Suggested additions to subgenre keywords

shoot-em-up-action

Examples: The Great Train Robbery (1903), Winchester '73 (1950), A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Dirty Dozen (1967), The Wild Bunch (1969), Dirty Harry (1971), Westworld (1973), Death Wish (1974), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), El Mariachi (1992), Hard Boiled (1992), Falling Down (1993), Léon: The Professional (1994), Heat (1995), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), The Matrix (1999), Call of Duty (2003), Hobo with a Shotgun (2011), John Wick (2014), Sicario (2015)

Description: The key action scenes involve heavy use of firearms.

Why I think this subgenre should be added: A large portion of action films are of this type. Some of them are so reliant on gunfights for their action sequences that they hardly even qualify for any of the currently recognized action subgenres.

forest-adventure

Examples: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Bambi (1942), Deliverance (1972), Robin Hood (1973), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), The Fox and the Hound (1981), First Blood (1982), Return of the Jedi (1983), Stand by Me (1986), The Bear (1988), Homeward Bound (1993), Once Upon a Forest (1993), A Goofy Movie (1995), Pocahontas (1995), Princess Mononoke (1997), Open Season (2006), Brave (2012), The Kings of Summer (2013), Into the Woods (2014), The Revenant (2015), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Leave No Trace (2018), Sasquatch Sunset (2024)

Description: An adventure set primarily in a temperate or boreal forest. For tropical rainforests, use jungle-adventure.

Reason this subgenre should be added: Apparently, this used to be one of the subgenres, but they deleted it, perhaps because of the seeming redundancy with jungle-adventure. However, jungle-adventure only covers stories that take place in tropical climates. There are many adventure films that take place in temperate deciduous forests and pine forests, enough to make their own subgenre.

​lgbt-comedy / lgbt-documentary / lgbt-drama / lgbt-romance​

​Examples: ​​Cabaret (1972)​​, ​​Female Trouble (1974)​​, ​​Before Stonewall (1984)​​, ​​Paris Is Burning (1990)​​, ​​The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)​​, ​​The Birdcage (1996)​​, ​​Chasing Amy (1997)​​, ​​All About My Mother (1999)​​, But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), ​​Boys Don't Cry (1999)​​, ​​Brokeback Mountain (2005)​​, ​​Pariah (2011)​​, ​​Dallas Buyers Club (2013)​​, ​​Tangerine (2015)​​, ​​Moonlight (2016)​​, ​​Call Me By Your Name (2017)​​, ​​Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)​

​Description: A movie with LGBTQ+ themes/subject matter​

​Reason this subgenre should be added: People have been asking for this to be added as a genre for years. It's something users are very interested in seeing implemented. If it can't be added as a genre, it could at least be included as a subgenre.​

screwball-comedy - ADDED! (10/5/23)

Examples: It Happened One Night (1934), The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), His Girl Friday (1940), The Philadelphia Story (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), To Be or Not to Be (1942), The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)

Description: A romantic-comedy that satirizes traditional ideas of love and gender relations. Exemplified by the classic period (1934-1942), but sometimes can apply to films released later.

Why this subgenre should be added: This is one of the most famous examples of a subgenre in film history, and unlike a lot of other subgenres, it originated specifically in film (rather than literature or theatre). It's so important it even has a Wikipedia article about it.

​​​​actuality-documentary

Examples: The Arrival of a Train (1896), Westinghouse Works (1904), A Trip Down Market Street (1906)

Description: A precursor to the modern documentary, these films are almost always silent, very short and released before 1914. They depict actual events with little to no editing or staging.

ephemeral-film [uncategorized]

Examples: Reefer Madness (1936), The City (1939), Don't Be a Sucker (1943), The Story of Menstruation (1946), Duck and Cover (1952), The New Girl (1960), Boys Beware (1962), Shake Hands with Danger (1980)

Description: Also known as "sponsored film", this refers to films made for a specific, usually educational or propagandistic, purpose rather than as a work of art. This category includes instructional videos, training films, social guidance films, and advertising.

Why this subgenre should be added: The keyword "ephemeral-film" is already well-utilized on IMDb; however, designating it as an official subgenre will help increase visibility and awareness of the term and its definition.

experimental-documentary

Examples: Roundhay Garden Scene (1888), Dickson Experimental Sound Film (1894), Kodachrome Two-Color Test Shots No. III (1922), A Computer Animated Hand (1972)

Description: A film whose primary purpose is to test the capabilities of a new technology or experiment with the form and nature of filmmaking.

