Movies like Wabishabi (1988)
The best movies like Wabishabi (1988) are Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996), Hands of Stone (2016) and Hurry Sundown (1967). If Wabishabi hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHands of Stone (2016)6.6/10 from 470 votes
- NewestEye to Eye (2026)Released 2026
- In JapanesePastoral: To Die in the Country (1974)Also in Japanese
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996)
A dramatization of the life of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (Don Cheadle), with a lot of factual based occurrences. A reformed junkie returns from prison to clean up his act and devote the rest of his life to the young kids of Harlem. 1996 was the 25th anniversary of the first tournament named after him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisHurry Sundown (1967)
A ruthless Southern opportunist tries to buy his cousin's land, and when thwarted, brings several tragedies to the lives of his loved ones.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnuja (2024)
When a brilliant nine-year-old working in a sweatshop gets a chance to attend school, she must make a difficult choice for her and her sister's future.
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 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 thisBobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisPastoral: To Die in the Country (1974)
A director faces creative block while working on his latest film – a reimagination of his adolescence growing up in a mountain village in rural Japan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 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 Dinner with Hervé (2018)
An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisO.G. (2018)
Louis Menkins is five weeks away from being released after 26 years in prison. He is faced with the decision to put his own release at risk in order to protect a young man named Beecher from growing gang controversies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisSunshine State (2002)
A woman and her new husband returns to her hometown roots in coastal northern Florida, and must deal with family, business, and encroaching real estate development.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJungleland (2020)
Stanley manages his boxer brother Lion but when a devastating loss in the ring leaves the pair in debt, an opportunity to recoup the cash leads to a series of misadventures that threaten to break the bond between them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPrizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022)
At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism was the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer fought his way to becoming champion of England.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisGirl in the Box (2016)
The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTraces of Grief (2024)
Shell-shocked Barbara must face up to the loss of a dear companion after a tragic accident. Her best friend Klara and husband Torsten devise a plan to thaw Barbara's heart, after she reminisces about the incident, the funeral, and happier times. Will she agree to the suggestions of her nearest and dearest? Can grief turn into hope?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ich fühle, daß ich falle (1977)
Directorial debut by Klaus Hofmann and Bernd Siebert, shot on 8mm.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
8mm of Distance (2022)
Since his father's death, Bruno divides his time between his duties as a student and his love of cinema. When he finds an old super8 camera belonging to his father, he changes his perception of the world in which he lives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Charge! Hooligans of Hakata (1978)
Known for his striking visuals and outlandish subject matter, maverick director Sogo Ishii is considered to be the master of Japanese punk cinema. In ‘Attack!’, biker gangs meet the Japanese punk scene. Continuation of the filming of "High School Panic" after a stoppage by the production company. Awarded at the 1978 Pia FIlm Festival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Surface (2015)
Evan, an orphaned 22-year-old who grew up in the foster care system, buys a vintage 8mm camera in a yard sale from an elderly man, ends up with reels of the man's old home movies, and begins to live vicariously through these home movies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
TEL-CLUB (1998)
In the summer of 1998, the filmmaker went home to Takasaki to film the birth of his brother and sister-in-law's child. Days go by and the child is still to be born. With time on his hands and no one to talk to, the filmmaker finds the phone number for a telephone date club, and calls up with an earnest de- sire: I'd like to talk to a girl. While following the conventions of film-diary form, at some point the filmmaker falls into a times pace tunnel of false memory.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sometimes I Hear the Light Leak in Through the Corners of My Room (TBA)
Heartbroken, Madeline goes out on the town ruminating on the cyclical nature of love. She passes from one thrill to another looking for answers. Relationships come and go but memories are forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Eye to Eye (2026)
A young man helps his girlfriend to see without sight.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Enoshima Clown (2018)
A MOVIE IN THE 8mm Film. By Akiyoshi Imazeki
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Secret Evening (1989)
Ito, Yoshida, Kanbara, and Harumi are high school classmates. Ito secretly has feelings for his best friend, Yoshida. Yoshida doesn't seem confused by Ito's feelings, but simply accepts them naturally. However, one night.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Wabishabi and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Wabishabi?
The closest matches to Wabishabi are Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996), Hands of Stone (2016) and Hurry Sundown (1967). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Wabishabi?
Start with Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996), the closest match to Wabishabi.
What is the highest-rated movie like Wabishabi?
Hands of Stone (2016), rated 6.6/10 by 470 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Wabishabi?
Eye to Eye (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Wabishabi?
Yes: Pastoral: To Die in the Country (1974), Tokyo Family (2013) and Charge! Hooligans of Hakata (1978).
How are movies similar to Wabishabi chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Wabishabi, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.