MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for A Better Life

A Better Life

2011 · 98 min

A quiet, heartfelt and socially grounded drama that immerses you in a father's quiet struggle and the fragile bond with his son.

Tagline
Every father wants more for his son.
Overview
An Indigenous Latino American gardener in East L.A. struggles to keep his son away from gangs and immigration agents while traveling across town to perform landscaping work for the city's wealthy landowners.

Search YouTube for the trailer

Rent or buy in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • family
  • parenthood
  • immigration
  • class
  • survival
Places
  • big city
  • home
  • road trip
Era
contemporary
Audience
teen
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror0
Humour2
Realism9
Romance1
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like A Better Life

Movie

Under the Same Moon

2007

A heartfelt, at times tense journey that balances the harsh realities of immigration with sentimental warmth and hope.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and immigration

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • immigration
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
106 min
Details In your watch list
Under the Same MoonHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Under the Same Sky

2015

A heartfelt, tense melodrama about family and survival, with a slow-burning romance amid constant danger.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and immigration

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • immigration
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
1
Details In your watch list
Under the Same SkyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

I'm No Longer Here

2019

A slow, melancholic immersion into a displaced teenager's longing, where dance and music offer fleeting solace against harsh realities.

Melancholic, earnest · about immigration

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • immigration
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
112 min
Details In your watch list
I'm No Longer HereHidden from your suggestions.
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.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and class

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • class
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
142 min
Details In your watch list
High and LowHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A Bronx Tale

1993

A warm, bittersweet remembrance of growing up pulled between two father figures, with an undercurrent of racial menace that turns suddenly violent.

Melancholic, earnest · about family

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
121 min
Details In your watch list
A Bronx TaleHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

My Family

1995

A sweeping, heartfelt family saga that moves through decades of joy and sorrow, leaving you moved and reflective.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and parenthood

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • parenthood
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
128 min
Details In your watch list
My FamilyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Nobody Knows

2004

A quietly devastating immersion into childhood neglect, where everyday details accumulate into heartbreak.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and parenthood

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • parenthood
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
141 min
Details In your watch list
Nobody KnowsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Wild Bill

2011

A gritty yet warm British drama about a broken family trying to reconnect amid crime and poverty, with moments of tension and humour.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and parenthood

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • parenthood
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
98 min
Details In your watch list
Wild BillHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Little Men

2016

A quiet, bittersweet watch that lingers on small moments and moral compromises, leaving a gentle ache.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and class

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • class
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
85 min
Details In your watch list
Little MenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

You Can Count on Me

2000

Quietly observed and deeply human, it unfolds like real life, mixing small humor with ache and forgiveness.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and parenthood

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • parenthood
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
111 min
Details In your watch list
You Can Count on MeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Paris, Texas

1984

A quiet, wandering journey through loss and half-remembered love that slowly opens into aching tenderness and regret.

Melancholic, earnest · about family

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
145 min
Details In your watch list
Paris, TexasHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

He Got Game

1998

It is a deeply felt drama about the difficult bridge between a father's sacrifice and a son's uncertain future.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and parenthood

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • parenthood
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
136 min
Details In your watch list
He Got GameHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

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

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Chris Weitz
Written by
Eric Eason
Starring
Demián Bichir, José Julián, Chelsea Rendon, Dolores Heredia, Joaquín Cosío, Carlos Linares, Bobby Soto, Nancy Lenehan
Music
Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography
Javier Aguirresarobe
Runtime
98 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English, Spanish

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata