Movies like Budding Hearts (2025)
The best movies like Budding Hearts (2025) are The Man from Elysian Fields (2001), Not Easily Broken (2009) and The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020). If Budding Hearts hooked you with its drama and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPortrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)8.1/10 from 3,102 votes
- NewestThe Liberation (2026)Released 2026
The Man from Elysian Fields (2001)
A failed novelist's inability to pay the bills strains relations with his wife and leads him to work at an escort service, where he becomes entwined with a wealthy woman whose husband is a successful writer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisNot Easily Broken (2009)
A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret: Dare to Dream (2020)
A widow with three children hires a handyman to fix her house during a major storm. When not doing home repairs, he shares his philosophy of believing in the power of the universe to deliver what we want.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFire with Fire (1986)
A tough, street-smart kid serving a sentence in a state youth reformatory meets a beautiful, innocent girl studying at a nearby convent. When forbidden love blossoms between them, they must fight the prison authorities, their parents and the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Everlasting (2016)
Bridger is a young outsider who's always wanted more. He and his mother flee an abusive home, eventually finding a small town in the middle of nowhere. Once there, Bridger finds true acceptance with another misfit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlind (2017)
A novelist is blinded in a car crash that killed his wife and several years later rediscovers his passion for life and writing when he embarks on an affair with the neglected wife of an indicted businessman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lost Husband (2020)
Trying to put her life back together after the death of her husband, Libby and her children move to her estranged Aunt's goat farm in central Texas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fugitive Kind (1960)
Val Xavier, a drifter of obscure origins, arrives at a small town and gets a job in a store run by Lady Torrence. Her husband, Jabe M. Torrance, is dying of cancer. Val is pursued by Carol Cutere, the enigmatic local tramp-of-good-family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNewness (2017)
In contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Journal for Jordan (2021)
Based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a soldier deployed to Iraq begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to her and their child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Valentine's Match (2020)
Fired from her job as a reality TV host, Natalie returns home for Valentine's Day, only to find herself running the town festival's auction with her ex-fiancé thanks to two scheming mothers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaria's Lovers (1984)
A World War II prisoner returns home to his childhood sweetheart. However, back home, he discovers that he has to compete to win her love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUntamed Heart (1993)
Caroline, a young waitress who seems to have bad taste in men, is on her way home one night when thugs attempt to rape her. Adam, the mysterious busboy who works at the same diner, helps fight off the assailants, and she begins a relationship with him -- but not all their fellow Minnesotans are happy for them. Meanwhile, the couple face their own difficulties when Caroline finds about Adam's past, including his unique health condition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn to Peyton Place (1961)
Residents of the small town of Peyton Place aren't pleased when they realize they're the characters in local writer Allison MacKenzie's controversial first novel. A sequel to the hit 1957 film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Me Love Me (2026)
After her brother's death, June moves to Milan for a fresh start, finding comfort in Will, the perfect honor student at her new international school. But when his troubled best friend James—hiding a dangerous life in clandestine MMA fights—sparks a rivalry that quickly turns into irresistible attraction, June must choose between safety and a love that upends everything she thought she wanted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Policeman (2022)
In the late 1990s, the arrival of elderly invalid Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when homosexuality was illegal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI'm in Love with a Church Girl (2013)
Miles Montego has it all - cars, boats, good looks, mansion, money, women, but more importantly, he has a past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisMarked Men: Rule + Shaw (2025)
Shaw Landon has loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule, a fiery-tempered rebel tattoo artist, doesn’t have time for a good girl pre-med student like Shaw — even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule must figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love…or each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRacing with the Moon (1984)
In a small coastal California town, Henry and Nicky are pals from blue collar families with only a short time before they ship off to World War II. Henry begins romancing new-to-town Caddie Winger, believing her to be wealthy. Mischievous and irresponsible, Nicky gets into trouble which forces the other two to become involved, testing their relationship, as well as the friendship between the boys.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHollywood Dirt (2017)
