Movies like Paradise Sea (1998)
The best movies like Paradise Sea (1998) are Tokyo Family (2013), Hounddog (2008) and Salomé (2013). If Paradise Sea hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Ballad of Narayama (1983)7.5/10 from 213 votes
- NewestThomas Dambo: TROLLMAKER (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseTokyo Family (2013)Also in Japanese
Tokyo Family (2013)
An elderly couple journey to Tokyo to visit their grown children, only to find them preoccupied and self-involved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisHarmonium (2016)
Toshio hires Yasaka to work in his workshop. But then this old acquaintance, who has just been released from prison, begins to meddle in Toshio's family life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHouse of Bamboo (1955)
Eddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOmaha (2025)
A young girl and her brother are awoken by their father and loaded into the car on an early morning in 2008. As they road trip across the American West, she discovers the truth about their seemingly spontaneous journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisOne Million Yen Girl (2008)
A 21-year-old girl is released from prison, only to deal with the neighborhood gossip about her and family conflicts. She decides to save one million yen, move to where no one knows her and keep repeating the process.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattle of the Year (2013)
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHardball (2001)
An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.
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 Ballad of Narayama (1983)
In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse they would disgrace their family. Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Safety of Objects (2002)
In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHands of Stone (2016)
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Dinner with Hervé (2018)
An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIron Jawed Angels (2004)
Defiant young activists take the women's suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Visit (1964)
Carla Zachanassian had a child by Serge Miller as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of town. By her own wit and cunning, she has returned as a multi-millionaire for a visit. The town lays out the red carpet expecting big things from Carla, only to learn that her sole purpose is to see Serge Miller killed...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisThe Pumpkin Eater (1964)
Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWWJD II: The Woodcarver (2012)
A troubled youth vandalizes a church and winds up in a close association with the woodcarver whose work he destroyed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Det är din boll, Jim (1978)
Jim Jansson is a woodcarver who gets retired.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Terry's Little Village (2024)
Terry Wilson is a 70-year-old lifelong resident of Meadowvale Village, Ontario's first heritage district. As development looms and begins to destroy Terry's favourite place in the world, he recreates pieces of history in his backyard, crafting an oasis where it feels like nothing has changed. A beautiful tribute to his childhood, his mother, and his town, Terry passionately fights to preserve history in a world that's too anxious for change.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Curious Worlds: The Art & Imagination of David Beck (2015)
David Beck's highly original, intricate, and kinetic artwork combines sculpture, painting, textiles, and mechanics on a scale that creates a genre all its own. Curious Worlds takes us into David Beck's magical universe, to watch as he creates minutely detailed and often humorous animals, people, and entire scenes that inspire profound wonder, delight, and awe. A skilled woodworker, sculptor, painter, and craftsman, Beck is recognized as a genuine American original. He is the only living artist to have had three solo exhibitions at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and his work is sought after by private art collectors across the country.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Woodgirls – A Duet for a Dream (2021)
A story about the lives of Leila Avakh and Sedigheh Momennia who have chosen, with much love and passion, carpentry as a profession, a profession that is considered extremely masculine in the traditional society of Iran. As such, these two face many difficulties and obstacles. However, they are determined to prove to themselves and their society that it is not impossible to achieve your dreams. Leila and Sedigheh are amongst the first female carpenters in Iran.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Thomas Dambo: TROLLMAKER (2026)
Tour the Denmark studio of world-renowned recycle artist Thomas Dambo, who transforms scrap wood and discarded trash into monumental troll sculptures hidden around the globe. TROLLMAKER explores the art, creative process, and environmental philosophy behind his mission to prove that waste can be transformed into magic. Watch the film by searching TROLLMAKER on YouTube!
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Beneath Camp Ian (TBA)
Ian loves camp. 2011 marks his seventh year at William Lawrence Camp in New Hampshire, USA. After many summers as a camper, 2011 was his first year as a full camp counselor. Ian's love and enthusiasm for his summer retreat are unrivaled. How will he adapt to the demands of his new role?
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Make a Chair From a Tree (1999)
Make a Chair From a Tree presents an informative history of chairmaking and joinery. Author J. Alexander brings the old method of using wood shrinkage to join parts back to modern woodworking, from splitting and shaping wood straight from the tree to the chair as well as finishing the chair and even weaving a bark seat. Using simple hand tools, you will see how to split and shape green wood into posts, rungs, and slats.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Like Paradise Sea and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Paradise Sea?
The closest matches to Paradise Sea are Tokyo Family (2013), Hounddog (2008) and Salomé (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Paradise Sea?
Start with Tokyo Family (2013), the closest match to Paradise Sea.
What is the highest-rated movie like Paradise Sea?
The Ballad of Narayama (1983), rated 7.5/10 by 213 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Paradise Sea?
Thomas Dambo: TROLLMAKER (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Paradise Sea?
Yes: Tokyo Family (2013), Harmonium (2016) and One Million Yen Girl (2008).
How are movies similar to Paradise Sea chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Paradise Sea, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.