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The Dreamers poster

Movies that feel likeThe Dreamers (2003)

When Isabelle and Theo invite Matthew to stay with them, what begins as a casual friendship ripens into a sensual voyage of discovery and desire in which nothing is off limits and everything is possible.

If you loved The Dreamers, the closest films we have are Last Tango in Paris (1972), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) and I Don't Want to Go Back Alone (2011). All three share The Dreamers' contemplative and romantic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Medicine for Melancholy (2009).

πŸ… 59% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Bernardo Bertoluccicontemplativeromantictender
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· AMC+

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See it on the Mood Map

If The Dreamers hit the spot, these will too

Last Tango in Paris poster
Last Tango in Paris
1972 Β· dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
πŸ… 81%β˜… 6.8drama Β· romance

Bernardo Bertolucci working the same nerve twice

The difference: 31 years apart, and the 1970s show

A recently widowed American begins an anonymous sexual relationship with a young Parisian woman.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona poster
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2008 Β· dir. Woody Allen
πŸ… 80%β˜… 7.1drama Β· romance

Both keep coming back to the same thing: menage a trois

Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.

I Don't Want to Go Back Alone poster
I Don't Want to Go Back Alone
2011 Β· dir. Daniel Ribeiro
β˜… 8.2drama Β· romance

The same preoccupation in both: crush

The arrival of a new student in school changes Leonardo's life. This 15 year-old blind teenager has to deal with the jealousy of his friend Giovana while figuring out the new feelings he's having towards his new friend, Gabriel.

Before Sunset poster
Before Sunset
2004 Β· dir. Richard Linklater
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8.1drama Β· romance

Contemplative and romantic in the same breath

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.

Veer-Zaara poster
Veer-Zaara
2004 Β· dir. Yash Chopra
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.8drama Β· romanceNetflix

Drama with a pulse of tenderness, in both cases

Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh, a pilot in the Indian Air Force, rescues the stranded Zaara, a woman from Pakistan, following a bus accident, and their lives are forever bound.

Two Lovers poster
Two Lovers
2008 Β· dir. James Gray
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7drama Β· romance

Contemplative romance, and it commits to that

A depressed man moves back in with his parents following a recent heartbreak and finds himself with two women.

Love poster
Love
2015 Β· dir. Gaspar NoΓ©
πŸ… 42%β˜… 6.1drama Β· romance

Both are built on the same subject: sexuality

Murphy is an American living in Paris who enters a highly sexually and emotionally charged relationship with the unstable Electra. Unaware of the seismic effect it will have on their relationship, they invite their pretty neighbor into their bed.

Head-On poster
Head-On
2004 Β· dir. Fatih Akin
β˜… 7.9drama Β· romance

Romantic drama in both cases

With the intention to break free from the strict familial restrictions, a suicidal young woman sets up a marriage of convenience with a forty-year-old addict, an act that will lead to an outburst of envious love.

Certified Copy poster
Certified Copy
2010 Β· dir. Abbas Kiarostami
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.2drama Β· romanceRent or buy

Both lean on tenderness more than on romance

In Tuscany to promote his latest book, a middle-aged English writer meets a French woman who leads him to the village of Lucignano.

Dil Chahta Hai poster
Dil Chahta Hai
2001 Β· dir. Farhan Akhtar
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.1drama Β· romanceNetflix

Drama built on stillness, twice over

Three inseparable childhood friends are just out of college. Nothing comes between them - until they each fall in love, and their wildly different approaches to relationships creates tension.

Happy Together poster
Happy Together
1997 Β· dir. Wong Kar-Wai
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.6drama Β· romanceMax

Romantic romance in both cases

A couple travels from Hong Kong to Argentina to revive their relationship but experience turbulence when both men's lives drift in separate directions.

Medicine for Melancholy poster
Medicine for Melancholy
2009 Β· dir. Barry Jenkins
πŸ… 85%β˜… 6.6drama Β· romance

Both run tender where it counts

Waking from a one-night stand that neither remembers, Micah and Joanne find themselves wandering the streets of San Francisco, sharing coffee and conversation and searching for a deeper connection.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

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