Best movies like A Distant Cry from Spring
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The quiet life of a mother and her young son living on a farm in Hokkaido is changed by the arrival of a man who ignites flames of romance in the heart of the mother and shows her boy the importance of grit and kindness, but then he leaves with the autumn wind.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 667
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: uplifting, art house
Best tv shows and movies like A Distant Cry from Spring (1980):
Similar in 81%
Station (1981)
Plot Summary:
A detective goes out of his way to crack the case of a serial killer who specialises in murdering police officers.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 277
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 78%
Jockey (2021)
Plot Summary:
An aging jockey is determined to win one last championship, but his dream is complicated when a young rookie shows up claiming to be his son.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
The Yellow Handkerchief (1977)
Plot Summary:
The story starts with Kinya, who has recently upgraded his car. He’s a young adult and he’s single so naturally he uses his ride to ahem, look for companions. He offers a ride to a shy girl by the name of Akemi and she reluctantly accepts. From the get go, sexual tension is apparent, but things get a bit easier as the two become acquainted. They pick up Yusaku, a 30-something coal miner with a reserved personality. The story slowly begins to shift from the comedic hijinks of Kinya and Akemi to Yusaku’s mental drama. He’s hiding something about his past, which he either wants to forget or is trying to remember.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: road movie, art house
Similar in 85%
Railroad Man (1999)
Plot Summary:
A railway stationmaster at a dying end-of-the-line village in Hokkaido is haunted by memories of his dead wife and daughter. When the railroad line is scheduled to be closed, he is offered a job at a hotel, but he is emotionally unable to part with his career as a railroader. His life takes a turn when he meets a young woman with an interest in trains who resembles his daughter.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: art house
Similar in 75%
Petal Dance (2013)
Plot Summary:
Four women, who have their own different sorrows, embark on a road trip. They look back at their past and restart their lives... Jinko (Aoi Miyazaki) and Motoko (Sakura Ando) have been friends since their university days. One day, they hear a rumor about their former classmate and friend Miki (Kazue Fukiishi). The rumor is that Miki ran into the sea, but got out safely. Jinko and Motoko decide to visit Miki to see if she is OK. In addition, Haraki (Shiori Kutsuna), who Jinko met at the library where she works, joins their trip as a driver. Their one night and two days road trip begins.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 420
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: romantic, uplifting
Similar in 80%
The River with No Bridge (1992)
Plot Summary:
THE RIVER WITH NO BRIDGE begins in 1908 and tells the story of a widow, Fude HATANAKA and her two sons, Seitaro and Koji, who live in the small town of Komori, where Buraku people are forced to reside. The two boys are continuously harassed by their teachers and classmates through their childhood as a result of their Buraku heritage. In the midst of the 1918 Great Rice Riots in Osaka, Seitaro meets with Asako, the daughter of a rice shop owner, and falls in love with her. She too is of Buraku descent. At the same period, Hideaki, an old friend of the brothers returns to Komori, and he along with Koji and the townspeople create "Zenkoku Suiheisha", the National Levelers Association, an organization pledged to build a bridge over the river of discrimination, making all people equal in every way.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 32
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags: saga
Similar in 87%
Dearest (2012)
Plot Summary:
A prison officer hands in his resignation after his wife's death, to drive to the port where she wants her ashes scattered at sea. Eiji (Ken Takakura) works as a prison officer in Hokuriku. At the age of 53 Eiji loses his wife who he loved the most. Eiji then receives a letter from his dead wife which requests that her ashes be spread by in the sea next to her hometown. Her wife never mentioned such a thing while she was alive. In order to find out her real intentions, Eiji heads to his wife's hometown of Nagasaki with his homemade camper van.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 515
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 88%
Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012)
Plot Summary:
The Tokyo Olympics are about to open, and Rynosuke Chagawa is excited to receive a new TV set to watch the upcoming events. His wife Hiromi is pregnant and he has built a second level on his shop to provide his adopted son Junnosuke with a private space to study for entrance to Tokyo University to set up a career with a major company. He dreams of sparing Junnosuke the struggles that he has faced as a writer. The family continues to rely upon Hiromi's income from her bar. Meanwhile a rival story, The Virus, by a new writer has appeared in the periodical that has been publishing his stories "Boy's Adventure Book" and he fears the new competition. Norifumi Suzuki also receives a new TV, but more of a deluxe model. Mutsuko Hoshino (Roku) is still the principal mechanic in the Suzuki family's auto repair shop, but she dresses up some mornings to go to a nearby street with the hope of a "chance" meeting with Dr.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 719
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: Japan
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 82%
It's Only Talk (2005)
Plot Summary:
Based on an award winning novel, It's Only Talk is about the life of Yuko, a 35 year old woman. She is single and unemployed, and suffers from manic depression. The movie begins with Yuko moving to Kamata Town.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 354
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
