Movies like A Geisha: 20 to watch next

If you loved A Geisha (1953) — a drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi — these 20 movies are the closest matches.

The first picks are what fans of A Geisha most often go on to watch; the rest share its genres and themes like geisha, coming of age and debt. 8 of them are streaming in India right now — each entry shows where.

Where to watch A Geisha →·Get picks for your whole taste →

1
Sisters of the Gion 1936★ 7.1
Shares: Drama
A geisha in the Gion district of Kyoto feels obliged to help her lover when he asks to stay with her after going bankrupt and leaving his wife. However, her younger sister opposes this, thinking that they should both find wealthy patrons to support them.
Stream in India on Plex
2
Aristocrats 2021★ 7.0
Shares: Drama
Hanako is looking for stability with her man. She gets dumped instead. She begins dating. Miki studied and worked hard to get to where she is and is holding down a job. They are introduced through an intermediary man.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
3
Tokyo Story 1953★ 8.1
Shares: Drama
The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.
Stream in India on Tubi TV, Plex
4
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice 1952★ 7.6
Shares: Drama
The arranged marriage between a capricious woman from Tokyo high society and a quiet rustic man is tested by a marital crisis.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
5
The Insect Woman 1963★ 7.2
Shares: Drama
A woman, Tome, is born to a lower class family in Japan in 1918. The title refers to an insect, repeating its mistakes, as in an infinite circle. Imamura, with this metaphor, introduces the life of Tome, who keeps trying to change her poor life.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
6
Lady Snowblood 1973★ 7.5
Shares: Drama
A strikingly beautiful young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
7
Late Spring 1949★ 8.0
Shares: Drama
Noriko is perfectly happy living at home with her widowed father, Shukichi, and has no plans to marry -- that is, until her aunt Masa convinces Shukichi that unless he marries off his 27-year-old daughter soon, she will likely remain alone for the rest of her life. When Noriko resists Masa's matchmaking, Shukichi is forced to deceive his daughter and sacrifice his own happiness to do what he believes is right.
Stream in India on Plex
8
Zatoichi 2003★ 7.2
Shares: Drama
Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
9
From Up on Poppy Hill 2011★ 7.5
Shares: Drama
Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun—but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart.
Stream in India on Netflix
10
Street of Shame 1956★ 7.7
Shares: Drama
Follows five prostitutes employed at a Japanese brothel while the nation debates the passage of an anti-prostitution law.
Stream in India on Plex
11
Twenty-Four Eyes 1954★ 7.7
Shares: Drama
From 1928 to 1946, the lives of 12 young people and their school teacher in a poor Japanese village are profoundly affected by historical events and personal circumstances.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
12
The End of Summer 1961★ 7.5
Shares: Drama
The family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery become concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
13
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima 1973★ 7.3
Shares: Drama
Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hitman and falls in love with boss Muraoka's niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo draws our series' hero, Shozo Hirono, and the other yakuza into a new round of bloodshed.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
14
High and Low 1963★ 8.4
Shares: Drama
A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
15
An Autumn Afternoon 1962★ 7.9
Shares: Drama
Widower Shuhei Hirayama's caretaker is his 24-year-old daughter, Michiko. Gradually, he comes to realize that Michiko should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.
Stream in India on Plex
16
Shoplifters 2018★ 7.8
Shares: Drama
In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence begins to unravel. As the family grows attached to her, buried secrets surface, forcing them to confront the true meaning of love, belonging, and what makes a family.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
17
A Man 2022★ 7.1
Shares: Drama
Akira works as a lawyer. One day, he meets with his former client Rie, who asks Akira to perform a background check on her late husband Daisuke.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
18
No Regrets for Our Youth 1946★ 6.9
Shares: Drama
After her anti-fascist professor father is dismissed, Yukie navigates love, political repression, and wartime upheaval—ultimately forging her own path in pre- and post-WWII Japan.
Stream in India on Plex
19
Taboo 1999★ 6.6
Shares: Drama
Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering on a handsome young samurai named Sozaburo Kano. The school's stern master can choose to intervene, or to let Kano decide his own path.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
20
The Only Son 1936★ 7.4
Shares: Drama
A rural widow sends her only son to Tokyo to receive a better education. Years later, she visits him and finds he has become a night school teacher struggling to support his wife and son.
Stream in India on Plex