Movies Like Kanarie (2018)

Kanarie is a 2018 drama, music film from Christiaan Olwagen with a MovieMagicScore of 6.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Moffie and Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Drama Music

Moffie

2020

A young man in 1981 South Africa must complete his brutal and racist two years of compulsory military service while desperately maintaining the secrecy of his homosexuality.

6.6

MagicScore

Kiss of the Spider Woman

2025

Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna.

6.1

MagicScore

The Blue Caftan

2023

A middle-aged tailor and his wife find their relationship challenged by the arrival of a handsome new apprentice.

7.3

MagicScore

My Big Gay Italian Wedding

2018

A father, who calls himself "open" and tolerant and fights against any form of discrimination, reveals himself as not so liberal when his son announces the engagement to his partner. Overwhelmed by the news, he regresses into the most fierce opponent of same-sex marriage, and tries to undermine his son's happiness with a series of embarrassing situations.

5.7

MagicScore

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

Billy Elliot

2000

County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.

7.6

MagicScore

Prayers 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.

8.1

MagicScore

The Imitation Game

2014

Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.

8.0

MagicScore

Pretty Boy

2015

Sean is taken to a motel and is given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father. He must sleep with her to "fix" his questionable homosexuality. "Pretty Boy" is a coming of age story of a young bullied teen, Sean, struggling with his sexuality and the hardships of high school. After his father finds some questionable magazines in his room, this devout Christian will go to any lengths to get his son to find the light and "perform" the way a man should. Sean is introduced to Katie, a prostitute that understands the stigmas of modern society and helps him see the true light that is within him.

7.6

MagicScore

#10

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

#11

Uncle Frank

2020

In 1973, when Frank Bledsoe and his 18-year-old niece Beth take a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina for the family patriarch's funeral, they're unexpectedly joined by Frank's lover Walid.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

Torch Song Trilogy

1988

Arnold is a gay man working as a drag queen in 1971 NYC. He meets a handsome bisexual man.

7.3

MagicScore

#13

Just a Question of Love

2000

After his gay cousin dies from hepatitis, young Laurent, who lives with his best friend Carole, falls in love with Cedric, a plant scientist. He's afraid to inform his conservative parents that he is gay.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

Milk

2008

The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.

7.2

MagicScore

#15

Handsome Devil

2017

A music-mad 16-year-old outcast at a rugby-mad boarding school forms an unlikely friendship with his dashing new roommate.

7.0

MagicScore

#16

Kiss of the Spider Woman

1985

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.

7.0

MagicScore

#17

In the Name of...

2013

The contemporary story of a priest who launches a centre for troubled youth in a small parish. He is a good priest and is well-liked by his congregation, which remains unaware of his complicated past.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Latter Days

2004

Christian, a hunky, 20-something, West Hollywood party boy gets more than he bargains for when he tries to seduce Aaron, a sexually confused Mormon missionary who moves into his apartment complex.

6.8

MagicScore

#19

Being 17

2016

Damien lives with his mother Marianne, a doctor, while his father, a pilot, is on a tour of duty abroad with the French military. At school, Damien is bullied by Thomas, who lives in the farming community up in the mountains. The boys find themselves living together when Marianne invites Thomas to come and stay with them while his mother is ill in hospital. Damien must learn to live with the boy who terrorized him.

6.8

MagicScore

#20

Tom at the Farm

2014

A young man travels to an isolated farm for his lover's funeral where he's quickly drawn into a twisted, sexually charged game by his lover's aggressive brother.

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Kanarie?

The top films similar to Kanarie by MovieMagicScore are Moffie (6.6), Kiss of the Spider Woman (6.1), The Blue Caftan (7.3). Each shares drama/music themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Kanarie worth watching?

Kanarie holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.4/10 from 20 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Kanarie?

Kanarie (2018) is a drama, music film directed by Christiaan Olwagen, starring Schalk Bezuidenhout, Hannes Otto, Germandt Geldenhuys.

Where can I find more recommendations like Kanarie?

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 Moffie Movies like Kiss of the Spider Woman Movies like The Blue Caftan Movies like My Big Gay Italian Wedding Movies like Paris Is Burning Movies like Billy Elliot

About movies like Kanarie

This ranked list pairs Kanarie (2018), a drama and music film from Christiaan Olwagen, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Schalk Bezuidenhout 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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