To Each His Own (2017)
Plot Summary:
Takashi Aoyama has way too much work to do and pushes himself mentally too hard. He blacks out and collapses at a railroad station. When he is about to be hit by a train, he is saved by Yamamoto. After his encounter with Yamamoto, Takashi recovers his bright personality and gets better results at work. One day, Takashi sees Yamamoto boarding a bus to the cemetery with a serious expression.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 713
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing, twisted, queer cinema
Similar in 81%
Bashing (2005)
Plot Summary:
Yuko is a Japanese girl who was taken hostage in Iraq while volunteering there as an aid worker. Finally released and back in her hometown, Yuko finds herself ostracized as a national disgrace by society that sees her helping a country other than Japan, and the embarrassment of getting captured but not killed, as things of which to be brutally ashamed.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 506
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, bleak, serious, gloomy
Similar in 84%
Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004)
Plot Summary:
As a Labrador puppy, Quill is sent to live with a couple, Isamu and Mitsuko Nii, who work as volunteers, training guide dogs (seeing eye dogs). When he grows to an adult dog, he is taken to a guide dog school, by a friendly, yet firm trainer Satoru Tawada. Although Quill is a little slower than the other dogs at the school, he seems to have an unusual 'empathy' and remarkable patience with his trainers. Tawada decides that Quill would be the ideal guide dog for Mitsuru Watanabe, but Wanatabe, a lonely and ill-tempered middle aged man, isn't as enthusiastic - he would "would rather sleep than be dragged around by a dog.". From here, the story is narrated by Wanatabe's daughter, Mitsuko, and slowly, Wantanbe is rehabilitated, venturing into the outside world, and learning, not only to trust other humans, but the animal at his side who guides him.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, uplifting, sentimental, emotional, sincere, captivating, tear jerker, serious, realistic, tearjerker
Similar in 88%
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005)
Plot Summary:
Takada, a Japanese fisherman has been estranged from his son for many years, but when the son is diagnosed with terminal cancer his daughter-in-law, Rie, summons him to the hospital. Through a series of obstacles and relationships, he is brought unexpectedly closer to both an understanding of himself and of his son.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: China, Japan, Hong Kong
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, serious, realistic, stylized, road movie, crying, independent film, art film
Similar in 75%
After the Rain (1999)
Plot Summary:
A group of travelers is stranded in a small country inn when the river floods during heavy rains. As the bad weather continues, tensions rise amongst the travelers trapped at the inn. Ihei Misawa is a ronin, a samurai without a master, whose skills with a sword make him a valuable employee but whose brutal honesty and lack of social graces prevent him from staying with one master for too long. One night, Ihei impulsively offers to buy food and drink for the guests at a hotel; he doesn't have the money to pay, and to raise cash he concocts a scheme to take on anyone brave enough to fight him for a prize. Ihei's fighting skills impress Lord Shigeaki, who offers him a position as fencing master in his court. Ihei gratefully accepts, but when Shigeaki challenges him to a fight, Ihei beats the Lord decisively. Ihea is certain that he's managed to throw another opportunity away when a band of mercenaries attacks him, and his skills as a swordsman are put to the ultimate test.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan, France
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: spiritual, jidai geki, atmospheric, serious, captivating, stylized
Similar in 85%
Bright Future (2002)
Plot Summary:
Two friends who work in the same oshibori laundry are lost in the drudgery of everyday life. They hang out together, barely functioning and barely communicating. Their middle-aged boss makes a desparate attempt to connect with them with disasterous consequences. Their future is far from bright.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 80%
Café Lumière (2003)
Plot Summary:
Making her way through life by forming superficial relationships, Yoko (Japanese pop idol Yo Hitoto) keeps everyone at arm's length, whether it's her father (Nanji Kobayashi) and stepmother (Kimiko Yo) or Hajime (Tadanobu Asano), the owner of a small bookstore who could be the father of her unborn child. Yoko seems most at home when she's riding the train, speeding around the city with only her thoughts to entertain her.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan, Taiwan
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative, uplifting, art house, slow cinema, aesthetic
Similar in 77%
Tony Takitani (2004)
Plot Summary:
Tony Takitani had a solitary childhood. Being alone was normal since his mother died young and his father was always away with his jazz band. At school he studied art, but while his sketches are accurate and detailed they lack feeling. Used to being self-sufficient, Tony seems to find emotions illogical and immature. After finding his true vocation as a technical illustrator, he becomes fascinated by Eiko, a client who in turn is fascinated by high end fashion. Eiko is like an angel in Tony's daily existence, and for the first time in his life, he feels connected to the outside world. However, Eiko does have one fault: she's a clothing shopaholic. Eventually he marries her, and his life changes. He feels vibrantly alive and for the first time he understands and fears loneliness. But her obsession with designer clothes begins to worry him. When he asks her to economize, the consequences are tragic.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, captivating, psychological, sincere, realistic, depressing, sad, art house, existential
Similar in 86%
Maborosi (1995)
Plot Summary:
