Movies Like Barren Lives (1963)

Barren Lives is a 1963 drama film from Nelson Pereira dos Santos with a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Mother India and Angela's Ashes.

Drama

Mother India

1957

A poverty-stricken woman raises her sons through many trials and tribulations. But no matter the struggles, always sticks to her own moral code.

7.1

MagicScore

Angela's Ashes

1999

An Irish Catholic family returns to 1930s Limerick after a child's death in America. The unemployed I.R.A. veteran father struggles with poverty, prejudice, and alcoholism as the family endures harsh slum conditions.

7.3

MagicScore

The Class

2008

Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.

7.0

MagicScore

7 Virgins

2005

Tano is 16-years-old and is already sitting in jail. In 48 hours he’s a free man and off to the wedding of his brother. In the two days he recounts his neighborhood in a section of Sevilla.

6.0

MagicScore

The Brave

1997

A down-on-his-luck American Indian recently released from jail is offered the chance to "star" as the victim of a snuff film, the resulting pay of which could greatly help his poverty stricken family.

6.0

MagicScore

The Guns

1964

A group of armed soldiers is sent to the Northeast of Brazil in an attempt to stop a famine-struck population from invading and stealing a food deposit in the dry backlands. While the alienation and insanity of people driven to hallucination by their latent hunger is conducted by the predictions of a religious figure, a truck driver observes the situation and remains torn between his friendship with the soldiers and his revolt against the lack of government action in fighting the misery that lingers over the region.

7.5

MagicScore

Entranced Earth

1967

Eldorado, a fictitious country in America, is sparkling with the internal struggle for political power. In the eye of this social convulsion, the jaded journalist Paulo Martins opposes two equally corrupt political candidates: a pseudopopulist and a conservative. In this context, Paulo is torn between the madness of the elite and the blind submission of the masses. But, in this complex tropical reality, nothing really is what it seems to be.

7.3

MagicScore

Black God, White Devil

1964

Wanted for killing his boss, Manuel flees with his wife Rosa to the sertão, the barren landscape of Northern Brazil. Thrust into a primordial violent region, Manuel and Rosa come under the influence and control of a series of frightening figures.

7.1

MagicScore

Antonio das Mortes

1969

A new incarnation of Cangaceiro bandits, led by Coirana, has risen in the badlands. A blind landowner hires Antônio to wipe out his old nemesis. Yet after besting Coirana and accompanying the dying man to his mountain hideout, Antônio is moved by the plight of the Cangaceiro’s followers. The troubled hitman turns revolutionary, his gun and machete aimed towards his former masters.

6.9

MagicScore

#10

Macunaima

1969

Born a fully grown black man in a village in the Brazilian jungle, Macunaíma later magically transforms into a white man before making an adventure-filled trip to the city of São Paulo. Once there, he becomes something of a dandy, falling in love with Ci, a revolutionary who dies in an accidental bombing. After robbing a ruthless industrialist, Macunaima returns to his village where he finds his newly acquired knowledge and possessions of little use.

6.8

MagicScore

#11

Cinema Novo

2016

A deep investigation, in the way of a poetic essay, on one of the main Latin American movements in cinema, analyzed via the thoughts of its main authors, who invented, in the early 1960s, a new way of making movies in Brazil, with a political attitude, always near to people's problems, that combined art and revolution.

6.7

MagicScore

#12

How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman

1971

Brazil, 1594. The Tupinambás natives are friends of the French and their enemies are the Tupiniquins, friends of the Portuguese. A Frenchman is captured by the Tupinambás, and in spite of his trial to convince them that he is French, they believe he is Portuguese. The Frenchman becomes their slave, and maritally lives with Seboipepe.

6.1

MagicScore

#13

La Haine

1995

After a chaotic night of rioting in a marginal suburb of Paris, three young friends, Vinz, Hubert and Saïd, wander around unoccupied waiting for news about the state of health of a mutual friend who has been seriously injured when confronting the police.

8.1

MagicScore

#14

To Kill a Mockingbird

1962

Scout Finch, 6, and her older brother Jem live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.

8.0

MagicScore

#15

Secrets & Lies

1996

After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense, a successful black optometrist, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to Cynthia, a working class white woman.

7.6

MagicScore

#16

Cinderella Man

2005

The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, following his retirement in the 1930s, makes a surprise comeback in order to lift his family out of poverty.

7.6

MagicScore

#17

Dead Man Walking

1995

A death row inmate turns for spiritual guidance to a local nun in the days leading up to his scheduled execution for the murders of a young couple.

7.3

MagicScore

#18

Rosetta

1999

Young, impulsive Rosetta lives a hard and stressful life as she struggles to support herself and her alcoholic mother. Refusing all charity, she is desperate to maintain a dignified job.

7.2

MagicScore

#19

Carla's Song

1996

A Glasgow man visits war-torn Nicaragua with a refugee tormented by her memories.

6.7

MagicScore

#20

Rosario Tijeras

2005

Rosario Tijeras has been abused by men all her life, initially by her stepfather. Years later, she works as a paid assassin, seducing men and killing them when they least expect it. She meets Emilio, a wealthy womanizer, and his best friend, Antonio, at a nightclub, and starts an affair with Emilio despite Antonio's growing feelings for her. But circumstances bring her closer to Antonio, until her past catches up with her in a devastating way.

6.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Barren Lives?

The top films similar to Barren Lives by MovieMagicScore are Mother India (7.1), Angela's Ashes (7.3), The Class (7.0). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Barren Lives worth watching?

Barren Lives holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10 from 96 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Barren Lives?

Barren Lives (1963) is a drama film directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos, starring Átila Iório, Maria Ribeiro, Baleia.

Where can I find more recommendations like Barren Lives?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Mother India Movies like Angela's Ashes Movies like The Class Movies like 7 Virgins Movies like The Brave Movies like The Guns

About movies like Barren Lives

This ranked list pairs Barren Lives (1963), a drama film from Nelson Pereira dos Santos, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Átila Iório take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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