Sam Was Here

Sam Was Here

Directed by Christophe Deroo

Produced by Nightcall Productions, KuroKitsu

201675 min5.4 / 10

A paranoid, surreal desert thriller that blends 1990s Americana with cosmic dread and identity dissolution.

California, Mojave Desert, 1998. A strange glow appears in the sky. Sam, a forty-something door-to-door salesman, travels through the few inhabited zones of the Californian desert in search of clients.

Questions people ask

  • Is Sam Was Here scary? Yes, very. More frightening than 97% of films.

  • Does Sam Was Here end with hope? No. Less hopeful than 91% of films.

  • Is Sam Was Here easy watching? Barely. Less comforting than 86% of films.

  • Is Sam Was Here sad? Yes. More sad than 82% of films.

  • Is Sam Was Here violent? Somewhat. More violent than 68% of films.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

22/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Conventional, and it does not land.

Rarity69

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise10

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love7

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like Sam Was Here

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Sam Was Here

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Sam Was Here, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Sam Was Here, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Sam Was Here, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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