feelsalike.com

Movies that feel like Swades (2004)

If you loved Swades, the closest films we have are Astral City: A Spiritual Journey (2010), In America (2003) and Departures (2008). All three share Swades' contemplative and hopeful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 6 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, Criterion Channel and FlixFling and others, checked against today's data.

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.

πŸ… 90% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8.2 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Ashutosh Gowarikercontemplativedreadhopeful
Stream it:Netflix β†—
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When is Swades streaming? β†’

If Swades hit the spot, these will too

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

Common ground in both: inspirational and admiring

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

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

One thread runs through both: inspirational

The difference: None of the dread Swades is built on

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

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

The same mix in both: stillness, then hope

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.

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

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

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.

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

Hopeful drama in both cases

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.

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The Castle poster
The Castle
1997 Β· dir. Rob Sitch
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.6drama Β· comedy

Drama built on stillness, twice over

The difference: Sits closer to comedy than Swades does

The quirky Kerrigan family lives together in a makeshift home they built themselves – with great pride and a bizarre attention to detail – a few yards from the edge of Melbourne, Australia's busy Tullamarine Airport. When a building inspector condemns the building and reveals that the government plans to use their land for an airport expansion, Darryl Kerrigan and his brood recruit hack attorney Dennis Denuto and prepare themselves for the fight of their lives.

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Mohabbatein poster
Mohabbatein
2000 Β· dir. Aditya Chopra
β˜… 7.1drama Β· romance

Both work the same hope

The difference: Leans harder into romance than Swades does

At a prestigious all-male university, three friends seek love outside of the school grounds; at the same time, a newly-hired music teacher seeks to befriend and loosen up the militantly strict headmaster.

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

Cut from the same drama cloth

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.

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Triumph of the Will poster
Triumph of the Will
1935 Β· dir. Leni Riefenstahl
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.1documentary

A 1930s cousin in spirit

The difference: 69 years apart, and the 1930s show

A showcase of German chancellor and Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler at the 1934 Nuremberg Rally.

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

Both are drama through and through

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.

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A Short Film About Love poster
A Short Film About Love
1988 Β· dir. Krzysztof KieΕ›lowski
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8.1drama Β· romance

Both know what they want from drama

19-year-old Tomek whiles away his lonely life by spying on his opposite neighbour Magda through binoculars. She's an artist in her mid-thirties, and appears to have everything - not least a constant stream of men at her beck and call. But when the two finally meet, they discover that they have a lot more in common than appeared at first sight...

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Blood and Bone poster
Blood and Bone
2009 Β· dir. Ben Ramsey
β˜… 6.7action Β· crime Β· thriller

Drama approached the same way

In Los Angeles, an ex-con takes the underground fighting world by storm in his quest to fulfill a promise to a dead friend.

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In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Swades’ defining feeling.