Movies Like What Once Was
If you liked What Once Was (2024), a drama and romance movie directed by Manuela Stein and Pedro Dorfmann, 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
Ashes in the Snow (2018)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and romanceThe coming-of-age tale of 16-year-old Lina Vilkas who is deported to Siberia amid Stalin's reign of terror in the Baltic region during WWII. An aspiring artist, she secretly documents her harrowing journey with her…
- 2
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.
- 3
Blind (2017)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and romanceA novelist is blinded in a car crash that killed his wife and several years later rediscovers his passion for life and writing when he embarks on an affair with the neglected wife of an indicted businessman.
- 4
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…
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
Maria's Lovers (1984)
★ 6/10Also drama and romanceA World War II prisoner returns home to his childhood sweetheart. However, back home, he discovers that he has to compete to win her love.
- 8
Winter Spring Summer or Fall (2024)
★ 7.3/10Also romance and dramaRemi and Barnes, two very different teenagers, meet by chance in the winter of their senior year, then spend four days together over the course of a year that will change their lives forever.
- 9
Marked Men: Rule + Shaw (2025)
★ 6.7/10Also romance and dramaShaw Landon has loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule, a fiery-tempered rebel tattoo artist, doesn’t have time for a good girl pre-med student like Shaw — even if she’s the only one who can see…
- 10
Attraction (2001)
★ 6.9/10Also romanceA writer/radio advice show host fails to heed his own advice as he stalks his ex-girlfriend and then becomes involved with an actress friend of hers.
- 11
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…
- 12
Game of Love (2022)
★ 6.1/10Also romance and dramaFollows Vivien and Roy as their love story continues and leads them to Roy’s childhood home in Sicily to prepare for the sale of the family estate. During the visit, a mysterious woman arrives and befriends Vivien…
- 13
See You Soon (2019)
★ 5.9/10Also romance and dramaA U.S. soccer star suffers a career-threatening injury in the run-up to the World Cup, and during his recovery, embarks on an epic romance with a Russian single mom.
- 14
Light It Up (1999)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaOn a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, classrooms freeze, teachers come and go, resources are scant.
- 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
Run (1991)
★ 6/10Also dramaWhen a law student accidentally kills the son of a mob boss in a fight, he finds himself relentlessly pursued by the mob and the police.
- 17
Five Dances (2013)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and romanceA gifted young dancer arrives in New York City and joins the downtown contemporary dance world. With talent to burn, he soon must choose between his responsibility to his broken family in the Midwest, and forging a…
- 18
On the Edge (2001)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and romanceA suicidal young man is committed to a Dublin psychiatric hospital where he meets new friends who greatly influence his life.
- 19
Sylvie's Love (2020)
★ 6.2/10Also romance and dramaWhen a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father’s record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.
- 20
John and Mary (1969)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and romanceJohn and Mary meet in a singles bar, sleep together, and spend the next day getting to know each other.