Movies like Palaivana Solai (1981)
The best movies like Palaivana Solai (1981) are Hounddog (2008), 1 Chance 2 Dance (2014) and Eleanor the Great (2025). If Palaivana Solai hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedKitbull (2019)7.9/10 from 426 votes
- NewestBeast (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 this1 Chance 2 Dance (2014)
When a 17-year old aspiring dancer is uprooted in her high school senior year, she finds herself divided between two boys, and she will have one last shot at making her dream a reality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
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 thisNot Without Hope (2025)
A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
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 thisLorelei (2020)
A man is released from prison after 15 years. He reunites with his high school girlfriend, now a single mother of three. What follows is a lyrical take on love, regret and second chances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Girl in the Book (2015)
The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisGigi & Nate (2022)
A young man with a bright future suffers a near-fatal accident and recreates his new life with the help of an unlikely animal friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisAll Day and a Night (2020)
While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
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 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 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 thisTrue Colors (1991)
Two law school friends find themselves at odds when one becomes a Justice Department lawyer and the other goes into politics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCall Me Crazy: A Five Film (2013)
A psychotherapist helps a law student cope with schizophrenia in one of five interconnected tales dealing with mental illness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLady Driver (2020)
When a rebellious teen embarks on a solo summer journey to connect with her roots, she finds herself in a new world, geared up for the ride of her life, and discovers she had the drive in her all along.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPighead (TBA)
Two friends work together to follow their passion of filmmaking, but as their journey progresses, their friendship falls apart into a sloppy mess.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Night City (2015)
The disturbed young loner Paul is looking for his place in life in the urban 80s metropolis Night City. When the sleazy city pushes him to the edge, he decides to strike back against the scum. David, a ruthless cop, is on Paul's trail. In the streets of Night City, where the line between morals and mania begin to blur, both antagonists enter collision course.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Myth of Sisyphus - a Modernisation (2022)
A modern low-budget adaptation of the myth of Sisyphus, made by film students as an school project.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sunday at Il Posto Accanto (2025)
Sunday at Il Posto Accanto is a deeply personal, hybrid film blending documentary techniques with narrative storytelling. Set in a beloved East Village restaurant during the early days of reopening after the pandemic, it stars Victor Rasuk, Danny Hoch, and the real people who made the place a sanctuary for community. At once funny and poignant, the film is a meditation on grief, resilience, and the small rituals—both absurd and sacred—that keep us connected. It’s rich with character, brimming with the kind of imperfect charm only real life can deliver. Il Posto is about a neighborhood, a family—chosen and otherwise—and the quiet beauty of coming together after isolation. Made on a modest budget with a lot of heart, it captures a moment in time when the simple act of gathering felt nothing short of holy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Tribe: The Untold Story of the Making of Vice Cops (2020)
Two brave young men set out to create the greatest film drama of all time. What comes next turns out to be much bigger than they ever expected.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
First Cow (2020)
In the 1820s, a taciturn loner and skilled cook travels west to Oregon Territory, where he meets a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Soon the two team up on a dangerous scheme to steal milk from the wealthy landowner’s prized Jersey cow—the first, and only, in the territory.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKitbull (2019)
An unlikely connection sparks between two creatures: a fiercely independent stray kitten and a pit bull. Together, they experience friendship for the first time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe End of a Thing (2022)
Steve and Claire have been in love since they were in elementary school. Now in their mid twenties after a long relationship, this chapter of their lives together is coming to an end.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sammy Waits for a Call (2022)
Sammy and his cousin Frank wait for a call that could change Sammy's life, but could it change Frank's too?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
She's in Portland (2020)
Two college friends, now in their thirties, admire each others' lives and feel trapped in their own. Wes, tied to a demanding career and responsibilities to family, extends a work trip to drag his dispirited artist friend Luke to find Luke's "one that got away."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Palaivana Solai and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Palaivana Solai?
The closest matches to Palaivana Solai are Hounddog (2008), 1 Chance 2 Dance (2014) and Eleanor the Great (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Palaivana Solai?
Start with Hounddog (2008), the closest match to Palaivana Solai.
What is the highest-rated movie like Palaivana Solai?
Kitbull (2019), rated 7.9/10 by 426 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Palaivana Solai?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Tamil movies like Palaivana Solai?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to Palaivana Solai chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Palaivana Solai, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.