Cruel Joys (2002)

(6.1) based on 5 votes
This simple story is the feature debut for well-known Slovak theater and television director Juraj Nvota. Set in a Slovak village at the turn of the last century, the story teems with passion, and repressed and hidden emotion. It delves into the search for identity, investigating both love and hatred, while dramatizing the tragic relationship between an adolescent girl (Tatiana Pauhofová) and her ambitious father (Ondrej Vetchý). Set against the striking though simple backdrop of a picturesque, even idyllic, landscape - one ostensibly cut off from any important historical, political, or social context whatsoever - the arrival of an unwanted individual evokes the onset of a cruel drama.
Directors
Release Date
Oct 03, 2002
Runtime
01h 44m
Genre
Available in streaming on

This simple story is the feature debut for well-known Slovak theater and television director Juraj Nvota. Set in a Slovak village at the turn of the last century, the story teems with passion, and repressed and hidden emotion. It delves into the search for identity, investigating both love and hatred, while dramatizing the tragic relationship between an adolescent girl (Tatiana Pauhofová) and her ambitious father (Ondrej Vetchý). Set against the striking though simple backdrop of a picturesque, even idyllic, landscape - one ostensibly cut off from any important historical, political, or social context whatsoever - the arrival of an unwanted individual evokes the onset of a cruel drama.

Movies like Cruel Joys

Six Hours: Surviving Typhoon Yolanda

In the middle of a broadcast about Typhoon Yolanda's initial impact, reporter Jiggy Manicad was faced with the reality that he no longer had communication with his station. They were, for all intents and purposes, stranded in Tacloban. With little option, and his crew started the six hour walk to Alto, where the closest broadcast antenna was to be found. Letting the world know what was happening to was a priority, but they were driven by the need to let their families and friends know they were all still alive. Along the way, they encountered residents and victims of the massive typhoon, and with each step it became increasingly clear just how devastating this storm was. This was a storm that was going to change lives.
Search similar movies
8.5
Six+Hours%3A+Surviving+Typhoon+Yolanda
Six Hours: Surviving Typhoon Yolanda

2014

Search similar movies
House of Spoils

An ambitious chef opens a restaurant on a remote estate where she battles kitchen chaos, crushing self doubts… and a haunting presence who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.
Search similar movies
5.7
House+of+Spoils
House of Spoils

2024

Search similar movies
Meet the Leroys

A man takes his wife and their teenage children on a road trip down memory lane while facing divorce.
Search similar movies
6.6
Meet+the+Leroys
Meet the Leroys

2024

Search similar movies
Strange Darling

Nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree.
Search similar movies
7.0
Strange+Darling
Strange Darling

2024

Search similar movies
Grey Eyes

In a post-apocalyptic future, mankind is color blind. A brilliant scientist suddenly dies, leaving his precious briefcase-filled with a highly-addictive synthetic drug that allows people to see colors again-to Ana, a mere 12-year-old girl. Possession of the briefcase makes her the target of a doctor with wicked plans for the drug, and her only hope to escape his pursuit relies on the aid of the dead scientist's two devoted bodyguards. Together, their epic, perilous journey pivots on a tremendous secret: Ana herself could be the key to salvaging a world in ruins.
Search similar movies
5.8
Grey+Eyes
Tomie: Rebirth

Young art student Hideo paints an unnerving portrait of Tomie, who whispers that she loves him. Inexplicably, he reacts by stabbing her to death with a painting trowel. Two friends, Takumi and Shunichi, arrive on the scene and help him dispose of the body. To cheer him up, the boys take the unwitting murderer to the nearest bar for a party... but a mysterious girl named Tomie shows up, bearing a few odd physical resemblances to the dead girl in the ground.
Search similar movies
7.3
Tomie%3A+Rebirth
Tomie: Rebirth

2001

Search similar movies
NULL

A hitman is tasked to take out ex-mobsters when he suddenly hears a voice that questions his morality.
Search similar movies
9.2
NULL
Federer: Twelve Final Days

