Movies like Dasharatham (1989)
The best movies like Dasharatham (1989) are The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008), Cheaters (2000) and Higher Ground (2011). If Dasharatham hooked you with its family and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCleveland Abduction (2015)7.3/10 from 453 votes
- NewestMexicali (2026)Released 2026
- In MalayalamGemini (2017)Also in Malayalam
The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008)
During a blizzard in 1964, Dr. David Henry delivers his son Paul with the help of nurse Caroline. But when Henry realizes his wife is also carrying a girl with Down syndrome, he hands the second child over to Caroline without his wife's knowledge. Henry's fateful decision yields grave consequences for his family over the next 20 years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCheaters (2000)
In the fall of 1994, a teacher at Chicago's run-down Steinmetz High conspires with the school's academic decathlon team to cheat on an academic competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigher Ground (2011)
Inspired by screenwriter Carolyn S. Briggs' memoir This Dark World, a tight-knit spiritual community is thrown off-kilter when one of their own begins to question her faith, love, and trust - in human relationships as well as in God.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisJawbone (2017)
A former youth boxing champion, Jimmy McCabe is a man in search of hope but looking in all the wrong places. When he hits rock bottom he turns to his childhood boxing club and the only family he has left: gym owner Bill corner man Eddie and promoter Joe. Back in training, years after anyone thought he was a contender, he risks his life, as he tries to stand tall and regain his place in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Survivalist (2015)
In a time of starvation, a survivalist lives off a small plot of land hidden deep in forest. When two women seeking food and shelter discover his farm, he finds his existence threatened.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLockdown (2000)
Avery (Jones) returns to college as a competitive swimmer after getting his life back on track. But his life takes another unexpected turn when he and his two friends (Bonds, Casseus) are wrongly accused of murder and end up in prison.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnthinkable (2010)
The government gets wind of a plot to destroy America involving a trio of nuclear weapons for which the whereabouts are unknown. It's up to a seasoned interrogator and an FBI agent to find out exactly where the nukes are.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Good Woman Is Hard to Find (2019)
The recently widowed mother of two, Sarah, is desperate to know who murdered her husband in front of her young son, rendering him mute. Coerced into helping a low-life drug dealer stash narcotics stolen from the local Mr. Big, she's forced into taking drastic action to protect her children, evolving from downtrodden submissive to take-charge vigilante.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCleveland Abduction (2015)
A single mother becomes Ariel Castro's first kidnapping victim, and finds herself trapped in his home with two other women for 11 years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Gabby Douglas Story (2014)
The true story of Gabby Douglas who becomes the first African American to be named Individual All-Around Champion in artistic gymnastics at the Olympic Games.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSuburbia (1984)
When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society. The runaways hold on to each other like a family until a tragedy tears them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013)
The continuation of Joe's sexually dictated life delves into the darker aspects of her adult life and what led to her being in Seligman's care.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRise of the Footsoldier 3 (2017)
In the late 1980s, Pat Tate journeys from peddling pills in Marbella to his time in prison, where he solidifies his power before his release to reclaim his turf.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Smile Back (2015)
Laney is an attractive, intelligent suburban wife and devoted mother of two adorable children. She has the perfect husband who plays basketball with the kids in the driveway, a pristine house, and a shiny SUV for carting the children to their next activity. However, just beneath the façade lie depression and disillusionment that send her careening into a secret world of reckless compulsion. Only very real danger will force her to face the painful root of her destructiveness and its crumbling effect on those she loves.
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 thisThe Devil's Double (2011)
A chilling vision of the House of Saddam Hussein comes to life through the eyes of the man who was forced to become the double of Hussein's sadistic son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDarfur (2009)
American journalists in Sudan are confronted with the dilemma of whether to return home to report on the atrocities they have seen, or to stay behind and help some of the victims they have encountered.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisMexicali (2026)
A former special forces contractor is forced out of retirement as an avocado farmer in Mexico when local gangsters try to force him and his family off their farm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisConvict (2014)
Set in the dark and old Parramatta prison built by the original convicts our lead character Ray a war veteran finds himself serving 18 months for manslaughter after defending his fiance. He soon realizes that the prison boss has it in for him and does everything possible to break Ray even going after his fiance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cement Garden (1993)
After the death of her husband, the mother of Julie, Jack, Sue and Tom begins to suffer from a mysterious illness. Aware that she is going to have to go into hospital she opens a bank account for the children, so that they can be financially self-sufficient and will be able to avoid being taken into care by the authorities. Unfortunately she also dies and Julie and Jack (the older, teenage children) decide to hide her body in the basement so that they can have free reign of their household. Soon Tom has taken to dressing as a girl whilst Sue has become increasingly reticent, confiding only to her diary, meanwhile Jack and Julie sense an attraction developing for each other. However Julie's new beau, Derek, threatens to unearth the many dark secrets within this family as he becomes increasingly suspicious of Jack.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGemini (2017)
Gemini is a special child with some behavioral disorders. She is an adopted child and to make things even more difficult, her parents are not in the best of terms. She is often ridiculed by her peers, but two of her teachers realize her potential and urges her to egg on.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & drama
Aabhaasam (2018)
The story of Aabhaasam is about an overnight bus journey from Bangalore to Kerala where the travelers analyze the schizophrenic society and how it has evolved through different times. It brings to audiences' attention how the societal views are influenced by patriarchy. The movie is director's attempt to show the bus as the metaphor for the system and the travelers as the victims.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu (1958)
Chandran, a circus performer, and Thankam are in love. The circus team borrows some money from Thankam's father, Paithal Nair. When they are unable to repay, Paithal Nair takes away their animals.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Moment of Truth: A Child Too Many (1993)
Patty Nowakowski already has three children, but decides to be a surrogate mother. Fully confident of being able to give up her baby, she is nonetheless stunned when she discovers that she is expecting twins, and the couple for whom she is pregnant will only accept one child, provided it is female.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Viswasapoorvam Mansoor (2017)
Mansoor, a young filmmaker, belongs to a progressive Muslim family and is a left-wing liberal. However, he faces many challenges when a mother-daughter duo starts staying in his home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Handmaid's Tale (1990)
In a dystopian, polluted right-wing religious tyranny, a young woman is put in sexual slavery on account of her now rare fertility.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAshwamedham (1967)
A young woman, who after being cured of leprosy, is disapproved by her family and society. However, she then makes it her mission to educate the illiterate society about the disease.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Bhakta Kuchela (1961)
The film told, apart from the main story of the friendship between Krishna and Kuchela, a few sequences from the Bhagavatha
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kaattu (2017)
Chelappan, a womaniser who runs a firecracker unit, saves Nuhukannu from his ill-mannered employer. When Chelappan's past catches up with him, Nuhukannu gets involved in it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Parava (2017)
Irshad and Haseeb, two teenage boys from Mattanchery, share a passion for pigeon flying, a local game. Later, Irshad opens up about a tragic incident that ruined many friendships in the neighbourhood.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Dasharatham?
The closest matches to Dasharatham are The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008), Cheaters (2000) and Higher Ground (2011). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Dasharatham?
Start with The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008), the closest match to Dasharatham.
What is the highest-rated movie like Dasharatham?
Cleveland Abduction (2015), rated 7.3/10 by 453 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Dasharatham?
Mexicali (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like Dasharatham?
Yes: Gemini (2017), Aabhaasam (2018) and Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu (1958).
How are movies similar to Dasharatham chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dasharatham, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.