Movies like Balan (1938)
The best movies like Balan (1938) are Girl in the Box (2016), What Maisie Knew (2013) and Skin (2009). If Balan hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhat Maisie Knew (2013)7.1/10 from 466 votes
- NewestHerself (2020)Released 2020
- In MalayalamAabhaasam (2018)Also in Malayalam
Girl in the Box (2016)
The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSkin (2009)
Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBastard Out of Carolina (1996)
A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisEl Chicano (2019)
A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Kindness of Strangers (2019)
Clara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter. While stealing food at a Russian restaurant called ‘Winter Palace’, Clara meets Marc, who has been given the chance to help the old eatery regain its former glory. The ‘Winter Palace’ soon becomes a place of unexpected encounters between people who are all undergoing some sort of crisis and whom fate has now brought together.
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 thisLorelei (2020)
A man is released from prison after 15 years. He reunites with his high school girlfriend, now a single mother of three. What follows is a lyrical take on love, regret and second chances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Dry White Season (1989)
During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSalomé (2013)
After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé comes before her king with an unreasonable demand. Beguiled by John the Baptist, and then scorned for the sake of his god, lascivious Salomé—encouraged by her mother, the vindictive, Herodias—commands that John be executed and his head delivered on a silver platter.
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 thisHerself (2020)
Struggling to provide her daughters with a safe, happy home, Sandra decides to build one - from scratch. Using all her ingenuity to make her ambitious dream a reality, Sandra draws together a community to lend a helping hand to build her house and ultimately recover her own sense of self.
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 thisCome Sunday (2018)
Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Question of Faith (2017)
When Tragedy Strikes three Families, their Destiny forces them on a coverging path and mercy as the challenges of their fate could also resurrect their beliefs
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGracie (2007)
A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lords of Discipline (1983)
Will arrives for his last year at Military Academy, in the Deep South USA, in the 1960's. A black student, Pearce, has been accepted, for the first time and Will is asked to keep an eye out for the inevitable racism. The racists come in the form of The Ten, a secret group of the elite students. They want Pearce to leave on his own free will, but are prepared to torture him to make it 'his free will'. Will is forced to help Pearce and he is prepared to risk his own career to do so.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAabhaasam (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
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
Ashwamedham (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
Gemini (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 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 thisClint (2017)
Based on the life of Edmund Thomas Clint, who died at the mere age of six due to kidney failure, Clint focuses on the exemplary talent of the young boy, who, in his short lifespan, painted as many as 25,000 paintings.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Pullikaran Stara (2017)
Rajakumaran, a talented teacher and also a trainer for other teaching staff. His way of communication and the method he adopts while teaching, makes him everybody's favorite. The story takes a turn when two women from two different generations come across his life and change it for the better or worse.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Balan and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Balan?
The closest matches to Balan are Girl in the Box (2016), What Maisie Knew (2013) and Skin (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Balan?
Start with Girl in the Box (2016), the closest match to Balan.
What is the highest-rated movie like Balan?
What Maisie Knew (2013), rated 7.1/10 by 466 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Balan?
Herself (2020) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like Balan?
Yes: Aabhaasam (2018), Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu (1958) and Viswasapoorvam Mansoor (2017).
How are movies similar to Balan chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Balan, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.