Movies like White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused (1993)
The best movies like White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused (1993) are Taboo (1999), Tokyo Decadence (1992) and Kids (1995). If White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Normal Heart (2014)7.7/10 from 941 votes
- NewestDying for Love (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseTaboo (1999)Also in Japanese
Taboo (1999)
Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering on a handsome young samurai named Sozaburo Kano. The school's stern master can choose to intervene, or to let Kano decide his own path.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTokyo Decadence (1992)
A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of appeasement for the fact that her lover has married.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKids (1995)
A group of bored, disaffected New York City teenagers spend a day skating, smoking, drinking, partying, deflowering virgins, and getting into fights.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Brother the Devil (2012)
Fourteen-year-old Mo is a lonely, sensitive boy whose hunger for the rant and banter of buddies makes him prone to tread dangerous territories. He idolizes his handsome older brother, Rashid, a charismatic, well-respected member of a local gang, whose drug dealing enables “Rash” to provide for his family. Aching to be seen as a tough guy himself, Mo takes a job that unlocks a fateful turn of events and forces the brothers to confront their inner demons. It turns out that hate is easy. It is love and understanding that take real courage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue (1993)
Against a plain, unchanging blue screen, a densely interwoven soundtrack of voices, sound effects and music attempt to convey a portrait of Derek Jarman's experiences with AIDS, both literally and allegorically, together with an exploration of the meanings associated with the colour blue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFrom Straight A's to XXX (2017)
When a change of circumstances leaves Miriam unable to pay her college tuition, she makes a surprising decision: to start performing in adult films, using the pseudonym Belle Knox. Miriam lies to her family and her friends at school, keeping her double life a secret. But soon rumours spread and Miriam becomes the subject of vicious online attacks and unwanted attention. Miriam fights back: she talks to the media, saying her new line of work empowers her as a feminist. But her confident stand has unintended consequences. Miriam is shunned by her conservative family and her colleagues in the adult film world. One impulsive decision has quickly spiralled out of control - and Miriam's problems are just beginning.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisAn Englishman in New York (2009)
Biographical drama based on the last 20 years of Crisp's life. The literary figure and gay iconoclast emigrated to New York in 1981 and lived there until his death. The film observes Crisp in both his public and private lives, from his seemingly cavalier response to the outbreak of AIDS to his tender relationship with his friend Patrick Angus and his own response to growing old.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSakuran (2006)
Kiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGetting Go: The Go Doc Project (2013)
Too shy to make a proper introduction, a recent college grad devises to shoot a documentary about the NYC nightlife scene in order to meet the go-go guy he’s cyber-obsessed with.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Cobra (2016)
It’s 2006, YouTube is in its infancy, and internet porn is still behind a paywall. Taking the stage name Brent Corrigan, a fresh-faced, wannabe adult video performer is molded into a star by Stephen, a closeted gay porn mogul who runs the skin flick empire Cobra Video from his seemingly ordinary suburban home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisAntiporno (2017)
Kyôko, a traumatized young Japanese girl, finds herself struggling with her self-confidence in her adult life. Growing up in a family without her mother and her sister, she constantly questions the rationale of sex and the notion of liberty in modern Japanese society.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Normal Heart (2014)
The story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation's sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPretty Boy (2015)
Sean is taken to a motel and is given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father. He must sleep with her to "fix" his questionable homosexuality. "Pretty Boy" is a coming of age story of a young bullied teen, Sean, struggling with his sexuality and the hardships of high school. After his father finds some questionable magazines in his room, this devout Christian will go to any lengths to get his son to find the light and "perform" the way a man should. Sean is introduced to Katie, a prostitute that understands the stigmas of modern society and helps him see the true light that is within him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFaith Like Potatoes (2006)
Frank Rautenbach leads a strong cast as Angus Buchan, a Zambian farmer of Scottish heritage, who leaves his farm in the midst of political unrest and racially charged land reclaims and travels south with his family to start a better life in KwaZulu Natal,South Africa.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
The story of two radically different men thrown together in a Latin American prison cell. One is Valentin, a journalist being tortured for his political beliefs. The other is Molina, a gay window-dresser who fills their lonely nights by spinning romantic fantasies drawn from memories of old movies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisWhere the Day Takes You (1992)
King is a young man, but he's already a veteran of life on the streets of Los Angeles. The de facto leader of a group of teenage runaways, King acts as a mentor to troubled kids such as gay hustler Little J and junkie Greg. When Heather, a beautiful girl from Chicago, starts hanging out with King and his crew, it changes the dynamic of the gang. However, it seems as though nothing will alter their dangerous lifestyle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCall Boy (2018)
