Movies Like The Balloon
If you liked The Balloon (1956), a drama movie directed by Yūzō Kawashima, 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
Fireworks (1997)
★ 7.7/10Also dramaBeleaguered police detective Nishi takes desperate measures to try and set things right in a world gone wrong. With those close to him suffering their own tribulations, Nishi's methods become increasingly extreme.
- 2
Sakuran (2006)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaKiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased.
- 3
Intentions of Murder (1964)
★ 7/10Also dramaThe neglected common-law wife of a Japanese librarian is repeatedly harassed by a young man with a heart condition who seduces her with the prospect of a better life.
- 4
Tokyo Decadence (1992)
★ 6/10Also dramaA submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of appeasement for the fact that…
- 5
Call Boy (2018)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaRyo Morinaka is a university student and works part-time at a bar. He is bored with his daily life and exists in a state of torpor. One day, his friend Shinya Tajima brings the owner of a host bar over to the place…
- 6
House of Bamboo (1955)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaEddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.
- 7
The End of Summer (1961)
★ 7.5/10Also dramaThe family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery become concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.
- 8
Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016)
★ 7.4/10Also dramaAfter being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Futaba resolves to spend her remaining time reuniting her broken family, reopening the long-closed bathhouse, and helping her shy daughter Azumi learn to stand on her own.
- 9
Where Hope Grows (2014)
★ 7.9/10Also dramaCalvin Campbell is a former professional baseball player sent to an early retirement due to his panic attacks at the plate. Even though he had all the talent for the big leagues, he struggles with the curveballs life…
- 10
From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
★ 7.5/10Also dramaYokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off…
- 11
Repast (1951)
★ 7.6/10Also dramaIn post-WWII Osaka, a middle-aged woman is forced to examine her dreary life and marriage when her husband's young and flirtatious cousin arrives for a brief stay to escape an arranged marriage.
- 12
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
★ 7.9/10Also dramaWidower Shuhei Hirayama's caretaker is his 24-year-old daughter, Michiko. Gradually, he comes to realize that Michiko should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.
- 13
Taboo (1999)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaSet during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering on a…
- 14
Heatwave (2022)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaA woman's life takes an unexpected turn when she falls for her boss's wife. She must soon defend herself as she becomes entangled in a web of malice.
- 15
Midnight Diner (2014)
★ 7.7/10Also dramaA restaurant opens at midnight. Both the menu offerings and personality of the owner draw a series of flawed patrons including Tamako, whose boyfriend has passed away, live-in worker Michiru, and ruckus-raising Kenzo.
- 16
Asakusa Kid (2021)
★ 7/10Also dramaBefore he hit it big, Takeshi Kitano got his start apprenticing with comedy legend Fukami of Asakusa. But as his star rises, his mentor's declines.
- 17
Tokyo Family (2013)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaAn elderly couple journey to Tokyo to visit their grown children, only to find them preoccupied and self-involved.
- 18
After the Storm (2016)
★ 7.2/10Also dramaRyota is an unpopular writer although he won a literary award 15 years ago. Now, Ryota works as a private detective. He is divorced from his ex-wife Kyoko and he has an 11-year-old son Shingo. His mother Yoshiko lives…
- 19
The Nest (2020)
★ 6.1/10Also dramaRory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban…
- 20
High and Low (1963)
★ 8.4/10Also dramaA Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.