Movies like A boy with the Knapsack (2006)
The best movies like A boy with the Knapsack (2006) are Failan (2001), Castaway on the Moon (2009) and Smugglers (2023). If A boy with the Knapsack hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSilenced (2011)8.2/10 from 830 votes
- NewestNoise (2025)Released 2025
- In KoreanFailan (2001)Also in Korean
Failan (2001)
After losing both her parents, Failan emmigrates to Korea to seek her only remaining relatives. Once she reaches Korea, she finds out that her relatives have moved to Canada well over a year ago. Desperate to stay and make a living in Korea, Failan is forced to have an arranged marriage through a match-making agency.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCastaway on the Moon (2009)
Mr. Kim is jobless, lost in debt and has been dumped by his girlfriend. He decides to end it all by jumping into the Han River – only to find himself washed up on a small, mid-river island. He soon abandons thoughts of suicide or rescue and begins a new life as a castaway. His antics catch the attention of a young woman whose apartment overlooks the river. Her discovery changes both their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSmugglers (2023)
During the 1970s, in Kunchon, there were women divers who were able to dive without equipment, including two best friends Choon-ja and Jin-sook, Jin-sook's brother and Hammer. They always collected seafood under water for living. But, as fewer factories started to be built near the beach, the women divers started to have trouble with what they were doing for living. Without any choice, the ship crews decided to join the smuggling business in the water to seek a way for their living. But the smuggling business in their village got too big for Jin-sook's family to handle and the peaceful village was gradually broken.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisServe the People (2022)
Mu-kwang volunteers to be a kitchen police of Sa-taek, the divisional commander, dreaming of success. One day, Mu-kwang meets Su-ryeon by chance, who is a young and beautiful wife of the commander. Soon, he feels a strong attraction by her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Name Is Loh Kiwan (2024)
After defecting from North Korea, Loh Kiwan struggles to obtain refugee status in Belgium, where he encounters a dejected woman who has lost all hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCanola (2016)
A girl who went missing after an accident returns 10 years later and reunites with her grandmother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisReturn to Seoul (2022)
After an impulsive travel decision to visit friends, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. Freddie suddenly finds herself embarking on an unexpected journey in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)
Singer is a deaf-mute whose small world brings him in contact with a young girl, Mick, who cherishes a seemingly hopeless dream of becoming a concert pianist. At first hostile, Mick soon becomes friends with Singer, hoping to enlarge his small world. Three other central characters come to Singer for help also, each of them seeing in him a powerful force.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNoise (2025)
A young woman with a hearing impairment investigates her sister’s mysterious disappearance from her apartment, but as she searches for answers, strange sounds and an ominous presence begin to haunt her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPenny Pinchers (2011)
Ji-woong is a loser who can't find a job so he lies to his mother for money, but one day she abruptly cuts him off and he becomes homeless. That same day, salvation arrives in the form of Hong-sil who's extremely stingy. Her hobby is visiting the bank to make savings deposits, and her specialty is selling empty glass bottles and old newspapers for cash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPhantom (2023)
In 1933, when Korea was under Japanese occupation, five people in Gyeongseong are suspected to be "Phantom" spies of the anti-Japanese organization.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Nun's Curse (2020)
A group of travelers are forced to seek shelter inside an abandoned jail where a notorious nun named Sister Monday had once been assigned and was suspected of murdering prisoners.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLost in Translation (2003)
Two lost souls visiting Tokyo -- the young, neglected wife of a photographer and a washed-up movie star shooting a TV commercial -- find an odd solace and pensive freedom to be real in each other's company, away from their lives in America.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (2011)
In this modern telling of the classic tale, aspiring singer Katie Gibbs falls for the new boy at her performing arts high school. But Katie's wicked stepmother and stepsister are scheming to crush her dream before she can sing her way into his heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisR-Rated Idol Seung-ha's Sex Scandal (2020)
When they were young, Min-joo and Seo-yeon cared for each other and were closer than brothers and sisters. However, she accidentally learns about Seo-yeon's tutor, Woo-hyeon, and because of this man, their 10-year friendship starts to become shaky. Meanwhile, Jeong-soo is hurt in seeing Min-joo like that, and so he distanced himself from Min-joo. Because of Min-joo and Seo-yeon's misunderstanding, Jeong-soo who couldn't care much might just leave so Min-joo tries to break up with the help of Seo-yeon. While in the process of breaking up, Min-joo and Seo-yeon went back to their close relationship. The love of women who have been separated because of man, and the two men's friendship is comically drawn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilenced (2011)
Based on actual events that took place at Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired, where young deaf students were the victims of repeated sexual assaults by faculty members over a period of five years in the early 2000s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisYou Will Die in 6 Hours (2024)
Jung-yoon was approached by a random stranger named Jun-woo, who told her she'd be dead in six hours. As she follows him for answers, she begins to question whether he's her savior or the one trying to put her in danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)
A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Silence (2019)
With the world under attack by deadly creatures who hunt by sound, a teen and her family seek refuge outside the city and encounter a mysterious cult.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like A boy with the Knapsack and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A boy with the Knapsack?
The closest matches to A boy with the Knapsack are Failan (2001), Castaway on the Moon (2009) and Smugglers (2023). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A boy with the Knapsack?
Start with Failan (2001), the closest match to A boy with the Knapsack.
What is the highest-rated movie like A boy with the Knapsack?
Silenced (2011), rated 8.2/10 by 830 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A boy with the Knapsack?
Noise (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like A boy with the Knapsack?
Yes: Failan (2001), Castaway on the Moon (2009) and Smugglers (2023).
How are movies similar to A boy with the Knapsack chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A boy with the Knapsack, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.