Skip to content

Movies like Secrets of 1979 (2021)

The best movies like Secrets of 1979 (2021) are Girl in the Box (2016), My Dinner with Hervé (2018) and Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996). If Secrets of 1979 hooked you with its tv movie and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Girl in the Box (2016)

    The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. My Dinner with Hervé (2018)

    An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Rebound: 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 this
  4. A Bramble House Christmas (2017)

    While settling his father’s estate, Finn Conrad becomes suspicious as to why the man left a nurse $100,000. His dad knew her for less than two months before he died. Just before Christmas, Finn wants what to reclaim what he considers his family’s money, going undercover to investigate the bed and breakfast the nurse has recently taken over. When Finn meets Willa, he discovers she’s not a conniving gold digger at all, but a woman in need who put the money to good use. When she discovers his true identity, will it keep Willa from ever trusting him again?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. TalhotBlond (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 this
  6. I Am Elizabeth Smart (2017)

    The story of Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping and captivity, as told from her perspective.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Iron 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 this
  8. Sound of Christmas (2016)

    Lizzie is a young piano teacher working at a music school while trying to save enough money for a Steinway piano. The school is gearing up for their major Christmas fundraiser and she has committed much of her time to plan the event. One afternoon, she meets Brad who takes an interest in her playing and asks if she will teach his uninterested teenage daughter. She begins to break through to the young girl, and sparks begin to fly with Brad, but she is shocked to find out that his interest is not solely in her playing, but in the property that houses the music school. She sets out to save the school and the event, but can she work things out with Brad?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006)

    A college student must take care of her 7-year-old half sister after the death of their parents.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal (2008)

    Based on a true story. Five high school cheerleaders, including the daughter of the school principal, run amok -- and teachers, parents and administrators allow them to get away with a wide range of scandalous behavior. Known as the "Fab Five," the girls disregard school rules, drink alcohol and post suggestive pictures on the Internet. But when the new cheerleading coach attempts to discipline them, her superiors ask her to resign.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  11. Cheaters (2000)

    In the fall of 1994, a teacher at Chicago's run-down Steinmetz High conspires with the school's academic decathlon team to cheat on an academic competition.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. American Son (2019)

    Time passes and tension mounts in a Florida police station as an estranged interracial couple awaits news of their missing teenage son.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. Hello (2022)

    An emotionally unavailable flight attendant meets a potential love interest and later finds out that her "perfect guy" has ulterior motives. As the clock ticks down on New Year's Eve, she must fight to keep her murdered ex-boyfriend's secrets or find herself dead.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. Love Finds You in Charm (2015)

    A young Amish woman, who isn't satisfied with her path at home, visits a cousin for the summer. Over the summer, she is exposed to another world, finds friendship and more. Soon she must choose and come to terms with the life she wants.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Double Teamed! (2002)

    Heather and Heidi play volleyball for their school team, when their family decides that they need to go to a bigger school so that they will have a better chance for scholarships. But at the new school, the twins are discovered by the basketball coach. Inspired by the true story of Heather and Heidi Burge.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)

    An acclaimed stage performer, Dorothy still struggled with the challenge of her color, in a time that wouldn't let some stars in by the front door. Yet against the odds she beat out many more famous rivals for the role of "Carmen Jones", becoming the first black woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. Marriages and affairs would break her heart, but her heart was strong. Seductive and easily seduced, she was born to be a star - with all the glory and all the pain of being loved, abused, cheated, glorified, undermined and undefeated. Here was a woman who wouldn't wait in the wings. Halle Berry stars as Dorothy Dandrige.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland (2017)

    Based on the best-selling book, Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days, and told through the eyes of Jackson's trusted bodyguards, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard. The movie will reveal firsthand the devotion Michael Jackson had to his children, and the hidden drama that took place during the last two years of his life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. The Gabby Douglas Story (2014)

