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Movies that feel like Selma (2014)

If you loved Selma, the closest films we have are Hope (2013), In America (2003) and The Blind Side (2009). All three share Selma's contemplative and hopeful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 7 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Hulu and others, checked against today's data.

"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act.

πŸ… 99% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.5 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Ava DuVernayepiccontemplativehopeful
Stream it:Netflix β†—
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When is Selma streaming? β†’

If Selma hit the spot, these will too

Hope poster
Hope
2013 Β· dir. Lee Joon-ik
β˜… 8.2drama

Both are built on the same subject: a true story

The difference: Missing the scale of Selma

After 8-year-old So-won narrowly survives a brutal sexual assault, her family labors to help her heal while coping with their own rage and grief.

In America poster
In America
2003 Β· dir. Jim Sheridan
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.7drama

The same preoccupation in both: inspirational

A family of Irish immigrants adjusts to life on the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen while also grieving the death of a child.

The Blind Side poster
The Blind Side
2009 Β· dir. John Lee Hancock
πŸ… 66%β˜… 7.6drama

Common ground: a true story

The difference: Reviewed a good deal more coolly

The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

Gran Turismo poster
Gran Turismo
2023 Β· dir. Neill Blomkamp
β˜… 7.1adventure Β· drama Β· action

The same mix in both: scale, then stillness

The difference: Leans harder into adventure than Selma does

The ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver.

Departures poster
Departures
2008 Β· dir. Yojiro Takita
πŸ… 80%β˜… 8drama

Drama with a pulse of hope, in both cases

Daigo, a cellist, is laid off from his orchestra and moves with his wife back to his small hometown where the living is cheaper. Thinking he’s applying for a job at a travel agency he finds he’s being interviewed for work with departures of a more permanent nature – as an undertaker’s assistant.

Awakenings poster
Awakenings
1990 Β· dir. Penny Marshall
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.8drama

Contemplative history, and it commits to that

The difference: Made in the 1990s, in a different era of the craft

Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy research physician, uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Leonard is the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled with awe and enthusiasm, proves a rebirth for Sayer too, as the exuberant patient reveals life's simple but unutterably sweet pleasures to the introverted doctor.

Moneyball poster
Moneyball
2011 Β· dir. Bennett Miller
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.6drama

Both lean on hope more than on drama

The story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball team on a budget, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

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

One thread runs through both: inspirational

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.

Astral City: A Spiritual Journey poster
Astral City: A Spiritual Journey
2010 Β· dir. Wagner de Assis
β˜… 6.5drama

Contemplative history in both cases

The selfish Dr. AndrΓ© Luiz dies and awakes in the limbo called "Umbral". After a painful period in the gruesome swamp, he is rescued and brought in a white light to "Nosso Lar" (meaning "Our Home"). He finds a place of harmony, where people live in peace awaiting

Creed poster
Creed
2015 Β· dir. Ryan Coogler
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.6drama

Drama built on hope, twice over

The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

Cool Runnings poster
Cool Runnings
1993 Β· dir. Jon Turteltaub
πŸ… 75%β˜… 7comedy Β· adventure Β· drama

Epic history, and it commits to that

The difference: Sits closer to comedy than Selma does

When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican bobsled team.

A Few Good Men poster
A Few Good Men
1992 Β· dir. Rob Reiner
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.7drama

Drama of the same temperament

When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway, are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep.

In the mood for more epic?

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The best-reviewed films that share Selma’s defining feeling.