Dynamic Watchlist Hub: May 11, 2026

10 Best Movies Like 81

If you loved 81, we've curated the perfect watchlist for you based on shared genres, themes, and directorial style.

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Expert Review & Ratings

See our full critical analysis and audience score for 81.

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#1
Hunger

Hunger

2008★ 7.2

Why watch this? A perfect follow-up to 81 for fans of Drama. It captures a similar emotionally gripping atmosphere.

The story of Bobby Sands, the IRA member who led the 1981 hunger strike during The Troubles in which Irish Republican prisoners tried to win political status....

#2
The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady

2011★ 6.4

Why watch this? A perfect follow-up to 81 for fans of History. It captures a similar emotionally gripping atmosphere.

A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power....

#3
Bastard Out of Carolina

Bastard Out of Carolina

1996★ 7.2

Why watch this? A perfect follow-up to 81 for fans of Drama. It captures a similar emotionally gripping atmosphere.

A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer a...

#4
Boxcar Bertha

Boxcar Bertha

1972★ 5.8

Why watch this? A perfect follow-up to 81 for fans of Crime. It captures a similar emotionally gripping atmosphere.

"Boxcar" Bertha Thompson, a transient woman in Arkansas during the violence-filled Depression of the early '30s, meets up with rabble-rousing union man "Big" Bill Shelly and the tw...

#5
Shirley

Shirley

2024★ 6.7

Why watch this? A perfect follow-up to 81 for fans of History. It captures a similar emotionally gripping atmosphere.

Shirley Chisholm makes a trailblazing run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination after becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress....

#6
Meantime

Meantime

1983★ 6.7

Why watch this? A perfect follow-up to 81 for fans of Drama. It captures a similar light-hearted atmosphere.

A working-class family in London's East End is struggling to stay afloat during the recession under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's premiership. Only the mother Mavis is working...

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