Movies like Cry Me a Sad River (2018)
The best movies like Cry Me a Sad River (2018) are Bully (2001), Giant Little Ones (2019) and Joe Bell (2020). If Cry Me a Sad River hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPalmer (2021)8.1/10 from 2,029 votes
- NewestOut of My Mind (2024)Released 2024
- In ChineseOne Week Friends (2022)Also in Chinese
Bully (2001)
A group of teenagers in South Florida enact a murder plot against their mutual bully, Bobby, who has emotionally, physically, and sexually abused them for years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGiant Little Ones (2019)
Two popular teen boys, best friends since childhood, discover their lives, families, and girlfriends dramatically upended after an unexpected incident occurs on the night of a 17th birthday party.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJoe Bell (2020)
The true story of a small town, working class father who embarks on a solo walk across the U.S. to crusade against bullying after his son is tormented in high school for being gay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe War (1994)
The son of a Vietnam War Veteran must deal with neighborhood bullies as well as his dad's post-traumatic stress disorder while growing up in the deep south in the 1970's.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man Without a Face (1993)
Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town after his face is disfigured from an automobile accident ten years earlier, in which a boy was incinerated--and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Also suspected of being a paedophile, he is befriended by Chuck, causing the town's suspicions and hostility to be ignited.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPalmer (2021)
After 12 years in prison, former high school football star Eddie Palmer returns home to put his life back together—and forms an unlikely bond with Sam, an outcast boy from a troubled home. But Eddie's past threatens to ruin his new life and family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFace 2 Face (2017)
Over a series of video chats, a teenage outcast reaches out to his childhood friend, but finds that behind the veneer of popularity and a seemingly perfect life, she hides a disturbing secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisOne Week Friends (2022)
A high school student suffers from a strange amnesia, causing her memories to only last a week. After she befriends a new student, his kindness and persistence make her gradually open up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCyberbully (2011)
A woman tries to help her teenage daughter when she becomes the victim of online bullying.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Friend to Die For (1994)
Who could have stabbed popular, beautiful cheerleader Stacy to death? It could have been antisocial Goth girl Monica; it could've been angst-ridden Jill -- or maybe it was the plain girl nobody suspected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTeacher (2019)
A high school English teacher goes to disturbing lengths to protect his favorite students from bullies, and challenge the power of a wealthy patron within the community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKids (1995)
A group of bored, disaffected New York City teenagers spend a day skating, smoking, drinking, partying, deflowering virgins, and getting into fights.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnd Then I Go (2017)
In the cruel world of junior high, Edwin suffers in a state of anxiety and alienation alongside his only friend, Flake. Misunderstood by their families and demoralized at school daily, their fury simmers quietly until an idea for vengeance offers them a terrifying release.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOut of My Mind (2024)
Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates. When a young educator notices her student's untapped potential and Melody starts to participate in mainstream education, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYouth (2017)
A group of performing art troupe members each face their own trials and tribulations in Chengdu; from escaping a family scandal to dealing with unrequited love, each experiences rejection that shapes their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Quiet (2006)
After her widowed father dies, deaf teenager Dot moves in with her godparents, Olivia and Paul Deer. The Deers' daughter, Nina, is openly hostile to Dot, but that does not prevent her from telling her secrets to her silent stepsister, including the fact that she wants to kill her lecherous father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCyberbully (2015)
A chilling real-time thriller featuring a teenager, Casey, battling with an anonymous cyber-stalker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPimp (2018)
An urban love story set on the hard streets of the Bronx. A struggling female pimp, named Wednesday, grows up learning the game from her dad. Once he's gone she's left to look out for her prostitute mother and girlfriend Nikki.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattle Royale (2000)
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Distance Between Us (2016)
Seonduk Arts High school sets a “moral distance rule”, forbidding physical contact between boys and girls. The school recommends Byeonchan and Seohyun, who have been meeting for 700 days, to transfer to another school because of this rule.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Breaking Pencils (2021)
Sep learns how to navigate high-school life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
One Summer Night (2020)
Before heading off to college, an overthinking teenager asks out a former girlfriend in an effort to reconnect and hold on to his past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Dangerous Minds (1995)
Former Marine Louanne Johnson lands a gig teaching in a pilot program for bright but underachieving teens at a notorious inner-city high school. After having a terrible first day, she decides she must throw decorum to the wind. When Johnson returns to the classroom, she does so armed with a no-nonsense attitude informed by her military training and a fearless determination to better the lives of her students -- no matter what the cost.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBully (2013)
When a video of Toby being brutally humiliated at school appears on the Internet, Toby's high school and parents take action. However, with an overbearing father and a willfully unaware mother, Toby soon learns that his demons are not just in the classroom.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Beast Beast (2021)
A look at the lives and trauma surrounding three people living in a southern town.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Colors of Wind (2018)
Yuri leaves Ryo with mysterious words. Ryo goes to Hokkaido knowing that his doppelganger magician is missing. Ryo realizes Yuri was also the magician’s lover and he learns magic. The story that crosses over two identities, illusion and magic.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Murder by Numbers (2002)
Tenacious homicide detective Cassie Mayweather and her still-green partner are working a murder case, attempting to profile two malevolently brilliant young men: cold, calculating killers whose dark secrets might explain their crimes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRot (2019)
A grad student breaks up with her boyfriend to focus on her thesis, not realizing something has infected him and that he's going to wreak havoc on her life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Cry Me a Sad River?
The closest matches to Cry Me a Sad River are Bully (2001), Giant Little Ones (2019) and Joe Bell (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Cry Me a Sad River?
Start with Bully (2001), the closest match to Cry Me a Sad River.
What is the highest-rated movie like Cry Me a Sad River?
Palmer (2021), rated 8.1/10 by 2,029 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Cry Me a Sad River?
Out of My Mind (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Cry Me a Sad River?
Yes: One Week Friends (2022) and Youth (2017).
How are movies similar to Cry Me a Sad River chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Cry Me a Sad River, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.