Minari
2020USA★ 7.35 pt match
Both films sit with belonging, longing, and the family you choose. The world both films live in revolves around family wounds passed down and family duty. Same energy: melancholic, hopeful, slow burn, and episodic.
My Neighbor Totoro
となりのトトロ
1988JapanLanguage: jaDirected by Hayao Miyazaki★ 8.1
Available in English: subtitled
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.
Themes and style
Tone
whimsicalwarmmelancholichopeful
Pacing
episodicslow burn
Story
journeysurvivalreunion
Emotion
grieflongingbelongingthe family you chooseloss of innocence
Themes
family dutyfamily wounds passed down
Feel
catharticquietly hauntingcrowd pleaserrewatchable
Violence
noneWhere to watch
Hollywood films like My Neighbor Totoro
If My Neighbor Totoro hit you the right way, here are Hollywood films that share its DNA. Same emotional weight, same kind of stories, same kind of payoff.
Beasts of the Southern Wild
2012USA★ 6.84.5 pt match
What ties these together is grief, loss of innocence, and belonging. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down and family duty. Both move the same way too, melancholic, hopeful, slow burn, and episodic.
The Fabelmans
2022USA★ 7.64 pt match
Both films sit with grief, loss of innocence, and longing. The world both films live in revolves around family duty and family wounds passed down. Same energy: melancholic, warm, slow burn, and episodic.