15 Movies Like Winter Light
Loved Winter Light? Based on its unique Cinema DNA—including its pacing, themes, and emotional tone—we've curated the ultimate list of what you should watch next.
All Things Fair
In 1943 Malmö, 15-year-old Stig is attracted to his teacher Viola, 22 years his senior, who, drawn to his youth and innocence, believes the lad is a God-sent relief from her miserable marriage to a drunken, unfaithful lout.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
Pleasure
19 year old Linnéa leaves her small town in Sweden and heads for Los Angeles with the aim of becoming the world's next big porn star, but the road to her goal turns out to be bumpier than she imagined.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
The Whale
A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.
💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Winter Light.
The Seventh Seal
When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
Je m'appelle Agneta
Craving a fresh start, recently unemployed Agneta accepts an au pair gig in Provence that turns into an indulgent escape — and an unexpected awakening.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
The Drop
Bob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost.
💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Winter Light.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Swedish thriller based on Stieg Larsson's novel about a male journalist and a young female hacker. In the opening of the movie, Mikael Blomkvist, a middle-aged publisher for the magazine Millennium, loses a libel case brought by corrupt Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. Nevertheless, he is hired by Henrik Vanger in order to solve a cold case, the disappearance of Vanger's niece
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
Dead Man Walking
A death row inmate turns for spiritual guidance to a local nun in the days leading up to his scheduled execution for the murders of a young couple.
💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Winter Light.
Persona
A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
Lilya 4-ever
In a struggling post-Soviet community, Lilya a teenage girl is abandoned when her mother moves to the United States with her boyfriend. Facing neglect and poverty, she meets Andrei, who offers her a job in Sweden, giving her hope for a better life — and a journey that will change everything.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
Wild Strawberries
Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor's own first love.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
Anita, Swedish Nymphet
Anita, a young woman with a troubled childhood and a hunger for love, finds a soul mate in Erik, a kindly college student.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
Father Stu
The true-life story of boxer-turned-priest. When an injury ends his amateur boxing career, Stuart Long moves to Los Angeles to find money and fame. While scraping by as a supermarket clerk, he meets Carmen, a Sunday school teacher who seems immune to his bad-boy charm. Determined to win her over, the longtime agnostic starts going to church to impress her. However, a motorcycle accident leaves him wondering if he can use his second chance to help others, leading to the surprising realization that he's meant to be a Catholic priest.
💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Winter Light.
The Swedish Connection
Swedish Foreign Ministry bureaucrat Gösta Engzell, overlooked during WWII, rescued thousands while turning supposedly neutral Sweden into a moral force. His efforts challenged the status quo and left a lasting humanitarian legacy.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Winter Light.
The Last Temptation of Christ
Jesus, a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into revolutionary action against the Roman occupiers by Judas -- despite his protestations that love, not violence, is the path to salvation. The burden of being the savior of mankind torments Jesus throughout his life, leading him to doubt.
💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Winter Light.