Movies Like Malaya

If you liked Malaya (2020), a drama and romance movie directed by Connie Macatuno, 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
Maria's Lovers (1984)
★ 6/10Also drama and romance
A World War II prisoner returns home to his childhood sweetheart. However, back home, he discovers that he has to compete to win her love.
2
Blind (2017)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and romance
A novelist is blinded in a car crash that killed his wife and several years later rediscovers his passion for life and writing when he embarks on an affair with the neglected wife of an indicted businessman.
3
Time Is Up (2021)
★ 6.5/10Also romance and drama
Vivien, an accomplished student with a passion for physics, and Roy, a troubled young man, are involved in an accident that forces them to reclaim their lives one minute at the time.
4
A Journal for Jordan (2021)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and romance
Based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a soldier deployed to Iraq begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy revisits…
5
Fire with Fire (1986)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and romance
A tough, street-smart kid serving a sentence in a state youth reformatory meets a beautiful, innocent girl studying at a nearby convent. When forbidden love blossoms between them, they must fight the prison…
6
Ashes in the Snow (2018)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and romance
The coming-of-age tale of 16-year-old Lina Vilkas who is deported to Siberia amid Stalin's reign of terror in the Baltic region during WWII. An aspiring artist, she secretly documents her harrowing journey with her…
7
Dot the I (2003)
★ 6/10Also romance and drama
A fiery Spanish woman is about to marry a kind British man when she meets a Brazilian actor who ignites in her a flame of lust she can't ignore.
8
Sylvie's Love (2020)
★ 6.2/10Also romance and drama
When a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father’s record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.
9
See You Soon (2019)
★ 5.9/10Also romance and drama
A U.S. soccer star suffers a career-threatening injury in the run-up to the World Cup, and during his recovery, embarks on an epic romance with a Russian single mom.
10
On the Edge (2001)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and romance
A suicidal young man is committed to a Dublin psychiatric hospital where he meets new friends who greatly influence his life.
11
Wander Darkly (2020)
★ 6/10Also romance and drama
New parents Adrienne and Matteo are forced to reckon with trauma amidst their troubled relationship. They must revisit the memories of their past and unravel haunting truths in order to face their uncertain future.
12
Tyler Perry's Duplicity (2025)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
High-powered attorney Marley faces her most personal case yet when she is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the murder of her best friend Fela’s husband. With the help of her boyfriend – a former cop turned…
13
Newness (2017)
★ 6.1/10Also romance and drama
In contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.
14
Untamed Heart (1993)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and romance
Caroline, a young waitress who seems to have bad taste in men, is on her way home one night when thugs attempt to rape her. Adam, the mysterious busboy who works at the same diner, helps fight off the assailants, and…
15
The Man from Elysian Fields (2001)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and romance
A failed novelist's inability to pay the bills strains relations with his wife and leads him to work at an escort service, where he becomes entwined with a wealthy woman whose husband is a successful writer.
16
Love Me Love Me (2026)
★ 6.1/10Also romance and drama
After her brother's death, June moves to Milan for a fresh start, finding comfort in Will, the perfect honor student at her new international school. But when his troubled best friend James—hiding a dangerous life in…
17
Forever First Love (2020)
★ 7/10Also drama and romance
Paul travels the world to capture the perfect photographic moment. Amid the colour and chaos of a crowded Filipino market, destiny intervenes when Paul’s first love, Anna appears in his lens. The travellers spend the…
18
Game of Love (2022)
★ 6.1/10Also romance and drama
Follows Vivien and Roy as their love story continues and leads them to Roy’s childhood home in Sicily to prepare for the sale of the family estate. During the visit, a mysterious woman arrives and befriends Vivien…
19
My Fault: London (2025)
★ 7.4/10Also drama and romance
18-year-old Noah moves from America to London, with her mother who's recently fallen in love with William, a wealthy British businessman. Noah meets William’s son, bad-boy Nick, and soon discovers there is an…
20
The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and romance
Reporter Charles Wills, in Paris to cover the end of World War II, falls for the beautiful Helen Ellswirth following a brief flirtation with her sister, Marion. After he and Helen marry, Charles pursues his novelistic…