Movies Like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
If you liked One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1970), a drama movie directed by Casper Wrede, 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
All Day and a Night (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also dramaWhile serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
- 2
Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
★ 7.1/10Also dramaA 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…
- 3
El Chicano (2019)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaA pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.
- 4
Holy Lands (2019)
★ 6.1/10Also dramaWhen lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife…
- 5
Farming (2018)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaBased on the writer/director's childhood, FARMING tells the story of a young Nigerian boy, 'farmed out' by his parents to a white British family in the hope of a better future. Instead, he becomes the feared leader of…
- 6
Hounddog (2008)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaA drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
- 7
Hands of Stone (2016)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaThe legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
- 8
The Cut (2025)
★ 6/10Also dramaA retired boxer intends to return to the ring for one last shot at the title, but first he must make the weight. Holed up in a room in Las Vegas with an unscrupulous trainer, he embarks on an intensive and illegal…
- 9
Bronson (2009)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaA young man who was sentenced to 7 years in prison for robbing a post office ends up spending 30 years in solitary confinement. During this time, his own personality is supplanted by his alter ego, Charles Bronson.
- 10
The Kindness of Strangers (2019)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaClara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter…
- 11
Mexicali (2026)
★ 7.7/10Also dramaA former special forces contractor is forced out of retirement as an avocado farmer in Mexico when local gangsters try to force him and his family off their farm.
- 12
Lorelei (2020)
★ 6/10Also dramaA man is released from prison after 15 years. He reunites with his high school girlfriend, now a single mother of three. What follows is a lyrical take on love, regret and second chances.
- 13
- 14
Nowhere to Run (1993)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaEscaped convict Sam Gillen single-handedly takes on ruthless developers who are determined to evict a widow with two young children.
- 15
The Experiment (2010)
★ 6.4/10Also drama20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
- 16
Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998)
★ 7.2/10Also dramaYoung teen girl Xiu Xiu is sent away to a remote corner of the Sichuan steppes for manual labor in 1975 (sending young people to there was a part of Cultural Revolution in China). A year later, she agrees to go to even…
- 17
A Dry White Season (1989)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaDuring 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.
- 18
The Young One (1960)
★ 7/10Also dramaA 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.
- 19
The Good Neighbor (2022)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaA nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and…
- 20
Convict (2014)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaSet in the dark and old Parramatta prison built by the original convicts our lead character Ray a war veteran finds himself serving 18 months for manslaughter after defending his fiance. He soon realizes that the…