Movies and TV shows like The Train Life

If you like "The Train Life" you are looking for contemplative, reflective and philosophical movies or TV shows about / with train, journey, dialogue, passenger, travel, relationships and everyday life themes of Drama genre shot in China.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps: 1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below). 2. Look for them in the presented list.
The Train Life (2020)
 3.4
 18
The Train Life (2020)
Original name: 美好的日子
Genre: Drama
Country: China
TV show
Story: A story about some people on a very long train talking about something with other people.
Style: contemplative, reflective, philosophical, realistic, melancholic, intercultural, nostalgic
Plot: train, journey, dialogue, passenger, travel, relationships, everyday life, slice of life, character study, confined space, minimalism, isolation, intimate, community, nostalgia, coming of age, dialogue driven, voyage

Movie in categories

Most similar movies to The Train Life

The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out melancholic, realistic, reflective and psychological films and TV series with plots about intimate, slice of life, bittersweet, coming of age, relationships, minimalism and urban mostly in Drama and Comedy genres. Some movies like The Train Life: Migratory Birds (2018), The New Years (2024), Happiness is Easy (2020), Dear My Room (2018), 90's - A Middle Class Biopic (2024). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Migratory Birds (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: Chile
Duration: 83 min.
Story: Diego is hosting a farewell party in his house before he leaves on a trip that no one knows about.
Style: reflective, emotional, melancholic, realistic, tension ...
Plot: secrets, house party, introspection, intimate, relationships, bittersweet, friendship, regret, single, identity, character study, slice of life ...
Similarity:
95%
The New Years (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: France, Spain
Duration: 448 min.
TV show
Story: Óscar turns thirty on New Year's Eve with his life almost solved. Ana turns thirty on New Year's Day with her life still unresolved. They meet, fall in love, and begin a relationship that will last ten years.
Style: romantic drama, reflective, poignant, contemplative, realistic ...
Audience: adult
Plot: intimate, introspection, commitment, long term relationship, bittersweet, personal growth, everyday life, regret, second chance, coming of age, young adult, slice of life ...
Similarity:
88%
Happiness is Easy (2020)
Genre: Drama
Country: China
TV show
Story: A middle school teacher quits her job to come to Beijing as she is about to marry her fiancee. In order to make some money, she becomes a tutor for the bookseller's daughter. Ma Lie Wen sells books for a living. Out of a strong sense of ...
Style: disturbing, romantic, psychological, captivating, realistic ...
Audience: adult
Plot: relationships, tutor, couple relations, male female relationship, fall in love, in love, love story, child custody, new love, life is a bitch, love affair, love and romance ...
Similarity:
81%
 7.3
 43
Dear My Room (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
TV show
Story: The tale of Shim Eun Joo, a self-employed woman who is trying to redefine her life after winning a big project as an editorial designer and subsequently struggling on her own.
Style: realistic, entertaining, captivating, psychological, disturbing ...
Plot: female protagonist, relationships, lifestyle change, personal growth, independent woman, slice of life, everyday life, self discovery, coworker, coping, ambitious woman, male female relationship ...
Time: 2010s, 21st century
Similarity:
81%
Movie in collections
90's - A Middle Class Biopic (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
TV show
Story: A nostalgic trip down memory lane, delving into the everyday life of a middle-class family.
Style: realistic, period piece, reflective, sentimental, retro ...
Audience: adult
Plot: nostalgia, middle class, family drama, slice of life, childhood, coming of age, memory, family values, intimate, aspiration, families, parenting ...
Time: 90s
Similarity:
77%
 6.7
 149
Anywhere Else (2014)
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 84 min.
Story: You left your home to move far away. You were struck by a wind of change and were unfaithful to yourself. You reinvented yourself and you are now feeling free. But suddenly pressure arises in you.
Style: contemplative, reflective, psychological, existential, melancholic ...
Plot: self discovery, introspection, coming of age, personal growth, freedom, relocation, identity crisis, isolation, intimate, escape, bittersweet, slice of life ...
Similarity:
76%
Balance and Movement (2005)
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 94 min.
Story: A woman in love, a weak man, a father stumbling with his emotions, an uncle dependent on the past and a teenager meet at Zagor’s boarding house. Despite the serenity of the house, they all struggle to find the peace that they each need.
Style: psychological, realistic, contemplative, melancholic, art house ...
Plot: boarding house, character study, teenager, father son relationship, love, household, slice of life, domestic drama, intimate, memory, isolation, loss ...
Place: turkey
Similarity:
69%
1 Angry Black Man (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story: Mike Anderson is a senior at the quintessential New-England liberal arts school, Frost College. And Mike is eight weeks away from graduation. On this particular day he has his African-American Literature class with his favorite professor. But today, ...
Style: thought provoking, independent film, melancholic, realistic, moody
Plot: african american protagonist, anger, character study, interracial relations, alienation, racial tension, college life, isolation, slice of life, intimate, campus, identity crisis ...
