Movies Like Lianna (1983)

Lianna is a 1983 drama, romance film from John Sayles with a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Blue Is the Warmest Color and Chasing Amy.

Drama Romance

Blue Is the Warmest Color

2013

Adèle's life is changed when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire, to assert herself as a woman and as an adult. In front of others, Adele grows, seeks herself, loses herself, finds herself.

7.1

MagicScore

Chasing Amy

1997

Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything is going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.

6.8

MagicScore

Margarita with a Straw

2015

A rebellious young woman with cerebral palsy leaves India to study in New York. On her journey of self-discovery, she unexpectedly falls in love.

6.8

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

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

Desert Hearts

1985

While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.

7.0

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

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

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

#10

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

#11

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

#12

Below Her Mouth

2017

An unexpected affair quickly escalates into a heart-stopping reality for two women whose passionate connection changes their lives forever.

6.8

MagicScore

#13

Freeheld

2015

New Jersey car mechanic Stacie Andree and her police detective girlfriend Laurel Hester both battle to secure Hester's pension benefits after she was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

Wilde

1997

Oscar Wilde is a married playwright who has occasionally indulged his weakness for male suitors. After much toil, Wilde debuts 'The Importance of Being Earnest' in London, and a chat at the theatre with Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas leads to a full-fledged romance. However, this affair leads to a legal dispute with Lord Alfred's oppressive father, the Marquess of Queensberry, and, given the local anti-gay laws, Wilde is jailed. Wilde's vast intellect helps him survive until he regains his freedom.

6.6

MagicScore

#15

Remember the Daze

2008

During the summer of 1999, a group of teenagers, through interconnected narratives, live through their last day of high school and prepare for the future. Holly, once the new girl in school, does whatever it takes to remain popular. Dawn, who is secretly a lesbian, battles drugs. Tori is the valedictorian of her class, but, on the eve of graduation, she decides to experiment with drugs for the first time.

4.9

MagicScore

#16

A Secret Love

2020

Amid shifting times, two women kept their decades-long love a secret. But coming out later in life comes with its own set of challenges.

7.3

MagicScore

#17

Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt)

2020

School captain Ellie is seriously crushing on her rebellious classmate Abbie. Determined to ask her first love to the year 12 formal, Ellie devises a plan to go public with the invitation but before she can go through with it, her dead aunt Tara reappears from beyond the grave. Believing she's been brought back from the dead to be Ellie's fairy godmother, Tara dishes out unwanted dating advice based on her life as an out lesbian in the '80s.

6.5

MagicScore

#18

Olivia

1951

"Olivia" captures the awakening passions of an English adolescent sent away for a year to a small finishing school outside Paris. The innocent but watchful Olivia develops an infatuation for her headmistress Julie and through this screen of love observes the tense romance between Julie and the other head of the school Cara in its final months.

6.5

MagicScore

#19

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

#20

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

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Lianna?

The top films similar to Lianna by MovieMagicScore are Blue Is the Warmest Color (7.1), Chasing Amy (6.8), Margarita with a Straw (6.8). Each shares drama/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Lianna worth watching?

Lianna holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10 from 34 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Lianna?

Lianna (1983) is a drama, romance film directed by John Sayles, starring Linda Griffiths, Jane Hallaren, Jon DeVries.

Where can I find more recommendations like Lianna?

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 Blue Is the Warmest Color Movies like Chasing Amy Movies like Margarita with a Straw Movies like Saving Face Movies like Show Me Love Movies like Desert Hearts

About movies like Lianna

This ranked list pairs Lianna (1983), a drama and romance film from John Sayles, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Linda Griffiths 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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