Film

Bellbird

Bellbird is a New Zealand film about grief, community, and the quiet rituals that hold us together. When a rural farmer loses his wife, his small town gathers around him—not with grand gestures, but with the small, stubborn kindnesses that define country life. It's tender and funny in equal measure, never maudlin.

If you liked this

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

Another New Zealand film about connection across unlikely relationships, with genuine warmth and humour. Taika Waititi captures the same spirit of community resilience in a very different setting.

But It's more of an adventure-buddy story than a grief story, so the emotional register is lighter. Some find Waititi's style too whimsical for their taste.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople poster

Rams2015

An Icelandic film about two estranged brothers and their sheep, told with deadpan humour and surprising tenderness. It understands rural life and how men grieve without words.

But It's very quiet and deliberately paced. The sheep focus might feel gimmicky if you're not won over early. Subtitled.

Rams poster

Little Women2019

Greta Gerwig's version is about grief, family, and how we sustain each other through loss. The warmth and specificity of the family dynamics echoes Bellbird's emotional core.

But It's a period piece about privileged characters, so the world is very different. Some find Gerwig's style self-conscious.

Little Women poster

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What We Do in the Shadows2014

Same directors (Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement), same location, same gift for finding warmth in oddness. It shows their range and their understanding of how communities actually work.

A mockumentary about vampires living in Wellington, New Zealand—same creative team, same sensibility. It proves they understand how to find humour in the everyday without ever becoming cruel.

But It's a comedy about vampires, so the tone is completely different from Bellbird's tenderness. If you want emotional weight, this is not it.

What We Do in the Shadows poster
More like this (8)

The Farewell2019

A film about how communities rally around loss and mortality, told with both humour and heartbreak. The specificity of cultural ritual mirrors Bellbird's understanding of how we process grief together.

But It's about a family secret that might frustrate viewers who prefer straightforward emotional honesty. The tone shifts between comedy and sadness, which not everyone finds comfortable.

The Farewell poster

A Ghost Story2017

Meditative and strange, it's about grief, place, and how people connect to the land and each other. Haunting in the best sense.

But It's experimental and deliberately slow. A man in a sheet for much of the runtime. If you want plot momentum, look elsewhere.

A Ghost Story poster

Minari2021

About a family trying to build something together in rural America, with the same specificity about community and labour. Deeply moving without sentimentality.

But It's a slow, observational film. The family conflict is quietly frustrating, which is the point but not everyone wants that from their evening.

Minari poster

Moonlight2016

Three-part structure about connection, loss, and the people who see us. Gorgeously shot, emotionally precise, about how community (or lack of it) shapes us.

But It's very artistic and nonlinear. The pacing is deliberate. Some find it distant rather than moving.

Moonlight poster

The Sense of an Ending2017

About grief, memory, and how we make peace with the past. Thoughtful and well-acted, it shares Bellbird's interest in how people move forward.

But It's understated to the point of being sluggish. The revelation feels smaller than the build-up suggests. Some find it ponderous.

The Sense of an Ending poster

Nebraska2013

A father-son road trip through rural America, filmed in black and white. Quiet, funny, and deeply humane about ageing, regret, and what we owe each other.

But It's very slow and very bleak. If you want uplift or clear resolution, this will frustrate you. The landscape is relentlessly drab.

Nebraska poster

The Lighthouse2019

Both films use community (or its absence) as a character, and both understand that grief doesn't announce itself—it lives in work, routine, and how we treat the people near us.

Two men alone with grief, regret, and labour. Shot in black and white, deliberately theatrical, it's about isolation and connection in extreme form. Hypnotic and strange.

But It's deliberately grotesque and surreal. The performances are big and weird. If you want naturalism or comfort, this will feel abrasive and difficult.

The Lighthouse poster

Nomadland2021

Both trust landscape and routine to carry emotional meaning. Neither film needs conflict or resolution to move us. Both believe community is built in small gestures, not speeches.

Documentary-realism hybrid about people moving through rural America after loss. It finds profound beauty and dignity in small moments. Chloé Zhao's camera sees people the way Bellbird does.

But It's long, slow, and genuinely austere. The lack of plot or conventional structure will feel aimless to some. Real lives are messier than drama usually allows.

Nomadland poster

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