Movies Like Samurai Opera

If you liked Samurai Opera (2013), a music and history movie directed by Shogo Okawa, 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
Inu-Oh (2022)
★ 7.5/10Also music and history
A cursed dancer and a blind musician — both ostracized by society — become business partners and inseparable friends as their larger-than-life concerts propel them to stardom in 14th century Japan.
2
The Liar and His Lover (2013)
★ 7.6/10Also music
Set within music field, this film depicts a love story between a 25-year-old sound engineer and 16-year-old high school student Riko, who posessess a gifted voice. 25-year-old sound engineer Aki is a member of popular…
3
Hounddog (2008)
★ 6.5/10Also music
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
4
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011)
★ 6.1/10Also history
A story set in 19th century China and centered on the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women.
5
Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Earth Symphony (2024)
★ 6.8/10Also music
When a malevolent entity intent on eradicating music from the world surfaces, Nobita and his friends must unite with supernatural companions to safeguard the planet.
6
Blaze (2018)
★ 6.3/10Also music and history
Inspired by the life of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw country movement that spawned the likes of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. The film weaves together three periods in Blaze's life…
7
Grace Unplugged (2013)
★ 6/10Also music
A talented young singer and aspiring songwriter’s Christian faith and family ties are tested when she defies her worship-pastor father and pursues pop-music stardom in GRACE UNPLUGGED, a moving and inspiring new film…
8
Sturgill Simpson Presents Sound & Fury (2019)
★ 6.1/10Also music
In this anime visual album, a mysterious driver heads deep into a postapocalyptic hellscape toward a ferocious showdown with two monstrous opponents.
9
Respect (2021)
★ 6.8/10Also music and history
The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.
10
Tokyo Tribe (2014)
★ 6.5/10Also music
In an alternate Japan, territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes. Merra, leader of the Wu-Ronz tribe of Bukuro, joins forces with heavy-hitting gangster Buppa of Buppa Town…
11
Radium Girls (2020)
★ 6.6/10Also history
Young women toiling in a factory are exposed to hazardous material which takes a disastrous toll on their health.
12
BECK (2010)
★ 6.4/10Also music
Yukio is your average high school student who spends his days going to class and avoiding bullies. That is until he meets Ryusuke, a guitar prodigy. Together with Taira, Chiba, and Saku they form the rock band BECK. As…
13
Apple Music Live: Lady Gaga MAYHEM Requiem (2026)
★ 8.3/10Also music
For Apple Music Live, Gaga presents MAYHEM Requiem, a celebration and musical reimagining of MAYHEM.
14
Battle of the Year (2013)
★ 6.8/10Also music
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
15
Honeydripper (2007)
★ 5.9/10Also music
In 1950s Alabama, the owner of the Honeydripper juke joint finds his business dropping off and against his better judgment, hires a young electric guitarist in a last ditch effort to draw crowds during harvest time.
16
Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle (2001)
★ 6.8/10Also history
Benkei, a master fighter and killer, vows never to take another life after his conversion to Buddhism. His faith in pacifism, however, is shaken and ultimately broken by the attacks from a trio of fighters known only…
17
Oranges and Sunshine (2010)
★ 6.9/10Also history
The story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham, who uncovers one of the most significant social scandals in recent times – the forced migration of children from the United Kingdom to Australia and…
18
Song for Marion (2012)
★ 6.8/10Also music
Arthur is a grumpy pensioner who can't understand why his wife Marion would want to embarrass herself singing silly songs with her unconventional local choir. But choir director Elizabeth sees something special in the…
19
Mayerling (1968)
★ 6.2/10Also history
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria clashes with his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, over implementing progressive policies for their country. Rudolf soon feels he is a man born at the wrong time in a country…
20
Chûshingura (1962)
★ 7.1/10Also history
After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor.