Movies like Modern Boy (2008)
The best movies like Modern Boy (2008) are The History of Love (2016), A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958) and Suite Française (2015). If Modern Boy hooked you with its war and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Handmaiden (2016)8.2/10 from 4,586 votes
- NewestKaneko Fumiko (2026)Released 2026
- In KoreanLove, Lies (2016)Also in Korean
The History of Love (2016)
The story of a long-lost book that mysteriously reappears and connects an old man searching for his son with a girl seeking a cure for her mother's loneliness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958)
A German soldier home on leave falls in love with a girl, then returns to World War II.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSuite Française (2015)
France, 1940. In the first days of occupation, beautiful Lucile Angellier is trapped in a stifled existence with her controlling mother-in-law as they both await news of her husband: a prisoner of war. Parisian refugees start to pour into their small town, soon followed by a regiment of German soldiers who take up residence in the villagers' own homes. Lucile initially tries to ignore Bruno von Falk, the handsome and refined German officer staying with them. But soon, a powerful love draws them together and leads them into the tragedy of war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDear John (2010)
While Sergeant John Tyree is home on two weeks leave from Germany, he meets Savannah after he dives into the ocean to retrieve Savannah's purse that had fallen off a pier. John eventually falls in love with Savannah, who promises to write to him until he returns from overseas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove, Lies (2016)
Two best friends, So-yool and Yeon-hee, dream of becoming the top artists in Seoul together. But their friendship doesn't last long as Yoon-woo, So-yool's first love and songwriter, falls in love with Yeon-hee and her voice. So-yool's feeling of jealousy and inferiority towards Yeon-hee grows by the day, and she eventually makes a drastic decision to bring the two lovers down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaundy Thursday (2006)
Yu-jeong is suicidal, yet she reluctantly goes to prison for volunteer work. There, she meets a prisoner who is waiting for death penalty. The two quickly fall in love despite their differences, yet they do not have much time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMan in Love (2014)
Tae-il lives a fast life as low level thug. He then learns that he has a terminal illness and not much time left to live. Then, for the first time in his life, he falls in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisNoryang: Deadly Sea (2023)
The Imjin War reaches its seventh year in December of 1598. Admiral Yi Sun-shin learns that the Wa invaders in Joseon are preparing for a swift withdrawal following the deathbed orders of their leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Determined to destroy the enemy once and for all, Admiral Yi leads an allied fleet of Joseon and Ming ships to mount a blockade and annihilate the Wa army. However, once Ming commander Chen Lin is bribed into lifting the blockade, Wa lord Shimazu Yoshihiro and his Satsuma army sail to the Wa army's rescue at Noryang Strait.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPurple Hearts (2022)
An aspiring musician agrees to a marriage of convenience with a soon-to-deploy Marine, but a tragedy soon turns their fake relationship all too real.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 thisWinter's Tale (2014)
A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFailan (2001)
After losing both her parents, Failan emmigrates to Korea to seek her only remaining relatives. Once she reaches Korea, she finds out that her relatives have moved to Canada well over a year ago. Desperate to stay and make a living in Korea, Failan is forced to have an arranged marriage through a match-making agency.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisDaisy (2006)
A painter in Amsterdam receives flowers from a mysterious admirer, while a hitman and cop find themselves in conflict.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMore Than Blue (2009)
A terminally ill man tries to find a suitable husband for the friend he has loved since childhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
A dramatization of the American general and his court martial for publically complaining about High Command's dismissal and neglect of the aerial fighting forces.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEndless Love (2014)
A privileged girl and a charismatic boy's instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNorthanger Abbey (2007)
A young woman's penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDitto (2022)
A college student in 1999 discovers a mysterious ham radio that connects him to a woman from 2022, sparking an impossible love story across time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Midsummer's Fantasia (2015)
Reality and fantasy melds as a Korean documentary film director attempts to capture life in the small town of Gojo, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
The Handmaiden (2016)
1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sook-hee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLa Belle (2000)
On one gloomy rainy night, a writer encounters an unexpected visit paid by a woman of his past. Seeking solitude from her ex-lover, she finds solace in this gentleman and from that day on, they cherish every inch of each other's body and indulge in ecstasy until her forbidden past is gradually revealed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Anarchist from Colony (2017)
Based on the life of the Korean anarchist Park Yeol, the film shows his struggle to counter the massacre of Koreans by the government during the 1923 great Kanto earthquake, focusing on his activities as the leader of the anti-Japanese organization Bulryeongsa and his relationship with Japanese comrade Fumiko Kaneko.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Man of Will (2017)
Young Kim Chang-soo is placed behind bars, charged with murdering a Japanese person who took part in Empress Myeongseong's assassination. In prison, Kim Chang-soo sees how Koreans are persecuted and grows into a fighter for Korean independence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Tuning Fork (2014)
From the Japanese Occupation a 'comfort woman' returns from China an old woman. At the end of the war she can't return home and spends the next 65 years living as an alien in a foreign country. Even to her own granddaughter she seems to be losing her mind. She only wants to go back to Korea.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Host (2006)
A teenage girl is captured by a giant mutated squid-like creature that appears from Seoul's Han River after toxic waste was dumped in it, prompting her family into a frantic search for her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGyeongseong Touring Troupe (2025)
Sangcheol, who gave up his life for the independence of his country, The members of the Gyeongseong Touring troupe, who have to go on the stage with a Japanese flag, Yeonhwa that heals independent troops Sangcheol but can't afford to follow a grand cause... The ordinary people who were thrown in front of the rough wheels of the times each person makes their own choice by holding onto their already broken daily life. Can you not regret the fate that this choice forces.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kaneko Fumiko (2026)
The 1923 Kanto earthquake sparks fears of a Korean uprising in Japan. Many anti-colonial and leftist activists are arrested, including Fumiko and her partner Yeol. Accused of a plot to assassinate the Crown Prince, they are sentenced to death, later reduced to life in prison.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ah! Baekbeom Kim Ku (1960)
Kim Chang-su, who participated in the Donghak Movement, escapes to Manchuria after being chased by the Japanese army, finally making his way home. Angered by the assassination of Empress Myeong-seong, he murders a Japanese lieutenant and is sent to jail. He escapes from prison turns his focus on the democratic movement by teaching civilians and organizing Sinminheo (a democratic organization), even changing his name to 'Kim Gu.' After he is imprisoned again, he gets out on parole and goes to China, where he participates in establishing a provisional government from which he can direct the anti-Japanese struggle. Kim Gu goes on to play a part in Yun Bong-gil's deeds in Shanghai, the events at Hongkou Park, the encounter with Jiang Jish, and the establishment of the Korean National Army, and leads the struggle for Korea's independence with warm fraternal love and clear national spirit. When Korea is liberated in August 15, 1945, he returns back to his native land.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Modern Boy and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Modern Boy?
The closest matches to Modern Boy are The History of Love (2016), A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958) and Suite Française (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Modern Boy?
Start with The History of Love (2016), the closest match to Modern Boy.
What is the highest-rated movie like Modern Boy?
The Handmaiden (2016), rated 8.2/10 by 4,586 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Modern Boy?
Kaneko Fumiko (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like Modern Boy?
Yes: Love, Lies (2016), Maundy Thursday (2006) and Man in Love (2014).
How are movies similar to Modern Boy chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Modern Boy, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.