Movies like Walking Backwards (2020)
The best movies like Walking Backwards (2020) are Thread of Lies (2014), Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (2019) and Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013). If Walking Backwards hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Way Home (2002)8.0/10 from 242 votes
- NewestGoodbye June (2025)Released 2025
- In KoreanThread of Lies (2014)Also in Korean
Thread of Lies (2014)
Cheon-ji's unexpected suicide causes her mother Hyeon-sook and older sister Man-ji to be moved into another apartment. Tracking down clues from school, Man-ji discovers that Cheon-ji's best friend Hwa-yeon is behind everything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKim Ji-young: Born 1982 (2019)
Kim Ji-young, an ordinary woman in her 30s, suddenly shows signs of being inhabited by other women from her life, past and present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNobody's Daughter Haewon (2013)
Facing her mother’s departure and the weight of a secret affair with her professor, college student Haewon drifts through a series of encounters and dreams, blurring the lines between her desires and reality.
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 thisTake Care of My Cat (2001)
When one girl from five close school friends moves to Seoul after school is over, the other four try and deal with the loss of her moving and them drifting apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBastard 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIdol Seungha's R-Rated Film Shooting (2021)
Film producer Na-eun and director Yeong-tae are on the verge of shelving out cash for an adult film production. They're too busy blaming each other for the messed-up filming. Before another filming begins, Na-eun suggests Yeong-tae to become an actor himself and practice filming. Na-eun leads the shy Yeong-tae very skillfully. How far will the practice go...?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoodbye June (2025)
Four siblings' lives change drastically when their ailing mother takes a turn for the worse over the holiday season.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTreeless Mountain (2009)
A Korean woman leaves her two young daughters with her sister-in-law to search for their estranged father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight and Day (2008)
Kim Seong-nam travels to Paris to escape an arrest, leaving his wife behind in Korea. After he arrives, he meets an ex-girlfriend and is introduced to a small community of Korean artists.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn Front of Your Face (2021)
She has never lived in a high-rise apartment, and she wonders how her sister can live at this height every day. A few days ago she kind of burst in to stay with her sister, and she is now becoming re-accustomed to life in Korea. While seeming to keep a grave secret to herself, she manages life one day at a time with a sense of mindfulness. Meanwhile a certain director, some years younger than her, has asked her to join his project, and after a polite refusal, they have agreed to meet for the first time today. Downtown Seoul is filled with narrow alleys that harbor tiny old bars, and that's where they meet. As they are getting drunk, there is sudden rainfall and thunder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigh Society (2018)
The story of the journey of married couple up the social latter. The husband is professor at Seoul National University who is running for the National Assembly, and his wife is a painter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMiracle: Letters to the President (2021)
Dreaming of making a way station for his sister and the villagers who have no choice but to commute along the dangerous train tracks every day, Joon-kyung sends many letters to the President, but with no reply. Ra-hee, who has a crush on Joon-kyung, does everything she can to help him meet the President.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Day a Pig Fell Into the Well (1996)
The lives of 4 interconnected South Koreans – a married couple, a novelist the wife is having an affair with, and a second woman the novelist is simultaneously involved with.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisXiu 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSalomé (2013)
After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé comes before her king with an unreasonable demand. Beguiled by John the Baptist, and then scorned for the sake of his god, lascivious Salomé—encouraged by her mother, the vindictive, Herodias—commands that John be executed and his head delivered on a silver platter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Way Home (2002)
This is the story of a 7-year-old boy, Sang-woo, born and raised in the big city, and his mute grandmother, who has spent her whole life in a small rural village.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThree Wishes (1995)
While Jane Holman is driving with her two sons, she accidentally runs into a drifter, Jack McCloud, who breaks his leg. Being responsible, Jane invites Jack, and his dog, to stay at her home until his leg has healed. Jack struggles to adapt their lifestyle, and finds himself loved by the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAfter All (2017)
After All is said and done. A man clears out his childhood home, remembering past conversations.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Fireflies (TBA)
Under the scorching heat of the Belgian Ardennes, Lola returns to the family home after a year away. She reunites with her younger sister, Camille, who has been taking care of their mother, Anne, suffering from Alzheimer’s. During this afternoon, tension builds between the sisters as Anne wanders off into the woods, while a violent wildfire spreads through the region.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
After the Winter (2012)
Después del invierno (After the Winter) is a modern fable. We discover through three characters in extreme situations the human ability to succeed in any situation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Die Anruferin (2008)
A lonely woman's prank phone call leads to an unexpected friendship with a grieving widow.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Moments: Mother (2022)
A woman looking for her kidnapped son finds one of the men who took him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Wolfsong (2013)
A mother wolf breaks into a hunter's den and takes back her cub, only to find it a motionless trophy. She sings a lullaby hoping that the cub would finally sleep. Little does she know that a young hunter stalks them back from the den.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Winter to Remember (2016)
When we first meet Lucia she is withdrawn and isolated from her friends and family, dealing with anxiety attacks and a legion of secrets. But when she meets bright and carefree Olivia, Lucia seizes the opportunity to break out of her shell and live the life she was afraid to admit she wanted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLa Madre (2010)
A child wakes up screaming every night. Horrible nightmares torment him, but when he wakes up he can't remember what his fears are. His loving mother will try to comfort him without knowing that his nightmare will soon come true...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kabei: Our Mother (2008)
Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to maintain the household and bring up her two daughters with the support of Shigeru's sister Hisako and Shigeru's ex-student Yamazaki, but her husband does not return. WWII breaks out and casts dark shadows on the entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her cheerful determination, and sustain the family with her love. This is an emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisParis (2008)
Pierre, a professional dancer, suffers from a serious heart disease. While he is waiting for a transplant which may (or may not) save his life, he has nothing better to do than look at the people around him, from the balcony of his Paris apartment.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Walking Backwards and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Walking Backwards?
The closest matches to Walking Backwards are Thread of Lies (2014), Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (2019) and Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Walking Backwards?
Start with Thread of Lies (2014), the closest match to Walking Backwards.
What is the highest-rated movie like Walking Backwards?
The Way Home (2002), rated 8.0/10 by 242 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Walking Backwards?
Goodbye June (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like Walking Backwards?
Yes: Thread of Lies (2014), Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (2019) and Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013).
How are movies similar to Walking Backwards chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Walking Backwards, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.