feelsalike.comSign in
Prayers for Bobby poster

Movies that feel likePrayers for Bobby (2009)

Bobby Griffith was his mother's favorite son, the perfect all-American boy growing up under deeply religious influences in Walnut Creek, California. Bobby was also gay. Struggling with a conflict no one knew of, much less understood, Bobby finally came out to his family.

If you loved Prayers for Bobby, the closest films we have are I'm Still Here (2024), The Look of Silence (2014) and City of Men (2007). All three share Prayers for Bobby's contemplative and melancholy feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist (1997).

πŸ… 73% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Russell Mulcahycontemplativeepicmelancholy
9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

Can't choose? Answer three questions and get one movie for tonight.

See it on the Mood Map

When is Prayers for Bobby streaming? β†’

If Prayers for Bobby hit the spot, these will too

I'm Still Here poster
I'm Still Here
2024 Β· dir. Walter Salles
β˜… 8.1drama Β· historyNetflix

Both are working the same pair: a true story, grief

A woman married to a former politician during the 1971 military dictatorship in Brazil is forced to reinvent herself and chart a new course for her family after a violent and arbitrary act.

The Look of Silence poster
The Look of Silence
2014 Β· dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8.2history Β· documentary

The same mix in both: stillness, then scale

The difference: Sits closer to documentary than Prayers for Bobby does

An Indonesian man with a communist background named Ramli was brutally murdered when the "Communist" purge occurred in 1965. His remaining family members lived in fear and silence until the making of this documentary. Adi, a brother of his, decided to revisit the horrific incident and visited the men who were responsible for the killings and one survivor of the purge. These meetings uncovered sadistic details of the murders and exposed raw emotions and reactions of the killers' family members about what happened in the past - much to Adi's disappointment.

City of Men poster
City of Men
2007 Β· dir. Paulo Morelli
πŸ… 74%β˜… 7.2dramaParamount+

The same preoccupation in both: parents and children

The difference: Takes it somewhere less epic than Prayers for Bobby does

Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas.

The King's Speech poster
The King's Speech
2010 Β· dir. Tom Hooper
πŸ… 94%β˜… 8drama Β· historyParamount+

Common ground: a true story

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.

13 Assassins poster
13 Assassins
2010 Β· dir. Takashi Miike
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.5adventure Β· drama Β· actionPrime Video

One thread runs through both: suicide

A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.

Nobody Knows poster
Nobody Knows
2004 Β· dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
πŸ… 92%β˜… 8drama

Melancholy drama, and it commits to that

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.

Taste of Cherry poster
Taste of Cherry
1997 Β· dir. Abbas Kiarostami
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.7dramaMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: suicide

A middle-aged Tehranian man, Mr. Badii is intent on killing himself and seeks someone to bury him after his demise. Driving around the city, the seemingly well-to-do Badii meets with numerous people, including a Muslim student, asking them to take on the job, but initially he has little luck. Eventually, Badii finds a man who is up for the task because he needs the money, but his new associate soon tries to talk him out of committing suicide.

Silent Heart poster
Silent Heart
2014 Β· dir. Bille August
β˜… 7.1drama

Both lean on stillness more than on history

Three generations of a family gather over a weekend. The sisters Sanne and Heidi have accepted their terminally-ill mother’s desire to die before her disease worsens; but, as the weekend progresses, their mother's decision becomes harder and harder to deal with, and old conflicts come to the surface.

Hero poster
Hero
2002 Β· dir. Zhang Yimou
β˜… 7.9drama Β· adventure Β· action

Tv movie with a pulse of scale, in both cases

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.

Central Station poster
Central Station
1998 Β· dir. Walter Salles
πŸ… 94%β˜… 8drama

Drama built on melancholy, twice over

An emotional journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.

Hostiles poster
Hostiles
2017 Β· dir. Scott Cooper
πŸ… 71%β˜… 7.2drama Β· western Β· historyStarz

Both are built on the same subject: grief

A legendary Native American-hating Army captain nearing retirement in 1892 is given one last assignment: to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory back to his Montana reservation.

Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist poster
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.5documentary

Contemplative history in both cases

The story of Robert Flanagan, a man who was born with cystic fibrosis and told he wouldn't live past 20, who through a unique odyssey of masochism, art and love found a way to live decades past his expiration date.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Prayers for Bobby’s defining feeling.