Carol
2015USA★ 7.56 pt match
What ties these together is all-consuming love, longing, and figuring out who you are. They share the same lens on family duty and family wounds passed down. Same energy: melancholic, haunting, slow burn, and dreamlike.
The Big Blue
Le Grand Bleu
1988FranceLanguage: frDirected by Luc Besson★ 7.5
Available in English: subtitled
Childhood friends Jacques and Enzo share a passion for the danger of free diving. Jacques, following in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy, harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing patterns in the water, with his vital signs more closely resembling those of dolphins than men.
Themes and style
Tone
melancholichauntingwhimsicalhopeful
Pacing
slow burndreamlikeescalating
Story
competitionjourneyunraveling
Emotion
longingfiguring out who you aregriefall-consuming lovebelongingloss of innocence
Themes
family wounds passed downfamily duty
Feel
quietly hauntingemotionally wreckingcerebraldiscussion starter
Violence
mildWhere to watch
Hollywood films like The Big Blue
If The Big Blue hit you the right way, here are Hollywood films that share its DNA. Same emotional weight, same kind of stories, same kind of payoff.
Lost in Translation
2003USA★ 7.45 pt match
Both films sit with longing, figuring out who you are, and belonging. They share the same lens on family wounds passed down. Both move the same way too, melancholic, whimsical, slow burn, and dreamlike.
Call Me by Your Name
2017USA★ 8.15 pt match
What ties these together is all-consuming love, longing, and loss of innocence. They share the same lens on family wounds passed down and family duty. Both move the same way too, melancholic, haunting, slow burn, and dreamlike.
The English Patient
1996USA★ 7.14.5 pt match
Like The Big Blue, this one is rooted in all-consuming love, grief, and loss of innocence. Same energy: melancholic, haunting, slow burn, and dreamlike.
The Fault in Our Stars
2014USA★ 7.63.5 pt match
Both films sit with grief, all-consuming love, and loss of innocence. The world both films live in revolves around family duty, family wounds passed down, and family duty. Both move the same way too, melancholic, hopeful, slow burn, and escalating.
Before Sunset
2004USA★ 7.83 pt match
Like The Big Blue, this one is rooted in longing, all-consuming love, and grief. They share the same lens on family wounds passed down and family duty. Same energy: melancholic, haunting, slow burn, and dreamlike.
The Notebook
2004USA★ 7.93 pt match
What ties these together is all-consuming love, longing, and grief. The world both films live in revolves around family wounds passed down and family duty. The feel is the same: melancholic, hopeful, slow burn, and escalating.
Titanic
1997USA★ 7.93 pt match
Both films sit with all-consuming love, grief, and longing. They share the same lens on family duty and family wounds passed down. Both move the same way too, melancholic, haunting, slow burn, and escalating.