Originally a home video never intended for public viewing, this film captures the final chapter in Roger Federer's legendary tennis career, featuring Roger, his family, and his three main rivals: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.
Search similar movies
7.6
Federer%3A+Twelve+Final+Days
Federer: Twelve Final Days

2024

Search similar movies
An Ideal Father

Michel, the jovial owner of the only café in a small Normandy town, sees his life turned upside down when his teenage daughter is murdered. The community has his back but soon rumor spreads and Michel is singled out. From the ideal father, he becomes the ideal culprit.
Search similar movies
6.4
An+Ideal+Father
An Ideal Father

2024

Search similar movies
Clockwork Bananas

Gilles, who operates a money losing garage, teams up with his friends Max, who operates a scrap yard, and lawyer Xavier to open a brothel catering to women. They get the idea from Gilles' secretary Irma, a former prostitute. They are assisted in the implementation by Max's wife Juliette and Sabine who is mad for Gilles. Unfortunately Gilles has fallen for Florence the daughter of the conservative Prime Minister and his wife. When the Prime Minister tries to shut down the brothel Gilles decides to stand against him in the election.
Search similar movies
6.3
Clockwork+Bananas
Clockwork Bananas

1974

Search similar movies
Date A Bullet: Nightmare or Queen

Second part of the "Date A Bullet" films.
Search similar movies
7.9
Date+A+Bullet%3A+Nightmare+or+Queen
Date A Bullet: Nightmare or Queen

2020

Search similar movies
Nostalgia

A young college student is given a disturbing ultimatum when a dark secret from his past is resurrected.
Search similar movies
7.5
Nostalgia
Re-Cycling

Short animated film.
Search similar movies
7.6
Re-Cycling
Re-Cycling

2014

Search similar movies
The Taste of Things

Set in 1889 France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie. They share a long history of gastronomy and love but Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so the food lover decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
Search similar movies
7.0
The+Taste+of+Things
The Taste of Things

2023

Search similar movies
La Chimera

Just out of jail, crumpled English archaeologist Arthur reconnects with his wayward crew of tombaroli accomplices – a happy-go-lucky collective of itinerant grave-robbers who survive by looting Etruscan tombs and fencing the ancient treasures they dig up.
Search similar movies
7.4
La+Chimera
La Chimera

2023

Search similar movies
New

Outskirts of Moscow. A girl comes to an unfamiliar apartment to look after a dog. After a while, she realizes that the owner of the apartment has disappeared. She finds herself into a series of people that have been taking care of the dog for years in that same apartment, creating a weird community around this strange absence of the owner.
Search similar movies
8.9
New
Air Force One Down

On her first assignment aboard Air Force One, a rookie Secret Service agent faces the ultimate test when terrorists hijack the plane, intent on derailing a pivotal energy deal. With the President's life on the line and a global crisis at stake, her bravery and skills are pushed to the limit in a relentless battle that could change the course of history.
Search similar movies
6.3
Air+Force+One+Down
Air Force One Down

2024

Search similar movies
Alice in the Cities

German journalist Philip Winter has a case of writer’s block when trying to write an article about the United States. He decides to return to Germany, and while trying to book a flight, encounters a German woman and her nine year old daughter Alice doing the same. The three become friends (almost out of necessity) and while the mother asks Winter to mind Alice temporarily, it quickly becomes apparent that Alice will be his responsibility for longer than he expected.
Search similar movies
7.7
Alice+in+the+Cities
Alice in the Cities

1974

Search similar movies
D-Railed

Passengers on a murder mystery train that crashes into a river must decide whether to risk waiting for help in the wreckage or take their chances in the murky depths below.
Search similar movies
5.9
D-Railed
F

F, an 18-year-old boy, immerses himself in the world of the Drag Queen where he begins to build his identity despite family and social mandates, which impose on him to be afraid and ashamed of being who he is.
Search similar movies
5.8
F
The President's Wife

