Movies Like Backlight
If you liked Backlight (2021), a drama and romance movie directed by Ren Sudo, 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
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…
- 2
The Stranger by the Shore (2020)
★ 8/10Also romance and dramaAbandoned after coming out, Shun befriends Mio just before he has to move. Years later, Mio returns with a confession. How will Shun feel?
- 3
It Feels So Good (2019)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and romanceWhen it rains it pours. Kenji divorced his wife, lost his job and his old squeeze Naoko is getting married back home in the north of Japan, specifically in Akita. He returns there in order to attend her wedding. Naoko…
- 4
Marked Men: Rule + Shaw (2025)
★ 6.7/10Also romance and dramaShaw Landon has loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule, a fiery-tempered rebel tattoo artist, doesn’t have time for a good girl pre-med student like Shaw — even if she’s the only one who can see…
- 5
Maria's Lovers (1984)
★ 6/10Also drama and romanceA World War II prisoner returns home to his childhood sweetheart. However, back home, he discovers that he has to compete to win her love.
- 6
My Policeman (2022)
★ 7.5/10Also drama and romanceIn the late 1990s, the arrival of elderly invalid Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when…
- 7
Newness (2017)
★ 6.1/10Also romance and dramaIn contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.
- 8
Love Me Love Me (2026)
★ 6.1/10Also romance and dramaAfter 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…
- 9
Rage (2016)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaA man brutally murders a married couple and leaves the word “ikari” (“rage”) written with their blood. The killer undergoes plastic surgery and flees. At three different locations in Japan, a male stranger appears…
- 10
Yes, No, or Maybe? (2020)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and romanceA polished newscaster hides behind a mask when he meets a gentle artist—but the lie complicates everything when feelings start to grow.
- 11
Air Doll (2009)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaA life-size, inflatable sex doll suddenly comes to life one day. Without her owner knowing, she goes for a walk around town and falls in love with Junichi. She starts to date Junichi and gets a job at the same store…
- 12
Breezy (1973)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and romanceA free-spirited young woman, Breezy, hitches a ride with an aging real estate salesman, Frank. Sensing that she just wants to use him he tries to have nothing to do with her. She's not that easy to shake, however, and…
- 13
See You Soon (2019)
★ 5.9/10Also romance and dramaA 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.
- 14
Heartstopper Forever (2026)
★ 7.2/10Also romance and dramaIt's a new school year for the Truham-Higgs gang. As Nick and Charlie's relationship deepens, their thoughts turn to life after the last bell rings.
- 15
A Journal for Jordan (2021)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and romanceBased 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…
- 16
Fire with Fire (1986)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and romanceA 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…
- 17
The Pillow Book (1995)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and romanceNagito has a fetish for calligraphy on the human body and meets her ideal soulmate Jerome, an English translator sent to Japan. However, once Nagiko's father's gay publisher rejoins the scene, the story is overtaken by…
- 18
My Fault: London (2025)
★ 7.4/10Also drama and romance18-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…
- 19
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
★ 7/10Also drama and romanceZack Mayo is an aloof, taciturn man who aspires to be a navy pilot. Once he arrives at training camp for his 13-week officer's course, Mayo runs afoul of abrasive, no-nonsense drill Sergeant Emil Foley. Mayo is an…
- 20
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and romanceBelieving they have left behind shadowy figures from their past, newlyweds Christian and Ana fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he…