Suzume
2022Japan★ 7.96 pt match
Like Up, this one is rooted in grief, loss of innocence, and longing. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down and family duty. The feel is the same: melancholic, hopeful, escalating, and slow burn.
Up
2009USALanguage: EnglishDirected by Pete Docter★ 8
Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.
Themes and style
Tone
melancholichopefulwhimsicalwarmdark comedy
Pacing
escalatingepisodicslow build to explosionslow burn
Story
journeyescapesurvival
Emotion
grieflongingredemptionthe family you chooseloss of innocence
Themes
family wounds passed downfamily dutyold ways vs. new world
Feel
catharticgut punchcrowd pleaseremotionally wreckingrewatchablequietly haunting
Violence
mildWhere to watch
Foreign films like Up
These foreign films share the same emotional core, themes, and structural feel as Up. Every one of them has confirmed English subtitles or dubbing.
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
2018Japan★ 8.25.5 pt match
Like Up, this one is rooted in grief, longing, and loss of innocence. The world both films live in revolves around family wounds passed down and family duty. Same energy: melancholic, hopeful, slow burn, and episodic.
The Boy and the Heron
2023Japan★ 7.43.5 pt match
What ties these together is grief, loss of innocence, and longing. They share the same lens on family wounds passed down and family duty. Both move the same way too, melancholic, whimsical, slow burn, and escalating.
The Wind Rises
2013Japan★ 7.83 pt match
Like Up, this one is rooted in longing and grief. They share the same lens on family wounds passed down, family duty, and old ways vs. new world. Same energy: melancholic, hopeful, slow burn, and episodic.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0
2021Japan★ 8.13 pt match
Like Up, this one is rooted in grief, redemption, and loss of innocence. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down. Both move the same way too, melancholic, hopeful, escalating, and slow build to explosion.
La Leyenda de los Chaneques
2023Mexico★ 8.43 pt match
Both films sit with the family you choose. They share the same lens on family wounds passed down and family duty. The feel is the same: whimsical, warm, escalating, and episodic.