Best movies like Elina: As If I Wasn't There

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Elina: As If I Wasn't There Starring Natalie Minnevik, Bibi Andersson, Marjaana Maijala, Henrik Rafaelsen, and more. If you liked Elina: As If I Wasn't There then you may also like: Rose Plays Julie, Angela, Blue Car, Alena, Dark Water 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.

In rural Sweden of the early 1950s, little Elina goes to school again after recovering from tuberculosis, the same illness that has killed her father a few years earlier. Elina's family belongs to Finnish-speaking Finns frowned upon by a staunch schoolmistress who starts hounding Elina for questioning her authority. Elina's mother, sister, and a liberal young male teacher all try to mediate the ensuing battle of wills between Elina and Miss Holm. Elina finds consolation in wandering out on the dangerous marshlands to have imaginary conversations with her dead father. Written by Markku Kuoppamäki

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Rose Plays Julie

Rose Plays Julie is the story of a young woman searching for her biological mother. Set against a backdrop of misogyny, revenge, and longing, Rose undertakes a journey that leads her to revelations that are both devastating and dangerous.

Angela

A ten year old girl named Angela leads her six year old sister, Ellie, through various regimens of 'purification' in an attempt to rid themselves of their evil, which she believes to be the cause of their mother's mental illness. Precocious, to say the least, Angela has visions of Lucifer coming to take her and her sister away, and one of her remedies for this is for them to remain within a circle of their dolls and toys until they see a vision of the virgin Mary come to them. But such thinking can only lead to an ending befitting of her own mental state.

Blue Car

Gifted 18-year-old Meg has been abandoned by her father and neglected by her hardworking mother. Left to care for her emotionally disturbed younger sister, her world begins to unravel. She finds an outlet in writing poetry and support from her English teacher, Mr. Auster. But what started out as a mentoring relationship begins to get a bit more complex.

Alena

When Alena arrives at her new elite boarding school, Filippa and the other girls start to harass her. But Alena’s best friend Josefin won’t let her take anymore beating. If she won’t strike back, Josefin will do it for her. Hard.

Dark Water

Dahlia Williams and her daughter Cecelia move into a rundown apartment on New York's Roosevelt Island. Dahlia is in the midst of divorce proceedings, and the apartment, though near an excellent school for her daughter, is all she can afford. From the time she arrives, there are mysterious occurrences—and there is a constant drip from the ceiling in her daughter's bedroom…

The Dark and the Wicked

On a secluded farm in a nondescript rural town, a man is slowly dying. His family gathers to mourn, and soon a darkness grows, marked by waking nightmares and a growing sense that something evil is taking over the family.

Emil och griseknoen

Nursing a piglet back to life because it's the runt of the litter earns Emil a friend for life.

Madicken of June Hill

A second movie based on Astrid Lindgren's novel "Madicken och Junibackens pims", which is about two sisters and their adventures in 1910s Sweden.

Mother of Mine

1943: Nine-year-old Eero whose father is killed during the war is brought to Sweden to foster parents to his protection like thousands of other Finnish children. Eero feels lost, particularly as his foster mother Signe behaves very unfriendly. She was expecting a little girl and still mourns for her daughter who drowned in the sea.

Phoebe in Wonderland

The fantastical tale of a little girl who won't - or can't - follow the rules. Confounded by her clashes with the rule-obsessed world around her, Phoebe seeks enlightenment from her unconventional drama teacher, even as her brilliant but anguished mother looks to Phoebe herself for inspiration.

Hugo and Josephine

Josefin is a six year old girl who lives isolated in the countryside, where her father is a priest. She has no friends until she meets Hugo. He is a carefree boy who'd rather walk in the forest than go to school. Together with the gardener, they make up fun things to do.

Lantern Hill

In 1935 Toronto, Jane Stuart's mother has taken ill, and the two of them have temporarily moved in with her rich, snobbish grandmother, where Jane is verbally abused and her mother bullied. Jane is forced into a private academy, in which the other girls tell her that her father, whom Jane believes to be dead, is actually alive. Soon after, Andrew Stuart sends word that he would like to meet his long-lost daughter, so Jane is sent by train to Bright River to stay with him, where she encounters an old mystery that she must help her father overcome, new friends, and the chance to bring her father and mother back together again.

Akseli and Elina

A former Red Rebellion leader returns home after being imprisoned for his participation in the Finnish Civil War, but soon finds out that wartime mindsets still linger in the heads of people.

Land of Hope

Anni, a daughter of a wealthy family and used to secure life, falls in love with Veikko, a war invalid of the Continuation War. Anni leaves her past behind her and starts leading the life of a pioneer, in the wild forests of northern Karelia, in a settlement farm. After a rosy start, the fate crushes Anni’s dreams and her love for Veikko is put to a test.

Innocents

A traveling cellist gets involved with two disturbed sisters on their way to Seattle to tell their mom that their dad has just passed away. On the way, the two kill a judge and a few others unknown to the cellist. Eventually he gets pinned for the crimes and is forced to defend himself.

Some Things That Stay

A coming-of-age story of a teenage girl from a liberal upbringing who moves to a conservative baptist community in rural 1950s America.

The Glass-Blower's Children

Based on the novel by Maria Gripe, this is the story of two children, Klas and Klara, growing up in the poor Swedish countryside of the mid-19th century. Their father Albert is a glass-blower, famous for his beautiful vases, but still unable to earn enough money for his wife Sofia and the children. At a spring fair a distinguished gentleman arrives and buys all of Albert's glassware. After this nothing will be the same again. Klas and Klara are kidnapped and taken to a strange castle...

