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The Reader poster

Movies that feel likeThe Reader (2008)

The story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the late 1950s, had an affair with an older woman, Hanna, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. He alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that fact at the expense of her freedom.

If you loved The Reader, the closest films we have are Flipped (2010), Revolutionary Road (2008) and Weekend (2011). All three share The Reader'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 Veer-Zaara (2004).

πŸ… 63% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.6 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Stephen Daldrycontemplativeromantictender
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Paramount Plus Premium Β· Sundance Now

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When is The Reader streaming? β†’

If The Reader hit the spot, these will too

Flipped poster
Flipped
2010 Β· dir. Rob Reiner
πŸ… 54%β˜… 7.6romance Β· drama

Contemplative and romantic in the same breath

When Juli meets Bryce in the second grade, she knows it's true love. After spending six years trying to convince Bryce the same, she's ready to give up - until he starts to reconsider.

Revolutionary Road poster
Revolutionary Road
2008 Β· dir. Sam Mendes
πŸ… 67%β˜… 7.3drama Β· romance

Drama with a pulse of tenderness, in both cases

A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.

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

Contemplative romance in both cases

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

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

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?

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

Both lean on tenderness more than on romance

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

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

Drama built on stillness, twice over

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.

Water for Elephants poster
Water for Elephants
2011 Β· dir. Francis Lawrence
πŸ… 60%β˜… 6.9drama Β· romance

Romance built on romance, twice over

In this captivating Depression-era melodrama, impetuous veterinary student Jacob Jankowski joins a celebrated circus as an animal caretaker but faces a wrenching dilemma when he's transfixed by angelic married performer Marlena.

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

A streak of tenderness through both

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

The Best of Me poster
The Best of Me
2014 Β· dir. Michael Hoffman
πŸ… 12%β˜… 6.7drama Β· romance

Both working the same drama territory

A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.

The Wrestler poster
The Wrestler
2008 Β· dir. Darren Aronofsky
πŸ… 99%β˜… 7.9drama Β· romance

Both know what they want from romance

Aging wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson is long past his prime but still ready and rarin' to go on the pro-wrestling circuit. After a particularly brutal beating, however, Randy hangs up his tights, pursues a serious relationship with a long-in-the-tooth stripper, and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. But he can't resist the lure of the ring and readies himself for a comeback.

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

The drama is handled with the same confidence

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.

Up in the Air poster
Up in the Air
2009 Β· dir. Jason Reitman
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.4drama Β· romanceParamount+

Romance approached the same way

Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he’s about to reach a milestone of ten million frequent flyer miles, he meets a woman who causes him to rethink his transient life.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

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