Back to trending
The Whales of August

The Whales of August

Drama · 1987

Two aged sisters reflect on life and the past during a late summer day in Maine.

Movie details

The Whales of August

“The Screen's Immortals... A movie you'll never forget.”

1987 Drama 1h 30m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Two aged sisters reflect on life and the past during a late summer day in Maine.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Whales of August?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Color Purple

The Color Purple

Drama · 2023

A decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman's journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It

Drama · 1992

The Maclean brothers, Paul and Norman, live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister, the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. When Norman finally returns, the siblings resume their fishing outings, and assess where they've been and where they're going.

You're Not You

You're Not You

Drama · 2014

When an accomplished pianist is diagnosed with the devastating and incurable disease ALS, she hires a directionless young woman who becomes her full-time caregiver. Complete opposites, the strangers form a life-changing bond inspiring each other to live life to fullest, while being brought together by the most challenging of circumstances.

Mr. Church

Mr. Church

Drama · 2016

A unique friendship develops when a little girl and her dying mother inherit a cook - Mr. Church. What begins as an arrangement that should only last six months, instead spans fifteen years.

Marvin's Room

Marvin's Room

Drama · 1996

A leukemia patient attempts to end a 20-year feud with her sister to get her bone marrow.

Vanya on 42nd Street

Vanya on 42nd Street

Drama · 1994

An uninterrupted rehearsal of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' plays out by a company of actors. The setting: their run-down theater with an unusable stage and crumbling ceiling. The play is shown act by act with the briefest of breaks to move props or for refreshments. The lack of costumes, real props and scenery is soon forgotten.

Small Things Like These

Small Things Like These

Drama · 2024

In 1985, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, Bill Furlong discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers truths of his own; forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.

The Winter Guest

The Winter Guest

Drama · 1997

It's winter in a small Scottish village near the sea, and multiple lives intersect in a day. Frances has just lost her husband to an early death, so her mother, Elspeth, travels to Frances' house to reconnect with her daughter and grandson, Alex. Meanwhile, old women Chloe and Lily go to a funeral, youngsters Sam and Tom cut class, and Alex gets a crush on tomboy Nita.

Paris, Texas

Paris, Texas

Drama · 1984

A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his family and disappeared four years earlier.

Digging to China

Digging to China

Drama · 1997

Precocious young Harriet and her older sister Gwen live at their mother's motel in small-town New Hampshire. Harriet dreams of a life beyond her inattentive family and the stultifying town. A mentally disabled man named Ricky comes to stay at the motel, and Harriet finds him kinder and more interesting than anyone she has ever met. After tragedy strikes, Harriet and Ricky cling to each other ever more tightly.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lindsay Anderson

Written by

David Berry

Bette Davis

Bette Davis

Libby Strong

Lillian Gish

Lillian Gish

Sarah Webber

Vincent Price

Vincent Price

Mr. Maranov

Ann Sothern

Ann Sothern

Tisha Doughty

Harry Carey Jr.

Harry Carey Jr.

Joshua Brackett

Margaret Ladd

Margaret Ladd

Young Libby

Mary Steenburgen

Mary Steenburgen

Young Sarah

Court is in session

Put The Whales of August on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.