The Kindness of Strangers
A wounded mother, a struggling restaurant, and a constellation of desperate New Yorkers find fragile solidarity through unexpected acts of kindness.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- earnest
- compassionate
- melancholic
- reflective evening
- social issue drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the talented ensemble undercut by an unfocused, overly sentimental search for meaning.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Clara, Alice, Marc, Jeff, and John Peter each face different forms of crisis before their lives intersect around the Winter Palace.
Alice helps Clara access shelter, while the restaurant becomes a refuge for people lacking dependable support.
Clara and her sons move through homelessness, emergency shelter, and food insecurity in New York.
The Winter Palace functions as the central meeting place where strangers find food, work, and human connection.
Films like The Kindness of Strangers, and why
Short Term 12
Shared compassionate ensemble drama, urban crisis setting, and focus on intersecting lives shaped by hardship.
Precious
Shared themes of poverty, domestic abuse, institutional neglect, and fragile human connection in a contemporary city.
Babel
Shared multi-character social drama centered on loneliness, chance encounters, and unexpected solidarity.
Movie Details
- Director
- Lone Scherfig
- Release Date
- 2019-12-12
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (130)
Cast
- Zoe Kazan
- Andrea Riseborough
- Tahar Rahim
- Caleb Landry Jones
- Jay Baruchel
- Bill Nighy
- David Dencik
- Jack Fulton
- Will Bowes
- Patricia McKenzie
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Kindness of Strangers about?
- A wounded mother, a struggling restaurant, and a constellation of desperate New Yorkers find fragile solidarity through unexpected acts of kindness.
- What is The Kindness of Strangers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Kindness of Strangers as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Kindness of Strangers violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Kindness of Strangers as mild.
- What did critics think of The Kindness of Strangers?
- Critics broadly found the talented ensemble undercut by an unfocused, overly sentimental search for meaning.
- Which films are like The Kindness of Strangers?
- Films with a similar feel include Short Term 12, Precious, and Babel.
- How long is The Kindness of Strangers?
- The Kindness of Strangers runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Kindness of Strangers?
- In United States, The Kindness of Strangers is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
