Movies like A Letter from Kyoto (2023)
The best movies like A Letter from Kyoto (2023) are Flicka (2006), Three Wishes (1995) and I Believe (2019). If A Letter from Kyoto hooked you with its family and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRemember (2015)7.3/10 from 785 votes
- NewestPortrait of a Family (2026)Released 2026
- In KoreanThe Con Artists (2014)Also in Korean
Flicka (2006)
Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThree Wishes (1995)
While Jane Holman is driving with her two sons, she accidentally runs into a drifter, Jack McCloud, who breaks his leg. Being responsible, Jane invites Jack, and his dog, to stay at her home until his leg has healed. Jack struggles to adapt their lifestyle, and finds himself loved by the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Believe (2019)
A 9 year old boy experiences God's power in a supernatural way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Second Chance (2011)
A young girl and her coach overcome adversity to make their way into the National Australian Gymnastics Squad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSkater Girl (2021)
Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (2003)
Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Witch (2008)
A mysterious woman comes in to town and inhabits the local haunted mansion, making everyone wonder if she's a witch or "The Grey Lady".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Second Chance: Rivals! (2019)
As Maddy takes on coaching a team of young twelve-year-old gymnasts, she faces up to intense city versus country rivalry, racism, cyberbullying and her own self-doubt but eventually takes the challenge head on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAn American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars (2012)
A young girl struggles to maintain her school grades while competing as a gymnast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Con Artists (2014)
A wily safecracker is forced to help a mob boss pull off a $150 million heist, but smells a double-cross in the works.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThread of Lies (2014)
Cheon-ji's unexpected suicide causes her mother Hyeon-sook and older sister Man-ji to be moved into another apartment. Tracking down clues from school, Man-ji discovers that Cheon-ji's best friend Hwa-yeon is behind everything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Caveman's Valentine (2001)
Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisWill You Be There (2016)
A terminally ill surgeon travels back in time through the use of unique capsules to reunite with his dead lover. He then meets his juvenile self and they try to prevent her death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEscape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (2017)
Can twelve 12-year-olds escape from the most ridiculously brilliant library ever created? Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library plunks a dozen sixth-graders into the middle of a futuristic library for a night of nonstop fun and adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Truth About Emanuel (2013)
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRemember (2015)
With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnastasia: Once Upon a Time (2020)
Anastasia Romanov escapes through a portal when her family is threatened by Vladimir Lenin, and she finds herself in the year 1988, befriended by a young American girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
SnoozefestMovies like thisChildren... (2011)
On March 26, 1991, five boys set off to the mountain to go frog hunting and never come back to their family. While a documentary producer, detective and professor try to solve the mystery of the incident, one of the boys' parents is a suspect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
Nancy Drew, a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTazza: The Hidden Card (2014)
Dae-gil has been skilled with his hands and has shown a strong desire for winning ever since he was a child. He will succeed his uncle and jump into the world of Tazza, risking his life in competition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPortrait of a Family (2026)
Baseball player Jung-gu and movie star Nam-mi are a celebrity couple who are blissfully happy in their careers and marriage. One day, a girl named Dong-ju shows up and the couple's lives are instantly destroyed. Seven years later, as Dong-ju gets involved in the death of a middle-school girl, Jung-gu and Nam-mi decide to fight a battle they have no chance of winning.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
City of Fathers (2009)
Kang-soo is a third-rate street thug in Busan; he's an alcoholic and gambling addict who's always on the run from loan sharks. But when his rebellious teenage son Jong-chul is diagnosed with kidney cancer, he tries to be a real parent for the first time and seeks out Jong-chul's biological father, Tae-suk, a pimp. Tae-suk, however, refuses to help.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Broker (2022)
When a young mother reconsiders abandoning her baby, she discovers a scheme selling foundlings for adoption.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome Back to Busan Port '80 (1980)
A woman unknowingly marries a drug dealer and gradually finds herself being drawn into his activities.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Classified File (2015)
A detective and a fortune teller join forces to find a kidnapped child whom no one expects to be alive. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Figure of Crime (2018)
A serial killer is caught for his seventh murder. A cop tries to solve the first six cases with the killer's help, but starts to suspect that he has ulterior motives. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Drug King (2018)
Busan, South Korea, 1970s. Lee Doo-sam is a small-time smuggler. After helping a drug gang to smuggle meth, he falls into the dark crime world. Quick-witted and full of ambition, he eventually takes over the drug underworld and starts to lead a double life: a good community leader during the day but an infamous drug lord during the night.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOde to My Father (2014)
Duk-soo lost his father and younger sister while taking refuge during the Korean War. He leaves for Germany to work as a miner and enters the Vietnam War. He wishes to find his sister.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Came from Busan (2010)
An 18 year-old girl reluctantly gives her baby up for adoption. As time goes by, her yearning for the baby gets bigger and she visits the adoption center to ask if she can have the baby back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Letter from Kyoto?
The closest matches to A Letter from Kyoto are Flicka (2006), Three Wishes (1995) and I Believe (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Letter from Kyoto?
Start with Flicka (2006), the closest match to A Letter from Kyoto.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Letter from Kyoto?
Remember (2015), rated 7.3/10 by 785 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Letter from Kyoto?
Portrait of a Family (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like A Letter from Kyoto?
Yes: The Con Artists (2014), Thread of Lies (2014) and Will You Be There (2016).
How are movies similar to A Letter from Kyoto chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Letter from Kyoto, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.