Movies Like White Oleander (2002)

White Oleander is a 2002 drama film from Peter Kosminsky with a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Gimme Shelter and Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer.

Drama

Gimme Shelter

2013

After running away from her abusive mother, a streetwise teen seeks refuge with her father, but he rejects her when he learns that she's pregnant.

6.6

MagicScore

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

2003

British documentarian Nick Broomfield creates a follow-up piece to his 1992 documentary of the serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a highway prostitute who was convicted of killing six men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Interviewing an increasingly mentally unstable Wuornos, Broomfield captures the distorted mind of a murderer whom the state of Florida deems of sound mind -- and therefore fit to execute. Throughout the film, Broomfield includes footage of his testimony at Wuornos' trial.

6.7

MagicScore

Harmony

2010

Jeong-hye gives a birth to a baby boy in the prison. Her and other inmates create a women's choir to compete in the national choir contest, to meet and greet their families and loving ones.

7.7

MagicScore

The Edge of Heaven

2007

The lives of six German-Turkish immigrants are drawn together by circumstance: An old man and a prostitute forging a partnership, a young scholar reconciling his past, two young women falling in love, and a mother putting the shattered pieces of her life back together.

7.2

MagicScore

Ayla: The Daughter of War

2017

In 1950, amidst the ravages of the Korean War, Sergeant Süleyman stumbles upon a a half-frozen little girl, with no parents and no help in sight and he risks his own life to save her, smuggling her into his army base and out of harm’s way.

8.0

MagicScore

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot

2024

Led by Donna and Reverend W.C. Martin, 22 families from a rural Black church in the small East Texas town of Possum Trot adopt 77 of the most difficult-to-place kids in the foster system and kickstart a movement in the process.

7.0

MagicScore

The Unloved

2009

Lucy is eleven years old. Having been neglected by her estranged mother and father, she is placed in a children's home. Through her eyes, we follow her struggle to cope with the system; her only saving being her self-belief and certainty that she is being watched over and protected by the holy spirit.

7.0

MagicScore

August: Osage County

2013

An intense look at the lives of the strong-willed daughters of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional mother who raised them.

6.9

MagicScore

The Official Story

1985

Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1983. In the last and turbulent days of the military dictatorship, Alicia, a high school history teacher, begins to ask uncomfortable questions about the dark origins of Gaby, her adopted daughter.

7.4

MagicScore

#10

Mildred Pierce

1945

A hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.

7.6

MagicScore

#11

Julieta

2016

The film spans 30 years in Julieta’s life from a nostalgic 1985 where everything seems hopeful, to 2015 where her life appears to be beyond repair and she is on the verge of madness.

7.0

MagicScore

#12

The Beach House

2018

Cara Rudland thought she’d left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind, but returns to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers after losing her job in Chicago. There, she reconnects with her mother Lovie, who has been caring for her young, pregnant friend Toy in her charming beach house.

6.4

MagicScore

#13

Mommie Dearest

1981

Renowned film star Joan Crawford's abuse towards Christina, her adopted daughter, intensifies as her professional and romantic relationships turn sour.

6.3

MagicScore

#14

Georgia Rule

2007

Rebellious, uncontrollable teenager, Rachel is hauled off by her dysfunctional mother to spend the summer with her estranged grandmother, Georgia. Her journey will lead all three women to revelations of buried family secrets and an understanding that - regardless what happens - the ties that bind can never be broken.

6.0

MagicScore

#15

A Home of Our Own

1993

In 1960s Los Angeles an energetic widow and her six children try to make a dream of theirs come true: to have a home of their own. They leave L.A. and head for the countryside, all the while facing numerous difficulties and obstacles during their journey.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

The Girl

2012

A young Texan mother who loses her child to foster care begins smuggling Mexicans across the border.

6.1

MagicScore

#17

Hello!

2017

Avinash/Seenu is a street urchin brought up by his loving adoptive parents Saru and Prakash. The love of his life is the girl he meets during childhood Junnu/Priya, whom fate had snatched away from him. Fourteen long years and they still wait for the day they will meet again. Will destiny help them?

7.2

MagicScore

#18

Lady Vengeance

2005

Released after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 13 years, a woman begins executing her elaborate plan of retribution.

7.5

MagicScore

#19

Caged

1950

A single mistake puts a 19-year old girl behind bars, where she experiences the terrors and torments of women in prison.

7.1

MagicScore

#20

Four Minutes

2006

Jenny is young. Her life is over. She killed someone. And she would do it again. When an 80-year-old piano teacher discovers the girl’s secret, her brutality and her dreams, she decides to transform her pupil into the musical wunderkind she once was.

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like White Oleander?

The top films similar to White Oleander by MovieMagicScore are Gimme Shelter (6.6), Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (6.7), Harmony (7.7). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is White Oleander worth watching?

White Oleander holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10 from 404 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is White Oleander?

White Oleander (2002) is a drama film directed by Peter Kosminsky, starring Alison Lohman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Renée Zellweger.

Where can I find more recommendations like White Oleander?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Gimme Shelter Movies like Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer Movies like Harmony Movies like The Edge of Heaven Movies like Ayla: The Daughter of War Movies like Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot

About movies like White Oleander

This ranked list pairs White Oleander (2002), a drama film from Peter Kosminsky, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Alison Lohman take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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