Why this subgenre should be added: For some reason, it seems the whole world has agreed to conflate experimental cinema with avant-garde. I'm not sure why, because there's a distinction between technological experimentation and artistic experimentation that should be acknowledged. Avant-garde is more of a full-fledged genre than a subgenre, which is why you don't see it on this list of suggestions.

home-movie-documentary

Examples: Nicholas Brothers Family Home Movies (1934-1950), Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (1940), Cab Calloway Home Movies (1948-1951), Bohulano Family Home Movies (1951-1979), Zapruder Film (1963)

Description: In spite of the common name for this type of film, these are not always filmed at home. It simply refers to films made for non-commercial purposes, typically by amateurs, with the intent to document everyday experiences and special events of themselves, their family and friends.

Why this subgenre should be added: Of course, there is already a keyword for "home-movie". However, this keyword is ambiguous as it seems most titles with that keyword are fictional films which feature home movies as a plot point. Home movies are rare on IMDb because they are usually not considered notable enough to be eligible; however, some home movies become eligible due to gaining historical significance or by winning a major award (such as National Film Registry induction).

childhood-drama​​​​

​​​​Examples: Forbidden Games (1952), Little Fugitive (1953), ​​​​​​​​The Night of the Hunter (1955)​​​​​​​​, The Red Balloon (1956), ​​​​​​​​To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Alice in the Cities (1974)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Fanny and Alexander (1982)​​​​​​​​, Where is the Friend's House? (1987), All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), The Sixth Sense (1999), Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)​​​​​​​​, Room (2015), ​​​​​​The Florida Project (2017)​​​

​​​​Description: For films with child protagonists that do not necessarily qualify for the coming-of-age subgenre​​​​

​​​​Why I think this subgenre is needed: There have been many films about childhood over the years, and though they are often lumped together with the "coming-of-age" genre, a lot of them don't quite fit with the description of that genre. These films usually end well before the child characters have reached adolescence, let alone adulthood. They are more focused on childhood itself rather than about the transformations of adolescence, and the protagonists are typically much younger than those of true coming-of-age films.​​​​

​​​​melodrama-drama​​​​

​​​​Examples: ​​​​​​​​All That Heaven Allows (1955)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​All About My Mother (1999)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Breaking the Waves (1996)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Dancer in the Dark (2000)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Now, Voyager (1942)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Sunrise (1927)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​The Wind (1928)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Gone with the Wind (1939)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Way Down East (1920)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Gaslight (1944)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Cries & Whispers (1972)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Far from Heaven (2002)​​​​

​​​​Description: A style of drama characterized by exaggerated emotions, sensational narratives and stereotyped character development​​​​

​​​​Why I think this subgenre is needed: Although the word "melodrama" is often used pejoratively, stories of this sort have had a longstanding presence throughout history, including in film. Many filmmakers have intentionally engaged with this style of drama, and in doing so have created works of art with lasting appeal. Although most of the films listed above would also qualify for the "domestic-drama" subgenre, not all domestic-dramas are created in this specific style.​​​​

​religious-drama​

​Examples: ​​The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)​​, ​​The Song of Bernadette (1943)​​, ​​Black Narcissus (1947)​​, ​​The Burmese Harp (1956)​​, ​​The Ten Commandments (1956)​​, ​​The Seventh Seal (1957)​​, ​​Winter Light (1963)​​, ​​The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)​​, ​​A Man for All Seasons (1966)​​, ​​The Exorcist (1973)​​, ​​The Message (1976)​​, ​​Jesus of Nazareth (1977)​​, ​​Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)​​, ​​The Passion of the Christ (2004)​​, ​​Fireproof (2008)​​, ​A Serious Man (2009), ​Silence (2016)​​, ​​Father Stu (2022)​

​Description: A drama film in which matters of faith, religion and spirituality are the primary focus.​

​Reason this subgenre should be added: They make enough of these types of movies that it's practically a genre of its own, and lots of people would be interested in searching for films of this type.​

substance-abuse-drama

Examples: The Lost Weekend (1945), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Christiane F. (1981), Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Trainspotting (1996), Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Description: A film that takes a serious look at issues related to substance abuse, drug addiction, alcoholism and other related topics.

