Movies Like Breakthrough for Change

If you liked Breakthrough for Change (2015), a drama and comedy movie directed by Daisuke Matsuda, 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
The Yellow Handkerchief (1977)
★ 7/10Also comedy and drama
A convict, newly released from prison for murder, joins two strangers on a road trip through Hokkaido to visit his ex-wife, whom he hasn't seen in four years, knowing that if she puts a yellow handkerchief on the…
2
Kikujiro (1999)
★ 7.5/10Also comedy and drama
Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro is the unlikely companion for Masao who is determined to see the mother he has never met. The two begin a series of adventures which soon turns out to be a whimsical…
3
Kamikaze Girls (2004)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy
Momoko, a strange and seemingly emotionless girl obsessed with 18th century France, befriends a Yanki biker and the two experience the ups and downs of their unusual lives in a rural Japanese town.
4
10 Years (2012)
★ 5.8/10Also comedy and drama
A group of friends reunite ten years after their high-school graduation.
5
The End of Summer (1961)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
The 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.
6
House of D (2004)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy and drama
In the present, artist Tom Warshaw recalls his traumatic coming of age. As a 13-year-old growing up in New York City in 1973, Tom hangs out with Pappass, a mentally disabled man. With Tom's mother battling depression…
7
Look Back (2024)
★ 8.2/10Also drama
Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a…
8
Ana (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and comedy
Ana meets Rafa in a chance encounter and they embark on a road trip to try and save him from bankruptcy, or worse.
9
My Mother's Wedding (2025)
★ 6.1/10Also comedy and drama
Three sisters return to their home for the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother. But the mother and daughters are forced to revisit the past and confront the future, with help from a colorful group of unexpected…
10
Kids Return (1996)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
Shinji and Masaru spend most of their school days harassing fellow classmates and playing pranks. They drop out and Shinji becomes a small-time boxer, while Masaru joins up with a local yakuza gang. However, the world…
11
Crayon Shinchan the Movie: The Storm Called: The Adult Empire Strikes Back (2001)
★ 8.2/10Also comedy
Shin-chan must rescue the adults of Kasukabe when they mysteriously abandon their responsibilities to relive their youth at the new 20th-century expo.
12
anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day - The Movie (2013)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
A year has passed since Menma's ghostly return to the Super Peace Busters. Although the time they spent together during that summer was short, the five members reminisce about what happened as they each write a letter…
13
Biker Boyz (2003)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
A mythic motorcycle tale of father and son, this is the story of Manuel Galloway, also known as "the King of Cali", the president of a motorcycle club whose members are all African-American men, mostly white-collar…
14
Big Hero 6 (2014)
★ 7.7/10Also comedy
A special bond develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.
15
From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
Yokohama, 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…
16
Shoplifters (2018)
★ 7.8/10Also drama
In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence…
17
Madadayo (1993)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and comedy
In postwar Tokyo, beloved writer-professor Hyakken Uchida retires and is buoyed through hardship by the fierce devotion of his former students, who honor him each year with a raucous “Not yet!” birthday toast. Told in…
18
The Clique (2008)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and drama
A young girl tries to fit in with a clique of popular middle school girls after moving into the guest house of one of their homes.
19
SubUrbia (1997)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy and drama
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
20
Career Girls (1997)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and comedy
A young college student in London moves into a flat and becomes best friends with a flatmate; the former moves into her own flat 4 years later but 6 years after their parting, the former returns to London to pay the…