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Movies like Atonement (1996)

The best movies like Atonement (1996) are Taboo (1999), From Straight A's to XXX (2017) and BLAME! (2017). If Atonement hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. 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

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  2. From Straight A's to XXX (2017)

    When a change of circumstances leaves Miriam unable to pay her college tuition, she makes a surprising decision: to start performing in adult films, using the pseudonym Belle Knox. Miriam lies to her family and her friends at school, keeping her double life a secret. But soon rumours spread and Miriam becomes the subject of vicious online attacks and unwanted attention. Miriam fights back: she talks to the media, saying her new line of work empowers her as a feminist. But her confident stand has unintended consequences. Miriam is shunned by her conservative family and her colleagues in the adult film world. One impulsive decision has quickly spiralled out of control - and Miriam's problems are just beginning.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  3. BLAME! (2017)

    In the distant technological future, civilization has reached its ultimate Net-based form. An "infection" in the past caused the automated systems to spiral out of order, resulting in a multi-leveled city structure that replicates itself infinitely in all directions. Now humanity has lost access to the city's controls, and is hunted down and purged by the defense system known as the Safeguard. In a tiny corner of the city, a little enclave known as the Electro-Fishers is facing eventual extinction, trapped between the threat of the Safeguard and dwindling food supplies. A girl named Zuru goes on a journey to find food for her village, only to inadvertently cause doom when an observation tower senses her and summons a Safeguard pack to eliminate the threat. With her companions dead and all escape routes blocked, the only thing that can save her now is the sudden arrival of Killy the Wanderer, on his quest for the Net Terminal Genes, the key to restoring order to the world.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  4. 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
  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

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  6. 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
  7. Embattled (2020)

    The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. 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
  9. Antiporno (2017)

    Kyôko, a traumatized young Japanese girl, finds herself struggling with her self-confidence in her adult life. Growing up in a family without her mother and her sister, she constantly questions the rationale of sex and the notion of liberty in modern Japanese society.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. The Good Neighbor (2022)

    A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. The Enforcer (2022)

    A noir thriller set in Miami, the film follows an enforcer who discovers his femme fatale boss has branched out into cyber sex trafficking, putting a young runaway he’s befriended at risk. He sacrifices everything to save the young girl from the deadly organization he’s spent his life building.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Alex of Venice (2015)

    After her stay-at-home husband leaves her, a workaholic lawyer finds that she is not completely up to the tasks of caring for her young son, ailing father and household all by herself.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  15. Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid (2023)

    Finally, the day of Mai's high school graduation has arrived. While Sakuta eagerly waits for his girlfriend, an elementary schooler who looks exactly like her appears before him. Suspicious, and for all the wrong reasons... Meanwhile, Sakuta and Kaede's father suddenly calls, saying that their mother wants to see her daughter. She was hospitalized because Kaede's condition had been too much for her to bear, so what could she possibly want now?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Animal Crossing: The Movie (2006)

    Ai, a self-reliant girl who moves to Animal Village and works at Nook's Cranny, gradually becomes part of the community with guidance from its residents and embarks on a quest to plant pine trees for a Winter Festival miracle after finding a message in a bottle.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Inside I'm Dancing (2004)

    Michael is a 24-year-old who has cerebral palsy and long-term resident of the Carrigmore Residential Home for the Disabled, run by the formidable Eileen. His life is transformed when the maverick Rory O'Shea moves in.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. Summer Ghost (2021)

    An urban legend says that lighting fireworks at an abandoned airfield will beckon the "summer ghost," a spirit that can answer any question. Three teenagers, Tomoya, Aoi, and Ryo, each have their own reason to show up one day. When a ghost named Ayane appears, she reveals she is only visible to those "who are about to touch their death." Compelled by the ghost and her message, Tomoya begins regularly visiting the airfield to uncover the true purpose of her visits.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  21. 9 Songs (2004)

    Matt, a young glaciologist, soars across the vast, silent, icebound immensities of the South Pole as he recalls his love affair with Lisa. They meet at a mobbed rock concert in a vast music hall - London's Brixton Academy. They are in bed at night's end. Together, over a period of several months, they pursue a mutual sexual passion whose inevitable stages unfold in counterpoint to nine live-concert songs.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  22. Naked and Betrayed (2004)

