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Movies that feel like The Boy and the Heron (2023)

If you loved The Boy and the Heron, the closest films we have are The Hand of God (2021), Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train (2020) and All the Bright Places (2020). All three share The Boy and the Heron's wistful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Paramount Plus Premium and others, checked against today's data.

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

πŸ… 96% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.3 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Hayao Miyazakidreamlikecontemplativemelancholywistfuldreadromantic
Stream it:HBO Max β†—
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If The Boy and the Heron hit the spot, these will too

The Hand of God poster
The Hand of God
2021 Β· dir. Paolo Sorrentino
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.3drama

Both are working the same pair: growing up, poverty

The difference: Not nearly as dreamlike as The Boy and the Heron

In 1980s Naples, an awkward teen struggling to find his place experiences heartbreak and liberation after he's inadvertently saved from a freak accident by football legend Diego Maradona.

Feels alike?
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train poster
β˜… 8.2animation Β· action Β· fantasy

Common ground: supernatural

The difference: None of the stillness The Boy and the Heron is built on

Tanjiro Kamado, joined with Inosuke Hashibira, a boy raised by boars who wears a boar's head, and Zenitsu Agatsuma, a scared boy who reveals his true power when he sleeps, boards the Infinity Train on a new mission with the Fire Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, to defeat a demon who has been tormenting the people and killing the demon slayers who oppose it!

Feels alike?
All the Bright Places poster
All the Bright Places
2020 Β· dir. Brett Haley
πŸ… 67%β˜… 6.6romance Β· drama

One thread runs through both: growing up

The difference: Reviewed a good deal more coolly

Two teens facing personal struggles form a powerful bond as they embark on a cathartic journey chronicling the wonders of Indiana.

Feels alike?
House of Hummingbird poster
House of Hummingbird
2019 Β· dir. Kim Bora
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.4drama

Contemplative where it counts, wistful underneath

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.

Feels alike?
Big Fish & Begonia poster
Big Fish & Begonia
2016 Β· dir. Liang Xuan
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7animation Β· adventure Β· fantasy

Both keep coming back to the same thing: supernatural

The difference: Leans harder into adventure than The Boy and the Heron does

Beyond the human realm, there is a magical race of beings who control the tides and the changing of the seasons. One of these beings, a young girl named Chun, seeks something moreβ€”she wants to experience the human world! At sixteen, she finally gets her chance and transforms into a dolphin in order to explore the world that has her fascinated. But she soon discovers that it's a dangerous place and nearly gets killed in a vortex. Luckily, her life is spared when a young boy sacrifices himself to save her. Moved by his kindness and courage, she uses magic to bring him back to life only to learn that this power comes at a serious price. On a new adventure, she’ll have to make her own sacrifices in order to protect his soul until it is ready to return to the human world.

Feels alike?
Drive My Car poster
Drive My Car
2021 Β· dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.5drama

Both are built on the same subject: grief

Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt confessions will be unveiled.

Feels alike?
The Lovely Bones poster
The Lovely Bones
2009 Β· dir. Peter Jackson
πŸ… 31%β˜… 6.6fantasy Β· drama

The same preoccupation in both: grief

After being brutally murdered, 14-year-old Susie Salmon watches from heaven over her grief-stricken family -- and her killer. As she observes their daily lives, she must balance her thirst for revenge with her desire for her family to heal.

Feels alike?
Close to the Horizon poster
Close to the Horizon
2019 Β· dir. Tim Trachte
β˜… 6.6romance Β· drama

The same mix in both: melancholy, then romance

The difference: Sits closer to romance than The Boy and the Heron does

Jessica knows exactly what her life is supposed to look like and where it takes her. But then she meets Danny. He has a complicated past and could confuse all their plans. Jessica has to decide.

Feels alike?
Mommy poster
Mommy
2014 Β· dir. Xavier Dolan
πŸ… 89%β˜… 8drama

Both lean on dream logic more than on drama

A peculiar neighbor offers hope to a recent widow who is struggling to raise a teenager who is unpredictable and, sometimes, violent.

Feels alike?
Lilting poster
Lilting
2014 Β· dir. Hong Khaou
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.2drama

Contemplative animation in both cases

A young man of Chinese-Cambodian descent dies, leaving behind his isolated mother and his lover of four years. Though the two don't share a language, they grow close through their grief.

Feels alike?
Lamb poster
Lamb
2021 Β· dir. Valdimar JΓ³hannsson
πŸ… 86%β˜… 6.3drama Β· fantasy Β· horror

Fantasy with a pulse of dread, in both cases

An Icelandic couple live with their herd of sheep on a beautiful but remote farm. When they discover a mysterious newborn on their land, they decide to keep it and raise it as their own. This unexpected development and the prospects of a new family brings them much joy before ultimately destroying them.

Feels alike?
The Quiet Girl poster
The Quiet Girl
2022 Β· dir. Colm BairΓ©ad
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.7drama

Drama built on melancholy, twice over

A quiet, neglected girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with relatives for the summer. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one.

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In the mood for more dreamlike?

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The best-reviewed films that share The Boy and the Heron’s defining feeling.