Ryo Morinaka is a university student and works part-time at a bar. He is bored with his daily life and exists in a state of torpor. One day, his friend Shinya Tajima brings the owner of a host bar over to the place where Ryo Morinaka works. Shizuka Mido is the owner of the host bar. Soon, Ryo Morinaka begins to work for Shizuka Mido at the members only host bar. He feels embarrassment initially, but he fulfills the desires of women and develops a sense of purpose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPink Narcissus (1971)
An outrageous erotic poem focusing on the daydreams of a beautiful boy prostitute who, from the seclusion of his ultra-kitsch apartment, conceives a series of interlinked narcissistic fantasies populated by matadors, dancing boys, slaves, and leather-clad bikers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fluffer (2001)
Self-effacing, boyish Sean moves to LA to pursue a career in movies but finds it tougher than he imagined. He stumbles onto porn star Johnny Rebel - a handsome, muscled dream of men and women alike - who awakens Sean’s deep obsession.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisSometimes... Like a Prostitute (1978)
A man with a medical condition and a guilty past becomes obsessed with a simple minded girl he finds in a park. His wife is not thrilled when he brings her home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Dying for Love (2026)
In 1991 Miami, a young woman secretly dying of HIV finally finds the man of her dreams, and risks the only thing scarier than her diagnosis—telling the fatal truth to the man she loves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ecstasy of the Angels (1972)
A militant revolutionary group is torn apart by betrayal as its members descend into paranoia and sexual decadence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sex Zone (1968)
Inspired by the true story of a Geisha murdered in a city famous for its baths, Adachi forged here his favorite style, a kind of conceptual documentary recounting the incident in monotone. The same event that at the beginning of Violated Angels escaped every principle of causality, is portrayed here as a singular anti-spectacle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sex Documentary Technique (1978)
Pink film by Mamoru Watanabe.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Married Women Who Want to Do It (2003)
Annoyed by her husband's boorish sexual behavior, newlywed Aya joins her female friend Kei in an extra-marital fling. She records the experience on her cell phone camera to show her husband the advantages of a more romantic love-making technique. Kei later introduces the couple to a sex counselor.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Bullying Housewives: Lewd Heaven (2000)
Byakumaru, who achieved great sales as a supermarket manager in a rural town in the Kanto region, received a special bonus of 1 million yen and a three-day vacation. Byakumaru decides to use the bonus and vacation time to reunite with his older sister, who he lost in his childhood. His parents died in a traffic accident, and he grew up in a relative's home, but was later placed in different homes and his whereabouts were never known. As a result of the investigation by Koshinsho, there are four housewives from Shiromaru's area living in a certain housing complex in Tokyo, and one of them appears to be Shiromaru's older sister. Shiromaru heads to the housing complex with Ayaka, an employee of Koshinsho, but...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Saki Mizusawa's Mistress Application (1994)
A woman who works part-time at a publishing company while attending university. She has good taste, but she has a shy personality, and she was the type to lose money. One day, she was predicted by a fortune teller who was passing by that "another you will appear", and on her way home, she suddenly felt dizzy and when she opened her eyes, she had a strange experience in which everything appeared red. And from that day on, her personality changed...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sticky Wife, Begging Wife II: While being Watched by her Husband (1997)
Editor Kurumada is in charge of the popular author Hara. When he receives a call from the capricious Hara and goes to retrieve the manuscript, Hara hugs his wife, Mariko, in his study as if to show off to Kurumada. Even though Kurumada suppressed her rising anger, Mariko's foolishness still stuck in her mind. Afterwards, Kurumada is invited to Mariko's home and begins a relationship with her. The incident was videotaped by Hara. Hara claims that he has the right to embrace Kurumada's wife, Yumi... The second work in the series depicting the sexual behavior of a married woman who indulges in swapping.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Groper Train: One Shot in the Morning (1989)
Yoriko hears an unexpected story from lawyer Sanada. Her great-aunt, who lives in America, says that if Yoriko marries Daizaburo, she will inherit all of her 2 billion yen inheritance. However, Yoriko has never him and does not know where he is. All she knows is that he is a habitual groper and has a star tattoo on his groin. With the help of her best friend Ryoko, Yoriko gets on the train and approaches a group of men...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused?
The closest matches to White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused are Taboo (1999), Tokyo Decadence (1992) and Kids (1995). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused?
Start with Taboo (1999), the closest match to White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused.
What is the highest-rated movie like White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused?
The Normal Heart (2014), rated 7.7/10 by 941 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused?
Dying for Love (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused?
Yes: Taboo (1999), Tokyo Decadence (1992) and Sakuran (2006).
How are movies similar to White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside White Rose of Santa Monica: Confused, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.