    Hard-partying friends Talisa, Cory and city council candidate Mike Finnegan (minus wife Stephanie) celebrate with Claire and Jason on the eve of their wedding. The genders separate for stag and spa parties and the friends swing, but a tragic death closes the stag party, and relationships are troubled while police investigate.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  23. I Am Your God (1983)

    A traveling middle-aged woman plans to stay overnight in Bosnian town. In her dreams, she gets sexually aroused by a thought of young receptionist, whose father doesn't let him to meet with the girl he loves.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  24. My Brother's Wife 3: The Woman Downstairs (2017)

    My sister and I moved into a new house. We didn't do much but the woman downstairs came up to ask us to keep it down. She said she was sensitive so we decided to keep it down. Her gangster husband would beat her when he came home drunk. Every time I heard her suffer from the beatings, I couldn't stand it and would stomp the floor to create a distraction. She would come up telling us to be quiet. I told her I did it intentionally. I also decided to do something about the woman who showed interest in me by memorizing my number.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. Dark Secrets (2012)

    A woman convinces her boyfriend to go to couple therapy with her friend's and things go downhill from there.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. Ticket Coffee Shop (2017)

    A ticket war between sexy girls! There is a ticket coffee shop in a small town. Kang Cherry is the most popular girl here. The town men are desperate to get their tickets with Cherry everyday. However, Cherry doesn't easily give into them and she's haughty. One day, Moon-sik moves into the town to live a quiet life. Cherry recognizes a man with money right away and tries to seduce him. Moon-sik who visits the coffee shop out of curiosity falls for Cherry right away and can't seem to get enough of her...

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  27. Noraebang: Hot Women 2 (2019)

    The special secret to a successful noraebang is revealed! The noraebang where Hee-jin works is for customers who want a call-girl. When they start turning around and leaving, Hee-jin decides to become a call-girl herself and even brings her friend Seong-hee in. Rumors of Hee-jin and Seong-hee's beauty and service quickly spread and more customers come. When they've made enough money, Hee-jin and Seong-hee decide to open their own noraebang and display a hidden special service.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  28. Let's Go To Rose Motel (2013)

    Seong-soo hasn't had any physical contact with his girlfriend yet after 6 months of being together so he's always excited to see her. One day, Seong-soo succeeds in getting Min-ae into Rose Motel. When he is about to shower, Seong-soo discovers a small hole in the wall leading to the next room and watches the couple next door having intercourse. Seong-soo continues to watch out of curiosity but realizes he just watched celebrity Sara giving sexual favors to a big shot politician...

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  29. Married Woman Boutique: Women Indulging in Scandalous Love Affair (2002)

    Kimie steps into a boutique each day to support her household in place of her husband, who is unable to work due to heart disease—while her own spirit aches with longing. She surrenders willingly to the irresistible pull of Tsukuda, the dashing apparel‐maker’s salesman whose whispered promises slip between her legs like silk. Kenji, burning to reclaim his former glory, watches his world unravel when he discovers the affair that simmered beneath Kimie’s restraint. And as the truth of Kimie’s glowing secret—her pregnancy—dawns on him, his reproaches choke in his throat, meeting instead a startling, fervent embrace from the woman he thought he knew…

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. Dark Story of a Japanese Rapist (1967)

    Study about a young disturbed man, who rapes and kills women and collects their bodies in a cave. A work based on the case of Yoshio Kodaira, a serial rape murder case shortly after the war.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Like Atonement and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Atonement?

The closest matches to Atonement are Taboo (1999), From Straight A's to XXX (2017) and BLAME! (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Atonement?

Start with Taboo (1999), the closest match to Atonement.

What is the highest-rated movie like Atonement?

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

What is the newest movie like Atonement?

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

Are there Japanese movies like Atonement?

Yes: Taboo (1999), BLAME! (2017) and Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012).

How are movies similar to Atonement chosen?

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

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