Best movies like Cankar
A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Cankar Starring Rok Vihar, Lara Vouk, Helena Peršuh, Katarina Kresitschnig, and more. If you liked Cankar then you may also like: Bee Season, Before Sunrise, The Book of Gabrielle, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Hotel Sorrento and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.
Ivan Cankar experienced many things only after he has written about them. In the film, this link between his writing and his private life is depicted by live-action and animated scenes that draw exclusively on the writer’s works and letters to his loved ones. For an entire decade, he lived with the Löffler family in Vienna, where he wrote most of his impressive oeuvre. First, he grew very close to the lady of the house, then to her adolescent daughter Steffi. Back in Ljubljana, he got involved with several girls there, an attentive lover of a cheerful nature, accessible and highly intelligent. His popular public lectures reveal him as a passionate social democrat.
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Before Sunrise
A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.
The Book of Gabrielle
Gabrielle is writing an illustrated guide book on sex called 'How To Do It.' At a book signing she meets Saul, an established male writer who is straight. She both loves and hates his work which has seeped into her secular Jewish life from childhood. The more Gabrielle tells him about her book the more he wants to know about her life; the relationship with her younger girlfriend Olivia and her determination to "stop using my penis in sex". As her book takes form, is Saul jealous or desirous? Their friendship is tested as is Gabrielle's relationship with Olivia. The film muses on how we write, how we draw. And the nature of "story" and what it makes us do.
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.
Hotel Sorrento
Meg, Pippa, and Hillary are sisters who grew up in Sorrento, a small seaside town in Australia. Meg, who has lived in England for 10 years has just written a criticially acclaimed novel which she claims is entirely fictional. The book causes a stir in Sorrento and in her family when it is supected that the book is not as fictional as she claims.
Sophie's Choice
Stingo, a young writer, moves to Brooklyn in 1947 to begin work on his first novel. As he becomes friendly with Sophie and her lover Nathan, he learns that she is a Holocaust survivor. Flashbacks reveal her harrowing story, from pre-war prosperity to Auschwitz. In the present, Sophie and Nathan's relationship increasingly unravels as Stingo grows closer to Sophie and Nathan's fragile mental state becomes ever more apparent.
The Last Station
A historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy's struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things. The Countess Sofya, wife and muse to Leo Tolstoy, uses every trick of seduction on her husband's loyal disciple, whom she believes was the person responsible for Tolstoy signing a new will that leaves his work and property to the Russian people.
Nursery University
Set in New York City, the epicenter of a phenomenon cropping up in communities across the United States, "Nursery University" reveals the oddly competitive process of nursery school admissions. The film tells the story of five families attempting to place their toddlers in preschool classrooms that have limited space and high price tags.
Love Letters
When a man asks another man more facile with words to do his wooing for him, there are always complications. The man with no talent for writing marries the girl, confesses one night he didn't write the letters and ends up with a knife in his back. The writer of the letters fell in love with the woman he wrote to and wants to become her second husband even if she did murder husband number one. Singleton doesn't remember the murder or anything about the first 22 years of her life as Victoria Remington. Then at her second wedding she wonders why she said "I take you, Roger," instead of "I take you, Allen."
Closet Land
A young writer is interrogated by a sadistic secret policeman. She is accused of embedding political messages in her children's stories. The entire movie takes place in one room, with only the two actors. The movie is set in an unidentified, modern police state.
Teenage Dirtbag
A popular high school girl is harassed by a delinquent boy until they are placed in creative writing class together. Through written words, they create a bond, but tragically a bond that cannot withstand her social pressures or his brutal home life.
Dim Sum Funeral
An Irish funeral has a wake. A Jewish funeral has sitting shiva. A traditional Chinese funeral is something else entirely. Thats what the estranged siblings of the Chinese-American Xiao family must undergo upon news of their mothers death. The one brother and three sisters dont get along, however they share one thing: hatred for their domineering and manipulative mother, the Dragon Lady."
Gunfighter's Moon
Henrickson plays Frank Morgan, a notorious and feared gunfighter that has lived his life on the run. His face and eyes reveal a man that has been very much hardened by that life. We quickly learn, however, that there is still passion inside. Upon receiving a telegram from Linda, an old lover (played by Kay Lenz), requesting his presence, he abandons his woman, mounts his horse and rides to Linda without giving it a second thought. Upon arrival, he learns that Linda is now happily married to the owner of the local general store. The only vestige of her past that remains is a daughter, who Frank is surprised to learn is his. Written by Dave Gan
Random Harvest
An amnesiac World War I vet falls in love with a music hall star, only to suffer an accident which restores his original memories but erases his post-War life.
Playhouse
Reckless Jack Travis is an irreverent horror writer notorious for scaring audiences. But as he obsesses over creating a new theatre show set in a haunted Scottish castle, demonic disturbances from deep within the walls begin to prey on his troubled daughter. When the alarming supernatural forces start to close in on him too, Jack is forced to reckon with the terrifying consequences of creating such a dark and macabre play. But will he realise the danger of unearthing a historic curse and stop writing before he damns himself, his personal sanity and those he loves forever?