When she arrived at the Elysée Palace, Bernadette Chirac expected to finally get the place she deserved, she who had always worked in the shadow of her husband to make him president. Put aside because she was considered too old-fashioned, Bernadette decided to take her revenge by becoming a major media figure.
Search similar movies
6.3
The+President%27s+Wife
The President's Wife

2023

Search similar movies
Breaking and Re-entering

Double-crossed after a bank heist, a team of professional thieves attempts an even more challenging mission: returning the money they stole.
Search similar movies
6.2
Breaking+and+Re-entering
Breaking and Re-entering

2024

Search similar movies
The Queenstown Kings

A prodigious young soccer player from rural Queenstown must face the return of his washed-up, pro-footballer father, and navigate the choice between his team's success and his own dreams.
Search similar movies
5.7
The+Queenstown+Kings
The Queenstown Kings

2023

Search similar movies
Little Girl Blue

In 2016, French writer and photographer Carole Achache took her own life. After Carole's death, her daughter Mona Achache, a film director, discovers thousands of photos, letters and recordings that Carole left behind, but these buried secrets make her disappearance even more of an enigma. Through the power of filmmaking and the beauty of incarnation with the help of actress Marion Cotillard, the director brings her mother back to life to retrace her journey and find out who she really was.
Search similar movies
6.2
Little+Girl+Blue
Little Girl Blue

2023

Search similar movies
Marcello Mio

Pressured from all sides by the figure of her father, Chiara Mastroianni decides to bring him back to life through her own self. She goes by the name of Marcello, dresses like him and asks to now be considered an actor, not an actress. The people around her believe this to be a temporary joke, but Chiara is determined not to give up her new identity…
Search similar movies
6.1
Marcello+Mio
Marcello Mio

2024

Search similar movies
Lisa Frankenstein

In 1989, a misunderstood teenager has a high school crush — who just happens to be a handsome corpse! After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness…and a few missing body parts along the way.
Search similar movies
6.4
Lisa+Frankenstein
Lisa Frankenstein

2024

Search similar movies
Mr. Crocket

A single mother thinks she's found the key to calming her child down – a VHS copy of a strange children's program named Mr. Crocket's World. However, a darker, bloodier secret waits to invade their home from inside the tape.
Search similar movies
5.1
Mr.+Crocket
Mr. Crocket

2024

Search similar movies
Q

New York police are bemused by reports of a giant flying lizard that has been spotted around the rooftops of New York, until the lizard starts to eat people. An out-of-work ex-con is the only person who knows the location of the monster's nest and is determined to turn the knowledge to his advantage, but will his gamble pay off or will he end up as lizard food?
Search similar movies
5.7
Q
The Roundup: Punishment

'Monster Cop' Ma Seok-do investigates an illegal online gambling business led by a former STS Baek and an IT genius CEO Chang. Ma proposes an unexpected alliance to Jang and begins hunting down the criminals.
Search similar movies
6.7
The+Roundup%3A+Punishment
The Roundup: Punishment

2024

Search similar movies
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity

Kaji is sent to the Japanese army labeled Red and is mistreated by the vets. Along his assignment, Kaji witnesses cruelties in the army and revolts against the abusive treatment against the recruit Obara. He also sees his friend Shinjô Ittôhei defecting to the Russian border, and he ends in the front to fight a lost battle against the Russian tanks division.
Search similar movies
8.2
The+Human+Condition+II%3A+Road+to+Eternity
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity

1959

Search similar movies
Everybody Loves Jeanne

Everybody has always loved Jeanne. These days, she hates herself. Up to her ears in debt, she has to go to Lisbon and sell her mother’s apartment, who passed away one year ago. At the airport, she runs into Jean, a whimsical and somewhat intrusive former high school classmate.
Search similar movies
6.3
Everybody+Loves+Jeanne
Everybody Loves Jeanne

2022

Search similar movies
Hannibal Buress: Miami Nights

Mildly successful comedian, Hannibal Buress, performs his second stand-up special in Chicago based on his wild night with the police.
Search similar movies
6.0
Hannibal+Buress%3A+Miami+Nights
Hannibal Buress: Miami Nights

2020

Search similar movies