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The Lunchbox poster

Movies that feel likeThe Lunchbox (2013)

A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system (Mumbai's Dabbawallahs) connects a young housewife to a stranger in the dusk of his life. They build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox. Gradually, this fantasy threatens to overwhelm their reality.

If you loved The Lunchbox, the closest films we have are My Name Is Khan (2010), Free Fall (2013) and Weekend (2011). All three share The Lunchbox'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 Right Now, Wrong Then (2015).

πŸ… 97% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Ritesh Batracontemplativeromantictender
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· MUBI Β· Fandor

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See it on the Mood Map

If The Lunchbox hit the spot, these will too

My Name Is Khan poster
My Name Is Khan
2010 Β· dir. Karan Johar
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.9drama Β· romance

The same mix in both: stillness, then romance

Rizwan Khan, a Muslim from the Borivali section of Mumbai, has Asperger's syndrome. He marries a Hindu single mother, Mandira, in San Francisco. After 9/11, Rizwan is detained by authorities at LAX who treat him as a terrorist because of his condition and his race.

Free Fall poster
Free Fall
2013 Β· dir. Stephan Lacant
β˜… 7.5drama Β· romance

Both lean on tenderness more than on drama

A promising career with the police, a baby on the way... Marc's life seems to be right on track. Then he meets fellow policeman Kay and during their regular jogs Marc experiences a never-before-felt sense of ease and effortlessness – and what it means to fall in love with another man.

Weekend poster
Weekend
2011 Β· dir. Andrew Haigh
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.6drama Β· romanceRent or buy

Romance built on stillness, twice over

After a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special.

Sidewalls poster
Sidewalls
2011 Β· dir. Gustavo Taretto
πŸ… 70%β˜… 7.5drama Β· romance

Romantic drama, and it commits to that

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

Martin is a neurotic web designer taking baby steps out of the isolation of his one-room apartment and his virtual reality. Mariana is an artist fresh out of a long relationship. They are perfect for each other, live on the same street, in opposite buildings, but they never meet. Can the movement of a modern city of three million people bring them together?

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

Romance with a pulse of tenderness, in both cases

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.

45 Years poster
45 Years
2015 Β· dir. Andrew Haigh
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.1drama Β· romance

Contemplative drama in both cases

There is just one week until Kate Mercer's 45th wedding anniversary and the planning for the party is going well. But then a letter arrives for her husband. The body of his first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. By the time the party is upon them, five days later, there may not be a marriage left to celebrate.

Right Now, Wrong Then poster
Right Now, Wrong Then
2015 Β· dir. Hong Sang-soo
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.1drama Β· romance

Romance built on romance, twice over

By mistake, film director Ham Chunsu arrives in Suwon a day early. With time to kill before his lecture the next day, Chunsu stops by a restored, old palace and meets an artist named Yoon Heejung. Together, they go to Heejung's workshop to look at her paintings, have Sushi with Soju for dinner, and get close. Later, they go to another cafΓ© and have more drinks with Heejung's acquaintances. When asked if he is married, Chunsu is forced to reveal the fact that he is, and Heejung gets deeply disappointed...

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

The shared currency is tenderness

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

Jab Tak Hai Jaan poster
Jab Tak Hai Jaan
2012 Β· dir. Yash Chopra
πŸ… 92%β˜… 6.7drama Β· romanceNetflix

The drama is handled with the same confidence

Samar Anand, a London-based struggling musician falls in love with Meera Thappar. After a severe accident, a panicked Meera promises God to leave Samar if he lives. Heartbroken, Samar leaves for India to become a fearless bomb disposal expert in the army.

With Every Heartbeat poster
With Every Heartbeat
2011 Β· dir. Alexandra-Therese Keining
β˜… 6.8romance Β· drama

Both play romance straight

After they meet at their parent's engagement party, Mia and Frida are intrigued by and attracted to one another, despite Mia's own upcoming engagement to Tim. Mia must decide whether to continue her life with Tim or to follow her heart with Frida.

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

Both know what they want from drama

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.

Asako I & II poster
Asako I & II
2018 Β· dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.1drama Β· romance

Romance of the same temperament

Asako lives in Osaka. She falls in love with Baku, a free-spirit. One day, Baku suddenly disappears. Two years later, Asako now lives in Tokyo and meets Ryohei. He looks just like Baku, but has a completely different personality.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

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