Movies like Life (2026)
The best movies like Life (2026) are Hounddog (2008), Hands of Stone (2016) and Goodbye June (2025). If Life hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAbove the Rim (1994)7.1/10 from 251 votes
- NewestKado untuk Ibu (2026)Released 2026
Hounddog (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 thisHands of Stone (2016)
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoodbye June (2025)
Four siblings' lives change drastically when their ailing mother takes a turn for the worse over the holiday season.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Safety of Objects (2002)
In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Truth About Emanuel (2013)
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisBastard Out of Carolina (1996)
A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisIron Jawed Angels (2004)
Defiant young activists take the women's suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEl Chicano (2019)
A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Short History of the Long Road (2019)
Nola grew up living in a van with her father, Clint—two nomads against the world. When tragedy strikes, Nola must confront the reality of life on the road alone, learning to own her grief, her past, and her new destination.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Dry White Season (1989)
During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisHardball (2001)
An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 thisAbove the Rim (1994)
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLucky Them (2013)
More interested in partying and flirting with young musicians than work, veteran rock journalist Ellie Klug has one last chance to prove her value to her magazine’s editor: a no-stone-unturned search to discover what really happened to long lost rock god, Matt Smith, who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Teaming up with an eccentric amateur documentary filmmaker, Ellie hits the road in search of answers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHome Run (2013)
A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShirley (2020)
A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPhilosophy of the Porch (2026)
A dedicated young woman serving as her family's primary financial provider finds her matrimonial aspirations permanently derailed when she uncovers a debilitating secret: their ancestral home was pawned by her late father to finance her eldest brother's opulent wedding.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Coming SoonMovies like thisI Went to End It All, but A Candy Changed Me (2023)
After forcefully being called to their grandfather's funeral by their abusive mother, our protagonist is forced to deal with their suicidal tendencies in conversations with their cousin, mother, and recently widowed grandfather.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Apollo Boy (2022)
A young woman thinks back on a series of life advice her deceased brother once shared with her as she goes through the steps of her daily routine. Inspired by a supernatural story the two bonded over in life, she attempts to establish a line of communication with "Apollo Boy", a little boy who watches over lonely children from his home on the moon.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
La la bye (2026)
Ai-Oun, a female screenwriter who returns to her rural home to find inspiration for a plot about an unconventional profession for a competition. If she wins, she'll get to work with an international team. In the meantime, she spends time at home, helping her father collect scrap metal, and discovers a peaceful way of life. This leads her to question herself: "Is my dream, which I once cherished, still the right one for me?"
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kupeluk Kamu Selamanya (2026)
Naya, a tough mother who lives her life with one main goal, ensuring that her son, Aksa, has a future far better than anything she has ever experienced.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kado untuk Ibu (2026)
A firefighter expecting his first child postpones going to the hospital to help a young girl find a birthday gift for her mother, embarking on an unexpected adventure that teaches him about kindness, selflessness and loss.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Tears of Faith (2025)
Anggie, a woman who is a victim of her boyfriend's violence and finds guidance after being saved by a girl who runs a mosque.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Boys Love (2006)
Magazine editor Mamiya is intrigued by high school model Noeru's talent and attitude, but soon realizes his feelings go beyond professional curiosity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Rikki og mændene (1962)
Rikki was devorced recently, and now find herself paying the bills on her own. And life is not cheap, especially when you have a young child to care for. To make ends meet, Rikki begins to frequent a bar where she can work as a prostitute.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
UNFINISHED (2025)
"UNFINISHED" represents a life left on hold. This film depicts a repetition of the days that follow. A mental spiral that seems to have no end and, because of it, everything remains unfinished. A mix of everyday reality with what goes on in the imprisoned mind that, due to its own problems and frustrations, ends up becoming increasingly involved in its thoughts and stuck in a routine at home, while life outside remains "unfinished."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Life and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Life?
The closest matches to Life are Hounddog (2008), Hands of Stone (2016) and Goodbye June (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Life?
Start with Hounddog (2008), the closest match to Life.
What is the highest-rated movie like Life?
Above the Rim (1994), rated 7.1/10 by 251 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Life?
Kado untuk Ibu (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Life?
Yes: Hounddog (2008), Hands of Stone (2016) and Goodbye June (2025).
How are movies similar to Life chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Life, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.