Movies Similar to Bread and Circuses

Good Bye, Lenin!(2003)

Alex Kerner's mother was in a coma while the Berlin wall fell. When she wakes up he must try to keep her from learning what happened (as she was an avid communist supporter) to avoid shocking her which could lead to another heart attack.

7.5

Together(2000)

Elisabeth leaves her abusive and drunken husband Rolf, and goes to live with her brother, Göran. The year is 1975 and Göran lives in a commune called Together. Living in this leftist commune Elisabeth learns that the world can be viewed from different perspectives.

7.0

Billy Elliot(2000)

County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.

7.6

Kolya(1996)

After a fictitious marriage with a Russian emigrant, Cellisten Louka, a Czech man, must suddenly take responsibility for her son. However, it’s not long before the communication barrier is broken between the two new family members.

7.3

Taiwan Canasta(1985)

A frustrated and unemployed architect experiences flashbacks of his youth and 1968 protests while the life passes by. Unable to adapt and to accept the reality, he’s constantly getting into conflicts with the people around him.

5.9

The Kangaroo Conspiracy(2022)

The cabaret artist Marc-Uwe and the kangaroo are faced with a problem: Lisbeth, the mother of Maria has taken a wrong turn somewhere and is now denying the climate crisis on the Internet. How can she be brought to her senses? The two make a bet with each other: If they don't manage to bring Maria's mother to her senses, they will lose their apartment. So Marc-Uwe and the marsupial embark on a trip to the Conspiracy Convention in Bielefeld and shortly thereafter become part of a tangible conspiracy led by conspiracy guru Adam Krieger and his followers. As the two flatmates talk their heads off, it's no longer just about their apartment for Marc-Uwe and the kangaroo, it's more than that: it's a matter of life and death!

6.1

Gus(1976)

The California Atoms are in last place with no hope of moving up. But by switching the mule from team mascot to team member, (He can kick 100 yard field goals!) they start winning, and move up in the rankings, Hurrah! The competition isn't so happy.

5.9

The Kangaroo Chronicles(2020)

A communist kangaroo moves in with an artist in Berlin.

5.7

WR: Mysteries of the Organism(1971)

What does the energy harnessed through orgasm have to do with the state of communist Yugoslavia circa 1971? Only counterculture filmmaker extraordinaire Dušan Makavejev has the answers (or the questions). His surreal documentary-fiction collision begins as an investigation into the life and work of controversial psychologist and philosopher Wilhelm Reich and then explodes into a free-form narrative of a beautiful young Slavic girl’s sexual liberation.

6.2

Shree 420(1955)

The story of a small-town man who comes to make it big in the city, where he is almost instantly relieved of all his possessions. Homeless and penniless, he is taken in by a woman who looks after him.

7.5

Propaganda Message(1974)

A cartoon film about the whole heterogeneous mixture of Canada and Canadians, and the way the invisible adhesive called federalism makes it all cling together. That the dissenting voices are many is made amply evident, in English and French. But this animated message also shows that Canadians can laugh at themselves and work out their problems objectively.

8.0

Sun, Hay, Berries(1984)

A Czech agricultural student, Šimon Plánička, arrives at the small South Bohemian town of Hoštice, and joins the local JZD (agricultural co-op) with the intention of trying out his experiment regarding the "Milk yield of cows in regards to a cultured environment". He runs into difficulty with the directorship of the JZD, but he finds them eager to help once they hear he's the son of the local agricultural commissioner, as his last name is also Plánička. Blažena Škopková is given the task of finding out how things are looking. However everything is complicated by the jealousy of Blažena's boyfriend Venca.

6.8

Strawberry in the Supermarket(2003)

An ex-soldier storms a supermarket and takes all the cashiers captive because one of them insulted his grandmother.

6.7

Superfluous(1962)

Young farmer Mikajlo while on youth labour action falls in love with a student Nada and infatuated with her, he leaves the peasant brigade and Malena, a girl who as if she were overabundant, followed him to work the labour action. Mikajlo's courtship of Nada provokes laughter and ridicule, so ambitious 'Don Juan' returns to his brigade and the girl.

5.9

Cervantes from the Small Town(1982)

'Malo Misto' lives its own life, but not far behind the times. Hotel manager Roko Prč strives to organise tourism, so he introduces the first nudist beach. His wife Anđa brings two of her cousins from the Dalmatian hinterland and demands Roko to hire them. One of them, a young man named Ikan, earns the attention of a beautiful Swedish tourist. From Chile to Malo Misto returned Tonči, nicknamed Servantes, of course, without any money. He fell on the back of his hardworking aunt Keka, who even without him has enough problems of her own. Servantes also experiences an unexpected romance.

5.4

Dollybirds(1997)

The movie is set in the actual "Ki Mit Tud?" talent contest in 1962. In reality the contest in dance music category was won by an army brass band. "Omega" which later became one of the most successful Hungarian rock bands came out in the second place.

6.4

How the War Started on My Island(1997)

At the beginning of 1991, Yugoslav army did not acknowledge Croatian's independence, and still holding few military barracks in Croatia. Gajski travels to an island to get his son out of the army. Locals have besieged the barracks and organized a festival to try with singing and recitals to get major Aleksa and his soldiers to surrender, but Aleksa has explosives thru the barracks and wants to blow up the island.

6.2

Tito and Me(1992)

At his school, 10-year-old Zoran wins the competition for the best essay about Tito. His reward is participation in the march "Revolutionary trails" to Tito's hometown of Kumrovec.

7.0

Bulgarian Lovers(2003)

Graying Spaniard Daniel has a healthy budget for indulging in the finer things in life. Daniel's favorite luxury is playing sponsor to younger men amid the lights and sights of Madrid's gay club scene. After Daniel shares a night with handsome Bulgarian emigre Kyril, he finds himself consumed with an insatiable lust for the charismatic foreigner. But, as their relationship takes shape, Daniel's latest conquest reveals his own manipulative tendencies.

5.4

Made in Hungaria(2009)

Miklós Fenyö's parents returned to Communist Hungary in the mid sixties - when everyone else was fleeing to the West. Miki's old friends don't know what to make of his outrageous clothes, flawless American accent and collection of original Buddy Holly 45s. His childhood sweetheart is cold and distant while local tough guy Röné is unmoved by the challenger to his rock 'n' roll crown. But that's not all. When the authorities see the effect Miki's gyrating hips and lewd music have on teenage girls, they won't stand for it. His father's job is on the line, and, for the first time, Miki must play by the rules. He has no choice but to enter the local talent show...

7.2