Movies like Circumstances (2017)
The best movies like Circumstances (2017) are I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), Suburbicon (2017) and Hungry Hearts (2015). If Circumstances hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSiberian Education (2013)6.8/10 from 571 votes
- NewestPlay Dirty (2025)Released 2025
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977)
A disturbed and institutionalized 16-year-old girl struggles between fantasy and reality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisSuburbicon (2017)
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisCardboard Boxer (2016)
Gentle and broken, a homeless man fights others on video for money but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Locksmith (2023)
A thief fresh out of prison, tries to work his way back into the life of his daughter and ex-fiancé. Determined, he is forced to use the skills he has as a gifted locksmith. Things take a tumultuous turn after an unexpected disappearance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisPlay Dirty (2025)
Expert thief Parker gets a shot at a major heist, but to pull it off he and his team must outsmart a South American dictator, the New York mob, and the world's richest man.
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 thisImperial Dreams (2014)
A 21-year-old reformed gangster's devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSiberian Education (2013)
The story of a gang of children growing up in a community of banished criminals, in a forgotten corner of the former Soviet Union. This community rejects the world outside. The only law it obeys… is its own. Against this backdrop two best friends, Kolyma and Gagarin, gradually become fierce enemies as they find themselves on opposite sides of the strict code of honour of the ‘honest criminal’ brotherhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 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 thisMy Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2010)
Brad has committed murder and barricaded himself inside his house. With the help of his friends and neighbours, the cops piece together the strange tale of how this nice young man arrived at such a dark place.
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 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 thisMan with No Past (2025)
Waking up in an unfamiliar city, a man with no memory must confront the mysteries of his own identity. However, his desperate search to uncover the past pits him against a powerful enemy, leading to a showdown that ultimately reveals the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll Day and a Night (2020)
While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Neighbor (2022)
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThey Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
A police detective's investigation of a prostitute's murder points to his best friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisMammal (2016)
After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband's grieving rage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Bundle of Trouble: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2017)
Aurora Teagarden and her boyfriend Martin are thrilled when they get an unexpected visit from his niece and her new baby. Their excitement is short lived when his niece disappears and the baby is left behind. Once again, Aurora finds herself drawn into a deadly investigation as she risks it all to help Martin reunite with his family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Judge of Honor (2004)
In 1980 Paolo Borsellino was appointed with the preliminary investigations and the task of setting up a team which would later become the famous anti-mafia pool, investigating into the criminal activities of various mafia bands, in particular the gang headed up by Totò Riina.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaktub (2017)
Steve & Chuma , two criminals are the sole survivors of a terrorist attack at a restaurant in Jerusalem. They decide to change their ways and become flesh and blood angels. They go on a journey of wish fulfilment for people who write requests on paper and put between the sacred stones of the Wailing Wall.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Crónica roja (1979)
After one is arrested - possibly unjustly - for murder, the lives of two brothers spiral out of control.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Violent Milan (1976)
A gang of thieves decides to hit the headquarters of Aspex. The police intervened and only two of the robbers managed to escape with the loot, while the other two are forced to take hostages to escape. The police started investigations but also the gang leader, the Cat, will be hunting the first two escaped with the loot to get money, and revenge for their escape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Breezing Home (1937)
Bookmakers try to fix a horse race.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sweeney! (1977)
When one of Regan's snouts complains that his girlfriend's recent suicide was murder, the flying squad detective feels compelled to investigate. He uncovers a conspiracy that reaches the heart of the government, and finds himself fitted up, suspended and under the scrutiny of Special Branch.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Escape (2005)
Just yesterday Evgeni Vetrov had a completely different life. He had money, perfect reputation, was respected by his colleagues and most of all - he had love; but apparently he had enemies as well. One day Vetrov's wife was killed, being the only suspect he was soon found guilty. Now the only thing he can do is run, run, in order to find the real killer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Trigonal: Fight for Justice (2018)
An underground fighting circuit run by an international crime syndicate invades a retired MMA champion's small, idyllic island hometown. Syndicate thugs brutally assault his wife and kill his best friend, leaving him with no other choice but to fight for justice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Juana la Cubana (1994)
The beautiful nightclub singer/dancer Juana the Cuban moonlights as freedom fighter “Commander Zeta”, joining forces with the C.I.A. to overthrow the brutal regime of a military dictator (played by Erik Estrada) who plans to unleash bacteriological warfare on the U.S.A.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Circumstances?
The closest matches to Circumstances are I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), Suburbicon (2017) and Hungry Hearts (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Circumstances?
Start with I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), the closest match to Circumstances.
What is the highest-rated movie like Circumstances?
Siberian Education (2013), rated 6.8/10 by 571 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Circumstances?
Play Dirty (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Circumstances?
Yes: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), Suburbicon (2017) and Hungry Hearts (2015).
How are movies similar to Circumstances chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Circumstances, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.