Debapriya Bhattacharya
‘An Honest Life,’ originally titled ‘Ett ärligt liv,’ is a Swedish film by Mikael Marcimain that is based on an eponymous novel by Joakim Zander. The narrative follows law student Simon (Simon Lööf), who gets disappointed with school soon after starting. During an anti-establishment protest march, he comes across Max (Nora Rios), a young anarchist woman who blows him away with her passionate and enthusiastic approach to life and society. Realizing he is falling for her, Simon becomes a part of the movement. However, he finds himself unable to commit and trapped in a vicious mechanism. A thriller dealing with class conflict, betrayal, and living as an outlaw, if the film has managed to win your approval, here is a curated list of movies similar to ‘An Honest Life’ that you should consider for your next watch.
10. Swallow (2020)
Directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis, ‘Swallow’ tells the story of Hunter Conrad (Haley Bennett), a former saleswoman-turned-newlywed housewife who is having a difficult time adjusting to her new life of opulence. Every moment of her life is closely controlled by her husband and in-laws, which only increases with the announcement of a baby on the way. The anxious and soft-spoken woman forms a new habit to regain a sense of control- swallowing things that are not meant for swallowing. Getting diagnosed with the compulsive eating disorder, pica, she is forced to confront the truth of how her life has changed, similar to Simon in ‘An Honest Life.’
9. La Femme Nikita (1991)
Luc Besson’s ‘La Femme Nikita,’ also known as ‘Nikita,’ revolves around the titular character (Anne Parillaud), a violent drug addict living on the streets who ends up killing a police officer. While she believes her life is over, Nikita is brought in by the government officials and extensively trained to become a ruthless assassin. She is placed under the mentorship of a ruthless man called Bob (Tchéky Karyo). With time, she becomes the perfect weapon for the government to do its dirty work. However, trouble begins when Nikita finds herself falling for a man who is unaware of her job and her past. Like ‘An Honest Life,’ she realises much later that she is already in love with a person he should not be with.
8. The Crush (1993)
‘The Crush’ by Alan Shapiro centers around Nick Eliot (Cary Elwes), a writer who moves to a new city for a magazine job, and rents a room in the sprawling house of Cliff (Kurtwood Smith) and Liv Forrester (Gwynyth Walsh). The couple shares a 14-year-old daughter, Adrian (Alicia Silverstone), who makes it obvious that she is attracted to Nick from the very onset. While Nick believes it to be a childhood crush and does not pay much attention, the feelings in Adrian intensify over time. When Nick starts dating photographer Amy Maddik (Jennifer Rubin), Adrian becomes desperate and confesses her feelings to Nick. While the latter first tries to reason with her and then fend off her advances, it becomes increasingly difficult as she adopts violent ways. Similar to ‘An Honest Life,’ Nick is too late to realise the mess that he gets himself into.
7. Thoroughbreds (2018)
Marking the directorial debut of Cory Finley, ‘Thoroughbreds’ is about childhood friends Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Amanda (Olivia Cooke) who reconnect in suburban Connecticut after years of growing apart. Lily leads a life of comfort, attending a fancy boarding school, and has a coveted internship on her resume. The only trouble in her life is her rude stepfather, who seeks to cut her off after she graduates. On the other hand, Amanda has grown to be an emotionless social outcast with a sharp wit. Despite their differences, they share a strong bond and decide to solve their problems with the help of a drug dealer (Anton Yelchin). As in ‘An Honest Life,’ the situation quickly spirals out of control as the individuals find themselves out of their depth.
6. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s eponymous novel, ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ stars Matt Damon as the titular character, Tom Ripley, an underachieving conman in 1950s New York. Tom is sent by the father of millionaire Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) to bring his son back to the US from Italy, where he is staying with his expatriate girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow). Tom covets the life that Dickie leads, and as his initial attempts to coax the latter fail, he takes extreme measures not only to force Dickie to return but also to make the lifestyle his own. Much like ‘An Honest Life,’ the Greenleafs are too late to realize that they have trusted the wrong individual.
5. Wall to Wall (2025)
Originally titled ’84 Jegopmiteo,’ Kim Tae-joon’s directorial ‘Wall to Wall’ is set around Woo-sung (Kang Ha-neul), a young man who pools together everything he has, takes out a loan, and even gets early severance from his job to purchase the apartment he has been renting. However, his life does not improve as Woo-sung is kept up every night by the noises coming from the floor above him. His neighbors living on the lower floors believe him to be responsible for the din. Determined to get to the bottom of the situation, Woo-sung goes up the building to meet the penthouse owner, Eun-hwa (Yeom Hye-ran), and his upstairs neighbor, Jin-ho (Seo Hyun-woo). However, it soon becomes clear to him that there is no one he can trust, just like Simon realizes in ‘An Honest Life.’
4. Enemy of the State (1998)
Directed by Tony Scott, ‘Enemy of the State’ revolves around Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith), a labor lawyer and dedicated family man. When corrupt National Security Agency official Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight) gets a congressman killed to ensure that a new surveillance registration is passed, the surveillance footage makes its way to Robert without his knowledge. He is thus framed for murder for the truth to remain buried. However, Robert refuses to give himself up to fate and works with former intelligence agent Edward “Brill” Lyle (Gene Hackman) to prove his innocence. This resonates with Simon’s struggle to get out of the mess he unwittingly makes in ‘An Honest Life.’
3. Cold in July (2014)
Based on the novel of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale, ‘Cold in July’ follows Texas homeowner Richard Dane (Michael Hall), who accidentally shoots and kills a burglar who breaks into his home. While the police assure him that it is an act of self-defense, and he is in the clear, Richard feels shaken by the experience and visits the burial ceremony of the man. There, he gets confronted by Ben (Sam Shepard), a paroled convict and the vengeful father of the burglar. As Ben gives thinly veiled threats, Richard realises that he has put himself and his family in grave danger, much like Simon in ‘An Honest Life.’
2. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Helmed by Bryan Singer, ‘The Usual Suspects’ centers around an invisible threat from the New York underworld, Keyser Söze. Considered to be a myth by many, his influence is felt when an explosion in San Pedro Harbor leaves 27 men dead. As a team of five conmen involved in a multi-million dollar heist is brought in by the police for questioning, one among them, Kint (Kevin Spacey), insists that Keyser is the mastermind behind all these incidents, and has set his team up simply to take the fall. As in ‘An Honest Life,’ the conmen are too late to realize they have been trapped.
1. Nightcrawler (2014)
Marking the directorial debut of Dan Gilroy, ‘Nightcrawler’ tells the story of Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) from Los Angeles, who desperately seeks employment while surviving on scavenging and petty theft. When he comes across a freelancing crew filming news of tragedies at night, he picks that up as his new profession. Armed with a camcorder and police scanner, he combs through the city in search of brutal crimes along with a young man (Riz Ahmed) he hires as an assistant. Soon, Louis’ work is noticed by a news director (Rene Russo), who demands more from him to boost her network’s rating. Much like Simon in ‘An Honest Life,’ Louis fails to realize the depth he spirals into to capture his “money shot.” The obsession of the protagonists in both films makes them oblivious to the pain and destruction they cause themselves.
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