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Movies that feel like Farewell My Concubine (1993)

If you loved Farewell My Concubine, the closest films we have are Godland (2022), Baraka (1992) and To Live (1994). All three share Farewell My Concubine's dread feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 8 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video and others, checked against today's data.

In an epic tale of theater, gender, love and class, two Beijing opera actors navigate political turmoil as their friendship evolves over decades.

πŸ… 90% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Chen Kaigecontemplativedread
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If Farewell My Concubine hit the spot, these will too

Godland poster
Godland
2022 Β· dir. Hlynur PΓ‘lmason
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.1drama

Both land stillness and dread at once

The difference: 29 years apart, and the 2020s show

In the late 19th century, a young Danish priest travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. But the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, the mission and morality.

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Baraka poster
Baraka
1992 Β· dir. Ron Fricke
πŸ… 85%β˜… 8.5documentary

Dread-soaked drama, and it commits to that

The difference: Missing the stillness of Farewell My Concubine

A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global visionβ€”an odyssey through landscape and timeβ€”that attempts to capture the essence of life.

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To Live poster
To Live
1994 Β· dir. Zhang Yimou
πŸ… 87%β˜… 8.3drama Β· romance Β· war

Both are working the same pair: china, cultural revolution

The difference: Sits closer to romance than Farewell My Concubine does

Married couple Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in mid-20th century mainland China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.

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Bombshell poster
Bombshell
2019 Β· dir. Jay Roach
πŸ… 67%β˜… 6.8drama

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

Bombshell is a revealing look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all time; and the explosive story of the women who brought down the infamous man who created it.

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Paris Is Burning poster
Paris Is Burning
1991 Β· dir. Jennie Livingston
πŸ… 99%β˜… 8.2documentary Β· history

Both keep coming back to the same thing: lgbt

The difference: Not nearly as contemplative as Farewell My Concubine

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women β€” including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.

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Honeyland poster
Honeyland
2019 Β· dir. Ljubomir Stefanov
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8documentary

Both lean on dread more than on drama

When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland’s basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.

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Columbus poster
Columbus
2017 Β· dir. Kogonada
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.2drama

The shared currency is stillness

When a renowned architecture scholar falls suddenly ill during a speaking tour, his son Jin finds himself stranded in Columbus, Indiana - a small Midwestern city celebrated for its many significant modernist buildings. Jin strikes up a friendship with Casey, a young architecture enthusiast who works at the local library.

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Nosferatu the Vampyre poster
Nosferatu the Vampyre
1979 Β· dir. Werner Herzog
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.4drama Β· horror

The drama is handled with the same confidence

A real estate agent leaves behind his beautiful wife to go to Transylvania to visit the mysterious Count Dracula and formalize the purchase of a property in Wismar.

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Swades poster
Swades
2004 Β· dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
πŸ… 90%β˜… 8.2drama

Drama of the same temperament

A successful Indian scientist returns home to his village to take his nanny back to America with him, and in the process rediscovers his roots.

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Audition poster
Audition
2000 Β· dir. Takashi Miike
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.1horror Β· drama

Both working the same drama territory

Seven years after the death of his wife, widower Shigeharu seeks advice on how to find a new wife from a colleague. Taking advantage of their position as a film company, they stage an audition. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu is enchanted by the quiet Asami. But soon things take a twisted turn as Asami isn’t what she seems to be.

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Raise the Red Lantern poster
Raise the Red Lantern
1991 Β· dir. Zhang Yimou
πŸ… 97%β˜… 8.1drama

Both know what they want from drama

In 1920s China, 19-year-old Songlian becomes a concubine of a powerful lord and is forced to compete with his three wives for the privileges gained.

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Taste of Cherry poster
Taste of Cherry
1997 Β· dir. Abbas Kiarostami
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.7drama

The same drama instincts

A middle-aged Tehranian man, Mr. Badii is intent on killing himself and seeks someone to bury him after his demise. Driving around the city, the seemingly well-to-do Badii meets with numerous people, including a Muslim student, asking them to take on the job, but initially he has little luck. Eventually, Badii finds a man who is up for the task because he needs the money, but his new associate soon tries to talk him out of committing suicide.

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In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Farewell My Concubine’s defining feeling.