Skip to content

Movies like Neon Ambition (1985)

The best movies like Neon Ambition (1985) are Pink Narcissus (1971), Taboo (1999) and My Brother the Devil (2012). If Neon Ambition hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Pink Narcissus (1971)

    An outrageous erotic poem focusing on the daydreams of a beautiful boy prostitute who, from the seclusion of his ultra-kitsch apartment, conceives a series of interlinked narcissistic fantasies populated by matadors, dancing boys, slaves, and leather-clad bikers.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Taboo (1999)

    Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering on a handsome young samurai named Sozaburo Kano. The school's stern master can choose to intervene, or to let Kano decide his own path.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. My Brother the Devil (2012)

    Fourteen-year-old Mo is a lonely, sensitive boy whose hunger for the rant and banter of buddies makes him prone to tread dangerous territories. He idolizes his handsome older brother, Rashid, a charismatic, well-respected member of a local gang, whose drug dealing enables “Rash” to provide for his family. Aching to be seen as a tough guy himself, Mo takes a job that unlocks a fateful turn of events and forces the brothers to confront their inner demons. It turns out that hate is easy. It is love and understanding that take real courage.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. Naked as We Came (2013)

    After an unexpected phone call, Laura and her brother Elliot rush to their family’s country estate to find their mother, Lilly, gravely ill and living with a handsome young stranger named Ted. Estranged for some time, their mother’s condition sets Laura and Elliot on a path to realizing where their own lives have gone wrong.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  5. Tokyo Decadence (1992)

    A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of appeasement for the fact that her lover has married.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. Call Boy (2018)

    Ryo Morinaka is a university student and works part-time at a bar. He is bored with his daily life and exists in a state of torpor. One day, his friend Shinya Tajima brings the owner of a host bar over to the place where Ryo Morinaka works. Shizuka Mido is the owner of the host bar. Soon, Ryo Morinaka begins to work for Shizuka Mido at the members only host bar. He feels embarrassment initially, but he fulfills the desires of women and develops a sense of purpose.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Female Yakuza Tale (1973)

    Ocho is accidentally captured by a drug trafficking cartel who use Chinese women to smuggle drugs into Japan by hiding it in their vaginas. She is tortured, and manages to escape, fighting both the male yakuzas and a gang of female thieves.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Saint Jack (1979)

    Jack Flowers is an American hustler trying to make his fortune in 1970s Singapore in small time pimping. His dreams of building a fortune by running a brothel himself and returning to the States is materialized when he is offered the opportunity by the CIA to run a brothel for the R&R activities of U.S. soldiers on leave in Singapore.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. BLUE LOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- (2024)

    When apathetic gamer Nagi agrees to join his rich classmate Mikage in soccer, their partnership leads to the famous Blue Lock program — and to changes.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012)

    Fourteen years after Third Impact, Shinji Ikari awakens to a world he does not remember. He hasn't aged. Much of Earth is laid in ruins, NERV has been dismantled, and people who he once protected have turned against him. Befriending the enigmatic Kaworu Nagisa, Shinji continues the fight against the angels and realizes the fighting is far from over, even when it could be against his former allies. The characters' struggles continue amidst the battles against the angels and each other, spiraling down to what could inevitably be the end of the world.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. Hands of Stone (2016)

    The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Pimp (2018)

    An urban love story set on the hard streets of the Bronx. A struggling female pimp, named Wednesday, grows up learning the game from her dad. Once he's gone she's left to look out for her prostitute mother and girlfriend Nikki.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. A Month in the Country (1987)

    A destitute WWI veteran is hired to help carry out restoration work on a medieval mural in a rural Yorkshire church. While living in the quiet village, he forms a close friendship with an archaeologist and begins to come to terms with his trauma.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. Pretty Boy (2015)

