Movies like Waking Up (2025)
The best movies like Waking Up (2025) are Tokyo Mater (2008), Blood on the Sun (1945) and Lost in Translation (2003). If Waking Up hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSamsara (2011)8.1/10 from 719 votes
- NewestDreams of Life (2026)Released 2026
Tokyo Mater (2008)
A routine tow lands Mater in Tokyo, where he is challenged to a drift-style race against a nefarious gang leader and his posse of ninjas. With the help of his friend, 'Dragon' Lightning McQueen, and some special modifications, Mater attempts to drift to victory and become Tow-ke-O Mater, King of all Drifters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlood on the Sun (1945)
Nick Condon, an American journalist in 20s Tokyo, publishes the Japanese master plan for world domination. Reaction from the understandably upset Japanese provides the action, but this is overshadowed by the propaganda of the time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisiCarly: iGo to Japan (2008)
Carly, Sam and Freddie kick off their adventure in Japan on a tin can of a plane packed with caged possums and piloted by Spencer's odd acquaintance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHouse of Bamboo (1955)
Eddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009)
The Mystery Inc. gang takes a trip to Japan and finds themselves circling Asia and the Pacific in a treasure hunt, racing against the vengeful Black Samurai and his Ninja warriors to find the legendary Sword of Fate, an ancientblade fabled to possess extraordinary supernaturalpowers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSmokey and the Bandit (1977)
A race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFree Birds (2013)
Two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history—and get turkey off the holiday menu for good.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Knight Before Christmas (2019)
A medieval English knight is magically transported to present day where he ends up falling for a high school science teacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSomersault (2004)
Australian teenager Heidi is left with little choice but to leave home after she's caught red-handed with her mother's boyfriend. With few options, Heidi ends up in Jindabyne, a tourist community. Upon meeting Joe at a bar, she pursues a relationship with him and tries to find something resembling a normal home life. Heidi makes small strides by getting a job and finding a place to stay, but her relationship with Joe must overcome more than its share of hurdles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGuillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema (2022)
With mesmerizing footage and time lapses of animators at work, this behind-the-scenes special captures the artistry of a unique tale years in the making.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGodzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
During an assignment, foreign correspondent Steve Martin spends a layover in Tokyo and is caught amid the rampage of an unstoppable prehistoric monster the Japanese call 'Godzilla'. The only hope for both Japan and the world lies on a secret weapon, which may prove more destructive than the monster itself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Brave Little Toaster (1987)
A group of dated appliances, finding themselves stranded in a summer home that their family had just sold, decide to seek out their eight year old 'master'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRental Family (2025)
An American actor in Tokyo struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese 'rental family' agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients' worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMatt and Mara (2024)
Mara is a young creative writing professor struggling with problems in her marriage to an experimental musician. One day, she runs into Matt, a charismatic, free-spirited author from her past, when he wanders onto her university campus. Bonded by their shared interests, the two gradually become closer. When Mara’s husband unexpectedly cancels plans to drive her to an out-of-town conference, Matt accompanies Mara on the trip instead. Along the way, the tension surrounding their undefined relationship slowly grows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSamsara (2011)
Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCapturing Avatar (2010)
Capturing Avatar is a feature length behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Avatar. It uses footage from the film's development, as well as stock footage from as far back as the production of Titanic in 1995. Also included are numerous interviews with cast, artists, and other crew members. The documentary was released as a bonus feature on the extended collector's edition of Avatar.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sea of Trees (2016)
In Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher meets a mysterious lost stranger who takes him on a life-changing journey of love and redemption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAround the World in 80 Days (2004)
A bet pits a British inventor, a Chinese thief and a French artist on a worldwide adventure that they can circle the globe in 80 days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNational Geographic: Journey to the Edge of the Universe (2008)
In one single, epic camera move we journey from Earth's surface to the outermost reaches of the universe on a grand tour of the cosmos, to explore newborn stars, distant planets, black holes and beyond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Silence (1963)
Traveling through an unnamed European country on the brink of war, sickly, intellectual Ester, her sister Anna and Anna's young son, Johan, check into a near-empty hotel. A basic inability to communicate among the three seems only to worsen during their stay. Anna provokes her sister by enjoying a dalliance with a local man, while the boy, left to himself, has a series of enigmatic encounters that heighten the growing air of isolation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTJPW club eX: Chapter Pause (2026)
TJPW club eX: Chapter Pause was a professional wrestling event promoted by Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW). It was held on February 15, 2026 at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX in Tokyo, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Daikaiju Eiga G (2007)
Student film and first feature by director Kiyotaka Taguchi. A giant monster invades Japan sending everyone into a panic. The military efforts are useless until a giant robot appears to save humanity. Blends tokusatsu practical FX with CG for an impressive debut.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Millennium Mambo (2001)
In 2011, Vicky looks back on her life a decade earlier, recalling her turbulent relationship with her controlling boyfriend Hao Hao and her growing connection to a compassionate gangster amid the neon haze of Taipei's nightlife.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJourney to the Center of the Earth (1959)
An Edinburgh professor and assorted colleagues follow an explorer's trail down an extinct Icelandic volcano to the earth's center.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSamurai Cat: The Movie (2014)
The ever versatile Kazuki Kitamura stars as masterless samurai Kyutaro Madarame, a feared swordsman who has fallen on hard times in old Edo. Caught between two warring gangs in an epic battle of cat lovers and dog lovers, he begrudgingly accepts the canine faction's offer to assassinate the opposite leader's beloved pet: an adorable white cat. Yet upon raising his lethal sword, he cannot bring himself to go through with the act, and the cat melts his ronin heart. But before finding peace as a newly minted cat person, the still fearsome Madarame will have to take on both gangs in a classic samurai street brawl.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Love's Whirlpool (2014)
A room in a fancy downtown apartment. The evening orgy kicks off with eight men and women meeting for the first time, including an unemployed guy who pays the 20,000 yen party fee with money from his parents, and a female college student whose run-of-the-mill appearance hides a voracious sexual appetite.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Inspection 01 (2025)
A closeup examination of a tree in the morning light.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Like Waking Up and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Waking Up?
The closest matches to Waking Up are Tokyo Mater (2008), Blood on the Sun (1945) and Lost in Translation (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Waking Up?
Start with Tokyo Mater (2008), the closest match to Waking Up.
What is the highest-rated movie like Waking Up?
Samsara (2011), rated 8.1/10 by 719 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Waking Up?
Dreams of Life (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Waking Up?
Yes: Tokyo Mater (2008), Blood on the Sun (1945) and Lost in Translation (2003).
How are movies similar to Waking Up chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Waking Up, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.