Bach: A Passionate Life
John Eliot Gardiner goes in search of Bach the man and the musician. The famous portrait of Bach portrays a grumpy 62-year-old man in a wig and formal coat, yet his greatest works were composed 20 years earlier in an almost unrivalled blaze of creativity. We reveal a complex and passionate artist; a warm and convivial family man at the same time a rebellious spirit struggling with the hierarchies of state and church who wrote timeless music that is today known world-wide. Gardiner undertakes a 'Bach Tour' of Germany, and sifts the relatively few clues we have - some newly-found. Most of all, he uses the music to reveal the real Bach.
Enemy, My Friend?
This documentary tells the extraordinary story of a British prisoner of war tortured by the Japanese in World War II who spent 50 years trying to locate the man who cruelly interrogated him near Thailand's infamous Kwai bridge. Eric Lomax and Nagase Takashi met again on the bridge in a meeting that would profoundly change their lives. After this experience, Lomax wrote his famous autobiography "The Railwail Man", which was adapted to the cinema in 2013 with the same title. The documentary reveals exclusively what really happened when they both agreed to meet.
Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For
Jessica Fletcher, lecturing at a writers' conference, finds herself called on to solve the killing of a guest speaker, an arrogant Russian author who'd written a nonfiction, tell-all book about his tenure as head of the KGB.
Arthur Miller: Writer
One of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century, Arthur Miller created such celebrated works as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, which continue to move audiences around the world today. He also made headlines for being targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee at the height of the McCarthy Era and entering into a tumultuous marriage with Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. Told from the unique perspective of his daughter, filmmaker Rebecca Miller, Arthur Miller: Writer is an illuminating portrait that combines interviews spanning decades and a wealth of personal archival material, and provides new insights into Miller’s life as an artist and exploring his character in all its complexity.
Captive: The Sex Slave Girl
The astounding story of Tanya Kach made international headlines when she revealed she had been living in captivity for 10 years, just a stone's throw from her home. True Stories gains key insight into how a 14-year-old girl vanished without trace, only to resurface a decade later, still living within the same community. Her school security guard, Thomas Hose, a man 24 years her senior, had kept Tanya as his sex slave, occasionally letting her out of the house into town after four years, yet no one in their small community recognised her as the missing girl. Now, with exclusive access, Tanya Kach recounts her 10-year hell and, for the first time, the many sides to this disturbing and tragic story are told through the key characters, including Tanya's estranged family, her high school friends and the police who worked on the missing person investigation.
Mark Knopfler: A Life in Songs
Mark Knopfler is one of the most successful musicians in the world. During the past 30 years he has written and recorded over 300 songs including some of the most famous in popular music. In this in-depth documentary he talks about how these songs have defined him and how they have been influenced by his own life and roots. It features previously unseen photographs from his personal collection and comprehensive footage spanning his career from a struggling musician playing in pubs in Leeds in the 1970s, to the record-breaking success with Dire Straits and his world tour as a solo artist. Looking back over the 25 years since he wrote the iconic Brothers In Arms album, the film takes an affectionate look at how this formidable, creative man has operated as a musician for three decades and how he continues to do so as a solo artist who is as much in demand as ever.
John Wyndham: The Invisible Man of Science Fiction
Endeavors to reveal who the reclusive writer John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris was, through interviews with colleagues, flatmates, family friends and scientists. His life, as can best be constructed, is revealed and his body of work, once settling on the name John Wyndham, is analyzed and discussed. An actor portrays him by quoting things he wrote that have survived, and the only piece of footage ever recorded of him is examined. The emphasis is on what his personality may have been, the scientific ramifications of his themes, and the influence of his writings and the film adaptations of those, on later generations.
Elvis and the Girl from Vienna
In August, 1956, Elvis Presley started shooting his first feature film, Love Me Tender. At his side was his manager, Colonel Tom Parker and his just-hired secretary, Trude Forsher. ELVIS AND THE GIRL FROM VIENNA is Trude’s account of how Elvis’ career went from a southern United States singing sensation to a global legend. Over the five years that Trude worked with Elvis and the Colonel, she observed first hand the legendary moments in Elvis life. It is not only the story of Elvis’ rise to fame, but of one of his most personal confidants, who escaped the ravages of WW2 to get the job a million girls dreamed of - Elvis private secretary.
Wish You Well
A young girl and her brother come of age at their great grandmother's house in Virginia during the 1940s. After a family tragedy, a young girl moves from New York with your younger brother to live with their great grandmother on a Virginia farm and comes closer to understanding the land and roots that inspired her father's writings while discovering herself, the love of family, and the power of truly believing.
Dear Viola
Katie, a shy newspaper accountant submits a reply to a "Dear Viola" letter to the editor that she works for, anonymously. She has a real knack for writing to people and getting to the heart of the matter. Soon, she takes over the newspaper's advice column and falls in love with one of her correspondents. The whole town becomes involved in the romantics.
A Couple
"A Couple" is a film about a long term relationship between a man and a woman. The man is Leo Tolstoy. The woman is his wife, Sophia. They were married for 36 years, had 13 children nine of whom survived. Each kept a diary. Although they lived together, in the same house, they wrote letters frequently to each other. Leo Tolstoy insisted that they read their diaries aloud to guests at dinner parties. The Tolstoy’s were also a dysfunctional couple, arguing frequently and being very unhappy with each other while occasionally enjoying passionate moments of reconciliation. The film is Sophia’s monologue about the joys and struggles of their life together, loosely drawn from their letters to each other and their diary entries.
The Letters
Mother Teresa, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, is considered one of the greatest humanitarians of modern times. Her selfless commitment changed hearts, lives and inspired millions throughout the world. The Letters, as told through personal letters she wrote over the last 40 years of her life, reveal a troubled and vulnerable women who grew to feel an isolation and an abandonment by God.
Holy Terrors
The Welsh writer Arthur Machen wrote many acclaimed stories of the supernatural which brought him great fame in the 1920s. His work has faded from view in the decades since leaving just a dedicated following including Stephen King and Mick Jagger. Holy Terrors is a new film aiming to bring Machen to a new audience and adapts six of his tales into a spine-tingling portmanteau film. Effectively capturing the unique atmosphere and feel of Machen’s writing, Holy Terrors is sure to provide a night or two of uneasy sleep for the viewer.
The Unanswered Question IV : The Delights and Dangers of Ambiguity
This series comprised six lectures on music, which cumulatively took the title of a work by Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question. Bernstein drew analogies to other disciplines, such as poetry, aesthetics, and especially linguistics, hoping to make these lectures accessible to an audience with limited or no musical experience, while maintaining an intelligent level of discourse: Bernstein provides two distinct meanings of the term ambiguity. The first is "doubtful or uncertain" and the second, "capable of being understood in two or more possible senses"
Kidnapping in the Grand Canyon
When two best friends hiking the Grand Canyon trust an experienced hiking guide to bring them on an off-trail adventure, things go south when he takes them captive, and they have to fight both man and nature to make it out of the canyon alive.
A Closed Book
Jane appears to be ideal: attractive, intelligent, unruffled by her employer's abrupt eccentricities. But, gradually, we come aware that Jane has another agenda. Incrementally, Sir Paul's familiar surroundings are altered. His housekeeper is diverted away, strange things happen around the house and he becomes increasingly dependent on his new assistant.
Cicada Song
Karen is a tough, corn fed, outspoken, farm manager who cares about the people she works for and the migrant people who work for her. When one of her farmhands approaches her about a little girl that has recently disappeared, she becomes closer to her employees than she ever thought possible. But, when her lover, Annabelle, disappears, the bubble Karen lives in bursts and she begins an investigation only to uncover something dark in the little town she grew up in.
Let Me Out
Mark, his wife Maria and their two daughters were murdered one night at their home in a tragic and bizarre way. Two years later a newlywed couple moves into this house and they start to experience some supernatural occurrences from the very first day, but the couple also believes there are not alone in this house. A year later an alcoholic writer moves into this house to begin an investigation about the disappearance of his daughter that coincidently happened to be around the same time Mark and his entire family were murder. He uncovers what really happened to his daughter and the reason this house is possessed by dead people, but he also discovers who's behind all the tragedy and the horrendous murders that had happened all these years in the same house. The local priest believes this house is evil and he wants no part of it as he also believes everyone who dies in this house, their soul leaves their bodies, but their bodies never leave the house. Written by Luis f Montalvo
Love, Antosha
From a prolific career in film and television, Anton Yelchin left an indelible legacy as an actor. Through his journals and other writings, his photography, the original music he wrote, and interviews with his family, friends, and colleagues, this film looks not just at Anton's impressive career, but at a broader portrait of the man.
Bee Season
11-year-old Eliza is the invisible element of her family unit: her parents are both consumed with work and her brother is wrapped up in his own adolescent life. Eliza ignites not only a spark that makes her visible but one that sets into motion a revolution in her family dynamic when she wins a spelling bee. Finding an emotional outlet in the power of words and in the spiritual mysticism that he sees at work in her unparalleled gift, Eliza's father pours all of his energy into helping his daughter become spelling bee champion. A religious studies professor, he sees the opportunity as not only a distraction from his life but as an answer to his own crisis of faith. His vicarious path to God, real or imagined, leads to an obsession with Eliza's success and he begins teaching her secrets of the Kabbalah. Now preparing for the National Spelling Bee, Eliza looks on as a new secret of her family's hidden turmoil seems to be revealed with each new word she spells.