Movies Like Where Nothing Grows

If you liked Where Nothing Grows (2023), a drama and adventure movie directed by Zuo Zhiguo, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
I Am David (2003)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and adventure
A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a…
2
Black Gold (2011)
★ 6.5/10Also adventure and drama
On the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s, two warring leaders come face to face. The victorious Nesib, Emir of Hobeika, lays down his peace terms to rival Amar, Sultan of Salmaah. The two men agree that neither can lay…
3
End of Sentence (2019)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and adventure
Newly widowed Frank Fogle embarks on a journey to Ireland to scatter his late wife’s ashes. His estranged son, Sean, recently released from prison, agrees to join only when his father promises that they’ll never see…
4
Remember (2015)
★ 7.3/10Also drama
With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.
5
Cloudy Mountain (2021)
★ 7.1/10Also adventure and drama
The opening of the new tunnel, which took ten years to build, coincided with a series of serious cataclysms. The lives of 160,000 people depend on the actions of two people, a father and a son.
6
River Wild (2023)
★ 6.4/10Also adventure
Follows a pair of siblings who love but distrust each other as they embark on a white-water rafting trip with a small group. One of their friends from childhood turns out to be more dangerous than he appears.
7
Come Away (2020)
★ 5.8/10Also adventure
Before Alice went to Wonderland, and before Peter became Pan, they were brother and sister. When their eldest brother dies in a tragic accident, they each seek to save their parents from their downward spirals of…
8
The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007)
★ 7.3/10Also drama
When schoolboy Wang Bao discovers a magical gourd that can instantly grant his every wish, the awkward child suddenly becomes a hero amongst his curious classmates. When the gourd proves more of a burden than a…
9
True Grit (1969)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and adventure
The murder of her father sends a teenage tomboy on a mission of 'justice', which involves avenging her father's death. She recruits a tough old marshal, 'Rooster' Cogburn because he has 'true grit', and a reputation of…
10
The Shepherd (2023)
★ 7/10Also drama
On Christmas Eve, a fighter pilot on his way home becomes lost while flying over water and needs a miracle to land safely.
11
Cave Rescue (2019)
★ 5.9/10Also adventure and drama
When a youth football team of 12 boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach is trapped deep inside a cave in Northern Thailand, thousands of volunteers and soldiers from around the world unite in a race against time…
12
Kaili Blues (2016)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
Chen Sheng goes off in search of his nephew who has been abandoned by his father. Along the way, he encounters numerous people from his past and also those from his future.
13
Iron Will (1994)
★ 6.7/10Also adventure
When Will Stoneman's father dies, he is left alone to take care of his mother and their land. Needing money to maintain it, he decides to join a cross country dogsled race. This race will require days of racing for…
14
The Rescue (2020)
★ 7/10Also drama
A rescue unit within the Chinese Coast Guard are forced to overcome their personal differences to resolve a crisis.
15
A Writer's Odyssey (2021)
★ 7.1/10Also adventure and drama
Lu Kongwen is the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager, also named Kongwen, on a quest to end the tyrannical rule of Lord Redmane, under the guidance of a Black Armor. But through a strange…
16
Skater Girl (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
17
Gold (2022)
★ 6.2/10Also adventure
In the not-too-distant future, two drifters traveling through the desert stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found and the dream of immense wealth and greed takes hold. They hatch a plan to excavate their…
18
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
★ 7.5/10Also adventure and drama
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with…
19
Interceptor (2022)
★ 6/10Also adventure
A U.S. Army Captain uses her years of tactical training to save humanity from sixteen nuclear missiles launched at the U.S. as a violent attack threatens her remote missile interceptor station.
20
The Sheltering Sky (1990)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and adventure
An American couple drift toward emptiness in postwar North Africa.