Movies like The Song Lantern (1960)
The best movies like The Song Lantern (1960) are Hounddog (2008), A Dry White Season (1989) and Passion (2008). If The Song Lantern hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhat Maisie Knew (2013)7.1/10 from 466 votes
- NewestThis Is It (2026)Released 2026
- In JapanesePassion (2008)Also in Japanese
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Dry White Season (1989)
During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPassion (2008)
A young couple's announcement of their engagement to their friends is followed by a series of interactions and conflicts that forces everyone to reflect on their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEl Chicano (2019)
A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.
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 thisBlue Chips (1994)
Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Million Yen Girl (2008)
A 21-year-old girl is released from prison, only to deal with the neighborhood gossip about her and family conflicts. She decides to save one million yen, move to where no one knows her and keep repeating the process.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisO.G. (2018)
Louis Menkins is five weeks away from being released after 26 years in prison. He is faced with the decision to put his own release at risk in order to protect a young man named Beecher from growing gang controversies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHome Run (2013)
A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHands of Stone (2016)
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
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 thisNational Theatre Live: Hamlet (2015)
As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father's death but paralyzed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996)
A dramatization of the life of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (Don Cheadle), with a lot of factual based occurrences. A reformed junkie returns from prison to clean up his act and devote the rest of his life to the young kids of Harlem. 1996 was the 25th anniversary of the first tournament named after him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young One (1960)
A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisIron Jawed Angels (2004)
Defiant young activists take the women's suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote.
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 thisThe Ordinary Madness of a Daughter of Ham (1986)
In Jean Rouch's cinematic reinterpretation of Julius-Amédée Laou's theatrical work, a freshly appointed nurse steps into the chaotic world of a psychiatric ward. Tasked with nurturing the minds within, she forms a profound connection with a patient from Martinique who has been confined within the institution's walls for half a century. As their relationship deepens, the lines between reality and delusion blur, weaving a complex narrative of human connection and psychological intrigue.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Bernard Alba's Household (TBA)
an adaptation of a play by Federico Garcia Lorca. After her husband's death, Bernarda Alba imposes eight years mourning period upon her household as the tradition runs in her family. In a household of 5 girls their mother and their grandma the tension and the deprivation arise as the mourning period isolate them from the rest of the village and deprive them of any male contact.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops (2018)
In March, 2017, at a small town, six boys and girls are selected through auditions. They work hard to prepare for a play, but the play is suddenly cancelled. These young people are disappointed at the news. One girl says "let's practice." The six boys and girls want to stand on stage no matter what.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Frankenstein (2022)
Dr Frankenstein obsesses over his creation in Blackeyed Theatre’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, in which The Creature is brought to life through puppetry. Captured live at Wilde Theatre, Bracknell, in 2022, this production features ensemble storytelling, multi-roling and live music and explores themes of revenge, prejudice and ambition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Emilia Galotti (1984)
A tragedy by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
This Is It (2026)
This Is It is an exploration in finding truth within labour, creativity, and mortality. Written entirely on the job, Kyrstyn Kumor thrusts herself into the endless attempt at finding the answers. This Is It is a play inspired by Jordan Tannahill’s Declarations.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Green Carriage (1967)
Inspired by the life of Varvara Asenkova, a 19th-century actress who earned great acclaim on St. Petersburg stage before her death at the age of 24.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Platée (2025)
Platée, a silly and conceited nymph, falls for a fake wedding to Jupiter, king of the gods. This new staging of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Baroque masterpiece is colourful, eccentric, full of wit and free of taboos, yet also surprisingly deep. Filmed 1st june 2025 at Czech National Theatre, Prague
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
National Theatre Live: Till The Stars Come Down (2024)
It's Sylvia and Marek's wedding and you are all invited. Over the course of a hot summer's day, a family gathers to welcome a newcomer into their midst. But as the vodka flows and dances are shared, passions boil over and the limits of love are tested. What happens when the happiest day of your life opens the door to a new, frightening and uncertain future?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Omero non piange mai (2023)
Andrea Pennacchi questions whether it is still possible to restore the Homeric poems in all their power and tries in his own way, starting with the literal text and then enriching the narrative with reflections, memories, insights and fantasies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like The Song Lantern and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Song Lantern?
The closest matches to The Song Lantern are Hounddog (2008), A Dry White Season (1989) and Passion (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Song Lantern?
Start with Hounddog (2008), the closest match to The Song Lantern.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Song Lantern?
What Maisie Knew (2013), rated 7.1/10 by 466 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Song Lantern?
This Is It (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like The Song Lantern?
Yes: Passion (2008), One Million Yen Girl (2008) and Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops (2018).
How are movies similar to The Song Lantern chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Song Lantern, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.