Movies Like Kundun (1997)

Kundun is a 1997 drama, history film from Martin Scorsese with a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Seven Years in Tibet and Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?.

Drama History

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

Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?

1989

About three monks in a remote monastery; an aging master, a small orphan and a young man who left his city life to seek Enlightenment.

7.3

MagicScore

The Touch

2002

A sister and brother, the last heirs of a family of acrobats, are called upon by a Buddhist monk sect to retrieve an artifact that their ancestors have protected throughout the ages.

5.0

MagicScore

Little Buddha

1993

After the death of Lama Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monks find three children — one American and two Nepalese — who may be the rebirth of their great teacher.

6.3

MagicScore

Saint☆Young Men

2013

Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha, the founders of Christianity and Buddhism, are living together as roommates in a Tokyo apartment while taking a vacation on Earth. The comedy often involves jokes about Christianity, Buddhism, and all things related, as well as the main characters' attempts to hide their identities and understand modern society in Japan.

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

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

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

Wheel of Time

2003

Wheel of Time is Werner Herzog's photographed look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

The Golden Child

1986

After a Tibetan boy, the mystical Golden Child, is kidnapped by the evil Sardo Numspa, humankind's fate hangs in the balance. On the other side of the world in Los Angeles, the priestess Kee Nang seeks the Chosen One, who will save the boy from death. When Nang sees social worker Chandler Jarrell on television discussing his ability to find missing children, she solicits his expertise, despite his skepticism over being "chosen."

5.9

MagicScore

#12

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

#13

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

#14

Story of a Prostitute

1965

Volunteering as a "comfort woman" on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita but falls for the sensitive Mikami, Narita's direct subordinate. Seijun Suzuki's Story of a Prostitute is a tragic love story as well as a rule-bending take on a popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi's eyes.

6.5

MagicScore

#15

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

2013

In a world plagued by demons who cause great human suffering, young demon hunter Tang Sanzang must fight against monstrous demons, as well as contend with a beautiful demon hunting woman on his path to enlightenment.

6.9

MagicScore

#16

The King and I

1956

Widowed Welsh mother Anna Loenowens becomes a governess and English tutor to the wives and many children of the stubborn King Mongkut of Siam. Anna and the King have a clash of personalities as she works to teach the royal family about the English language, customs and etiquette, and rushes to prepare a party for a group of European diplomats who must change their opinions about the King.

7.1

MagicScore

#17

The 8th Night

2021

With prayer beads in one hand and an ax in the other, a monk hunts down a millennia-old spirit that's possessing humans and unleashing hell on Earth.

6.1

MagicScore

#18

Lost Horizon

1937

British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash-land in the Himalayas, where they are rescued by the inhabitants of the hidden, idyllic valley of Shangri-La. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-La provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway.

7.0

MagicScore

#19

Jinpa

2019

Stoic truck driver Jinpa picks up a silver dagger wearing hitchhiker in the desolate Kekexili plateau. The stranger suddenly reveals he’s going to kill the man who murdered his father.

6.8

MagicScore

#20

Paths of the Soul

2015

Eleven Tibetans prostrate themselves every few steps during a 1,200-mile pilgrimage that lasts for seven months.

6.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Kundun?

The top films similar to Kundun by MovieMagicScore are Seven Years in Tibet (7.2), Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (7.3), The Touch (5.0). Each shares drama/history themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Kundun worth watching?

Kundun holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10 from 466 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Kundun?

Kundun (1997) is a drama, history film directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Tencho Gyalpo, Tsewang Migyur Khangsar.

Where can I find more recommendations like Kundun?

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 Seven Years in Tibet Movies like Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?Movies like The Touch Movies like Little Buddha Movies like Saint☆Young Men Movies like The Burmese Harp

About movies like Kundun

This ranked list pairs Kundun (1997), a drama and history film from Martin Scorsese, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong 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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