Body of Water

Julia is a young lawyer who has been in conflict with her father for a long time. Her mother seems a bit insane, and Julia thinks that he is partially responsible for this. She has also split with the father of her son and tries to escape all these concerns by working hard. On a new case, she is brought back to the house near the lake where she was raised to help a group of environmentalists to protect its natural beauty against the industrial project of a power company. But by doing so she has to fight the greed of the locals, and their trust in an evil spirit that is believed to be attached to the lake.

Donkeys

Alfred is 64. He's lost touch with his family and a threat to his health makes him realise he wants to make amends. The more he tries to do right, the more he does wrong, and as his past comes back to haunt him, he is forced to face up to what his life means to him. Rounding Up Donkeys is the second film in Sigma and Zentropa's three feature film concept 'Advance Party'.

The Last Wedding

Pekka arrives back to his home village of Jerusalem to celebrate the last wedding of the village. His own marriage seems to have reached a dead end. The people of the village gather to prepare for the event, and the bitter spectrum of all human life, with its joys and sorrows, is condensed into one summer's day.

The Farewell

Set between 1930s and 50s, The Farewell the story of Valerie, who lives in a household totally repressed by her stern father. When Valerie has a brief affair with another woman, her father is extremely angry and tries to end the affair with physical force. However Valerie’s determination, independence and lesbian feelings cannot be crushed.

Elämän vonkamies

Portrait of rural life in 1920s Northern Finland. The film follows the early life of a boy called Kalle and his family in the shores of river Iijoki.

The Land of Happiness

Nostalgic comedy set in the early 1960s, when the tango was all the rage. The "prodigal son" Tenho returns from his unlucky adventures in the city back to his parents' farm. Tenho becomes the laughing stock of local men until he scores the hottest girl in the village. A hot romance flares up between Tenho and the sensuous milkmaid Virva, accompanied by popular Finnish tango tunes.

The Lake

A thriller set in a Swedish village. Lisa comes back from London to sell a house left to her by her father. He mysteriously disappeared in the forest in the winter and is presumed dead in an accident. Lisa suspects there is more to the story as her father was disliked in the village. The old hunting lodge by the lake hides a secret. When Lisa starts her search for the truth painful facts about her father, herself and the village will be revealed.

Custody of the Heart

Claire's number one priority is her family. When her husband Dennis loses his stockbroker job, the couple's traditional family roles switch. As Dennis takes on his new stay-at-home role, Claire's furniture design business takes off. Just as she's beginning to master the art of balancing her home and work life, Dennis serves her with divorce papers and charges her with being an unfit mother. Claire discovers that in a modern courtroom there are still traditional biases unsympathetic to the idea of a woman working three jobs, as a wife, an entrepreneur and a mother.

Yoko

Pia's life, a girl from a small German town, changes when surprisingly, finds in her garden a huge black monster. She soon discovers that the mysterious creature, which is called Yoko, is actually a kind yeti spiritually protecting animals and children worldwide. Its great value calls attention to two hunters who want to take advantage of the yeti.

Psychosis in Stockholm

On vacation in Stockholm, a teenage daughter is left wandering the city alone when her mother suffers from a sudden mental breakdown. Coming of age becomes an equally sudden necessity.

Cider with Rosie

A semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story set in the Cotswolds during and immediately after the First World War.

What Girls Learn

Two teenage girls must come to terms with their stepfather when their mother is struck by illness.

Sauna

It is 1595. Brutal wars have just ended in an uneasy peace between Protestant Sweden and Orthodox Russia. We focus on the spiritual defeats of two conquered Finnish brothers, one a hardened near-psychopathic war hero, the other a gentle scientist in an age with no use for such men. They find themselves in the swampy interior, demarcating the new border with a unit of sadistic Russians.

You're Out of Your Mind, Madicken

Madicken is a Swedish girl from the upper level family, growing up during the time of first world war which did not include Sweden. She lives happily with her family, experiencing the world and making brave and crazy things.

Yellow Sulphur Sky

In his youth, the author Frej has already found a deep connection and passion with an upper-class girl, Stella Rabell, that has lasted between them through the decades. When Stella's older brother Alex falls victim to a stabbing attack, Frej begins to reminisce about the events of decades past. Frej's memories from the bright 1970s to the present day are filled with love, jealousy, betrayal, life and death.

The Guy in the Grave Next Door

Desirée, a modern librarian with urban friends and interests is visiting her late husband's grave when she meets Benny, a simple farmer. After his mother's death Benny lives alone on the run-down farm, desperately seeking a woman to take care of him. In spite of their differences the two have the dream of finding that special someone in common, and fall passionately in love. Benny wants Desirée to move in with him and start a family as soon as possible. But being a farmer's wife is not something she is very enthusiastic about. Just presenting Benny as her boyfriend proves to be an embarrassing experience. And when she gets a tempting job offer in Stockholm she has to consider her priorities carefully.

Flickorna i Småland

Gunnar Carlman has returned to Sweden after a few years as a cowboy in Canada. He starts to work at a farm owned by vivacious and strongwilled Christina Larsson.

Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel

Anne Shirley, now a schoolteacher, has begun writing stories and collecting rejection slips. She acts as Diana's maid of honor, develops a relationship with Gilbert Blythe, and finds herself at Kingsport Ladies' College. But while Anne enjoys the battles and the friends she makes, she finds herself returning to Avonlea.

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