feelsalike.com

Movies that feel like Kes (1970)

If you loved Kes, the closest films we have are Diary of a Country Priest (1951), Dead Poets Society (1989) and Boyhood (2014). All three share Kes's contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 8 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, Philo and AMC Plus Apple TV channel and others, checked against today's data.

Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence.

πŸ… 100% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.9 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Ken Loachcontemplativewistfulcozyplayful

When is Kes streaming? β†’

If Kes hit the spot, these will too

Diary of a Country Priest poster
Diary of a Country Priest
1951 Β· dir. Robert Bresson
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.7drama

Small town life sits at the heart of each

The difference: Missing the wistfulness of Kes

An inexperienced, sickly priest shows up in the rural French community of Ambricourt, where he joins the community's clergy. But the locals don't take kindly to the priest, and his ascetic ways and unsociable demeanor make him an outcast. During Bible studies at the nearby girls school, he is continually mocked by his students. Then his attempt to intervene in a family feud backfires into a scandal. His failures, compounded with his declining health, begin to erode his faith.

Feels alike?
Dead Poets Society poster
Dead Poets Society
1989 Β· dir. Peter Weir
πŸ… 85%β˜… 8.1drama

Both built around growing up

The difference: Not nearly as cozy as Kes

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

Feels alike?
Boyhood poster
Boyhood
2014 Β· dir. Richard Linklater
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.9drama

The same preoccupation in both: growing up

The difference: 44 years apart, and the 2010s show

The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.

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The Judge poster
The Judge
2014 Β· dir. David Dobkin
πŸ… 49%β˜… 7.4drama

Both keep circling back to dysfunctional family

The difference: Critics were much harder on this one

A successful lawyer returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral only to discover that his estranged father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder.

Feels alike?
Breaking Away poster
Breaking Away
1979 Β· dir. Peter Yates
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.7drama Β· comedy

Contemplative and wistful in the same breath

The difference: Leans comedy where Kes does not

Dave, nineteen, has just graduated high school, with his three friends: the comical Cyril, the warm hearted but short-tempered Moocher, and the athletic, spiteful but good-hearted Mike. Now, Dave enjoys racing bikes and hopes to race the Italians one day, and even takes up the Italian culture, much to his friends' and parents' annoyance.

Feels alike?
The Breakfast Club poster
The Breakfast Club
1985 Β· dir. John Hughes
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.8comedy Β· drama

Drama built on play, twice over

Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.

Feels alike?
Leave No Trace poster
Leave No Trace
2018 Β· dir. Debra Granik
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.1drama

Both trade on stillness more than on being drama

A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.

Feels alike?
Sweet Bean poster
Sweet Bean
2015 Β· dir. Naomi Kawase
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.4drama

Cozy drama in both cases

The master of a dorayaki pastry store hires a 76-year-old woman whose talents attract customers from all over. But she's hiding a troubling secret. Life's joys are found in the little details, and no matter what may be weighing you down, everyone loves a good pastry.

Feels alike?
Like Father, Like Son poster
Like Father, Like Son
2013 Β· dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.8drama

A streak of wistfulness through both

Ryota Nonomiya is a successful businessman driven by money. He learns that his biological son was switched with another child after birth. He must make a life-changing decision and choose his true son or the boy he raised as his own.

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Local Hero poster
Local Hero
1983 Β· dir. Bill Forsyth
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.3comedy Β· drama

Small town life is the engine of both

An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower poster
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2012 Β· dir. Stephen Chbosky
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.9drama

Both sit in the same contemplative register

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love.

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Mysterious Skin poster
Mysterious Skin
2005 Β· dir. Gregg Araki
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.6drama

Both run wistful where it counts

A teenage hustler and a young man obsessed with alien abductions cross paths, together discovering a horrible, liberating truth.

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In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Kes's defining feeling.