Movies like The Rain Stories (2016)
The best movies like The Rain Stories (2016) are My Policeman (2022), Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2023) and Fire with Fire (1986). If The Rain Stories 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 ratedMy Policeman (2022)7.5/10 from 799 votes
- NewestInky Pinky Ponky 2 (2026)Released 2026
My Policeman (2022)
In the late 1990s, the arrival of elderly invalid Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when homosexuality was illegal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2023)
Two teenage Mexican-American loners in 1987 El Paso explore a new, unusual friendship and the difficult road to self-discovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFire with Fire (1986)
A tough, street-smart kid serving a sentence in a state youth reformatory meets a beautiful, innocent girl studying at a nearby convent. When forbidden love blossoms between them, they must fight the prison authorities, their parents and the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeartstopper Forever (2026)
It's a new school year for the Truham-Higgs gang. As Nick and Charlie's relationship deepens, their thoughts turn to life after the last bell rings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Object of My Affection (1998)
A pregnant New York social worker begins to develop romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and decides she'd rather raise her child with him, much to the dismay of her overbearing boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisMarked Men: Rule + Shaw (2025)
Shaw Landon has loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule, a fiery-tempered rebel tattoo artist, doesn’t have time for a good girl pre-med student like Shaw — even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule must figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love…or each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeparture (2016)
An English mother and her teenage son spend a week preparing the sale of their remote holiday house in the South of France. Fifteen-year-old Elliot struggles with his dawning sexuality and an increasing alienation from his mother, Beatrice. She in turn is confronted by the realisation that her marriage to his father, Philip, has grown loveless and the life she knows is coming to an end. When an enigmatic local teenager, Clément, quietly enters their lives, both mother and son are compelled to confront their desires and, finally, each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEndless Love (2014)
A privileged girl and a charismatic boy's instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 thisTropical Malady (2004)
A romance between a soldier and country boy is ruptured by the boy’s sudden disappearance. Their story turns into a mythical venture based on Thai folklore.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJan Dara: The Beginning (2012)
Jan, a young boy, grows up without a mother and is often insulted by his father. He struggles with his life as he longs to be with several women, even Madame Boonleung, his father's lover.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisAkron (2015)
Benny, a college freshman at the University of Akron, Ohio meets and falls for fellow freshman Christopher at a football game. With the support of their families and friends they embark on a new relationship. But a tragic event in the past involving their mothers soon comes to light and threatens to tear them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBehind the Candelabra (2013)
Based on the autobiographical novel, the tempestuous 6-year relationship between Liberace and his (much younger) lover, Scott Thorson, is recounted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirls Like Girls (2026)
After her mother's passing, 17-year-old Coley navigates new feelings of intimacy with Sonya in rural Oregon, where both girls must overcome their mutual uncertainties and self-doubt to embrace their connection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Best of Me (2014)
A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisLooking: The Movie (2016)
Patrick returns to San Francisco for the first time in almost a year to celebrate a momentous event with his old friends. In the process, he must face the unresolved relationships he left behind and make difficult choices about what’s important to him.
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 thisNaked as We Came (2013)
After an unexpected phone call, Laura and her brother Elliot rush to their family’s country estate to find their mother, Lilly, gravely ill and living with a handsome young stranger named Ted. Estranged for some time, their mother’s condition sets Laura and Elliot on a path to realizing where their own lives have gone wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisInky Pinky Ponky 2 (2026)
Follows Lisa, a successful designer returning for a school reunion, exploring themes of identity, family acceptance, romance with a rugby player, and personal growth within a Tongan-New Zealand community.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Heart Strings (2024)
A short scene about a breakup between Lucy and Zelda, who's relationship has been put to the test recently.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Chronicles of a Boy: Homophobia (2017)
Young-taek is a high school student. One day, a boy visits his house. It turns out that this boy is his father's lover. He can't believe that his father is gay but eventually accepts the fact. After he graduates from high school and attends university, he meets a senior classmate who becomes being in love with him. The senior classmate harasses him in the name of love. After he goes to serve in the army, he is sexually harassed by his sergeant who has a girlfriend. Young-taek has been homophobic, but after meeting different people, he reconsiders life and love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
3 Lads, an American Fool and One Night (2008)
On the eve of his anniversary date with his girlfriend, Greg gets an unexpected visit which ultimately makes him question his sexuality and his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
306 (2010)
'306' is a film that makes the viewer question: Is the closest person in your life normal? A family member, friend, or a lover? What is the norm that we are suppose to follow in life? What is perceived as normal on the outside is usually just a daily costume, which we as people like to dance around in to assimilate into society? The question is: Who is Eric Hays? Or more specifically: What is Eric Hays hiding? '306' gives the viewer a chance to see a secret that no one else gets to see.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Soldier's Choice (2008)
Marine private John Rossi is looking forward to a new assignment in New York City on the night he ventures into a Hell's Kitchen bar, and meets a handsome but lonely boy named Damon Conrad. Damon assumes the Marine just wants sex, but when he proposes they go out on a "real date," Damon begins to think perhaps he has finally found the man of his dreams. The next night, John reveals that earlier that day he learned his division would be heading to the Middle East. Later that night, when the boys are caught-up in a moment of passion, John must choose between his devotion to the Marines and his desire for love and companionship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
All Over Brazil (2004)
With Scotland in the World Cup in 1974, Stephen is more into Glam Rock than football.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Attack (2005)
A neo-Nazi skinhead is apprehended because he has attacked two black teenage boys. As we are taken backwards through the story we realise that things may not be as 'Black & White' as they appear.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Boys (2016)
At a summer sleepover, two best friends realize they may be connected by more than just friendship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Gone West (2023)
It's been one year since Xander was dealt a sudden and tragic loss - the loss of his friend Tobin. Now, he must confront the people from his life he has since pushed away.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like The Rain Stories and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Rain Stories?
The closest matches to The Rain Stories are My Policeman (2022), Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2023) and Fire with Fire (1986). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Rain Stories?
Start with My Policeman (2022), the closest match to The Rain Stories.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Rain Stories?
My Policeman (2022), rated 7.5/10 by 799 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Rain Stories?
Inky Pinky Ponky 2 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Rain Stories chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Rain Stories, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.