Movies Like Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989)

Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? is a 1989 drama film from Bae Yong-kyun with a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Walk with Me and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring.

Drama

Walk with Me

2017

Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, Walk With Me is a cinematic journey into the world of a monastic community who practice the art of mindfulness with Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh.

5.8

MagicScore

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

2003

An isolated lake, where an old monk lives in a small floating temple. The monk has a young boy living with him, learning to become a monk. We watch as seasons and years pass by.

7.8

MagicScore

Seven Years in Tibet

1997

Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedition in 1939. But when World War II breaks out, the arrogant Harrer falls into Allied forces' hands as a prisoner of war. He escapes with a fellow detainee and makes his way to Lhasa, Tibet, where he meets the 14-year-old Dalai Lama, whose friendship ultimately transforms his outlook on life.

7.2

MagicScore

Kundun

1997

The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

6.8

MagicScore

Zen

2009

In the early 1200s, Dogen brought Chinese Zen philosophy to Japan, and established the Japanese Zen school of Buddhism. He taught that a person was capable of realizing Buddhahood within himself, by way of Zazen. Zazen is extended hours of sitting and meditating to achieve a state of “Mu” (nothingness, or empty existence).

7.1

MagicScore

A Touch of Zen

1970

Gu Sheng-zhai, an artist in his early 30s, still lives with his mother, but he is suddenly shaken by the arrival of Yang Hui-zhen, a mysterious princess on the run. Yang brings Gu into her circle of protectors, including a nameless monk whose spiritual guidance transforms him into a valiant fighter.

7.7

MagicScore

The Burmese Harp

1956

In Burma during the closing days of WWII, a Japanese soldier separated from his unit disguises himself as a Buddhist monk to escape imprisonment as a POW.

7.9

MagicScore

Samsara

2002

A love story situated in the Himalayas. A Buddhist monk can't choose between life and the way of the Buddha.

7.4

MagicScore

The Venerable W.

2017

A view of the religious tensions between Muslims and Buddhist through the portrait of the Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu, leader of anti-Muslim movement in Myanmar.

6.6

MagicScore

#10

The Last Emperor

1987

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

7.6

MagicScore

#11

Ten Little Indians

1965

Ten strangers are invited as weekend guests to a remote mountain mansion. When the host doesn't show up, the guests start dying, one by one.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

Bunyan and Babe

2017

Travis and his sister, Whitney, visit their grandparents for the summer and fall through a magical portal which transports him to the world of American hero Paul Bunyan and his big, blue, talking ox, Babe.

5.8

MagicScore

#13

Enlightenment Guaranteed

2000

Two middle aged German brothers - one New Age and recently divorced, the other uptight and sceptical - travel to a Zen monastery in Japan in search of enlightenment, or perhaps just in search of themselves.

6.9

MagicScore

#14

The Razor's Edge

1946

An adventurous young man goes off to find himself and loses his socialite fiancée in the process. But when he returns 10 years later, she will stop at nothing to get him back, even though she is already married.

6.9

MagicScore

#15

The Razor's Edge

1984

An American WWI veteran undertakes a spiritual quest that takes him from Paris to Nepal to the Himalayas and back to his hometown. Upon his return, he discovers he is not the only one who has changed.

6.3

MagicScore

#16

The Cup

1999

While the World Cup is being played in France, two young Tibetan refugees arrive at a monastery in India. The atmosphere of serene contemplation is soon disrupted by soccer fever, as the two students desperately seek a TV to watch the final.

6.5

MagicScore

#17

Suspiria

2018

A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Angelica

2017

A couple living in Victorian London endure an unusual series of psychological and supernatural effects following the birth of their child.

4.6

MagicScore

#19

Into the Inferno

2016

With stunning views of eruptions and lava flows, Werner Herzog captures the raw power of volcanoes and their ties to indigenous spiritual practices.

7.0

MagicScore

#20

Nanayo

2008

Saiko travels to Thailand but she jumps out of the cab after knowing the driver's intentions. However, her life changes after she meets Greg.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East??

The top films similar to Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? by MovieMagicScore are Walk with Me (5.8), Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (7.8), Seven Years in Tibet (7.2). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? worth watching?

Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10 from 35 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East??

Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989) is a drama film directed by Bae Yong-kyun, starring Lee Pan-yong, Sin Won-sop, Hwang Hae-jin.

Where can I find more recommendations like Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East??

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 Walk with Me Movies like Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring Movies like Seven Years in Tibet Movies like Kundun Movies like Zen Movies like A Touch of Zen

About movies like Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?

This ranked list pairs Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989), a drama film from Bae Yong-kyun, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Lee Pan-yong 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.

← Back to Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?