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Movies that feel like Winter Light (1963)

If you loved Winter Light, the closest films we have are The Passion of Anna (1969), Autumn Sonata (1978) and The Last Laugh (1924). All three share Winter Light's contemplative and melancholy feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Paramount Plus Premium and Criterion Channel and others, checked against today's data.

A Swedish pastor fails a loving woman, a suicidal fisherman and God.

πŸ… 77% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Ingmar Bergmancontemplativemelancholy
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If Winter Light hit the spot, these will too

The Passion of Anna poster
The Passion of Anna
1969 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.6drama

Ingmar Bergman directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

A recently divorced man and an emotionally devastated widow begin a love affair.

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Autumn Sonata poster
Autumn Sonata
1978 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 85%β˜… 8.1drama Β· music

Ingmar Bergman working the same nerve twice

The difference: Sits closer to music than Winter Light does

After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva. The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena, is out of the asylum and living with Eva.

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The Last Laugh poster
The Last Laugh
1924 Β· dir. F. W. Murnau
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8drama

Contemplative where it counts, melancholy underneath

The difference: 39 years apart, and the 1920s show

An aging doorman, after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious hotel, is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbours and society.

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Through a Glass Darkly poster
Through a Glass Darkly
1961 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.9drama

Drama built on stillness, twice over

The difference: None of the melancholy Winter Light is built on

Karin hopes to recover from her recent stay at a mental hospital by spending the summer at her family's cottage on a tiny island. Her husband, Martin, cares for her but is frustrated by her physical withdrawal. Her younger brother, Minus, is confused by Karin's vulnerability and his own budding sexuality. Their father, David, cannot overcome his haughty remoteness. Beset by visions, Karin descends further into madness.

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Fanny and Alexander poster
Fanny and Alexander
1982 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.1fantasy Β· drama Β· mystery

Both lean on melancholy more than on drama

As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.

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Central Station poster
Central Station
1998 Β· dir. Walter Salles
πŸ… 94%β˜… 8drama

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

An emotional journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.

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Places in the Heart poster
Places in the Heart
1984 Β· dir. Robert Benton
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.4drama

The shared currency is melancholy

In 1935 rural Texas, recently widowed Edna Spaulding struggles to survive with two small children, a farm to run, and very little money in the bank - not to mention a deadly tornado and the unwelcome presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Edna is aided by her beautician sister, Margaret; a blind boarder, Mr. Will; and a would-be thief, Moze, who decides to teach Edna how to plant and harvest cotton.

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Cries and Whispers poster
Cries and Whispers
1972 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.9drama

Drama in the same key

As Agnes slowly dies of cancer, her sisters are so immersed in their own psychic pains that they are unable to offer her the support she needs.

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A Streetcar Named Desire poster
A Streetcar Named Desire
1951 Β· dir. Elia Kazan
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.9drama Β· thriller

Both working the same drama territory

A disturbed, aging Southern belle moves in with her sister for solace β€” but being face-to-face with her brutish brother-in-law accelerates her downward spiral.

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The Quiet Girl poster
The Quiet Girl
2022 Β· dir. Colm BairΓ©ad
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.7drama

Both know what they want from drama

A quiet, neglected girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with relatives for the summer. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one.

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Nobody Knows poster
Nobody Knows
2004 Β· dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
πŸ… 92%β˜… 8drama

Drama of the same temperament

In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.

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City of Men poster
City of Men
2007 Β· dir. Paulo Morelli
πŸ… 74%β˜… 7.2drama

Both play drama straight

Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas.

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In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

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