Movies Like Arousal

If you liked Arousal (1997), a movie directed by Bruce Cam, 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
Five Dances (2013)
★ 6.3/10
A 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…
2
The Overnight (2015)
★ 5.9/10
Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family “playdate” becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on.
3
Welcome to Chechnya (2020)
★ 7/10
This searing investigative work shadows a group of activists risking unimaginable peril to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ program raging in the repressive and closed Russian republic. Unfettered access and a…
4
Tongues Untied (1990)
★ 6.7/10
Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs…
5
Flow (1996)
★ 7.7/10
A filmmaker talks about his work and love life with an unseen friend behind the camera. We also watch four of his short films.
6
Pillion (2025)
★ 6.5/10
Colin, a timid man, meets Ray, a confident biker gang leader, who initiates him into a submissive relationship, challenging Colin’s mundane existence and prompting personal growth through their unconventional dynamic.
7
Step Up (2006)
★ 6.9/10
Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.
8
Looking: The Movie (2016)
★ 7.1/10
Patrick returns to San Francisco for the first time in almost a year to celebrate a momentous event with his old friends. In the process, he must face the unresolved relationships he left behind and make difficult…
9
Bros (2022)
★ 6.6/10
Two gay men are possibly, probably, stumbling towards love. Maybe. They're both very busy.
10
My Policeman (2022)
★ 7.5/10
In 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…
11
The Thing About Harry (2020)
★ 6.8/10
Two high school enemies, uber-jock Harry and out-and-proud Sam, are forced to share a car ride to their Missouri hometown for a friend's engagement party on Valentine's Day. Things take a turn when Sam learns Harry has…
12
Below Her Mouth (2017)
★ 6.8/10
An unexpected affair quickly escalates into a heart-stopping reality for two women whose passionate connection changes their lives forever.
13
Skin (2019)
★ 6.9/10
A destitute young man, raised by racist skinheads and notorious among white supremacists, turns his back on hatred and violence to transform his life, with the help of a black activist and the woman he loves.
14
Akron (2015)
★ 7.2/10
Benny, a college freshman at the University of Akron, Ohio meets and falls for fellow freshman Christopher at a football game. With the support of their families and friends they embark on a new relationship. But a…
15
Winter Spring Summer or Fall (2024)
★ 7.3/10
Remi 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.
16
Tuff Turf (1985)
★ 5.9/10
The new guy in a Los Angeles high school, Morgan, does some singing and fights hotshot Nick over disco dancer Frankie.
17
My Brother the Devil (2012)
★ 6.3/10
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…
18
The Game Plan (2007)
★ 6.5/10
Bachelor football star Joe Kingman seems to have it all. He is wealthy and carefree, and his team is on the way to capturing a championship. Suddenly, he is tackled by some unexpected news: He has a young daughter, the…
19
Nowhere (1997)
★ 6.8/10
In Los Angeles, a colorful assortment of bohemians try to make sense of their intersecting lives. The moody Dark Smith, his bisexual girlfriend, her lesbian lover and their shy gay friend plan on attending the wildest…
20
Benjamin (2019)
★ 6.1/10
Benjamin, a rising star filmmaker, is on the brink of premiering his difficult second film No Self at the London Film Festival when Billie, his hard drinking publicist, introduces him to a mesmeric French musician…