feelsalike.com

Movies that feel like Black Narcissus (1947)

If you loved Black Narcissus, the closest films we have are The Red Shoes (1948), East of Eden (1955) and Floating Weeds (1959). All three share Black Narcissus' contemplative and romantic feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Criterion Channel and Sundance Now and others, checked against today's data.

A group of Anglican nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, are sent to a mountain in the Himalayas. The climate in the region is hostile and the nuns are housed in an odd old palace. They work to establish a school and a hospital, but slowly their focus shifts. Sister Ruth falls for a government worker, Mr. Dean, and begins to question her vow of celibacy. As Sister Ruth obsesses over Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh becomes immersed in her own memories of love.

πŸ… 100% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Michael Powellcontemplativeromantic
See it on the map

When is Black Narcissus streaming? β†’

If Black Narcissus hit the spot, these will too

The Red Shoes poster
The Red Shoes
1948 Β· dir. Michael Powell
πŸ… 98%β˜… 8.1drama Β· romance

Michael Powell directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

The difference: Leans harder into romance than Black Narcissus does

A fledgling ballerina falls in love with a brilliant composer, but the jealous head of the ballet company plots to drive them apart.

Feels alike?
East of Eden poster
East of Eden
1955 Β· dir. Elia Kazan
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.8drama

Contemplative and romantic in the same breath

In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.

Feels alike?
Floating Weeds poster
Floating Weeds
1959 · dir. Yasujirō Ozu
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.9drama

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

A theater troupe master's visit with his old flame unintentionally sets off a chain of unexpected events with devastating consequences.

Feels alike?
After the Wedding poster
After the Wedding
2006 Β· dir. Susanne Bier
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.7drama

Common ground: india

The difference: 59 years apart, and the 2000s show

A manager of an orphanage in India is sent to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he discovers a life-altering family secret.

Feels alike?
I Know Where I'm Going! poster
I Know Where I'm Going!
1945 Β· dir. Michael Powell
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.4romance Β· drama Β· comedy

Michael Powell working the same nerve twice

Plucky Englishwoman Joan Webster travels to the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides in order to marry a wealthy industrialist. Trapped by inclement weather on the Isle of Mull and unable to continue to her destination, Joan finds herself charmed by the straightforward, no-nonsense islanders around her, and becomes increasingly attracted to naval officer Torquil MacNeil, who holds a secret that may change her life forever.

Feels alike?
A Matter of Life and Death poster
A Matter of Life and Death
1946 Β· dir. Michael Powell
πŸ… 97%β˜… 8romance Β· fantasy Β· drama

Drama with a pulse of romance, in both cases

A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.

Feels alike?
Splendor in the Grass poster
Splendor in the Grass
1961 Β· dir. Elia Kazan
πŸ… 75%β˜… 7.7drama Β· romance

Both are built on the same subject: forbidden love

The difference: Reviewed a good deal more coolly

A fragile Kansas girl's unrequited and forbidden love for a handsome young man from the town's most powerful family drives her to heartbreak and madness.

Feels alike?
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag poster
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
2013 Β· dir. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
πŸ… 71%β˜… 8.2drama

Drama built on stillness, twice over

The true story of the "Flying Sikh" world champion runner and Olympian Milkha Singh who overcame the massacre of his family, civil war during the India-Pakistan partition, and homelessness to become one of India's most iconic athletes.

Feels alike?
Great Expectations poster
Great Expectations
1946 Β· dir. David Lean
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.8drama Β· romance

Both run romantic where it counts

In this Dickens adaptation, orphan Pip discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham, and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella, he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the altar as a young woman, and has made her charge into a warped, unfeeling heartbreaker.

Feels alike?
Yi Yi poster
Yi Yi
2000 Β· dir. Edward Yang
β˜… 8.1drama

Drama of the same temperament

Each member of a family in Taipei asks hard questions about life's meaning as they live through everyday quandaries. NJ is morose: his brother owes him money, his mother is in a coma, his wife suffers a spiritual crisis when she finds her life a blank and his business partners make bad decisions.

Feels alike?
Loveless poster
Loveless
2017 Β· dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.6drama

Both play drama straight

Zhenya and Boris are going through a vicious divorce marked by resentment, frustration and recriminations. Already embarking on new lives, each with a new partner, they are impatient to start again, to turn the page – even if it means threatening to abandon their 12-year-old son Alyosha. Until, after witnessing one of their fights, Alyosha disappears.

Feels alike?
Day of Wrath poster
Day of Wrath
1943 Β· dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.1drama Β· history

The drama is handled with the same confidence

In a Danish village in the early 1600s, a young woman named Anne, whose mother was thought to be a witch, develops sympathy toward an old woman, Marte, who is accused of witchcraft. The intervention of Anne's older but kindly husband, Pastor Absalon saved her mother -- but now, urged on by his overbearing mother, he refuses to help Marte. When Absalon's son returns home and is attracted to Anne, it's a matter of time before her family destiny catches up with her.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Black Narcissus’ defining feeling.