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East of Eden poster

Movies that feel likeEast of Eden (1955)

In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.

If you loved East of Eden, the closest films we have are Floating Weeds (1959), Black Narcissus (1947) and Splendor in the Grass (1961). All three share East of Eden's contemplative and romantic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Day of Wrath (1943).

🍅 86% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Elia Kazancontemplativeromantic
8 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max · Criterion Channel · Artiflix

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See it on the Mood Map

If East of Eden hit the spot, these will too

Floating Weeds poster
Floating Weeds
1959 · dir. Yasujirō Ozu
🍅 96%★ 7.9dramaMax

Common ground: love

A theater troupe master's visit with his old flame unintentionally sets off a chain of unexpected events with devastating consequences.

Black Narcissus poster
Black Narcissus
1947 · dir. Emeric Pressburger
🍅 100%★ 7.7dramaMax

The same mix in both: stillness, then romance

A group of Anglican nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, are sent to a mountain in the Himalayas. The climate in the region is hostile and the nuns are housed in an odd old palace. They work to establish a school and a hospital, but slowly their focus shifts. Sister Ruth falls for a government worker, Mr. Dean, and begins to question her vow of celibacy. As Sister Ruth obsesses over Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh becomes immersed in her own memories of love.

Splendor in the Grass poster
Splendor in the Grass
1961 · dir. Elia Kazan
🍅 75%★ 7.7drama · romance

Elia Kazan working the same nerve twice

The difference: Sits closer to romance than East of Eden does

A fragile Kansas girl's unrequited and forbidden love for a handsome young man from the town's most powerful family drives her to heartbreak and madness.

The Quiet Girl poster
The Quiet Girl
2022 · dir. Colm Bairéad
🍅 97%★ 7.7drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: love

The difference: 67 years apart, and the 2020s show

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.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag poster
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
2013 · dir. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
🍅 75%★ 8.2drama

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

The true story of the "Flying Sikh" world champion runner and Olympian Milkha Singh who overcame the massacre of his family, civil war during the India-Pakistan partition, and homelessness to become one of India's most iconic athletes.

On the Waterfront poster
On the Waterfront
1954 · dir. Elia Kazan
🍅 99%★ 8.1crime · drama · romance

Elia Kazan directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

The difference: Leans harder into crime than East of Eden does

A prizefighter-turned-longshoreman with a conscience goes up against labor leaders to expose corruption, extortion, and murder among the union ranks.

The Sea Inside poster
The Sea Inside
2004 · dir. Alejandro Amenábar
🍅 85%★ 7.9drama

The same preoccupation in both: brothers and sisters

Ramón Sampedro is a ship mechanic and part-time poet left a quadriplegic following a diving accident. Ramón fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life. He develops close relationships with his long-term lawyer Julia and his friend Rosa, who tries to convince him that his life is worth living. Despite his situation, Ramón manages to inspire those around him to live life to the fullest.

After the Wedding poster
After the Wedding
2006 · dir. Susanne Bier
🍅 87%★ 7.7drama

Drama with a pulse of romance, in both cases

A manager of an orphanage in India is sent to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he discovers a life-altering family secret.

Yi Yi poster
Yi Yi
2000 · dir. Edward Yang
★ 8.1drama

Drama built on stillness, twice over

Each member of a family in Taipei asks hard questions about life's meaning as they live through everyday quandaries. NJ is morose: his brother owes him money, his mother is in a coma, his wife suffers a spiritual crisis when she finds her life a blank and his business partners make bad decisions.

Day of Wrath poster
Day of Wrath
1943 · dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer
🍅 100%★ 8drama · history

Both sit in the same romantic register

In a Danish village in the early 1600s, a young woman named Anne, whose mother was thought to be a witch, develops sympathy toward an old woman, Marte, who is accused of witchcraft. The intervention of Anne's older but kindly husband, Pastor Absalon saved her mother -- but now, urged on by his overbearing mother, he refuses to help Marte. When Absalon's son returns home and is attracted to Anne, it's a matter of time before her family destiny catches up with her.

Journey to Italy poster
Journey to Italy
1954 · dir. Roberto Rossellini
🍅 96%★ 7.2drama · romanceMax

Both are drama through and through

Married for eight years with no children, Brits Katherine and Alex Joyce are driving to Italy, their ultimate destination just outside of Naples to sell the villa they have just inherited from his uncle, the villa where they will be staying during their time there. On the drive, they come to the realization that this trip marks the first time that they have truly been alone together, and as such don't really know one another in the true sense.

The Earrings of Madame de... poster
The Earrings of Madame de...
1953 · dir. Max Ophüls
🍅 97%★ 7.8drama · romanceMax

Drama of the same temperament

In late 19th century France, the Countess Louise, wife of a wealthy general, sells the earrings her husband gave her on their wedding day to pay off her secret debts, then claims to have lost them. Her husband quickly learns of the deceit, which is the beginning of many tragic misunderstandings, all involving the earrings, the general, the countess, and her new lover, the Italian Baron Donati.

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The best-reviewed films that share East of Eden’s defining feeling.