Movies like Peony Pavilion (2001)
The best movies like Peony Pavilion (2001) are Not Easily Broken (2009), The Man from Elysian Fields (2001) and Blind (2017). If Peony Pavilion hooked you with its drama and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLife in a Year (2020)8.2/10 from 2,027 votes
- NewestKirot (2025)Released 2025
- In ChineseHer Story (2024)Also in Chinese
Not 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 thisThe Man from Elysian Fields (2001)
A failed novelist's inability to pay the bills strains relations with his wife and leads him to work at an escort service, where he becomes entwined with a wealthy woman whose husband is a successful writer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisBlind (2017)
A novelist is blinded in a car crash that killed his wife and several years later rediscovers his passion for life and writing when he embarks on an affair with the neglected wife of an indicted businessman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHer Story (2024)
Wang Tiemei, a single mother, loses her job and moves, befriending neighbor Xiaoye who appears cheerful but is depressed. Their bond grows as Tiemei navigates relationships with her ex-husband causing trouble.
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 thisUnder the Hawthorn Tree (2010)
The daughter of a right-winger, schoolgirl Jing Qiu is sent to the countryside for reeducation, and tasked to help write a textbook. There she meets Lao San, a young soldier with a bright future ahead. Despite the class divide and parental disapproval, romance blooms against turbulent times.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNine Lives (2005)
Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn to Dust (2022)
Humble, unassuming Ma and timid Cao have been cast off by their families and forced into an arranged marriage. They have to combine their strength and build a home to survive. In the face of much adversity, an unexpected bond begins to blossom, as both Ma and Cao, uniting with Earth's cycles, create a haven for themselves in which they can thrive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove Everlasting (2016)
Bridger is a young outsider who's always wanted more. He and his mother flee an abusive home, eventually finding a small town in the middle of nowhere. Once there, Bridger finds true acceptance with another misfit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMountains May Depart (2015)
The life of Tao, and those close to her, is explored in three different time periods: 1999, 2014, and 2025.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Can't Think Straight (2008)
Tala, a London-based Palestinian, is preparing for her elaborate Middle Eastern wedding when she meets Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating her best friend. Spirited Christian Tala and shy Muslim Leyla could not be more different from each other, but the attraction is immediate and goes deeper than friendship. But Tala is not ready to accept the implications of the choice her heart has made for her and escapes back to Jordan, while Leyla tries to move on with her new-found life, to the shock of her tradition-loving parents. As Tala's wedding day approaches, simmering tensions come to boiling point and the pressure mounts for Tala to be true to herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022)
Clare and Aidan make a pact to break up before college — no regrets, no broken hearts. But will one epic goodbye date offer them a last chance at love?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & 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 thisLife in a Year (2020)
A 17 year old finds out that his girlfriend is dying, so he sets out to give her an entire life, in the last year she has left.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Magic of Ordinary Days (2005)
Pregnant out of wedlock, an educated young woman is pressured by her father into an arranged marriage with a lonely farmer in this drama set during WWII.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLovely, Still (2009)
A holiday fable that tells the story of an elderly man discovering love for the first time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNobody Has to Know (2022)
After a stroke and no memories from his past, Phil encounters Millie who inhabits a desert part of Isle of Lewis. She will shortly entrust him with his deepest secret : they were in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisReally Love (2020)
A rising black painter tries to break into a competitive art world while balancing an unexpected romance with an ambitious law student.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTalhotBlond (2012)
Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKalakal (2025)
A seductive female garbage collector who embraces the life of an escort lady. Desperate to live a comfortable life, she leaves the dumpsite and enters the club. But can she also dump both her brother and her lover who remind her of her past?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Freeheld (2015)
New Jersey car mechanic Stacie Andree and her police detective girlfriend Laurel Hester both battle to secure Hester's pension benefits after she was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Feather Pillow (2025)
Alena falls mysteriously ill after Mira breaks off their secret relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
A Mão Direita (2024)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Lost and Delirious (2001)
After starting at an upmarket boarding school, a teenage girl forms close friendships with her two older roommates. However, when she discovers that her new friends are lovers she finds herself caught in a complicated situation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSummer Lovers (1982)
Michael Pappas and his girlfriend, Cathy, are enjoying the white sand beaches of a Greek island as well as the freewheeling nature of the locals. When Michael meets Lina, who is in Greece from Paris doing archaeological work, he is enamored with the beautiful foreigner. Cathy, unhappy about Lina getting close to Michael, confronts the woman -- only to be unexpectedly wooed by her charms as well.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisFunny Story (2018)
Aging TV star Walter Campbell's attempts to break up with younger girlfriend Lucy are thwarted by the announcement of her pregnancy. Looking for space, Walter resolves to visit his estranged daughter Nic, currently residing in Big Sur, resentful of her father's neglectful parenting and womanizing ways. He agrees to give a lift to Nic's friend Kim, who having recently attended the funeral of her estranged mother, is dealing with her own emotional baggage. Upon arriving in Big Sur, Walter discovers that Nic is living on a lesbian commune, and is in fact due to get married. Nic is appreciative of Walter's acceptance of her sexuality, which sees the pair's relationship begin to repair, but this newly formed bond is at risk of being destroyed once and for all.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Paper Planes (2023)
A woman with agoraphobia and the Airbnb guest across the hall strike up a correspondence that becomes something more for the holidays.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Kirot (2025)
A conservative woman, engaged to her high school sweetheart, receives a life-saving heart transplant. But as she recovers, unexpected passions and desires begin to surface, pulling her into a world that threatens the life and identity she thought she wanted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Walking After Midnight (1992)
Newly divorced Nilgün, a doctor from Istanbul, is sent to a remote small town to practice; where she meets up with long lost friend Havva while treating local prostitutes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Peony Pavilion and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Peony Pavilion?
The closest matches to Peony Pavilion are Not Easily Broken (2009), The Man from Elysian Fields (2001) and Blind (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Peony Pavilion?
Start with Not Easily Broken (2009), the closest match to Peony Pavilion.
What is the highest-rated movie like Peony Pavilion?
Life in a Year (2020), rated 8.2/10 by 2,027 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Peony Pavilion?
Kirot (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Peony Pavilion?
Yes: Her Story (2024), Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010) and Return to Dust (2022).
How are movies similar to Peony Pavilion chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Peony Pavilion, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.