Place: new england
Similarity:
67%
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Ordinary Miracles (2009)
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
TV show
Story: One day, a middle-aged man, Fujimoto Makoto, is standing on a train platform, about to jump in front of a train. Nakashiro Kana and Tasaki Shota both happen to be on the same platform, and sensing what is about to happen, they quickly pull him back ...
Style: melancholic, thought provoking, dramatic, captivating, enigmatic ...
Plot: mental health, loneliness, depression, suicide, empathy, character study, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, couples, couple relations, lonely, love affair, single woman ...
Similarity:
65%
Line-Up (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
TV show
Story: We spend an average of five years of our lives waiting in line… what do we do with all of this time? The dramady follows two multigenerational families waiting in line… just like us, they might feel all too alone in these forced and confined ...
Style: entertaining, dramatic, captivating, satirical, exciting ...
Plot: relationships, family relations, parents and children, society, grandmother, parents, mother and son, children, kids and family, family drama, humanity, intimate ...
Similarity:
64%
 8.2
 2K
#Lifestories (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 104 min.
Story: LifeStories is a film about 6 short stories taking the audience through the lives of the protagonists. Oscillating between joy, companionship, loneliness, camaraderie, guilt and unadulterated love.
Style: emotional, anthology, realistic, reflective, poignant ...
Plot: slice of life, relationships, loneliness, love, empathy, bittersweet, intimate, everyday life, companionship, guilt, mature, regret ...
Similarity:
63%
Reopen My Journals (2025)
Genre: Drama
Country: China
TV show
Story: 15-year-old Qian Jiayue enters a prestigious high school and faces academic challenges while navigating friendships and family dynamics. As she bonds with her new friend Chen Mo, both girls grow through their shared experiences. Meanwhile, their ...
Style: emotional, heartfelt, realistic, reflective, period piece
Plot: high school, coming of age, grownups, adolescence, youth, school, personal growth, high school life, female friendship, slice of life, family drama, young adult ...
Place: china
Similarity:
61%
The Insider's Guide To Happiness (2004)
Genre: Drama
Country: New Zealand
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story: The Insiders Guide To Happiness is a New Zealand drama series that explores the lives of a group of six previously unconnected people. Each life is connected by a bizarre car accident, the outcome of which forces them to examine and explore the ...
Style: psychological, captivating, romantic, thrilling, romantic drama ...
Plot: love, character study, romantic relationship, relationships, male female relationship, love story, love interest, love and romance, lifestyle, multiple storylines, love affair, fall in love ...
Time: 2000s
Place: new zealand
Similarity:
61%
 7.6
 35
Footnotes (2023)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story: Harkening back to the apartment movies of the 1970s, "Footnotes" is the story of neighbors and near total strangers, Will and Apurna. When they begin spending lock-down together in the wake of the 2020 pandemic, what starts as a platonic ...
Style: realistic, bleak, psychological, serious, captivating ...
Plot: longing, isolation, quarantine, intimate, character study, neighbor, relationships, social relations, romantic relationship, male female relationship, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, love affair ...
Place: new england
Similarity:
57%
Love - Distance (2020)
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 9 min.
TV show
Story: It is early summer in 2020 at a time when social interaction is restricted and many people are spending time at home. Six people living in an apartment building meet and find themselves relating to each other. Two of them are a couple who have been ...
Style: suspense, sentimental, suspenseful, unusual plot structure, realistic ...
Plot: relationships, neighbor, slice of life, photographer, magazine editor, isolation, married couple, social isolation, connection, apartment building, sexual relations, family relations ...
Place: tokyo
Similarity:
57%
Ping Pong Ball (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
TV show
Story: Kim Young Joon is a philosophy major at a university. He confesses his feelings to a female classmate, but she rejects him. He takes her rejection hard. Kim Young Joon then meets a mysterious homeless man, Kim Deuk Hwan who lives under a small ...
Style: philosophical, psychological, captivating, thrilling, realistic ...
Plot: unrequited love, philosophy, rejection, friendship, problem, love story, relationships, male female relationship, love affair, love and romance, relationship problems, rejecting a marriage proposal ...
Similarity:
55%
Alicia, Go Yonder (2010)
Genre: Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration: 65 min.
Story: "Alicia, Go Yonder" is the story of Alicia, a nineteen-year-old who sets out on a solitary journey to the end of the world only to come face to face with the immensity of the universe.
Style: road movie, philosophical, reflective, contemplative, art house ...
Plot: personal growth, young woman, coming of age, female protagonist, self discovery, character study, young adult, solitude, odyssey, minimalism, spiritual journey, intimate ...
Similarity:
54%
 9.3
 48
Distance (2022)
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 94 min.
Story: During a global pandemic, Laszlo isolates himself in his apartment. He avoids any kind of human contact. Until one evening the new neighbor Zoe rings at his doorbell with unforeseen consequences for both of them.
Style: psychological, contemplative, melancholic, realistic
Plot: pandemic, isolation, loneliness, character study, quarantine, introspection, urban, intimate, mental health, claustrophobia, single, slow burn ...
Time: 2020s
Similarity:
53%
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The Branches (2016)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 58 min.
Story: A melodic, emotional exploration of one family falling apart in a sleepy Midwestern city, The Branches follows Claire (Kelly Brumbach) as she attempts to reconnect with the hometown life she left behind.
