4 Movies Like Sex and the City (2008)

War makes animals of men, and Filip is no exception. The film portrays a lone Jewish survivor who walks the streets of Frankfurt as if he doesn’t have anything to lose. He’s able to get away with it, with his work at a luxury hotel, but he’s unable to escape his trauma. He relieves this through trysts with the local women, treating them cruelly, the same way they would treat his people. It’s a uniquely stunning take on the ugly side of war, with its country club glamor and Filip’s lust for life. But it’s also a grim character study of an unlikeable, yet understandable protagonist, whose moral ambiguity comes purely from his own survival.

Genre: Drama, History, War

Actor: Caroline Hartig, Eryk Kulm, Eryk Kulm jr, Gabriel Raab, Julian Świeżewski, Jürg Plüss, Karol Biskup, Kinga Jasik, Mateusz Rzeźniczak, Nicolas Przygoda, Nicolo Pasetti, Robert Więckiewicz, Sandra Drzymalska, Victor Meutelet, Zoë Straub

Director: Michał Kwieciński

Rating: R

 As a result of the miraculous success of the famed Tham Luang cave rescue, which saw the return of 12 kids trapped in a cave for more than 15 days, you’ll find no shortage of documentaries about the mission. Some take the point of view of the children, even others the locals and loved ones. But National Geographic’s The Rescue largely focuses on the volunteer rescuers, all of whom were foreigners who flew from different parts of the globe to risk their lives for the young victims. The film dives into their personal lives and their psyches, even going so far as their childhood to explain the motivations behind the heroic decisions they made at that moment. In less deft hands, The Rescue might seem like yet another White Savior Complex story, but directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (the same creative couple behind the Oscar-winning doc Free Solo) prove that the divers’ expertise, skill, and personal stakes make for a story worth telling.   

Genre: Documentary, Drama

Actor: Anan Surawan, Chris Jewell, Craig Challen, Derek Anderson, Jason Mallinson, Jim Warny, John Volanthen, Josh Morris, Mikko Paasi, Mitch Torrel, Richard Harris, Rick Stanton, Siriporn Bangnoen, Somsak Kanakam, Thanet Natisri

Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin

Rating: PG

Johnny is a story you’ve heard of a thousand times, but what makes it particularly endearing is that it’s all true and based on the real-life Father Jan Kaczkowski, a priest who went out of his way to help others. Kaczkowski led an extraordinary life, and the film honors that not by putting him on a pedestal but by emphasizing his humanness and humanity. As the misunderstood thief who befriends Kaczkowski, Piotr Trojan turns in a believable and realized performance, solidifying the film's credibility. 

Johnyy's premise is far from novel, but it is an effectively heartwarming film about forgiveness and second chances.

Genre: Drama, History

Actor: Anna Biernacik, Anna Dymna, Beata Bandurska, Beata Zygarlicka, Dawid Ogrodnik, Grażyna Bułka, Hanna Klepacka, Jakub Nosiadek, Jakub Sierenberg, Joachim Lamża, Jurek Owsiak, Katarzyna Anzorge, Konrad Beta, Łukasz Gajdzis, Maciej Kraszewski, Magdalena Czerwińska, Maria Bednarska, Maria Pakulnis, Mariusz Bąkowski, Marta Stalmierska, Michał Kaleta, Paweł Jusiński, Piotr Głuchowski, Piotr Trojan, Witold Dębicki

Director: Daniel Jaroszek