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Movies like The Valley of Decision (1916)

The best movies like The Valley of Decision (1916) are Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), The Safety of Objects (2002) and Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998). If The Valley of Decision hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)

    A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  2. The Safety of Objects (2002)

    In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  3. Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998)

    Young teen girl Xiu Xiu is sent away to a remote corner of the Sichuan steppes for manual labor in 1975 (sending young people to there was a part of Cultural Revolution in China). A year later, she agrees to go to even more remote spot with a Tibetan saddle tramp Lao Jin to learn horse herding.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  4. The 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

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  5. Come 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

  6. Hounddog (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

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  7. Tigertail (2020)

    A man reflects on the lost love of his youth and his long-ago journey from Taiwan to America as he begins to reconnect with his estranged daughter.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  8. TalhotBlond (2012)

    Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  9. Skin (2009)

    Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  10. The Truth About Emanuel (2013)

    A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  11. The Girl in the Book (2015)

    The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  12. The Caveman's Valentine (2001)

    Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  13. Adopt a Highway (2019)

    Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn how to use the internet – he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster behind the fast food restaurant where he works as a dishwasher. Unsure of what to do, and caught between impulses of kindness and panic, Russ soon realizes this could be his chance at redemption.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  14. Killer's Kiss (1955)

    Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  15. Holy Lands (2019)

    When lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife Monica is trying to manage the lives of their adult children, Annabelle and David, as well as her own.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. That Evening Sun (2009)

    An aging Tennessee farmer returns to his homestead and must confront a family betrayal, the reappearance of an old enemy, and the loss of his farm.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Won't Back Down (2012)

    Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  18. Gigi & Nate (2022)

    A young man with a bright future suffers a near-fatal accident and recreates his new life with the help of an unlikely animal friend.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. I Am Elizabeth Smart (2017)

    The story of Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping and captivity, as told from her perspective.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  20. Girl 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

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  21. Yotsuya Kaidan (1915)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  22. Gólyakalifa (1917)

    A baron has recurring nightmares of being a dock worker on the run.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  23. Dr. Lauffen (1918)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  24. Closed Gates (1927)

    George Newell Jr. is the son of wealthy parents. In the days leading up to World War I, he disgraces himself and his family. In order to redeem himself, he enlists after the war breaks out. During battle he is injured and loses his memory. He is lovingly cared for by his nurse, with whom he falls in love.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. Footlights and Shadows (1920)

    A fortune-hunting follies star Gloria Dawn ( Olive Thomas ), begins to question her engagement to wealthy Peter Shaw after meeting an amnesiac young man who stumbles into her apartment one night. The doctor instructs that he not be moved, so Gloria nurses the stranger back to health, although his memory fails to return. Gloria falls in love with her patient and, upon discovering that he is millionaire sportsman Jerry O'Farrell, rushes home to restore his identity, only to find that he has gone. Amnesia continues to plague Jerry, and he soon forgets both Gloria's name and address. While he is attending a show at the follies, a fire breaks out, and Gloria, recognizing her lover in the audience, rushes to save him. Meanwhile, Shaw, who has discovered Gloria's feelings for Jerry, accosts her. Jerry, who has finally regained his memory, intercedes and rescues Gloria, and the two fall in love.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. Darling Mine (1920)

    Persuaded by a letter from her Aunt Agnes in America, Kitty McCarthy ( Olive Thomas ) travels from Ireland to New York City, there she meets Gordon Davis, a successful playwright, who directs her to her aunt's address on the East Side. Kitty soon discovers her aunt living in a tenement, a confirmed alcoholic. Through her niece's care, Agnes is cured, and one day Davis appears and offers Kitty a part in a comedy that he has written. She accepts, and once backstage meets Vera Maxwell, the victim of an unhappy affair with Oscar Savoy. Kitty brings the lovelorn couple back together but is unsuccessful in arranging her own romance with Davis' nephew Roger until Davis finally intervenes, and a happy ending prevails for all.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  27. Devdas (1935)

    Devdas, the son of a zamindar, and Parvati, his neighbour's daughter, are childhood sweethearts. However, class and caste differences prevent their marriage. Devdas is sent off to Calcutta, while Paro is married off to an aged rich widower. In Calcutta, as remorse drives him to alcohol, Devdas meets Chandramukhi, a prostitute. All Indian prints of this Bengali version were destroyed in a fire that ravaged New Theatre’s studios. Today, only one copy of the film survives which belongs to the Bangladesh Film Archives. Of that copy almost forty percent is destroyed.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  28. Back to Liberty (1927)

    Tom Devon, alias Reginald Briand, is the mastermind behind an organization of gentlemen thieves, including Jimmy Stevens and Rudolph Gambier. Jimmy falls in love with Tom's innocent daughter, Gloria, after he rescues her from an embarrassing scene in a restaurant. Tom disapproves of the romance and decides to dissolve the partnership. When an embittered Rudolph kills Tom he frames Jimmy, but Gloria is determined to clear him. Posing as a thief, she seeks the truth.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  29. The Strength of the Weak (1912)

    A doctor moves to the city, and stops writing to his sweetheart back home. She decides to go to the city to find him.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. My Official Wife (1914)

    A leader in the Russian nihilist movement has an American pretend to be her husband in order to cross the Russian border.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Like The Valley of Decision and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Valley of Decision?

The closest matches to The Valley of Decision are Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), The Safety of Objects (2002) and Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Valley of Decision?

Start with Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), the closest match to The Valley of Decision.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Valley of Decision?

Killer's Kiss (1955), rated 6.3/10 by 629 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Valley of Decision?

Gigi & Nate (2022) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Valley of Decision?

Yes: Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), The Safety of Objects (2002) and Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998).

How are movies similar to The Valley of Decision chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Valley of Decision, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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