Movies like Moonlight (2016)

10 films to watch after Moonlight, ranked by how well they match its tone — not just its genre.

  1. My Own Private Idaho poster

    My Own Private Idaho (1991)

    #1 Fit: 72%

    In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

  2. Beautiful Boy poster

    Beautiful Boy (2018)

    #2 Fit: 70%

    After he and his first wife separate, journalist David Sheff struggles to help their teenage son, who goes from experimenting with drugs to becoming devastatingly addicted to methamphetamine.

  3. Midnight Cowboy poster

    Midnight Cowboy (1969)

    #3 Fit: 70%

    Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an ailing swindler with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida.

  4. Nickel Boys poster

    Nickel Boys (2024)

    #4 Fit: 69%

    Chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.

  5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower poster

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

    #5 Fit: 69%

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love.

  6. Kiss of the Spider Woman poster

    Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

    #6 Fit: 69%

    The story of two radically different men thrown together in a Latin American prison cell. One is Valentin, a journalist being tortured for his political beliefs. The other is Molina, a gay window-dresser who fills their lonely nights by spinning romantic fantasies drawn from memories of old movies.

  7. The Florida Project poster

    The Florida Project (2017)

    #7 Fit: 61%

    The story of a precocious six year-old and her ragtag group of friends whose summer break is filled with childhood wonder, possibility and a sense of adventure while the adults around them struggle with hard times.

  8. The Crying Game poster

    The Crying Game (1992)

    #8 Fit: 61%

    Irish Republican Army member Fergus forms an unexpected bond with Jody, a kidnapped British soldier in his custody, despite the warnings of fellow IRA members Jude and Maguire. Jody makes Fergus promise he'll visit his girlfriend, Dil, in London, and when Fergus flees to the city, he seeks her out. Hounded by his former IRA colleagues, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the enigmatic, and surprising, Dil.

  9. The Chronology of Water poster

    The Chronology of Water (2025)

    #9 Fit: 58%

    Plagued by an abusive childhood, a woman finds escape in competitive swimming, sexual experimentation, toxic relationships, and addiction before ultimately finding her voice through writing.

  10. A Million Little Pieces poster

    A Million Little Pieces (2019)

    #10 Fit: 53%

    A young drug-addled writer approaching the bottom of his descent submits to two months of agonizing detox at a treatment center in Minnesota.