Movies Like Desert Hearts (1985)

Desert Hearts is a 1985 drama, romance film from Donna Deitch with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Carol and Tell It to the Bees.

Drama Romance

Carol

2015

In 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.

7.5

MagicScore

Tell It to the Bees

2019

Dr. Jean Markham returns to the town she left as a teenager to take over her late father's medical practice. When a school-yard scuffle lands Charlie in her surgery, she invites him to visit the hives in her garden and tell his secrets to the bees, as she once did. The new friendship between the boy and the bee keeper brings his mother Lydia into Jean's world.

7.5

MagicScore

Saving Face

2004

A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations.

7.3

MagicScore

The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love

1995

An adventurous love story between two young women of different social and economic backgrounds who find themselves going through all the typical struggles of a new romance.

6.2

MagicScore

On Swift Horses

2025

In the 1950s, a seemingly sensible newlywed and her wayward brother-in-law undertake parallel journeys of risk, romance, and self-discovery.

6.2

MagicScore

Happiest Season

2020

A young woman's plans to propose to her girlfriend while at her family's annual holiday party are upended when she discovers her partner hasn't yet come out to her conservative parents.

7.1

MagicScore

D.E.B.S.

2005

The star of a team of teenage crime fighters falls for the alluring villainess she must bring to justice.

6.5

MagicScore

The Women

1939

A happily married woman lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays.

7.1

MagicScore

Melvin and Howard

1980

The story of hard-luck Melvin Dummar, who claimed to have received a will naming him an heir to the fortune of Howard Hughes. Inspired by real events.

6.4

MagicScore

#10

Desert Fury

1947

The daughter of a Nevada casino owner gets involved with a racketeer, despite everyone's efforts to separate them.

6.0

MagicScore

#11

Show Me Love

1998

Two teenage girls in small-town Sweden. Elin is beautiful, popular, and bored with life. Agnes is friendless, sad, and secretly in love with Elin.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

Lianna

1983

Lianna's life is a succession of domestic errands and boring faculty parties, however her heaviest cross to bear is dealing with her waning marriage to Dick. In order to find intellectual stimulus, Lianna takes a college extension child-psychology course taught by Ruth. When Lianna catches Dick having an affair with a young coed, she finds comfort and eventually true love in the arms of Ruth. However, this comes with a price as everything in her life is turned upside down.

6.3

MagicScore

#13

The Misfits

1961

While filing for a divorce, beautiful ex-stripper Roslyn Taber ends up meeting aging cowboy-turned-gambler Gay Langland and former World War II aviator Guido Racanelli. The two men instantly become infatuated with Roslyn and, on a whim, the three decide to move into Guido's half-finished desert home together. When grizzled ex-rodeo rider Perce Howland arrives, the unlikely foursome strike up a business capturing wild horses.

6.9

MagicScore

#14

Fire

1997

In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha's life takes an irresistible turn when her beautiful young sister-in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage.

6.7

MagicScore

#15

Better Than Chocolate

1999

Not long after moving into her own place, Maggie finds herself with two unsolicited roommates: her recently divorced mother, Lila, and her young brother. The timing is especially bad, considering Maggie has fallen hard for an attractive woman, Kim, only hours before they move in. What could be a nonissue becomes increasingly complicated -- since Maggie's family is unaware of her sexual orientation, and Maggie is not open to sharing that information.

6.0

MagicScore

#16

Mädchen in Uniform

1931

A sensitive girl is sent to an all-girls boarding school and develops a romantic attachment to one of her teachers.

7.1

MagicScore

#17

Am I OK?

2024

Lucy and Jane have been best friends for most of their lives and think they know everything there is to know about each other. But when Jane announces she's moving to London, Lucy reveals a long-held secret. As Jane tries to help Lucy, their friendship is thrown into chaos.

6.3

MagicScore

#18

Summertime

2015

In 1971, a young woman moves from the French countryside to Paris and begins a passionate love affair with a feminist leader.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

The Handmaiden

2016

1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sook-hee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.

8.2

MagicScore

#20

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

2019

On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.

8.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Desert Hearts?

The top films similar to Desert Hearts by MovieMagicScore are Carol (7.5), Tell It to the Bees (7.5), Saving Face (7.3). Each shares drama/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Desert Hearts worth watching?

Desert Hearts holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 165 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Desert Hearts?

Desert Hearts (1985) is a drama, romance film directed by Donna Deitch, starring Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley.

Where can I find more recommendations like Desert Hearts?

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 Carol Movies like Tell It to the Bees Movies like Saving Face Movies like The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love Movies like On Swift Horses Movies like Happiest Season

About movies like Desert Hearts

This ranked list pairs Desert Hearts (1985), a drama and romance film from Donna Deitch, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Helen Shaver 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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