Movies Like Cry, the Beloved Country

If you liked Cry, the Beloved Country (1995), a drama movie directed by Darrell James Roodt, 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
Disgrace (2008)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
Disgrace is the story of a South African professor of English who loses everything: his reputation, his job, his peace of mind, his good looks, his dreams of artistic success, and finally even his ability to protect…
2
Escape from Pretoria (2020)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
South Africa, 1978. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white political activists from the African National Congress imprisoned by the apartheid regime, put a plan in motion to escape from the infamous Pretoria Prison.
3
Shepherds and Butchers (2017)
★ 6.3/10Also drama
A lawyer takes on a case of a prison guard in South Africa who is traumatized by the executions he's witnessed.
4
Trees of Peace (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
Four women from different backgrounds forge an unbreakable sisterhood while trapped and in hiding during the genocide in Rwanda.
5
The Birth of a Nation (2016)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
Nat Turner, a former slave in America, leads a liberation movement in 1831 to free African-Americans in Virginia that results in a violent retaliation from whites.
6
Sarafina! (1992)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
A Soweto schoolgirl named Sarafina is galvanized to protest apartheid after her teacher is arrested for her activism, leading her to join the student resistance movement.
7
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of the men around…
8
A Dry White Season (1989)
★ 6.7/10Also drama
During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
9
Emancipation (2022)
★ 7.7/10Also drama
Inspired by the gripping true story of a man who would do anything for his family—and for freedom. When Peter, an enslaved man, risks his life to escape and return to his family, he embarks on a perilous journey of…
10
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
★ 7.4/10Also drama
Young Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan decides it's time for an adventure after he finishes his formal education, so he decides to try his luck in Uganda, and arrives during the downfall of President Obote. General…
11
The Pawnbroker (1965)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
A Jewish pawnbroker, a victim of Nazi persecution, loses all faith in his fellow man until he realizes too late the tragedy of his actions.
12
The Young One (1960)
★ 7/10Also drama
A 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.
13
Sometimes in April (2005)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
Two brothers are divided by marriage and fate during the 100 horrifying days of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
14
True Confessions (1981)
★ 6.1/10Also drama
A cop clashes with his priest brother while investigating the brutal murder of a young prostitute.
15
The Great Debaters (2007)
★ 7.3/10Also drama
The true story of a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach who uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog African-American college students into a historical powerhouse that took on the…
16
Barron's Cove (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the…
17
American Pastoral (2016)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
Set in postwar America, a man watches his seemingly perfect life fall apart as his daughter's new political affiliation threatens to destroy their family.
18
Farming (2018)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
Based on the writer/director's childhood, FARMING tells the story of a young Nigerian boy, 'farmed out' by his parents to a white British family in the hope of a better future. Instead, he becomes the feared leader of…
19
The Forgiven (2018)
★ 6.1/10Also drama
After the end of Apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu meets with a brutal murderer seeking redemption.
20
The Whisper Man (2026)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
When his young son vanishes, a widower enlists help from his estranged father, a retired detective who put away the serial killer now linked to the case.