Movies like The Brutal Hopelessness of Love (2007)
The best movies like The Brutal Hopelessness of Love (2007) are Intentions of Murder (1964), Female Yakuza Tale (1973) and Tokyo Decadence (1992). If The Brutal Hopelessness of Love hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhat Maisie Knew (2013)7.1/10 from 466 votes
- NewestGame of Hearts (2025)Released 2025
- In JapaneseIntentions of Murder (1964)Also in Japanese
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 thisFemale 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 thisTokyo 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 thisTalhotBlond (2012)
Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Trials of Cate McCall (2013)
In order to be reinstated to the bar and recover custody of her daughter, a hotshot lawyer, now in recovery and on probation, must take on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Visit (1964)
Carla Zachanassian had a child by Serge Miller as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of town. By her own wit and cunning, she has returned as a multi-millionaire for a visit. The town lays out the red carpet expecting big things from Carla, only to learn that her sole purpose is to see Serge Miller killed...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHounddog (2008)
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisEffie Gray (2014)
A look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHungry Hearts (2015)
The relationship of a couple who meet by chance in New York City is put to the test when they encounter a life or death circumstance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFemale Prisoner Scorpion: #701's Grudge Song (1973)
Nami is once again on the run from the law but is saved by an old classmate who works at a strip club. Through a subsequent conversation they discover they both have a score to settle with a particular crooked cop. However, Nami has doubts about ever trusting a man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRogue Agent (2022)
Conman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngel Guts: Red Classroom (1979)
A porn magazine editor stumbles upon an amateur gang rape film and, struck by the girl's acting, decides to find her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSalomé (2013)
After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé comes before her king with an unreasonable demand. Beguiled by John the Baptist, and then scorned for the sake of his god, lascivious Salomé—encouraged by her mother, the vindictive, Herodias—commands that John be executed and his head delivered on a silver platter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pumpkin Eater (1964)
Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPimp (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 thisThe River (1984)
Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBLAME! (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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Million Yen Girl (2008)
A 21-year-old girl is released from prison, only to deal with the neighborhood gossip about her and family conflicts. She decides to save one million yen, move to where no one knows her and keep repeating the process.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGame of Hearts (2025)
A tough guy is rare, and Robbie, the local heartthrob, is no exception. When he gets entangled with the girlfriend of a shady private investigator, he enters a world of excess and mystery. In the gritty nightlife of Los Angeles, these charming men will compete in nightclubs and bedrooms, leading one lucky woman to decide who wins in the Game of Hearts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Erotic In-Laws (2019)
A man who loves pictures of Japanese women falls in love with one of the girls in his photos. He heads to Japan to find her and happens to stumble across her in the street. They begin to date and eventually he meets her mother, who is shocked to see the Korean man looks like her late husband in his youth. The widow is attracted to him, but he is attracted to her, too.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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
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
Seduction of the White Angel (1972)
A young woman is troubled by vivid sexual dreams triggered by her experiences as a trainee nurse.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Just Once Before l Die (2025)
After giving up on her company, Min-jeong is living as a wreck in her house. After being given a terminal diagnosis, Min-jeong is told to break up with the man she loves without saying a word. With money running low and an unfulfilled hunger no matter how much she eats, Min-jeong calls her ex-boyfriend Yoon-jae. Min-jeong wants Yoon-jae to regret breaking up with her, but Yoon-jae fights with Min-jeong's stubbornness and leaves. After that, Min-jeong goes to find the men she loved...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kelly's First Nudist Retreat (2003)
Kelly fantasizes about steamy sexual escapades, but can never find the courage to fulfill them. Finally, through a nudist retreat, Kelly realizes exactly what she needs to do to be cured.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
At the End of Love (1996)
Keiichi is a serious office worker. His only hobby was cross-dressing, but he stopped doing that after getting married. He thought that was fine. I was happy. However, one day, he meets a beautiful young man at a gay bar where his boss forcefully takes him. After having a fateful and dazzling sex with the young man, he finally abandons his family and work and falls into a sensual daily life with the young man. However, those days of pleasure came to an abrupt end...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Dandy with Twisted Fingers (1992)
We are a group of thieves called Gokurakudan. A thief is different from your average thief. It frustrates the bullish and helps the bearish. However, the only drawback is that all the members are gay, and they have a strong weakness for good men. Some cracks began to appear in our iron bond...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Obscene Mountain Lodge: Suspicious Medicine Seller (2023)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Brutal Hopelessness of Love?
The closest matches to The Brutal Hopelessness of Love are Intentions of Murder (1964), Female Yakuza Tale (1973) and Tokyo Decadence (1992). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Brutal Hopelessness of Love?
Start with Intentions of Murder (1964), the closest match to The Brutal Hopelessness of Love.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Brutal Hopelessness of Love?
What Maisie Knew (2013), rated 7.1/10 by 466 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Brutal Hopelessness of Love?
Game of Hearts (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like The Brutal Hopelessness of Love?
Yes: Intentions of Murder (1964), Female Yakuza Tale (1973) and Tokyo Decadence (1992).
How are movies similar to The Brutal Hopelessness of Love chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Brutal Hopelessness of Love, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.