    Sean is taken to a motel and is given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father. He must sleep with her to "fix" his questionable homosexuality. "Pretty Boy" is a coming of age story of a young bullied teen, Sean, struggling with his sexuality and the hardships of high school. After his father finds some questionable magazines in his room, this devout Christian will go to any lengths to get his son to find the light and "perform" the way a man should. Sean is introduced to Katie, a prostitute that understands the stigmas of modern society and helps him see the true light that is within him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. The Eel (1997)

    A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Heatwave (2022)

    A woman's life takes an unexpected turn when she falls for her boss's wife. She must soon defend herself as she becomes entangled in a web of malice.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Tokyo Fist (1995)

    A businessman, Tsuda, runs into a childhood friend, Kojima, on the subway. Kojima is working as a semiprofessional boxer. Tsuda soon begins to suspect that Kojima might be having an affair with his fiancée Hizuru. After an altercation, Tsuda begins training rigorously himself, leading to an extremely bloody, violent confrontation.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Òlòtūré (2019)

    In Lagos, Nigeria, young, naive Nigerian journalist Òlòtūré goes undercover to expose the shady underworld of human trafficking. Unused to this brutal environment, crawling with ruthless traders and pimps, Òlòtūré finds warmth and friendship with Blessing, Linda and Beauty, the prostitutes she lives with. However, she gets drawn into their lifestyle and finds it difficult to cope. In her quest to uncover the truth, she pays the ultimate price - one that takes her to the verge of no return.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Intentions of Murder (1964)

    The neglected common-law wife of a Japanese librarian is repeatedly harassed by a young man with a heart condition who seduces her with the prospect of a better life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. Sakuran (2006)

    Kiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. Shabbat Dinner (2012)

    Shabbat Dinner is boring as usual for William Shore. His mother has invited two crazy hippies and their son and is doing her best to show off, his father is drunk and berating their oddball guests, and he doesn't have much in common with their son Virgo. That is, until Virgo tells him that he has just come out as gay.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  22. Room Closet: Truth or Dare (2019)

    A couple of teenagers start playing truth or dare at a party.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  23. Shortbus (2006)

    In post-9/11 New York City, an eclectic group of citizens find their lives entangled, personally, romantically, and sexually, at Shortbus, an underground Brooklyn salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  24. Kaleb (2014)

    A hustler meets a client in a hotel room but he realizes that the young man needs much more than sex.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. I Cannot Sleep (2016)

    Claudio and Riccardo are forced to share the same apartment and bedroom when their divorced parents decide to live together. But they soon find out that they can be more than brothers. By overcoming their fears and prejudice of the people, they will be free to live as they desire.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. Alexander (2004)

    Alexander, the King of Macedonia, leads his legions against the giant Persian Empire. After defeating the Persians, he leads his army across the then known world, venturing farther than any westerner had ever gone, all the way to India.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  27. Lily (2016)

    Lily, a girl with a secret on the cusp of becoming a young woman, is faced with the greatest challenge of her young life.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  28. Among Friends (2009)

    A dinner party of three couples careens into uncharted territory when the hosts make a shocking proposal. Tensions mount as this evening among friends puts each marriage to the test.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  29. The Silent Landscape (2003)

    Hamid is an Iranian teenage boy whose sexuality brings him into conflict with his family's Muslim beliefs.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. Swingin' (2020)

    When sixth-grader boy Qiu is bullied in school for having gay dads, his stepfather Howard, a flamboyant Jazz trumpet player, must confront his own nightmares of childhood bulling before he can provide his son a feeling of security.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Like Neon Ambition and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Neon Ambition?

The closest matches to Neon Ambition are Pink Narcissus (1971), Taboo (1999) and My Brother the Devil (2012). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Neon Ambition?

Start with Pink Narcissus (1971), the closest match to Neon Ambition.

What is the highest-rated movie like Neon Ambition?

BLUE LOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- (2024), rated 7.6/10 by 268 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Neon Ambition?

BLUE LOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- (2024) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Japanese movies like Neon Ambition?

Yes: Taboo (1999), Tokyo Decadence (1992) and Call Boy (2018).

How are movies similar to Neon Ambition chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Neon Ambition, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Full search page