Movies Like Preparation for the Next Life
If you liked Preparation for the Next Life (2025), a drama and romance movie directed by Bing Liu, 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
My Fault: London (2025)
★ 7.4/10Also drama and romance18-year-old Noah moves from America to London, with her mother who's recently fallen in love with William, a wealthy British businessman. Noah meets William’s son, bad-boy Nick, and soon discovers there is an…
- 2
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
★ 6.9/10Also romance and dramaAfter her fiance is falsely imprisoned, a pregnant African-American woman sets out to clear his name and prove his innocence.
- 3
Fire with Fire (1986)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and romanceA tough, street-smart kid serving a sentence in a state youth reformatory meets a beautiful, innocent girl studying at a nearby convent. When forbidden love blossoms between them, they must fight the prison…
- 4
The Immigrant (2013)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and romance1921 New York. An immigrant woman is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville until a dazzling magician tries to save her and reunite her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island.
- 5
My Policeman (2022)
★ 7.5/10Also drama and romanceIn the late 1990s, the arrival of elderly invalid Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when…
- 6
Love Me Love Me (2026)
★ 6.1/10Also romance and dramaAfter her brother's death, June moves to Milan for a fresh start, finding comfort in Will, the perfect honor student at her new international school. But when his troubled best friend James—hiding a dangerous life in…
- 7
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
★ 7/10Also dramaThe 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…
- 8
The Prince of Tides (1991)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and romanceA troubled Southern man talks to his suicidal sister's psychiatrist about their family history and falls in love with her (and New York City) in the process.
- 9
Call Me by Your Name (2017)
★ 8.1/10Also romance and dramaIn the summer of 1983, a 17-year-old Elio spends his days in his family's villa in Italy. One day Oliver, a graduate student, arrives to assist Elio's father, a professor of Greco-Roman culture. Soon, Elio and Oliver…
- 10
A Journal for Jordan (2021)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and romanceBased on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a soldier deployed to Iraq begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy revisits…
- 11
Bad Boys (1983)
★ 7/10Also dramaMick O'Brien is a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend. But when the heist of a local drug dealer goes tragically wrong Mick is sentenced to a brutal juvenile…
- 12
Sophie's Choice (1982)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and romanceStingo, a young writer, moves to Brooklyn in 1947 to begin work on his first novel. As he becomes friendly with Sophie and her lover Nathan, he learns that she is a Holocaust survivor. Flashbacks reveal her harrowing…
- 13
Time Is Up (2021)
★ 6.5/10Also romance and dramaVivien, an accomplished student with a passion for physics, and Roy, a troubled young man, are involved in an accident that forces them to reclaim their lives one minute at the time.
- 14
Wander Darkly (2020)
★ 6/10Also romance and dramaNew parents Adrienne and Matteo are forced to reckon with trauma amidst their troubled relationship. They must revisit the memories of their past and unravel haunting truths in order to face their uncertain future.
- 15
London (2005)
★ 6/10Also drama and romanceLondon is a drug laden adventure that centers on a party in a New York loft where a young man is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend.
- 16
25th Hour (2002)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaOn the eve of a seven-year prison sentence, a New York drug dealer spends his final day of freedom confronting his past, his relationships, and the choices that led to his downfall in a city still reeling from 9/11.
- 17
Doing Life (2026)
★ 7.8/10Also romance and dramaA single mother and an incarcerated man forge an unlikely bond through heartfelt letters, unlocking a door to redemption, hope and love against all odds.
- 18
Newness (2017)
★ 6.1/10Also romance and dramaIn contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.
- 19
The Nines (2007)
★ 6/10Also dramaA troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.
- 20
Carlito's Way (1993)
★ 7.8/10Also dramaFree after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld.