Movies like Maalesh Ya Zahar (1950)
The best movies like Maalesh Ya Zahar (1950) are Battle of the Year (2013), Mo' Better Blues (1990) and Taurus (2022). If Maalesh Ya Zahar hooked you with its drama and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBattle of the Year (2013)6.8/10 from 369 votes
- NewestKoroviy Val (2026)Released 2026
Battle of the Year (2013)
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMo' Better Blues (1990)
Talented but self-centered trumpeter Bleek Gilliam is obsessed with his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo and Clarke. But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend, Bleek finds his world more fragile than he ever imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaurus (2022)
A rising but troubled musician searches for the inspiration to record one last song, pushing himself deep into the void.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisHoneydripper (2007)
In 1950s Alabama, the owner of the Honeydripper juke joint finds his business dropping off and against his better judgment, hires a young electric guitarist in a last ditch effort to draw crowds during harvest time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisToo Late Blues (1961)
Ghost is an ideological musician and leader of a jazz band who would rather play his blues in the park to the birds than compromise himself. His peripatetic performances lead him to cross paths with a singer, while his masculinity is thrown into question following a violent brawl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWild Style (1982)
Legendary New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones plays the part of Zoro, the city's hottest and most elusive graffiti writer. The actual story of the movie concerns the tension between Zoro's passion for his art and his personal life, particularly his strained relationship with fellow artist Rose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mambo Kings (1992)
The Mambo Kings tells the story of César and Nestor Castillo, brothers and aspiring musicians who flee from Cuba to America in search of the American Dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCoda (2020)
A famous pianist at the twilight of his career meets a free-spirited music critic who soon becomes his rock as his mental state deteriorates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
A collection of vignettes highlighting different aspects of the life, work, and character of the acclaimed Canadian classical pianist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClika (2026)
Aspiring small-town musician Chito is determined to make it big. When a clip of him performing one of his songs goes viral, he seizes the opportunity and pushes to carve out a place for himself in the new wave of Mexican-American music... and ultimately gets caught in a game more dangerous than anticipated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCairo Station (1958)
Qinawi, a physically challenged peddler who makes his living selling newspapers in the central Cairo train station, is obsessed with Hanuma, an attractive young woman who sells drinks. While she jokes with him about a possible relationship, she is actually in love with Abu Siri, a strong and respected porter at the station who is struggling to unionize his fellow workers to combat their boss' exploitative and abusive treatment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Three Friends (1966)
Three friends are arrested after committing an accident with their car. After finishing their sentence, they become partners with the owner of a decoration workshop. But he deceives them and spends the money in gambling. They force him to sign a waiver of his workshop but he wants to get it back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe One That Got Away (1957)
Based on the true story of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, the only German prisoner of war captured in Britain to escape back to Germany during the Second World War.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinged Creatures (2009)
A psychotic man opens fire in a diner, murdering numerous people before killing himself. The survivors struggle in different ways following this horrendous event: a doctor doubts his own instincts and elects to use an experimental medical procedure on his wife, while a gambler believes he's on a lucky streak. A waitress begins engaging in promiscuous sex, and a young girl whose father is among the dead gains unexpected fame.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHeatwave (2022)
A woman's life takes an unexpected turn when she falls for her boss's wife. She must soon defend herself as she becomes entangled in a web of malice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMake Mine Music (1946)
In the tradition of Fantasia, Make Mine Music is a glorious collection of musically charged animated shorts featuring such fun-filled favorites as "Peter and the Wolf", narrated by the beloved voice behind Winnie the Pooh. In addition you'll enjoy such classic cartoon hits as "Casey at the Bat," "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" and "Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Good Neighbor (2022)
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTalhotBlond (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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSalting the Battlefield (2014)
David Hare concludes his trilogy of films about MI5 renegade Johnny Worricker with another fugue on power, secrets and the British establishment. Johnny Worricker goes on the run with Margot Tyrell across Europe, and with the net closing in, the former MI5 man knows his only chance of resolving his problems is to return home and confront prime minister Alec Beasley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJawbone (2017)
A former youth boxing champion, Jimmy McCabe is a man in search of hope but looking in all the wrong places. When he hits rock bottom he turns to his childhood boxing club and the only family he has left: gym owner Bill corner man Eddie and promoter Joe. Back in training, years after anyone thought he was a contender, he risks his life, as he tries to stand tall and regain his place in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWind Over the City (1996)
In a small, poor town, a young worker falls in love with an actress from a traveling theater troupe and tries to keep her close, dreaming and working hard to rebuild a new town while the troupe increasingly faces decline and the end of its run.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Nur die Sehnsucht bleibt (1976)
Early short film by Wolfgang Büld
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Explosion (1974)
Engineer Ilir wants to drill for oil in an area in which there exists no data from previous researchers. Faced with disagreement from his colleague, as well as the lack of experience, he is determined to finish the job.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Blues (2022)
'Blues' is a portrait. Ernest Angermüller, a talented young mime artist who became a quadriplegic after a car accident, and Roza Misiewicz, a young Polish immigrant who works as a carer in France. 'Blues' is the story of their meeting, their memories and a fragmented picture of their desires and dreams as young adults in the making.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
La Lunareja (1946)
Adapted from “Las Tradiciones Peruanas” by Ricardo Palma.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Where the Bullets Go (2024)
When a young boy shoots at a bird and misses, he embarks on a search to find where the bullet went.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Track (1970)
A successful doctor comes into conflict with his friends and family and is slowly driven towards suicide.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kiss Me in the Dark (1959)
Lula's father Abdel Hamid loses his wallet. Hussain finds it, and returns it to Abdel Hamid . Impressed by his honesty, Abdel Hamid gives him a job. Lola begins to woo him to forget her life with Aziz, and asks him to work for her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Koroviy Val (2026)
Simple sincerity, serenity, and a pleasant sadness. A weird guy misses a long-gone past and a future that never came to be.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Dead Youth (1967)
The homoerotic poetry of Mutsuo Takahashi sets the stage for these associated images based on male desire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Maalesh Ya Zahar and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Maalesh Ya Zahar?
The closest matches to Maalesh Ya Zahar are Battle of the Year (2013), Mo' Better Blues (1990) and Taurus (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Maalesh Ya Zahar?
Start with Battle of the Year (2013), the closest match to Maalesh Ya Zahar.
What is the highest-rated movie like Maalesh Ya Zahar?
Battle of the Year (2013), rated 6.8/10 by 369 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Maalesh Ya Zahar?
Koroviy Val (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Maalesh Ya Zahar chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Maalesh Ya Zahar, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.