A young woman's husband apparently commits suicide without warning or reason, leaving behind his wife and infant. Yumiko remarries and moves from Osaka to a small fishing village, yet continues to search for meaning in a lonely world.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: art house, atmospheric, contemplative, slow cinema, retro, aesthetic, psychological, serious, realistic, light
Similar in 75%
The Long Shot (2004)
Plot Summary:
Annie Garret is a young woman who moves with her irresponsible husband Ross and their seven-year-old daughter Taylor from Colorado to a ranch in northern California where Ross abandons them after he fails to land a job. With no money and no friends, and Taylor and Annie's prized racehorse, Tolo, to look after, Annie lands a job at a ranch hand and stable person at a stud farm owned by the stern Mary Lou O'Brien who is hiding some person demons of her own. Despite Annie's own setbacks in life, she decides to find an outing by entering her horse in a high-stakes riding competition. But when her horse goes blind from a race illness, Annie must struggle with her hardships to put the impossible to the test.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 634
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, realistic, sincere
Similar in 85%
About Her Brother (2010)
Plot Summary:
Ginko’s younger brother Tetsuro, a failed comedian, is the oddball of the family. Embarrassing, loud and plain inappropriate at times causes Ginko to disown him. The two reunite when she discovers Tetsuro is terminally ill. Tetsuro’s impending death marks the beginning of love and toleration.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 843
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, emotional, captivating, independent film, sincere, touching, serious, entertaining
Similar in 84%
Tokyo Family (2013)
Plot Summary:
In this film director Yoji Yamada bows down before his teacher and role model. Yamada was assistant director on Yazujirō Ozu’s Tōkyō monogatari, a moving family portrait set after the Second World War. In his remake, Yamada has made very few departures from Ozu’s masterpiece in order to update the story of ageing couple Shukichi and Tomiko to present day Japan. Once again, the pair decides to leave their quiet lives in the country to pay a visit to their children and grandchildren in Tokyo. Once there, they discover that neither their oldest son, a doctor named Koichi, nor their eldest daughter Shigeko - who runs a beauty parlour - has time for them: both are too busy attending to their everyday concerns. Even the youngest son went his own way. The old couple feel lonely and bewildered in the fast-paced metropolis.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 146 min
Plot tags: realistic, sincere, touching, emotional, psychological, captivating, sentimental, serious, crying
Similar in 83%
The Hidden Blade (2004)
Plot Summary:
Set in 19th Century Japan a young samurai who finds himself in love with a farm girl leaves his home to begin a new life. He has to take stock of his new life when he is put to the test and ordered to kill a traitor who just happens to be his dearest friend.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, stylized, romantic, epic, jidai geki, realistic, gloomy, period drama
Similar in 78%
The Twilight Samurai (2002)
Plot Summary:
Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: tense, emotional, sincere, atmospheric, realistic, touching, talky, lyrical, sentimental, jidai geki
Similar in 75%
I Wish (2011)
Plot Summary:
Two young brothers at opposite ends of Kyushu devise a magical plan to reunite their separated parents in Hirokazu Koreeda's benign and superbly acted picture of family life.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, stylized, realistic, poignant, art film, teen, moody, beautiful
Similar in 83%
Deep in the Heart (2012)
Plot Summary:
An alcoholic man refocuses himself on putting kids through college via 4H and FFA scholarship donations. Guiding him is a spiritual figure he calls "The Bearded Man".
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 275
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: realistic, uplifting, touching, serious, captivating, sincere, independent film, entertaining
Similar in 84%
Angus Buchan's Ordinary People (2012)
Plot Summary:
The plot follows the individual journeys of three ordinary South African men in the build up to their attendance of the 2010 Mighty Men Conference, where their lives are forever changed by God's message for them.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 146
Genere: Drama
Country: South Africa
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, emotional, realistic, art house, christian film, independent film
Similar in 83%
Kabei: Our Mother (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to maintain the household and bring up her two daughters with the support of Shigeru's sister Hisako and Shigeru's ex-student Yamazaki, but her husband does not return. WWII breaks out and casts dark shadows on the entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her cheerful determination, and sustain the family with her love. This is an emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 79%
Nobody Knows (2004)
Plot Summary:
In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: depressing, touching, serious, atmospheric, bleak, gloomy, heartbreaking, contemplative, melancholic, meditative
Similar in 82%
Dawn of the Felines (2017)
Plot Summary:
A glimpse into the lives of three prostitutes in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo and the clients who solicit them.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 387
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, sincere, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 81%
50 to 1 (2014)
Plot Summary:
A misfit group of New Mexico cowboys find themselves on the journey of a lifetime when they learn their crooked-footed racehorse qualifies to run in the Kentucky Derby. Based on the true story of Mine That Bird, the cowboys must overcome impossible odds even before they reach Churchill Downs and the land of Kentucky's blue bloods.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: feel good, touching, realistic, captivating, exciting, sentimental, serious, road movie, uplifting