Movies like Through the Night (2002)
The best movies like Through the Night (2002) are The Ballad of Narayama (1983), Tokyo Family (2013) and Ninja (2009). If Through the Night 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
- NewestTrophy (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseThe Ballad of Narayama (1983)Also in Japanese
The 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 thisTokyo 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 thisNinja (2009)
A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja.
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 thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
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 thisBlood and Bones (2004)
In 1923, teenager Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island, in South Korea, to Osaka, in Japan. Along the years, he becomes a cruel, greedy and violent man and builds a factory of kamaboko, processed seafood products, in his poor Korean-Japanese community exploiting his employees.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Mouthful of Air (2021)
Julie is a new mom and children's book author, who escapes into the bright Crayola-colored world of her creation in order to leave behind the darkness caused by her post-partum depression.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHome Run (2013)
A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKamui (2009)
A rebellious ninja in 17th century Japan takes refuge with a fisherman and his family.
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 thisResurrecting the Champ (2007)
Up-and-coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man ("Champ") only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ's story and escape the shadow of his father's success becomes a personal journey as the ambitious reporter reexamines his own life and his relationship with his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTokyo Fist (1995)
A businessman, Tsuda, runs into a childhood friend, Kojima, on the subway. Kojima is working as a semiprofessional boxer. Tsuda soon begins to suspect that Kojima might be having an affair with his fiancée Hizuru. After an altercation, Tsuda begins training rigorously himself, leading to an extremely bloody, violent confrontation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTokyo Ghoul (2017)
A Tokyo college student is attacked by a ghoul, a super-powered human who feeds on human flesh. He survives, but has become part ghoul and becomes a fugitive on the run.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe River (1984)
Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmbattled (2020)
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaboo (1999)
Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering on a handsome young samurai named Sozaburo Kano. The school's stern master can choose to intervene, or to let Kano decide his own path.
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 thisThe Outsider (2018)
A former American G.I. joins a yakuza family after his release from prison in post-World War II Osaka.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nest (2020)
Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSENJO 20th Anniversary Tour in Osaka ~The Sky Is the Limit~ (2026)
SENJO 20th Anniversary Tour in Osaka ~The Sky Is the Limit~ was a professional wrestling event promoted by Sendai Girls' Pro-Wrestling, held on March 20, 2026, at Azalea Taisho Hall in Osaka, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Trophy (2026)
The story follows So-hee, a 14-year-old Zainichi Korean girl. She goes to a Korean school and devotes herself to Korean traditional dance as her school club activities. One day, at an exchange event with a Japanese school, she befriends Mirai, a Japanese girl who shares her love of K-pop. Through this encounter, So-hee gradually begins to connect with the world beyond her own. As their friendship deepens, the two decide to sell unused items from So-hee's home on a flea market app to earn money for their favorite K-pop idols live tickets. One item fetches an unexpectedly high price-a North Korean CD, which is So-hee's father's. Sanju, the father, is the principal of a Korean elementary school. Emboldened by this success, So-hee and Mirai take it a step further, eventually selling even the medal that Sanju had been awarded by his homeland, North Korea.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Marigold Spring Victory Series 2026 ~ Day 5 (2026)
Marigold Spring Victory Series 2026 ~ Day 5 was a professional wrestling event promoted by Dream Star★Fighting Marigold. It took place on March 21, 2026 at 176BOX in Osaka, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Stardom New Blood 25 (2025)
New Blood 25 was a professional wrestling event produced by World Wonder Ring Stardom, held on October 17, 2025, at Azalea Taisho Hall in Osaka, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Stardom in Osaka 2026 Feb. (2026)
Stardom in Osaka 2026 Feb. was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom, held on February 20, 2026 at EDION Arena Osaka No.2 in Osaka, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Asako I & II (2018)
Asako lives in Osaka. She falls in love with Baku, a free-spirit. One day, Baku suddenly disappears. Two years later, Asako now lives in Tokyo and meets Ryohei. He looks just like Baku, but has a completely different personality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoterai Man (1975)
Business is a game! A theatrical version of the TV drama that became a social phenomenon starring Teruhiko Saigo. Set in a wholesaler town in Osaka, it depicts the activities of the main character Takezo Yamashita who repels adversity with a man's stubbornness and guts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Stardom Gold Rush 2022 ~Gyōsan Stardom~ (2022)
Gold Rush 2022 ~Gyōsan Stardom~ was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom, held on November 19, 2022 at EDION Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan. It featured the first "Moneyball" six-woman tag team tournament, the finals for which (a TLC match!) took place in the main event. The World and Wonder of Stardom Championships were also defended on the card, with Syuri taking on noted rival Utami Hayashishita and the long-awaited encounter between Saya Kamitani and KAIRI, respectively.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Burning (2018)
Deliveryman Jong-su is out on a job when he runs into Hae-mi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood. She asks if he'd mind looking after her cat while she's away on a trip to Africa. On her return, she introduces to Jong-su an enigmatic young man named Ben, who she met during her trip. One day Ben tells Jong-su about his most unusual hobby.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMissing (2022)
Depressed and in debt, Santoshi tells his young daughter that he is going to find an infamous serial killer and collect a reward. However, when Santoshi disappears without a trace, she starts to fear the worst and begins searching for him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Through the Night and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Through the Night?
The closest matches to Through the Night are The Ballad of Narayama (1983), Tokyo Family (2013) and Ninja (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Through the Night?
Start with The Ballad of Narayama (1983), the closest match to Through the Night.
What is the highest-rated movie like Through the Night?
The Ballad of Narayama (1983), rated 7.5/10 by 213 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Through the Night?
Trophy (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Through the Night?
Yes: The Ballad of Narayama (1983), Tokyo Family (2013) and Blood and Bones (2004).
How are movies similar to Through the Night chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Through the Night, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.