Enjoyed The Death & Life of John F. Donovan? Start here.
Find your next watch through shared stories, themes and filmmakers. See why each film connects, then explore the map.
Your starting film
Film · 10 connectionsA decade after the death of an American TV star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he once shared with the former, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.
Directed byXavier Dolan
Follow a connection
A feature-film shortlist from the cached Film Atlas engine. The interactive map may include more titles or newer results. These are similarity matches, not a guarantee of age suitability.
Same director
2016 · 99 min · Drama
Louis, a terminally ill writer, returns home after a long absence to tell his family that he is dying.
Same director
2019 · 120 min · Drama · Romance
Two childhood best friends are asked to share a kiss for the purposes of a student short film. Soon, a lingering doubt sets in, confronting both men with their preferences, threatening the brotherhood of their social circle, and, eventually, changing their lives.
Strong story similarity
2015 · 112 min · Drama
In 1955, young photographer Dennis Stock develops a close bond with actor James Dean while shooting pictures of the rising Hollywood star.
Strong story similarity
2017 · 97 min · Drama
Lee, a former Western film icon, is living a comfortable existence lending his golden voice to advertisements and smoking weed. After receiving a lifetime achievement award and unexpected news, Lee reexamines his past, while a chance meeting with a sardonic comic has him looking to the future.
Strong story similarity
2019 · 93 min · Drama
Two popular teen boys, best friends since childhood, discover their lives, families, and girlfriends dramatically upended after an unexpected incident occurs on the night of a 17th birthday party.
Similar atmosphere
2020 · 122 min · Drama
At a birthday party in 1968 New York, a surprise guest and a drunken game leave seven gay friends reckoning with unspoken feelings and buried truths.
Strong story similarity
2020 · 93 min · Drama
The true story of a small town, working class father who embarks on a solo walk across the U.S. to crusade against bullying after his son is tormented in high school for being gay.
Strong story similarity
2023 · 104 min · Drama
Sylvia is a social worker who leads a simple and structured life: her daughter, her job, her AA meetings. This is blown open when Saul follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past.
Strong story similarity
2017 · 88 min · Drama
Over a series of video chats, a teenage outcast reaches out to his childhood friend, but finds that behind the veneer of popularity and a seemingly perfect life, she hides a disturbing secret.
Strong story similarity
2019 · 100 min · Drama
A teenage boy's infatuation with a woman he sees on the bus further complicates his already tumultuous adolescence.
Film Atlas combines story similarity, movie metadata and TMDB relationship signals. Shared studios can support a match; audience and film-format safeguards help avoid poor fits. The explanations above come from the engine’s recorded evidence—not invented reviews.
A similarity match is different from a quality rating. Use the map to explore the connections and decide what fits your mood.
Start with The Death & Life of John F. Donovan