    The true story of Gabby Douglas who becomes the first African American to be named Individual All-Around Champion in artistic gymnastics at the Olympic Games.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. Hands 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 this
  20. One Second (2020)

    A movie fan escapes from a labour camp during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and strikes up a relationship with a homeless female vagabond.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  21. Is Mausi Coming Out? (1995)

    Kati leaves her hometown - a small provincetown in northwestern Germany - to live in the city of Hamburg. Being about 18 years old she has just finished school and seeks her freedom away from home. She knows she loves women but never dared to live accordingly. In Hamburg she soon finds a lover and a good friend, too, and the strength to face the narrow-minded people at home. After struggling with it for some time she returns for a visit to tell at least her mother and best friend.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  22. BRAVAS (2026)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  23. The Fishbowl Girl (2024)

    Wei, a young lesbian, goes to Thailand on a graduation trip. After witnessing an intimate interaction between the girl she fancies and a male friend, she goes to a Thai massage parlour, but the experience isn't as beautiful as she envisioned.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  24. My Old Gals (2023)

    After 50 years, Zofia and Ania are deciding to go on their last journey together to fight for their old love.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. Nova & Alice (2024)

    Nova and Alice are two contrasting artists who are reluctantly forced to go on a joint tour by their manager. The clash is inevitable - both musically and personally.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. Mother Tongue (2010)

    Ruth has been with Nora for fourteen years. Everybody knows about their relationship except for her mother Estela, who has never suspected it. Ruth, who is almost forty, feels the need to confess her homosexuality to her mother, who at first is shocked and collapses on the floor. She then feels the desire to understand her daughter, who has hidden an important part of her life from her for many years. So elderly Estela begins to discover the L-World: she reads books and magazines, she tries to meet her daughter's ex girlfriends and she goes to lesbian nightclubs and meeting-places, creating misunderstandings and comic situations. What does Ruth think about this? At first, she is annoyed by her mother's intrusion into her life, but she will soon understand Estela's reasons and she will rely on her to get over her crisis with Nora. This sharp, amusing comedy deals with the difficult parent-child relationship, which is portrayed through irony and without hypocrisy.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  27. The Edge of Heaven (2007)

    The lives of six German-Turkish immigrants are drawn together by circumstance: An old man and a prostitute forging a partnership, a young scholar reconciling his past, two young women falling in love, and a mother putting the shattered pieces of her life back together.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  28. Imagine Me & You (2006)

    During her wedding ceremony, Rachel notices Luce in the audience and feels instantly drawn to her. The two women become close friends, and when Rachel learns that Luce is a lesbian, she realizes that despite her happy marriage to Heck, she is falling for Luce. As she questions her sexual orientation, Rachel must decide between her stable relationship with Heck and her exhilarating new romance with Luce.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  29. Indecent (2017)

    The Tony Award-winning play, based on the story of a Broadway acting troupe arrested for indecency for performing Sholem Asch's "God of Vengeance" and their fight against censorship.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. Time Was (2025)

    Beth's new house is supposed to be a fresh start, but eerie disturbances make it feel anything but home. Then she meets Melissa-an alluring designer who offers her help. As they work together, Beth finds herself drawn to her in ways she can't explain. But as strange events intensify, so do Beth's doubts. Is she losing her grip on reality, or is something far more unexplainable at play?

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Like Secrets of 1979 and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Secrets of 1979?

The closest matches to Secrets of 1979 are Girl in the Box (2016), My Dinner with Hervé (2018) and Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Secrets of 1979?

Start with Girl in the Box (2016), the closest match to Secrets of 1979.

What is the highest-rated movie like Secrets of 1979?

Imagine Me & You (2006), rated 7.6/10 by 1,153 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Secrets of 1979?

BRAVAS (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Chinese movies like Secrets of 1979?

Yes: One Second (2020) and The Fishbowl Girl (2024).

How are movies similar to Secrets of 1979 chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Secrets of 1979, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Full search page