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Only Yesterday poster

Movies that feel likeOnly Yesterday (1991)

In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.

If you loved Only Yesterday, the closest films we have are House of Hummingbird (2019), 5 Centimeters per Second (2007) and The Straight Story (1999). All three share Only Yesterday's contemplative and wistful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Devdas (2002).

πŸ… 100% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.6 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Isao Takahatacontemplativewistfulromantic
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

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If Only Yesterday hit the spot, these will too

House of Hummingbird poster
House of Hummingbird
2019 Β· dir. Kim Bora
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.4dramaPrime Video

One thread runs through both: growing up

The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

14-year-old Eun-hee moves through life like a hummingbird searching for a taste of sweetness wherever she may find it. Ignored by her parents and abused by her brother, she finds her escape by roaming the neighborhood with her best friend, going on adventures, and exploring young love.

5 Centimeters per Second poster
5 Centimeters per Second
2007 Β· dir. Makoto Shinkai
β˜… 7.4animation Β· romance Β· dramaMax

The same preoccupation in both: slice of life

The difference: Leans harder into romance than Only Yesterday does

Three moments in Takaki's life: his relationship with Akari and their forced separation; his friendship with Kanae, who is secretly in love with him; the demands and disappointments of adulthood, an unhappy life in a cold city.

The Straight Story poster
The Straight Story
1999 Β· dir. David Lynch
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8dramaDisney+

Two things both keep coming back to: family and nostalgic

The difference: Easier on the romance than Only Yesterday

Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his estranged brother Lyle has suffered a severe stroke. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.

Biutiful poster
Biutiful
2010 Β· dir. Alejandro G. IΓ±Γ‘rritu
πŸ… 66%β˜… 7.4dramaNetflix

Both keep coming back to the same thing: nostalgic

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever.

Devdas poster
Devdas
2002 Β· dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali
β˜… 7.6drama Β· romance

The same mix in both: stillness, then wistfulness

In 1900s India, Calcuttan zamindar Devdas Mukherjee β€” unable to marry his lover β€” takes up alcohol and the company of a courtesan to alleviate the pain.

Cinema Paradiso poster
Cinema Paradiso
1988 Β· dir. Giuseppe Tornatore
πŸ… 90%β˜… 8.5drama Β· romance

Common ground: flashback

A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.

A Walk to Remember poster
A Walk to Remember
2002 Β· dir. Adam Shankman
πŸ… 30%β˜… 7.3drama Β· romance

Both are built on the same subject: romance

When the popular, restless Landon Carter is forced to participate in the school drama production, he falls in love with Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's minister. Jamie has a "to-do" list for her life, as well as a very big secret she must keep from Landon.

The Garden of Words poster
The Garden of Words
2013 Β· dir. Makoto Shinkai
β˜… 7.4animation Β· drama Β· romance

From the 2010s, and it lands the same way

Takao, who is training to become a shoemaker, skipped school and is sketching shoes in a Japanese-style garden. He meets a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him. Then, without arranging the times, the two start to see each other again and again, but only on rainy days. They deepen their relationship and open up to each other. But the end of the rainy season soon approaches.

Malena poster
Malena
2000 Β· dir. Giuseppe Tornatore
πŸ… 54%β˜… 7.4drama

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

12-year-old Renato experiences three significant events on the same day: the beginning of the Second World War, getting a bike, and witnessing the arrival of the gorgeous Malèna. Through his eyes, we see the curse of beauty and loneliness of Malena, whose husband is presumed dead, and, through his soul, we see his love for her.

A Brighter Summer Day poster
A Brighter Summer Day
1991 Β· dir. Edward Yang
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.2crime Β· drama Β· romance

Romantic animation, and it commits to that

A boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.

Leave No Trace poster
Leave No Trace
2018 Β· dir. Debra Granik
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.1drama

Drama built on wistfulness, twice over

A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies poster
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
2024 Β· dir. Pat Boonnitipat
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.9dramaNetflix

Animation with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

M, a university dropout low on money and luck, volunteers to take care of his terminally ill grandmother, in the hope of pocketing an inheritance.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Only Yesterday’s defining feeling.