Movies Like Rafiki (2018)

Rafiki is a 2018 drama, romance film from Wanuri Kahiu with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Watermelon Woman and Saturday Church.

Drama Romance

The Watermelon Woman

1997

A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.

6.8

MagicScore

Saturday Church

2018

Ulysses is a shy and effeminate boy who finds himself coping with new responsibilities as man of the house after the death of his father. Living alongside his mother, younger brother, and conservative aunt, Ulysses is also struggling with questions about his gender identity. He finds an escape by creating a world of fantasy filled with dance and music. Ulysses' journey takes a turn for the better when he finds a vibrant transgender community.

6.3

MagicScore

Moonlight

2016

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

7.4

MagicScore

Tangerine

2015

It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.

6.9

MagicScore

Pariah

2011

A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

6.8

MagicScore

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

2020

Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson's play.

6.6

MagicScore

Bessie

2015

The story of legendary blues performer, Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.

6.3

MagicScore

Blackbird

2014

Seventeen-year-old Randy tries very hard to be a good person. Since his father left, Randy takes care of his emotionally disturbed mother, and he's the kind of friend all of his classmates can depend on. As strong as he seems on the outside, Randy is hiding a secret inner struggle and denial of his true self. It's not until he opens himself up to love that he discovers that becoming a man means accepting who you really are.

5.6

MagicScore

Young Soul Rebels

1991

Two disc jockeys have a friend's murder to solve in the fringe-group melting pot of 1977 London.

4.9

MagicScore

#10

Paris Is Burning

1991

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.

8.0

MagicScore

#11

Tongues Untied

1990

Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs telling the story of his growing up, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and various comic riffs, including a visit to the "Institute of Snap!thology," where men take lessons in how to snap their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap.

6.6

MagicScore

#12

Portrait of Jason

1967

Interview with Jason Holliday aka Aaron Payne. House-boy, would-be cabaret performer, and self-proclaimed hustler giving one man's gin-soaked, pill-popped view of what it was like to be black and gay in 1960s United States. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Milestone Films in 2013.

6.4

MagicScore

#13

Stop! That! Train!

2026

Best friends and train stewardesses Tess and DeeDee trade their dreary shifts on the Stank Rail for the glitzy Glamazonian Express. However, when a catastrophic Stormaganza threatens to crash the high-speed train into Celebration, Florida, the duo in coach must join forces with the snobby first-class attendants, a hot but dimwitted co-conductor, and fabulous US President Judy Gagwell to save the day.

5.2

MagicScore

#14

Mars One

2022

A middle-class Black family in Brazil copes with the election of a far-right extremist president. The mother believes that she's cursed after an unexpected encounter, while her husband puts all of his hopes into their son's soccer career.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

Kiki

2016

25 years after Paris is Burning, we dive back into the fierce world of voguing battles in the Kiki scene of New York City, where competition between Houses demands leadership, painstaking practice, and performances on point. A film collaboration between Kiki gatekeeper, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and Swedish filmmaker Sara Jordenö, we’re granted exclusive access into this high stakes world, where tough competitions act as a gateway into the daily lives of LGBTQ youth of color in NYC. The new generation of ballroom youth use the motto, “Not About us Without Us”. Twiggy and Sara’s insider-outsider approach to their stories breathes fresh life into the representation of a marginalized community who demand visibility and real political power.

5.6

MagicScore

#16

Lilies

1997

1952: Bishop Bilodeau visits a prison to hear the confession of Simon, a boyhood friend jailed for murder 40 years ago. However, once there, Bilodeau finds himself forced to watch a play put on by Simon and the other inmates depicting the two men's youths. As the play progresses, the tragic truth of Simon's crime comes to light.

8.1

MagicScore

#17

Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway

2008

Set in New York City's gritty East Village, the revolutionary rock opera RENT tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to live and pay their rent. "Measuring their lives in love," these starving artists strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic.

7.9

MagicScore

#18

This Special Friendship

1964

A tale of the tender relationship between a twelve-year-old boy and the fourteen-year-old upperclassman who is the object of his desire, all set within the rigid atmosphere of a Jesuit-run school.

7.8

MagicScore

#19

Brokeback Mountain

2005

In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.

7.8

MagicScore

#20

Shelter

2007

Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach works dead-end jobs to support his sister and her son. Questioning his life, he paints, surfs and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe. When Gabe's older brother returns home for the summer, Zach suddenly finds himself drawn into a relationship he didn't expect.

7.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Rafiki?

The top films similar to Rafiki by MovieMagicScore are The Watermelon Woman (6.8), Saturday Church (6.3), Moonlight (7.4). Each shares drama/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Rafiki worth watching?

Rafiki holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 153 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Rafiki?

Rafiki (2018) is a drama, romance film directed by Wanuri Kahiu, starring Samantha Mugatsia, Sheila Munyiva, Jimmi Gathu.

Where can I find more recommendations like Rafiki?

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 The Watermelon Woman Movies like Saturday Church Movies like Moonlight Movies like Tangerine Movies like Pariah Movies like Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

About movies like Rafiki

This ranked list pairs Rafiki (2018), a drama and romance film from Wanuri Kahiu, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Samantha Mugatsia 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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