Reason to add this subgenre: Although drug-crime is already a keyword, most of the examples above are more focused on the personal problems caused by drug abuse, rather than criminal aspects. Also, alcohol consumption is not necessarily illegal in most places, but fits in with this sort of subgenre.

low-fantasy OR magical-realist-fantasy

Examples: Toy Story Trilogy (1995-2010), Big (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Being John Malkovich (1999), Porco Rosso (1992), Barbie (2023), Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), Matilda (1996), Mary Poppins (1964), Big Fish (2003), Harvey (1950), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Liar Liar (1997), Groundhog Day (1993), Pleasantville (1998), Turning Red (2022), Field of Dreams (1989), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Wings of Desire (1987), Dumbo (1941), The Brave Little Toaster (1987), The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)

Description: A fantasy film in which magical events intrude on an otherwise-normal world.

Reason to add this as a subgenre: In contrast to the high-fantasy epics like The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, which are known for transporting the viewer into a world spectacularly different from the one we know, many fantasy films go the route of having the world be mostly familiar but with some notable fantastical elements. As I've been going through my ratings and trying to add subgenres to different films, I've discovered an astonishing number of films in the fantasy genre do not fit with any of the existing fantasy subgenres. This is usually because they are of the low-fantasy type, also known as "magic realism" or "magical realism".

Note: "supernatural-fantasy" is related and similar to this, but only applies to movies with a "suspenseful and mysterious" presence of supernatural elements. This would exclude the many lighthearted and comedic examples of this subgenre, like most of the movies I listed above. "Supernatural" in this instance could be seen as a sub-subgenre of "low-fantasy"/"magical-realism".

survival-reality-tv

Examples: Man vs. Wild (2006-2020), Survivorman (2004-2015), Dual Survival (2010-2016), Naked and Afraid (2013-), Dude, You're Screwed! (2013-2014)

Description: A purported expert demonstrates skills and techniques for wilderness survival in an apparently remote and untamed location.

Reason to add this subgenre: It's a distinct subgenre of reality-TV not covered by any other subgenre on the list. "travel-reality-tv" sort of fits, but not really. These shows are not about traveling, per se, they're about survival skills and the (real or fabricated) gimmick of having the host/star 'stranded' in a remote location.

​​​​around-the-world-western*​​​​

​​​​Examples: ​​​​​​​​The Good the Bad the Weird (2008)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​The Man from Snowy River (1982)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​The Proposition (2005)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Quigley Down Under (1990)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​True History of the Kelly Gang (2019)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​White Sun of the Desert (1970)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Aferim! (2015)​​​​

​​​​Description: For films made in the style of the western, but which take place in continents outside of North America.​​​​

​​​​Why I think this subgenre is needed: Although films like this aren't terribly common, they represent a distinct subset of films made in the western genre. Australia is the most common continent for films of this sort, but I chose to call it "around-the-world" so as to also include "​​​​​​​​osterns​​​​​​​​" (or "red-westerns") and a few films that take place in East Asia and other parts of Europe.​​​​

​​​​*This one perhaps could use a better name, but this is the best I could come up with. International-western sounded too much like it could be referring to any western produced outside of the U.S., regardless of setting.​​​​

​​​​early-western​​​​

​​​​Examples: ​​​​​​​​The Great Train Robbery (1903)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​The Squaw Man (1914)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​The Iron Horse (1924)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​The Wind (1928)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​The Big Trail (1930)​​​​

​​​​Description: For films in the western genre released before the dawn of the golden age​​​​

​​​​Why I think this subgenre may be needed: The "golden age" of the western, although not defined by IMDb in its description of the "classic-western" subgenre, is typically thought to have started around 1939 (the year Stagecoach was released) and lasted till the early 1960s. Westerns released after the golden age are well-represented in IMDb's list of subgenres (revisionist-western, spaghetti-western and contemporary-western), but that leaves a lot of years before the golden age that really shouldn't be lumped in with the "classic-western". Silent westerns, especially, don't fit with anybody's idea of the classic, golden-age version of the western. Westerns have been a big part of the film industry since the very beginning, so there's a lot of material there.​​​​

(I've changed my mind about the necessity of adding this one.)

​​​​northern-western​​​​

​​​​Examples: ​​​​​​​​The Gold Rush (1925)​​​​​​​​, The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933), ​​​​​​​​The Far Country (1954)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​North to Alaska (1960)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​White Fang (1991)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​The Revenant (2015)​​​​​​​​, ​​​​​​​​Togo (2019)​​​​

​​​​Description: The setting is somewhere in the far northern part of North America (Alaska or Canada)​​​​.

Reason to add this subgenre: It's not exceptionally prolific, but it is unique and distinct from other westerns.