MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for La Ciénaga

La Ciénaga

2001 · 101 min

A sweltering, languid immersion into family decay, where unspoken tensions and class divides simmer beneath everyday moments.

Overview
Amid the sweltering summer heat in northern Argentina, two middle-class families retreat to a crumbling country estate and a modest townhouse, where strained relationships, simmering tensions, and the presence of children and servants quietly expose the fractures of family life. Between idle days, gossip, and unspoken desires, the boundaries of class, tradition, and faith are reflected in their everyday interactions.

Search YouTube for the trailer

Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • MUBI
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • class
  • family
  • isolation
  • corruption
  • identity
Places
  • countryside
  • small town
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror2
Humour3
Realism8
Romance2
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity8
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like La Ciénaga

Movie

Roma

2018

A quietly devastating, beautifully observed slice of life that immerses you in another time and place, rewarding patience with profound emotional resonance.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about class and family

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • class
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
135 min
Details In your watch list
RomaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Headless Woman

2008

A disorienting, quietly tense plunge into a woman's fractured perception, where social unease and guilt simmer beneath everyday life.

Same writer: Lucrecia Martel · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about class and isolation

Also
Same writer: Lucrecia Martel
Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • class
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
87 min
Details In your watch list
The Headless WomanHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Fjord

2026

A patient, quietly suffocating chamber drama where cultural and religious friction curdles into institutional dread, leaving you uneasy long after.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about family and isolation

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • family
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
146 min
Details In your watch list
FjordHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Gemini

2005

A hushed, suffocating family drama where politeness curdles into something deeply uncomfortable to watch.

Slow-burn · about class and family

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

A Separation

2011

A quietly gripping, morally complex drama that keeps you tense and emotionally invested as it unfolds with painful realism.

Tense, melancholic · about class and family · ensemble

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • class
  • family
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
123 min
Details In your watch list
A SeparationHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A House with Two Dogs

2025

A quiet, closely observed family drama that simmers with tension and finds small moments of warmth amid economic strain.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about class and family

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • class
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
98 min
Details In your watch list
A House with Two DogsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Tokyo Sonata

2008

A quiet, unsettling slide into family crisis that tightens like a wire before releasing into something achingly tender.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about class and family · ensemble

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • class
  • family
  • ensemble
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
120 min
Details In your watch list
Tokyo SonataHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Rosebush Pruning

2026

A sun-drenched, unnerving tragicomedy where affluent dysfunction curdles into something sinister and strangely funny.

Tense, satirical · about class and family · ensemble

Via
  • tense
  • satirical
  • class
  • family
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
95 min
Details In your watch list
Rosebush PruningHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Second Mother

2015

A quietly observant drama that blends warmth and unease as small acts of defiance unsettle a rigid household.

Melancholic, satirical · about class and family · ensemble

Via
  • melancholic
  • satirical
  • class
  • family
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
112 min
Details In your watch list
The Second MotherHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Hunt

2012

A slow, suffocating watch that tightens around you as a kind community turns cold and cruel.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about family and isolation

Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • family
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
116 min
Details In your watch list
The HuntHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Himala

1982

A slow, suffocating descent into collective delusion, watching hope curdle into exploitation and violence with mounting dread.

Tense, satirical, slow-burn · about class and isolation · ensemble

Via
  • tense
  • satirical
  • class
  • isolation
  • ensemble
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
124 min
Details In your watch list
HimalaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Zama

2017

A slow, oppressive immersion into colonial stagnation, where bureaucratic frustration and creeping paranoia feel physically suffocating.

Same director: Lucrecia Martel · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about isolation and identity

Also
Same director: Lucrecia Martel
Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
115 min
Details In your watch list
ZamaHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • MUBI

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Lucrecia Martel
Written by
Lucrecia Martel
Starring
Mercedes Morán, Graciela Borges, Martín Adjemián, Leonora Balcarce, Silvia Baylé, Sofia Bertolotto, Juan Cruz Bordeu, Noelia Bravo Herrera
Cinematography
Hugo Colace
Runtime
101 min
Country
Argentina, France, Spain
Languages
Spanish

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata