Movies like Arietta (1989)
The best movies like Arietta (1989) are Tokyo Decadence (1992), Female Yakuza Tale (1973) and One Million Yen Girl (2008). If Arietta hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Ballad of Narayama (1983)7.5/10 from 213 votes
- NewestEleanor the Great (2025)Released 2025
- In JapaneseTokyo Decadence (1992)Also in Japanese
Tokyo 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 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 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 thisIntentions 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 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 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 Congress (2013)
An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHelen (2009)
On the outside, Helen has it all – a loving family and a successful career – but when her suppressed mental illness resurfaces, the world crumbles around her. Crippled by depression, Helen finds solace through her friendship with Mathilda, a kindred spirit struggling with bipolar disorder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young One (1960)
A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Ballad of Narayama (1983)
In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse they would disgrace their family. Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.
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 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 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 thisMy Dinner with Hervé (2018)
An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlashbacks of a Fool (2008)
An aging Hollywood star, Joe Scott, lives a life of narcissistic hedonism, observed by his laconic personal assistant, Ophelia. The death of his childhood best friend, Boots, takes our protagonist, and the movie, into an extended flashback to a sea-side town in 1970s Britain.
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 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 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 thisYôen: Niku shibari (1987)
A woman accidentally kills her husband during S&M play.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kandagawa Pervert Wars (1983)
Two sexually energized young women who live in a high-rise apartment building happen one day to spy from their window a mother and son making love in the apartment across from theirs. They decide to stage a rescue attempt to free him and in the process one of the young women ends up falling in love with the son despite having a boyfriend and enjoying sex with her female companion. Of course, the mother they are warring against has her own plans when she feels her privacy invaded.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Neighborhood Lady: Man Clam (1994)
Pinku distributed by Xces.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Monochrome (1996)
A rape incident occurs at a famous park in Hattenba. The victims are Yoshio (Ken Masuda) and Kurita (Tatsuya Koizumi). A man approached them claiming to be a photographer, tied their arms and legs, robbed them of their freedom with a metal rod, raped them, and then took photos of them and scattered them around. Yoshio consults his lover, barman Satoshi (Tetsuo Uta), and decides to catch the rapist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sex Zone (1968)
Inspired by the true story of a Geisha murdered in a city famous for its baths, Adachi forged here his favorite style, a kind of conceptual documentary recounting the incident in monotone. The same event that at the beginning of Violated Angels escaped every principle of causality, is portrayed here as a singular anti-spectacle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Lustful Wife (1999)
A disappointed married woman who was told by a doctor that she could not have children. Her husband drowned in affair with a young woman while treating her gently. She felt uneasy about unfortunate circumstances and aging, but she was confused about her husband's affair.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
True Sky Blue (1992)
A middle-aged man and an elderly woman are standing in front of a large mansion. The man's name is Hiro and he is an office worker who lives with his elderly mother. Then, a truck arrives with the painter Rin in it. Hiro and Rin end up sleeping together. With his first solo exhibition approaching, Rin plans to complete his new work at Hiro's house. But one day Rin's art dealer asks whether he would like to go to New York to study if this solo exhibition becomes successful. He has an important decision to make.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Eat the Young Fruit! (1984)
A comedy set in an entertainment production company on the outskirts of the world. This is a place for men who aspire to be in the entertainment industry and have a chance to make their debut, even if it's just a production company. Waiting for them are some lewd men during a strange festival that has been passed down in Kurume, Kyushu.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Rose for You (1984)
A dull middle-aged gay man who sells condoms. During the day, he approaches young men in parks and toilets, and at night in public baths and gay bars, but he always gets dumped. Eventually, it became a matter of police involvement... He meets the beautiful boy of his dreams and has sex with him. The film depicts the loneliness of life's journey from beautiful youth to old age through the image of a man who wants to make that dream come true.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
There is a Demon in the Man's House (1984)
A wealthy old man who has a dull complexion and has to hug a young man every night. The men continue to donate their bodies to the old man's legacy. This abnormally frenzied party eventually heads in an unexpected direction...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Arietta?
The closest matches to Arietta are Tokyo Decadence (1992), Female Yakuza Tale (1973) and One Million Yen Girl (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Arietta?
Start with Tokyo Decadence (1992), the closest match to Arietta.
What is the highest-rated movie like Arietta?
The Ballad of Narayama (1983), rated 7.5/10 by 213 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Arietta?
Eleanor the Great (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Arietta?
Yes: Tokyo Decadence (1992), Female Yakuza Tale (1973) and One Million Yen Girl (2008).
How are movies similar to Arietta chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Arietta, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.