Movies like Drifting Away (2011)
The best movies like Drifting Away (2011) are High Society (2018), Mood of the Day (2016) and A Frozen Flower (2008). If Drifting Away hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPurple Hearts (2022)8.0/10 from 2,977 votes
- NewestDon't Say Good Luck (2026)Released 2026
- In KoreanHigh Society (2018)Also in Korean
High Society (2018)
The story of the journey of married couple up the social latter. The husband is professor at Seoul National University who is running for the National Assembly, and his wife is a painter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMood of the Day (2016)
A train ride brings two unlikely souls together as Bae, a committed partner of a serious 10-year relationship, sees her world turned upside down by the charming playboy Kim. Seated together on a business trip from Seoul to Busan, the two find themselves on an adventure to remember.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Frozen Flower (2008)
A despotic king orders his male lover to produce an heir for him with his Queen. But when they instead fall in love, will tragic consequences follow?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisObsessed (2014)
A secret, passionate affair happens in the summer of 1969 between Colonel Jin Pyeong, trapped in a loveless marriage with Soo Jin, and Jong Ga Heun, the Chinese-Korean wife of Captain Kyung Woo Jin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRight Now, Wrong Then (2015)
By mistake, film director Ham Chunsu arrives in Suwon a day early. With time to kill before his lecture the next day, Chunsu stops by a restored, old palace and meets an artist named Yoon Heejung. Together, they go to Heejung's workshop to look at her paintings, have Sushi with Soju for dinner, and get close. Later, they go to another café and have more drinks with Heejung's acquaintances. When asked if he is married, Chunsu is forced to reveal the fact that he is, and Heejung gets deeply disappointed...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMinari (2020)
A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sleeping Dictionary (2003)
In the 1930s, British officer John Truscott journeys to a remote village in colonial Malaysia to educate and Westernize the local Iban population. There, he's introduced to the lovely Selima. In keeping with tradition, Selima is assigned to sleep with Truscott and teach him the native language and customs. But when they fall in love, both colonists and natives object to their plans to marry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisServe the People (2022)
Mu-kwang volunteers to be a kitchen police of Sa-taek, the divisional commander, dreaming of success. One day, Mu-kwang meets Su-ryeon by chance, who is a young and beautiful wife of the commander. Soon, he feels a strong attraction by her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Star Is Born (1954)
A movie star helps a young singer-actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMiracle: Letters to the President (2021)
Dreaming of making a way station for his sister and the villagers who have no choice but to commute along the dangerous train tracks every day, Joon-kyung sends many letters to the President, but with no reply. Ra-hee, who has a crush on Joon-kyung, does everything she can to help him meet the President.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMilitary Wives (2020)
Inspired by global phenomenon of military wives choirs, the story celebrates a band of misfit women who form a choir on a military base. As unexpected bonds of friendship flourish, music and laughter transform their lives, helping each other to overcome their fears for loved ones in combat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Say Good Luck (2026)
Sophie Birenbaum is ready for the spotlight as the lead in her high school musical—until she's suddenly facing more drama at home than on the stage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Prince & Me 4: The Elephant Adventure (2010)
One year after their royal wedding, King Edvard and Queen Paige of Denmark receive an invitation to attend the wedding of Princess Myra of Sangyoon. Upon their arrival, Paige finds Myra is unhappy with her arranged marriage to the brooding and sinister Kah and is secretly in love with a young elephant handler named Alu.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVenus (2006)
Maurice is an aging veteran actor who becomes taken with Jessie, the grandniece of his closest friend. When Maurice tries to soften the petulant and provincial young girl with the benefit of his wisdom and London culture, their give-and-take surprises both Maurice and Jessie as they discover what they don't know about themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWe Live in Time (2024)
An up-and-coming chef and a recent divorcée find their lives forever changed when a chance encounter brings them together, in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSteal My Heart (2013)
Lee Ho-tae meets the first love of his dreams, Yoon Jin-sook for the first time in ten years but is shocked to find out she's a hit-and-runner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEveryone Says I Love You (1996)
A New York girl sets her father up with a beautiful woman in a shaky marriage while her half sister gets engaged.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove and Sunshine (2019)
Ally Craig has been fostering retired military dog, Sunshine, as she recovers from a broken engagement. But sparks fly again when Sunshine's military partner, Jake Terry, returns to claim the dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Drifting Away?
The closest matches to Drifting Away are High Society (2018), Mood of the Day (2016) and A Frozen Flower (2008). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Drifting Away?
Start with High Society (2018), the closest match to Drifting Away.
What is the highest-rated movie like Drifting Away?
Purple Hearts (2022), rated 8.0/10 by 2,977 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Drifting Away?
Don't Say Good Luck (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like Drifting Away?
Yes: High Society (2018), Mood of the Day (2016) and A Frozen Flower (2008).
How are movies similar to Drifting Away chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Drifting Away, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.