Movies Like Writing in Water
If you liked Writing in Water (2023), a drama movie directed by Stan Lai, 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
Buddha Mountain (2011)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaIn Chengdu, China, a retired female opera singer named Master Chang takes in a trio of young tenants into her boarding home. The tenants include a rock singer and a college student who has run away from home.
- 2
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.
- 3
Caught by the Tides (2024)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaYears after her boyfriend left her for the big city and promised to bring her there after he’s settled down, a Chinese woman sets out on a journey to be reunited with him.
- 4
One Second (2020)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaA movie fan escapes from a labour camp during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and strikes up a relationship with a homeless female vagabond.
- 5
Skin (2009)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaBased on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.
- 6
Gracie (2007)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaA teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.
- 7
Hungry Hearts (2015)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaThe relationship of a couple who meet by chance in New York City is put to the test when they encounter a life or death circumstance.
- 8
Black Dog (2024)
★ 7.1/10Also dramaReleased from jail, Lang returns to his hometown in Northwest China. As part of a dog patrol tasked with clearing stray dogs before the 2008 Olympics, he bonds with a black stray. The two lonely souls embark on a new…
- 9
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…
- 10
What Maisie Knew (2013)
★ 7.1/10Also dramaIn New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new…
- 11
The Truth About Emanuel (2013)
★ 6/10Also dramaA troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
- 12
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…
- 13
Lighting Up the Stars (2022)
★ 7.4/10Also dramaHaving been released after serving his sentence, a funeral director accidentally crosses paths with a girl which brings about an unexpected change in his attitude towards life.
- 14
Goodbye June (2025)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaFour siblings' lives change drastically when their ailing mother takes a turn for the worse over the holiday season.
- 15
Pimp (2018)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaAn urban love story set on the hard streets of the Bronx. A struggling female pimp, named Wednesday, grows up learning the game from her dad. Once he's gone she's left to look out for her prostitute mother and…
- 16
Eleanor the Great (2025)
★ 6.8/10Also drama94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
- 17
One Week Friends (2022)
★ 6.1/10Also dramaA high school student suffers from a strange amnesia, causing her memories to only last a week. After she befriends a new student, his kindness and persistence make her gradually open up.
- 18
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…
- 19
Fast Girls (2012)
★ 6/10Also dramaA street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
- 20
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.