Movies Like The Shanghai Spell
If you liked The Shanghai Spell (2002), a drama movie directed by Fernando Trueba, 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 Miracle of Marcelino (1955)
★ 7.4/10Also dramaLeft on the doorstep of a monastery as an infant, Marcelino was raised by the monks. He was well-cared for but lonely and missed having a mother. One day he found a special friend in the forbidden attic, hanging on a…
- 2
Fast Girls (2012)
★ 6/10Also dramaA street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
- 3
Adopt a Highway (2019)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaRuss Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn…
- 4
Here (2024)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaAn odyssey through time and memory, centered on a place in New Jersey where—from wilderness, and then, later, from a home—love, loss, struggle, hope and legacy play out between couples and families over generations.
- 5
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.
- 6
The Color of Friendship (2000)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaMahree Bok lives on a farm in South Africa. Her father is a policeman who cannot hide his joy when activist Steve Biko is caught by the South African authorities. Piper Dellums is the daughter of a US congressman from…
- 7
Skater Girl (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also dramaPrerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
- 8
Edie (2018)
★ 6.3/10Also dramaTo try and overcome a lifetime of bitterness and resentment, 83-year-old Edie decides that it is never too late. After packing an old camping bag, she leaves her life behind and embarks on an adventure she never got to…
- 9
The King of Havana (2015)
★ 7/10Also dramaRecently escaped from reformatory, Reinaldo struggles to get by in the streets of Havana in the late 90s, one of the worst decades for Cuban society. Hopes, disillusionment, rum, good humor and above all hunger…
- 10
My Neighbor Adolf (2022)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaSouth America, 1960. A lonely and grumpy Holocaust survivor convinces himself that his new neighbor is none other than Adolf Hitler. Not being taken seriously, he starts an independent investigation to prove his claim…
- 11
All the Names of God (2023)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaAfter being implicated in a terrorist attack, Santi, a taxi driver, is taken hostage by one of the perpetrators.
- 12
The Last Rifleman (2023)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaA WWII veteran escapes his care home in Northern Ireland and embarks on an arduous but inspirational journey to France to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, finding the courage to face the ghosts of his…
- 13
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.
- 14
The Last Bus (2021)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaWidower Tom, on the recent passing of his wife Mary, uses his free bus pass to travel the length of Britain from John O'Groats in Caithness to Land's End in Cornwall, their shared birthplace, using only local buses…
- 15
Lucca's World (2025)
★ 7.4/10Also dramaDetermined to help her son, who has cerebral palsy, Bárbara takes her family to India for an experimental treatment.
- 16
Poor Cow (1967)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaJoy lives a life filled with bad choices. At a young age, she marries and has a child–with an abusive thief who quickly ends up incarcerated. Left alone, she takes up with the guy's mate, another thief, who seems to…
- 17
I Believe in Unicorns (2015)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaFeeling awkward and isolated, an imaginative and strong-willed teenage girl runs away from home with an older punk rock drifter.
- 18
Risa and the Wind Phone (2026)
★ 8.3/10Also dramaRisa, after her father's death, discovers she has the ability to communicate with him from beyond the grave. As she explores this supernatural connection, she faces emotional challenges and family secrets that will…
- 19
Won't Back Down (2012)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaJamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for…
- 20
Tótem (2023)
★ 6.8/10Also dramaIn a bustling Mexican household, seven-year-old Sol is swept up in a whirlwind of preparations for the birthday party for her father, Tona, led by her mother, aunts, and other relatives. As the day goes on, building to…