Hollywood arrives in force to Quincy, the small town where the secret Crown Cola billionaire's live. They want to film about the billionaire's and how they made their fortunes. Summer Jenkins, who was the town pariah, joins forces with the scout, Ben, and finds filming locations, extras, lessons with the town officials and house owners, etc. When Cole Masten arrives, they hate each other, but sparks fly. Cole is running from a nasty divorce, yet is captivated by Summer. Summer is dying to leave town to get away from the gossip. This is a great story about Southern customs, a Southern girl, and a Hollywood star who finds his lady.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisToday Tmr, I Love You (2022)
Two women who never met before, Chenny and Leakna, slowly develop a deep connection and begin to fall in love with each other. Chenny is a strong and independent woman who finds in Leakna a fierce and independent partner. As they get to know each other better, Chenny realizes that Leakna is someone she used to love when they were children. They fall in love again, but their relationship is eventually broken by Jenny's father, who doesn't approve of their love. Leakna decides to sacrifice everything to protect Chenny, going as far as offering her own eyes to save her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Wish That You Were Here (2026)
Ilyse and Ella's love for each other endures despite the distance between them -- but are text messages and shared memories enough to sustain them through an uncertain future? Set in the backdrop of a rural and urban Philippines, Wish That You Were Here is a love letter to those in the closet.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Chaser Game W: A Match Made in Heaven (2026)
Seven years after the events of “Chaser Game W2: The Beautiful Celestial Maidens”—Itsuki and Fuyu now live in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture, with their daughter Tsuki, who is in middle school. Amid their busy daily lives filled with housework, parenting, and work, the time they spend together has gradually become something they take for granted. Over the course of those seven years, their relationship has shifted from “lovers” to “family,” and subtle emotional distance has begun to emerge between them. Though their hearts are shaken by each other’s casual words and actions, they continue to maintain the appearance of a peaceful household. However, their daughter Tsuki senses the growing unease between her parents. One day, after getting caught up in trouble, Tsuki is helped by a taxi driver named Kozue. This encounter becomes a turning point, prompting Itsuki and Fuyu to finally confront their true feelings and reexamine the form their love has taken as it drifted apart.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHappy Place (2025)
After realizing she may want to date women, Anna goes to her roommate’s cousin’s lesbian engagement party in the hopes of figuring out her sexuality, but discovers something much more terrifying instead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
God Save the Queen (2021)
A sapphic video poem
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
I Am Lesbian (2023)
Coming out isn't easy. A lesbian coming out to her sister. Will she understand LGBTQIA needs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Edge of Heaven (2007)
The lives of six German-Turkish immigrants are drawn together by circumstance: An old man and a prostitute forging a partnership, a young scholar reconciling his past, two young women falling in love, and a mother putting the shattered pieces of her life back together.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeadbeat Boyfriend (2026)
Ana is a college student with a dark secret: her boyfriend is a zombie. After his tragic death 3 months prior, she used ancient magic to reanimate his body. But as the relationship decays and a love between Ana and her roommate grows, Ana must choose: stay in a dead relationship, or take a chance on the living?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
The Liberation (2026)
Rita is entranced by the mesmeric Leader and renounces her family to embrace the world of the enigmatic Harmonia commune. Her daughters Ella and Jo put everything on the line to infiltrate the cult and bring their mother home. Yet, once immersed in the commune, they find themselves inexorably drawn into the Leader’s labyrinthine web of psycho-spiritual manipulation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Budding Hearts and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Budding Hearts?
The closest matches to Budding Hearts are The Man from Elysian Fields (2001), Not Easily Broken (2009) and The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Budding Hearts?
Start with The Man from Elysian Fields (2001), the closest match to Budding Hearts.
What is the highest-rated movie like Budding Hearts?
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), rated 8.1/10 by 3,102 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Budding Hearts?
The Liberation (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Budding Hearts?
Yes: The Man from Elysian Fields (2001), Not Easily Broken (2009) and The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020).
How are movies similar to Budding Hearts chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Budding Hearts, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.