Movies Like Istokwa
If you liked Istokwa (1996), a drama movie directed by Chito S. Roño, 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

Before I Fall (2017)
★ 7/10Also dramaSamantha Kingston has everything. Then, everything changes. After one fateful night, she wakes up with no future at all. Trapped into reliving the same day over and over, she begins to question just how perfect her…
- 2

The Crush (1993)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaA precocious and obsessive teenager develops a crush on a naive writer with harrowing consequences.
- 3

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977)
★ 5.9/10Also dramaA disturbed and institutionalized 16-year-old girl struggles between fantasy and reality.
- 4

Lady Driver (2020)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaWhen a rebellious teen embarks on a solo summer journey to connect with her roots, she finds herself in a new world, geared up for the ride of her life, and discovers she had the drive in her all along.
- 5

Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaBased on a true story. Liz Murray is a young girl who is taken care of by her loving, but drug-addicted parents. Liz becomes homeless at 15 and after a tragedy comes upon her, she begins her work to finish high school.
- 6

Thirteen (2003)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaWhen 13-year-old Tracy befriends Evie, the most popular girl in school, her life is turned upside down as Evie introduces her to a world of sex, drugs, and money. But it isn’t long before Tracy’s new lifestyle begins…
- 7

Jonathan (2018)
★ 5.9/10Also dramaJonathan is a young man with a strange condition that only his brother understands. But when he begins to yearn for a different life, their unique bond becomes increasingly tested.
- 8

Vesper (2022)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaAfter the collapse of Earth's ecosystem, Vesper, a 13-year-old girl struggling to survive with her paralyzed Father, meets a mysterious Woman with a secret that forces Vesper to use her wits, strength and bio-hacking…
- 9

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…
- 10

Manic (2002)
★ 6.8/10Also dramaIn lieu of prison, Lyle, a violent adolescent, is placed in a juvenile mental institution where he encounters a group of equally troubled teens. This motley crew—abused, sexually confused, violent, and yet hanging on…
- 11

Rogue Agent (2022)
★ 6.3/10Also dramaConman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.
- 12

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.
- 13

The Experiment (2010)
★ 6.4/10Also drama20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
- 14

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.
- 15

The True Adventures of Wolfboy (2019)
★ 5.9/10Also dramaFollows a young boy who runs away from home in the search of his estranged mother.
- 16

Not Without Hope (2025)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaA group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.
- 17

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.
- 18

Hellion (2014)
★ 5.9/10Also dramaWhen motocross and heavy metal obsessed, 13-year-old Jacob's delinquent behavior forces CPS to place his little brother Wes with his aunt, Jacob and his emotionally absent father must finally take responsibility for…
- 19

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.
- 20

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.