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store
  • YouTube
Buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Rakuten TV
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, war
Directed by
Gilles Paquet-Brenner
Written by
Gilles Paquet-Brenner, Serge Joncour
Starring
Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup, Frédéric Pierrot, Michel Duchaussoy, Dominique Frot, Natasha Mashkevich, Gisèle Casadesus
Music
Max Richter
Cinematography
Pascal Ridao
Runtime
111 min
Country
France
Languages
Yiddish, German, Italian, French, English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata