Movies like Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun) (2011)
The best movies like Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun) (2011) are Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022), Mr. Turner (2014) and Rescue at Dongji (2025). If Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun) hooked you with its history and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun)
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Hill (2023)7.7/10 from 327 votes
- NewestBeast (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseRescue at Dongji (2025)Also in Chinese
Prizefighter: 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 history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Turner (2014)
Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful housekeeper bears an unrequited love for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRescue at Dongji (2025)
Inspired by the real life rescue of over 300 British soldiers in 1942, Dongji Rescue is a rousing, action-packed story of heroism on the high seas. When the Japanese warship Lisbon Maru is torpedoed off the coast of Dongji Island, the lives of over 300 British POWs on board are at risk of being claimed by the sea. Their only hope is a small group of defiant Chinese fisherman who will do anything to rescue and protect them from their captors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Hill (2023)
The story of Rickey Hill, who overcomes his physical disability and repairs his relationship with his father in a quest to become a major league baseball (MLB) player.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLegends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (2025)
Under Genghis Khan, the Mongolian army pushes west to destroy the Jin Dynasty, setting its sights on the Song Dynasty next. Amid internal conflicts among martial arts schools, Guo Jing unites the Central Plains' warriors to defend Xiangyang, embodying courage and loyalty in the fight for the nation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisField of Lost Shoes (2015)
A group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSacrifice (2010)
For generations the Zhao family has wielded power, until their mortal enemy TU’AN GU slaughters the entire clan, determined to wipe out their influence forever. But one Zhao baby survives hidden by CHENG YING the doctor who delivered him. When Tu’an Gu learns of the baby’s escape he seizes every infant in the city, vowing to kill them all unless the Zhao baby is surrendered. As the tyrant’s soldiers arrive at Cheng Ying’s home the frantic doctor hides his wife with their own baby whilst surrendering the Zhao child as his own. But his family is discovered; his baby is presumed to be the Zhao heir and murdered along with his wife for harboring the infant. Now set on revenge Cheng Ying enrolls the Zhao orphan into the service of the Tu’an Gu household, plotting to use him as an instrument of vengeance when he comes of age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Month in the Country (1987)
A destitute WWI veteran is hired to help carry out restoration work on a medieval mural in a rural Yorkshire church. While living in the quiet village, he forms a close friendship with an archaeologist and begins to come to terms with his trauma.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMary (2024)
A miraculous conception. A merciless king. A murderous pursuit. Mary's journey to give birth to Jesus unfolds in this biblical coming-of-age epic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDalíland (2022)
In 1973, a young gallery assistant goes on a wild adventure behind the scenes as he helps aging genius Salvador Dali prepare for a big show in New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisWorth (2021)
Kenneth Feinberg, a powerful D.C. lawyer appointed Special Master of the 9/11 Fund, fights off the cynicism, bureaucracy, and politics associated with administering government funds and, in doing so, discovers what life is worth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEnd of the Spear (2005)
"End of the Spear" is the story of Mincayani, a Waodani tribesman from the jungles of Ecuador. When five young missionaries, among them Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, are speared to death by the Waodani in 1956, a series of events unfold to change the lives of not only the slain missionaries' families, but also Mincayani and his people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOutlaws - For Greater Glory (2012)
A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Scarlet and the Black (1983)
Fr. Hugh O'Flaherty is a Vatican official in 1943-45 who has been hiding downed pilots, escaped prisoners of war, and Italian resistance families. His activities become so large that the Nazis decide to assassinate him the next time he leaves the Vatican.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Most Hated Woman in America (2017)
The true story of Madalyn Murray O'Hair -- iconoclast, opportunist, and outspoken atheist -- from her controversial rise to her untimely demise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Girl Who Believes in Miracles (2021)
When Sara hears a preacher say faith can move mountains, she starts praying. Suddenly people in her town are mysteriously healed! But fame soon takes its toll – can Sara’s family save her before it’s too late?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisWaiting for Anya (2020)
During the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGezhi Town (2025)
A group of Chinese refugees and straggler soldiers, led by a machinist, defend their mountain town, "Gezhi," against a surprise attack by Japanese reconnaissance troops in a desperate fight using civilian ingenuity against a trained military force.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeptember 19th (2021)
Jorge loses his wife and daughter in the 1985 earthquake; the tragedy drives him to become a rescuer—a way, he believes, to save his own family—and he goes on to experience disasters all over the world. He attempts to foster a culture of prevention, though with little success; then, in 2017, he is put to the test once again, facing the greatest tragedy of his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Kobe Shinbun no Nanokakan (2010)
Also known as the "Kobe earthquake," the massive earthquake struck the southern Hyogo prefecture on January 17, 1995 and resulted in more than 6,400 casualties. The drama will focus on the reporters working for the Kobe Shimbun, who were determined to keep the newspaper running without interruption, despite the damage suffered during the earthquake. The characters in the drama will all be based on real people, using their real names. Sakurai stars as the photo reporter Tomohiko Mitsuyama, who had joined Kobe Shimbun four years before the earthquake. The show will also have documentary segments such as interviews, including an appearance by Mitsuyama himself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Short Cuts (1993)
Many loosely connected characters cross paths in this film, based on the stories of Raymond Carver. Waitress Doreen Piggot accidentally runs into a boy with her car. Soon after walking away, the child lapses into a coma. While at the hospital, the boy's grandfather tells his son, Howard, about his past affairs. Meanwhile, a baker starts harassing the family when they fail to pick up the boy's birthday cake.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPlanetquake (2024)
A tectonic shift deep below the Mariana Trench causes a series of ever escalating earthquakes. If a team of leading seismologists fails to stop the disaster, the events will break apart the Earth, resulting in billions of casualties. Finally, someone’s paying attention to our leading seismologists.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Earthquake Miracle (2019)
The movie "Earthquake Miracle" is based on real events in the Tangshan earthquake 43 years ago, telling a miraculous story of 10,000 people surviving. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake erupted in Tangshan on July 28, 1976. In just 23 seconds, Tangshan was razed to the ground. Miners were trapped underground, not knowing if they will see their families again.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Turn Around (2017)
Turn Around is based on the story of Cheng-chung Wang, a passionate Taiwanese teacher who has won multiple educational awards. After graduating from the National Kaohsiung Normal University, he is assigned to teach at a school located at the rural Zhongliao in Nantou County, which is lacking in educational resources. As he is preparing to leave at the end of his assignment, the area is met with the deadly 921 earthquake. Seeing the students breaking down in tears and asking for his return, Wang decides to stay with the school to improve the education of the students.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Asako I & II (2018)
Asako lives in Osaka. She falls in love with Baku, a free-spirit. One day, Baku suddenly disappears. Two years later, Asako now lives in Tokyo and meets Ryohei. He looks just like Baku, but has a completely different personality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSatyricon (1969)
After his young lover, Gitone, leaves him for another man, Encolpio decides to kill himself, but a sudden earthquake destroys his home before he has a chance to do so. Now wandering around Rome in the time of Nero, Encolpio encounters one bizarre and surreal scene after another.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Child (2009)
harming drama set in a rural area of post-war Iran. This heartwarming story follows a thoughtful young woman who serves as a leader to the community and a seemingly naive young man who is smitten with a local girl. The film observes their customs and traditions in the tranquil setting of their natural environment. Despite the irreparable damage to their lives due to the war, the villagers remain warm-hearted and kind to those they encounter. The past haunts their lives, but their hearts remain pure and strong in war torn times.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Spider Lilies (2007)
When Jade, a web-cam girl, visits Takeko's tattoo studio she becomes entranced with the image of the spider lily and with Takeko as well. In order to get closer to the object of her desire, Jade asks Takeko to give her the same lily tattoo, challenging Takeko's monastic existence and opening up memories which threaten to tear the two women apart.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun)?
The closest matches to Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun) are Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022), Mr. Turner (2014) and Rescue at Dongji (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun)?
Start with Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022), the closest match to Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun).
What is the highest-rated movie like Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun)?
The Hill (2023), rated 7.7/10 by 327 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun)?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun)?
Yes: Rescue at Dongji (2025), Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (2025) and Sacrifice (2010).
How are movies similar to Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun) chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Bright Sunshine (a.k.a. The Sun), then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.