Movies like Neelathamara (2009)
The best movies like Neelathamara (2009) are Won't Back Down (2012), The Secret Garden (1993) and I Believe (2019). If Neelathamara hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBlack Narcissus (1947)7.5/10 from 591 votes
- NewestOmaha (2025)Released 2025
- In MalayalamSukhamayirikkatte (2016)Also in Malayalam
Won't Back Down (2012)
Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret Garden (1993)
A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and forgotten. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Believe (2019)
A 9 year old boy experiences God's power in a supernatural way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Locket (1946)
A dark personal secret drives a young woman to use every man she encounters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American. But after the death of the Earl's remaining son, he decides to accept Cedric as his heir.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWonderstruck (2017)
The story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in New York from fifty years ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrand Upon the Brain! (2007)
After returning home to his long-estranged mother upon a request from her deathbed, a man raised by his parents in an orphanage has to confront the childhood memories that have long haunted him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHere (2024)
An odyssey through time and memory, centered on a place in New Jersey where—from wilderness, and then, later, from a home—love, loss, struggle, hope and legacy play out between couples and families over generations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Narcissus (1947)
A group of Anglican nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, are sent to a mountain in the Himalayas. The climate in the region is hostile and the nuns are housed in an odd old palace. They work to establish a school and a hospital, but slowly their focus shifts. Sister Ruth falls for a government worker, Mr. Dean, and begins to question her vow of celibacy. As Sister Ruth obsesses over Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh becomes immersed in her own memories of love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Second Chance (2011)
A young girl and her coach overcome adversity to make their way into the National Australian Gymnastics Squad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisImagine (2012)
A blind teacher breaks the rules to help a female student rediscover the pleasures of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHurry Sundown (1967)
A ruthless Southern opportunist tries to buy his cousin's land, and when thwarted, brings several tragedies to the lives of his loved ones.
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 thisThe Keys of the Kingdom (1944)
A young priest, Father Chisholm is sent to China to establish a Catholic parish among the non-Christian Chinese. While his boyhood friend, also a priest, flourishes in his calling as a priest in a more Christian area of the world, Father Chisholm struggles. He encounters hostility, isolation, disease, poverty and a variety of set backs which humble him, but make him more determined than ever to succeed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Good Witch's Gift (2010)
Almost as soon as Jake and Cassie decide to get married on Christmas Eve, complications arise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOmaha (2025)
A young girl and her brother are awoken by their father and loaded into the car on an early morning in 2008. As they road trip across the American West, she discovers the truth about their seemingly spontaneous journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Believe in Unicorns (2015)
Feeling awkward and isolated, an imaginative and strong-willed teenage girl runs away from home with an older punk rock drifter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJourney to Bethlehem (2023)
A young woman carrying an unimaginable responsibility. A young man torn between love and honor. A jealous king who will stop at nothing to keep his crown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe House of Ghosts (1998)
A doctor opens an ordination in the abandoned house of his parents which is supposedly haunted by ghosts, as claimed by its only tenants - the old servant and two maids. He starts having nightmares in which a pretty and young girl shows up.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Few Days with Me (1988)
After being discharged from a mental institution, a man is tasked by his mother to revive a struggling supermarket in Limoges. He must navigate unexpected responsibilities and the challenges of managing the store's staff.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisSukhamayirikkatte (2016)
Ravunni Mash is an affable person. He is so concerned about his daughter Sreelakshmi. But when Sreelakshmi grows up, his dreams are shattered. Movie deals with the issues that arise in the lives of people due to different religious beliefs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Aakashathinum Bhoomikkumidayil (2017)
The movie revolves around a village in northern Kerala where political murders happen and In such one incident a guy is murdered mistaking him to be someone else. The families of both are left stranded and the film takes us through the incidents that happen to the children of both the family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Valappottukal (2017)
Valappottukal is a Malayalam drama written and directed by MadhuThathampally, in his debut venture. The movie stars Madhu, Sudheer Karamana and Boban Alummoodan in lead roles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Swayam (2017)
Swayam portrays the life of Meron, an autistic son of a Malayalee couple settled in Germany. His mother, Agnes is compassionate about her son's condition despite the indifference of her husband. When Meron shows interest in football, Agnes puts her weight behind him to pursue that dream.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Devayanam (2017)
An elderly woman deals with her gripping extreme fear of death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ayal Jeevichirippundu (2017)
John Mathew (Vijay Babu) is a booker prize winning novelist who is on vacation in Goa. Struggling with figuring out a theme for his next book; he meets a fisherman Murukan (Manikandan) who hails from Kerala. The two bond well and join together in their journey.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Kolumittayi (2016)
Unni and his friends move to the 6th grade after the new academic year begins. He loves his school life mainly because of his crush Riya and feels threatened by the newcomer in his class - Roney. Soon they lock horns and are in competition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Olappeeppi (2016)
Olappeeppi portrays the story of an ordinary Malayali family and the changes in the socio-economic scene in Kerala from 1970's to the 2000's . As the name suggests, its about colours of the past, taking us to that era along with a boy named Unni and his grandmother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Neelathamara and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Neelathamara?
The closest matches to Neelathamara are Won't Back Down (2012), The Secret Garden (1993) and I Believe (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Neelathamara?
Start with Won't Back Down (2012), the closest match to Neelathamara.
What is the highest-rated movie like Neelathamara?
Black Narcissus (1947), rated 7.5/10 by 591 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Neelathamara?
Omaha (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like Neelathamara?
Yes: Sukhamayirikkatte (2016), Aakashathinum Bhoomikkumidayil (2017) and Valappottukal (2017).
How are movies similar to Neelathamara chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Neelathamara, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.