Movies like Thaniyavarthanam (1987)
The best movies like Thaniyavarthanam (1987) are Farming (2018), Hungry Hearts (2015) and Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998). If Thaniyavarthanam hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRequiem for a Dream (2000)8.0/10 from 11,480 votes
- NewestMexicali (2026)Released 2026
- In MalayalamBangalore Days (2014)Also in Malayalam
Farming (2018)
Based on the writer/director's childhood, FARMING tells the story of a young Nigerian boy, 'farmed out' by his parents to a white British family in the hope of a better future. Instead, he becomes the feared leader of a white skinhead gang.
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 thisXiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998)
Young teen girl Xiu Xiu is sent away to a remote corner of the Sichuan steppes for manual labor in 1975 (sending young people to there was a part of Cultural Revolution in China). A year later, she agrees to go to even more remote spot with a Tibetan saddle tramp Lao Jin to learn horse herding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHarvest (2025)
Over seven hallucinatory days, a village with no name, in an undefined time and place, disappears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMammal (2016)
After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband's grieving rage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisRequiem for a Dream (2000)
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBlindfire (2020)
A police officer who while responding to a violent hostage call, kills the African American suspect only to later learn of his innocence. Sensing this was a set-up, and facing repercussions, he must track down the person responsible while examining his own accountability and the ingrained racism which brought him to this point.
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 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 thisSuper Dark Times (2017)
Teenagers Zach and Josh have been best friends their whole lives, but when a gruesome accident leads to a cover-up, the secret drives a wedge between them and propels them down a rabbit hole of escalating paranoia and violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisPolar (2019)
When a retiring assassin realizes that he is the target of a hit, he winds up back in the game going head to head with a gang of younger, ruthless killers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Crew (2008)
Hoping to raise enough capital to finance a legitimate business and leave behind his life of crime, Liverpool underworld boss Ged Brennan sends his brother Ratter and a crew to pull a daring final heist. But when Ratter kills a drug kingpin during the job, Brennan must turn to rival crook Franner to avert an all-out gangland war.
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 thisFanny Lye Deliver'd (2019)
On an isolated English farm in 1657, Fanny lives a quiet life with her oppressive husband John and their young son. One day their life is rocked with the arrival of young couple Thomas and Rebecca who claim to have been robbed and need a place to stay. But are these strangers really who they say they are?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWalking Tall: Lone Justice (2007)
In Dallas, witnesses against a drug-lord are murdered in a safe-house.The testimony of FBI agents becomes the only chance to keep him in prison. They are lodged in another safe-house, but the place is invaded and the agents are executed. However, Kate is only wounded, and her boyfriend Nick believes there is a traitor in the agency and takes her to his ranch to protect her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisStuart: A Life Backwards (2007)
Story about the remarkable friendship between a reclusive writer and illustrator and a chaotic homeless man, whom he gets to know during a campaign to release two charity workers from prison.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLand of the Blind (2006)
A soldier recounts his relationship with a famous political prisoner attempting to overthrow their country's authoritarian government.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisBangalore Days (2014)
A fun roller coaster ride about three young people, Aju, Divya and Kuttan who are cousins, reach Bangalore to dream, discover & explore!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAakashathinum Bhoomikkumidayil (2017)
The movie revolves around a village in northern Kerala where political murders happen and In such one incident a guy is murdered mistaking him to be someone else. The families of both are left stranded and the film takes us through the incidents that happen to the children of both the family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kadhantharam (2016)
Rajaram, a writer and an orator has been fondling a dream around his son Sidharth. While the father is ensconced in these thoughts, the son Sidharth perceives such thoughts to be selfish and imprudent and dismisses them with contempt.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Out of Range (2016)
Jerin (Ajayaghosh), at crossroads with his stagnant love life; Subru Vishnu Unnikrishnan), fed up with his mom's argumentative nature; Sanjay (Sumith Samudra), all against his reckless job schedule; Aashiq (Askar Ali), annoyed with unending family obligations - are four friends with instability in their lives. On one decisive night, the four friends take an unusual oath, to quit using their mobile phones forever. From the next daybreak, the world around them turns upside down. Sacking, break-up, and resentment follows. After the initial chaos, they seem to enjoy the peace, ease, and all the joys. However, this is just the beginning of another story. A steely resolve for more adventure, more determination, more drama, and more blows. Will they live to tell the tale?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sukhamayirikkatte (2016)
Ravunni Mash is an affable person. He is so concerned about his daughter Sreelakshmi. But when Sreelakshmi grows up, his dreams are shattered. Movie deals with the issues that arise in the lives of people due to different religious beliefs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Valappottukal (2017)
Valappottukal is a Malayalam drama written and directed by MadhuThathampally, in his debut venture. The movie stars Madhu, Sudheer Karamana and Boban Alummoodan in lead roles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Swayam (2017)
Swayam portrays the life of Meron, an autistic son of a Malayalee couple settled in Germany. His mother, Agnes is compassionate about her son's condition despite the indifference of her husband. When Meron shows interest in football, Agnes puts her weight behind him to pursue that dream.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Devayanam (2017)
An elderly woman deals with her gripping extreme fear of death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ayal Jeevichirippundu (2017)
John Mathew (Vijay Babu) is a booker prize winning novelist who is on vacation in Goa. Struggling with figuring out a theme for his next book; he meets a fisherman Murukan (Manikandan) who hails from Kerala. The two bond well and join together in their journey.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Amala (2023)
The journey of a brilliant police officer who is entrusted with the task of solving a series of murders happening in the city overnight. He sets out to find clues that would lead him to the killer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Thaniyavarthanam and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Thaniyavarthanam?
The closest matches to Thaniyavarthanam are Farming (2018), Hungry Hearts (2015) and Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Thaniyavarthanam?
Start with Farming (2018), the closest match to Thaniyavarthanam.
What is the highest-rated movie like Thaniyavarthanam?
Requiem for a Dream (2000), rated 8.0/10 by 11,480 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Thaniyavarthanam?
Mexicali (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like Thaniyavarthanam?
Yes: Bangalore Days (2014), Aakashathinum Bhoomikkumidayil (2017) and Kadhantharam (2016).
How are movies similar to Thaniyavarthanam chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Thaniyavarthanam, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.