Style: emotional, melancholic, contemplative, realistic, atmospheric
Plot: family drama, hometown, family conflict, intimate, estrangement, getting home, character study, relationships, small town, introspection, homecoming, grief ...
Time: 2010s
Place: ohio, midwest
Similarity:
53%
 7.0
 129
Detroit (2003)
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 78 min.
Story: Edzard is on his way from Berlin to Braunschweig to visit his family. During the trip the reason of his visit becomes clear, or doesn't it? During the trip he meets several people, most of them more than once. How this is possible becomes not ...
Style: road movie, thought provoking, reflective, realistic, existential ...
Plot: journey, uncertainty, ambiguity, character study, train travel, identity, slice of life, intimate, minimalism, memory, transportation, small talk ...
Place: germany, berlin germany
Similarity:
51%
 7.5
 1K
Hal & Harper (2025)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min.
TV show
Story: Two siblings try to preserve their childhood even though their single father forces them to grow up too fast.
Style: heartfelt, emotional, melancholic, realistic, satirical
Plot: single father, coming of age, nostalgia, personal growth, bittersweet, suburban life, relationships, responsibility, slice of life, identity, intimate, resilience ...
Time: 21st century
Place: los angeles
Similarity:
50%
Breaking Point (2011)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 10 min.
TV show
Story: BREAKING POINT follows a group of friends dealing with dreams, triumphs, and heartaches as day-to-day transitions and setbacks threaten their relationships and livelihoods.
Style: emotional, realistic, reflective, melancholic, independent film ...
Plot: friendship, slice of life, personal growth, bittersweet, murder, city life, coming of age, intimate, mature, betrayal, sex, lie ...
Similarity:
50%
Growing Together (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: China
TV show
Story: Screenwriter Liu Xiangshang has a relatively free schedule in his daily schedule. He is responsible for the education and care of his son Guoning and daughter Guobao at home, while his wife Dai Jing chooses to work in an out-of-town company with a ...
Style: psychological, thrilling, captivating, realistic, emotional ...
Plot: family relations, friendship, family drama, high school life, parenting, relationships, parents, kids and family, parents and children, parenthood, parent child relationship, children ...
Similarity:
49%
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 7.9
 225
Northward (2025)
Genre: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story: The story revolves around several boys and girls who grew up together along the canal, after leaving to make their own growth, reunite after many years. After experiencing competition and the pressures of life, they rediscover the hope for a new ...
Style: reflective, melancholic, period piece
Plot: friendship, grownups, coming of age, hometown, realism, small town, bittersweet, loss, nostalgia, getting home, family drama, hopes ...
Time: 2000s
Place: beijing china
Similarity:
48%
Elite Short Stories: Patrick (2021)
Genre: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 36 min.
TV show
Story: Away from school, during the winter holidays, three new stories take place while the Las Encinas students celebrate Christmas.
Style: emotional, captivating, thrilling, psychological, suspenseful ...
Plot: bereavement, christmas, grief, loss of mother, mourning, kids and family, loss of family member, family problems, life is a bitch, relationships, changing lives, family relations ...
Similarity:
48%
Letters from the Past (2025)
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 40 min.
TV show
Story: In 2003, Fatma Ayar, a teacher at a private high school, assigned her Literature Club students to write letters to themselves as part of PTT's "Letters from the Past" campaign. These letters, intended to be delivered in 2023, were ...
Style: emotional, reflective, sentimental, realistic, melancholic
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Time: 2000s, 2020s, year 2003, 21st century
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47%
Coming to Terms with the Dead (1994)
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 104 min.
Story: While middle-aged Vincent (Didier Sandre) makes a sand castle on a beach in Brittany, France, his sister Zaza (Catherine Ferran) and brother Francois (Charles Berling) spend a summer day reflecting on death and loss. They think back on their sister ...
Style: melancholic, reflective, poignant, contemplative, emotional ...
Plot: loss, grief, mourning, character study, bereavement, beach, memory, intimate, family relations, relationships, small town, minimalism ...
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All Passion Spent (1986)
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 55 min.
TV show
Story: his three-part miniseries begins with elderly Lady Slane (Wendy Hiller) sitting watchfully by the deathbed of her husband. Tended by her equally aged French maid Genoux (Eileen Way), who has served her faithfully for a lifetime, Lady Slane deals ...
Style: contemplative, reflective, poignant, melancholic, wistful ...
Plot: literary, intimate, elderly man, character study, bittersweet, domestic drama, cottage, gender roles, old woman, elderly woman, jewelry, loss of husband ...
Time: 20th century, edwardian era, 1930s
Place: england, london
Similarity:
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 6.8
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Grass (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 66 min.
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Mayflies (2022)
Genre: Drama
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Duration: 58 min.
TV show
Story: A friendship forged between James and Tully in a small Scottish town in 1986. One weekend, they make a vow to each other to go at life differently. But then, 30 years on, half a life away, the phone rings. Tully has the worst kind of news.
Style: emotional, heartfelt, psychological, captivating, thrilling ...
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