Movies Like Paradise Is Burning (2023)

Paradise Is Burning is a 2023 drama film from Mika Gustafson with a MovieMagicScore of 5.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Summering and One Small Step.

Drama

Summering

2022

Four best friends, on the brink of starting middle school, realize their lives are about to change forever. So on the last weekend of summer, they set out to make the most of it. Nothing could prepare them, though, for the startling discovery they make while revisiting one of their favorite haunts.

4.4

MagicScore

One Small Step

2018

Luna is a vibrant young Chinese-American girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut. From the day she witnesses a rocket launching into space on TV, Luna is driven to reach for the stars. In the big city, Luna lives with her loving father Chu, who supports her with a humble shoe repair business he runs out of his garage. As Luna grows up, she enters college, facing adversity of all kinds in pursuit of her dreams.

7.6

MagicScore

Kes

1970

Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence.

7.4

MagicScore

Rocks

2019

15-year-old Rocks fears that she and her little brother Emmanuel will be taken into care and forced apart if anyone finds out that their mother has left them. Against all odds, and with the help of her loyal friends, she evades the authorities and navigates the most defining days of her young life.

6.6

MagicScore

Low Tide

2012

A 12-year-old boy and his single mother live separate lives. The boy spends his days alone while his mother works and goes out with her friends. The boy’s solitude is both a source of freedom and a cause for grief. His explorations slowly bring to light the dark contrast between the rules of society and the laws of nature. And before long, the delicate balance of his inner world becomes shattered by unforeseen events.

6.4

MagicScore

Boyhood

2014

The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.

7.5

MagicScore

anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day - The Movie

2013

A year has passed since Menma's ghostly return to the Super Peace Busters. Although the time they spent together during that summer was short, the five members reminisce about what happened as they each write a letter to their lost friend.

7.5

MagicScore

Liberal Arts

2012

Newly single, 35, and uninspired by his job, Jesse Fisher worries that his best days are behind him. But no matter how much he buries his head in a book, life keeps pulling Jesse back. When his favorite college professor invites him to campus to speak at his retirement dinner, Jesse jumps at the chance.

6.5

MagicScore

Grandview, U.S.A.

1984

Life in the small town of Grandview, Illinois is one that is just like any other city or town. Tim Pearson, soon to be graduating high school wants to go to Florida to study oceanography. He meets Michelle "Mike" Cody and is attracted to her. She runs the local Demolition Derby place. Ernie "Slam" Webster is one of the drivers in the derby whose wife is cheating on him and wants to later on be with Mike. Tim falls for Mike and a big love triangle is about to happen.

5.7

MagicScore

#10

Crayon Shin-chan: The Adult Empire Strikes Back

2001

Shin-chan must rescue the adults of Kasukabe when they mysteriously abandon their responsibilities to relive their youth at the new 20th-century expo.

8.2

MagicScore

#11

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

2022

Urashima Tunnel – Once you enter that tunnel, you can get whatever you want, but at a price. Kaoru Tohno, who seems to have an elusive personality and traumatic past, and Anzu Hanashiro, who is struggling to reconcile her ideal image and true-to-heart attitude, team up to investigate the Urashima Tunnel and get what they want. This is an unforgettable summer story of nostalgia and sprinting in a remote countryside.

7.7

MagicScore

#12

Minding the Gap

2018

Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.

7.7

MagicScore

#13

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie

1999

In a loose retelling of the Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series, Utena Tenjou arrives at Ohtori Academy, only to be immediately swept up in a series of duels for the hand of her classmate Anthy Himemiya and the power she supposedly holds. At the same time, Utena reunites with Touga Kiryuu, a friend from her childhood who seems to know the secrets behind the duels. Utena must discover those secrets for herself, before the power that rules Ohtori claims her and her friends, new and old.

7.4

MagicScore

#14

Y Tu Mamá También

2001

In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.

7.4

MagicScore

#15

Labyrinth

1986

When Sarah is forced to babysit her half-brother Toby, she inadvertently summons the Goblin King who whisks Toby away to his castle at the center of a labyrinth. Sarah enters into a bargain with the Goblin King where she is given just thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth and rescue Toby, or else lose him forever.

7.3

MagicScore

#16

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

2023

When her family moves from New York City to New Jersey, an 11-year-old girl navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.

7.2

MagicScore

#17

Eighth Grade

2018

Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school — the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year — before she begins high school.

7.2

MagicScore

#18

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

#19

A Swedish Love Story

1970

The puppy love of two teenagers is set against a backdrop of adults struggling with their own lives. As a couple in love, they don't care about anything but themselves and seem totally unaware about everything that surrounds them.

7.0

MagicScore

#20

Ninjababy

2021

When Rakel finds out she's six months pregnant after a one-night stand, her world changes. She is absolutely not ready to be a mother, but since abortion is no longer an option, adoption is the only answer. That's when Ninjababy, an animated character who makes Rakel's life a living hell, turns up.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Paradise Is Burning?

The top films similar to Paradise Is Burning by MovieMagicScore are Summering (4.4), One Small Step (7.6), Kes (7.4). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Paradise Is Burning worth watching?

Paradise Is Burning holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.5/10 from 23 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Paradise Is Burning?

Paradise Is Burning (2023) is a drama film directed by Mika Gustafson, starring Bianca Delbravo, Dilvin Asaad, Safira Mossberg.

Where can I find more recommendations like Paradise Is Burning?

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 Summering Movies like One Small Step Movies like Kes Movies like Rocks Movies like Low Tide Movies like Boyhood

About movies like Paradise Is Burning

This ranked list pairs Paradise Is Burning (2023), a drama film from Mika Gustafson, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Bianca Delbravo 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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