Movies like Prison Heat (2019)
The best movies like Prison Heat (2019) are The Hot Spot (1990), True Romance (1993) and Henry & June (1990). If Prison Heat hooked you with its romance, these 23 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBrokeback Mountain (2005)7.8/10 from 7,811 votes
- NewestFree at Heart (2026)Released 2026
The Hot Spot (1990)
Upon arriving to a small town, a drifter quickly gets into trouble with the local authorities — and the local women — after he robs a bank.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrue Romance (1993)
Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHenry & June (1990)
While traveling in Paris, author Henry Miller and his wife, June, meet Anais Nin, and sexual sparks fly as Nin starts an affair with the openly bisexual June. When June is forced to return to the U.S., she gives Nin her blessing to sleep with her husband. Then, when June returns to France, an unexpected, and sometimes contentious, threesome forms.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrokeback Mountain (2005)
In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisButch Jamie (2008)
The film follows the story of Jamie, a struggling butch lesbian actress who gets cast as a man in a film. The main plot is a romantic comedy between Jamie's male alter-ego, "Male Jamie," and Jill, a heterosexual woman on set. The film's subplots include Jamie's bisexual roommate Lola and her cat actor Howard, Lola's abrasive butch German girlfriend Andi, and Jamie's gay Asian friend David.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Only Good Things (2025)
Catalão, Brazil, 1984. The rural region of Batalha dos Neves is made up of large crop pastures, a few farms and divided in half by the São Marcos River. Antonio lives alone and isolated taking care of his small farm until the day he encounters Marcelo, a lonely motorcycler who suffers an accident crossing the region. Antonio takes care of Marcelo’s wounds. The two fall in love and live a story that transforms, destabilizes, and causes ruptures in each of them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
The Gay Agenda 26 (2024)
In this anthology of shorts, the phrase “Gay Agenda” is reclaimed from the religious right and transformed into a celebration of gay culture. Sit back and enjoy “The Carer,” “Into the Storm,” and “Floating Melon.”
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Losing My Cherry (2010)
Jamie's marriage depends on her birthday gift to her wife. But what if the handbag that Cherry covets is simply impossible to get?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Two Fish (2017)
Max is spending his summer on campus. A lonely place in maintenance. His best friend Taylor comes back from Europe and their relationship takes a new turn.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Iceberg (2012)
A married woman falls in love with a 19-year-old girl, and she has to make a choice between her family and the one who might be the love of her life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
La frontière (2022)
Oliver and Chris, a couple in crisis, meet another couple, Tommy and Greta, radiating happiness. The latter offer them to come and stay in the guest house they have just opened. Oliver and Chris hesitate and then accept, entering a world far removed from their own, which will upset all their bearings.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Undercurrent (TBA)
A young man recently released from prison attempts to rebuild his life after the death of his mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Free at Heart (2026)
Sebastian's (16) sheltered small-town life changes suddenly when his family takes in 15-year-old Kolja, supposedly the son of his father's recently deceased girlfriend. In addition to his little sister, another teenager now lives with them. Although the two boys are strangers to each other at first, they begin to open up to each other more and more and discover that they are biological brothers. The relationship of trust with his parents breaks down and when Sebastian and Kolja become closer than they expected, Sebastian's life is suddenly turned upside down, as he has found not only a soul mate in his new brother, but also a real, first love. Overwhelmed by their feelings, the two hide their relationship, but when the secret, incestuous relationship is discovered, the family breaks out of the social structure of the small town and comes into conflict with societal norms. Everything that follows is a rollercoaster of emotions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Desert Hearts (1985)
While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMambo Italiano (2003)
When an Italian man comes out of the closet, it affects both his life and his crazy family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Love You More (2024)
After a year of online pillow-talk, Ben, a shy Kosovar teen, is exhilarated to finally meet his first (but secret) love, Leo. Consumed with passion, Ben carefully weaves the plans and cover-story for his much desired romantic tryst with Leo who is arriving from Germany in just one month. Everything must be perfect. Great news, Ben’s mother surprises him and the family with a life changing opportunity, but he just can’t take it yet. He must meet Leo.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Fire (1997)
In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha's life takes an irresistible turn when her beautiful young sister-in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGreat Freedom (2021)
In post-war Germany, liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for everyone. Hans Hoffmann is repeatedly imprisoned under Paragraph 175, which criminalizes homosexuality. Nevertheless, over the decades, he continues his quest for freedom and love, even if he finds it in the most unusual places.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMala Noche (1987)
Walt is a lonely convenience store clerk who has fallen in love with a Mexican migrant worker named Johnny. Though Walt has little in common with the object of his affections — including a shared language — his desire to possess Johnny prompts a sexual awakening that results in a tangled love triangle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBend It Like Beckham (2002)
Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt’s Tricky to Take Your Pants Off in the Car (2023)
Over an intimate afternoon in the Catalan Pyrenees, a couple unlock the mind’s ability to transform fragments in memory.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Plus. Minus. (2019)
Told in reverse chronological order, an aspiring drag queen creates a world out of desolated motel rooms with the guy he met online.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Me First (2014)
Feeling trapped in an unhappy marriage, Sarah confides in her daughter’s friend. In a moment of weakness, everything changes and she is suddenly faced with feelings she has never felt before. Sarah must chose between her family and her own happiness. When she makes her choice, it’s up to her daughter to put her mother’s happiness first.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Like Prison Heat and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Prison Heat?
The closest matches to Prison Heat are The Hot Spot (1990), True Romance (1993) and Henry & June (1990). Below are 20 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Prison Heat?
Start with The Hot Spot (1990), the closest match to Prison Heat.
What is the highest-rated movie like Prison Heat?
Brokeback Mountain (2005), rated 7.8/10 by 7,811 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Prison Heat?
Free at Heart (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Prison Heat?
Yes: The Hot Spot (1990), True Romance (1993) and Henry & June (1990).
How are movies similar to Prison Heat chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Prison Heat, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.