If you loved The Piano, try Holy Smoke

A bridge between a film you've already seen and one most people haven't. Holy Smoke has roughly 7.2× fewer votes than The Piano — it's a deeper cut, not a mainstream recommendation. Here's what they share, and what the second one does that the first one doesn't.

What they share

Both films are directed by Jane Campion, and they both carry the bittersweet, sexy mood tags, and they sit in Drama territory. If that's the register that drew you to The Piano, the second film will land in a comparable space — through a different lens.

bittersweetsexy

What Holy Smoke is

Here's a film that thinks it's about mind control, but is really about a battle of wills. An Australian family hires a "deprogrammer" to rescue their daughter from an Indian cult. Turns out, he's the one who needs rescuing. It's not subtle, but it does have Harvey Keitel in the outback.

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