Television series
Pluto
A Thai drama about obligation, deception, and unexpected connection. After her sister's accident, Ai-oon inherits a strange final request: break up with May, a woman she's never met. What begins as a reluctant errand becomes something far more tender and complicated. It's intimate, often quietly funny, and deeply felt—a story about how we can become entangled with someone we never meant to know.
If you liked this
Crash Landing on You2019
A South Korean romance about two people thrown together by circumstance who discover unexpected depths in each other. It has the same balance of light comedy and genuine emotional stakes, with chemistry that grows from awkwardness into something real.
But The rom-com scaffolding is heavier here; if you want something grittier and less concerned with charming you, this will feel sweeter than you're after.
Her2013
A film about connection and intimacy that's fundamentally about seeing someone—really seeing them—despite barriers between you. It shares Pluto's interest in how closeness forms when we're not expecting it, and the strangeness of loving someone who changes us.
But It's science fiction and conceptually distant; the intimacy is cerebral as well as emotional, which some find moving and others find cold.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire2019
Two women, circumstance, and the electricity of being truly known by another person. It's visually gorgeous and deeply sensual without being explicit. The emotional precision and the way desire builds through glances is masterful.
But It's deliberately paced and painterly; if you want plot momentum or conventional structure, this prioritizes atmosphere over incident.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Pluto
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Handmaiden2016
Both are about women bound together by a lie that becomes something true, and the strange grace of being known by someone you initially deceived.
A Korean thriller about two women and the elaborate deceptions between them that become real. Like Pluto, it's about intimacy that blooms despite—or because of—dishonesty, and it has the same precision in showing how quickly protection becomes entanglement.
But It's a thriller with explicit content and narrative twists; if you want something intimate and character-driven rather than plot-driven, the machinery will feel intrusive.
More like this (6)
Fleabag2016
A woman forced into unexpected closeness with someone she initially resists, discovering layers in both of them. It's funny and heartbreaking in turns, and obsessed with the gap between what we show and what we feel.
But It's brash and crude in ways Pluto isn't; the tone is raunchier and less delicate, and the structure is more chaotic.
The Half of It2020
A quiet, intelligent film about love in unexpected shapes—unrequited, unspoken, transformative. It has the same gentleness as Pluto and trusts the audience to feel without being told how to feel.
But Very little happens plot-wise; it's almost entirely internal and introspective, which can feel thin if you want external conflict.
Moonlight2016
Three chapters of a man's life, each centered on a moment of profound connection. It's about tenderness, visibility, and the weight of being seen by someone. The cinematography is stunning and the emotional impact is devastating.
But It's art-house and moves at its own pace; the narrative is non-linear and requires patience with ambiguity and silence.
Minari2021
A deeply felt story about family, compromise, and the unexpected grace in ordinary moments. It has the same attention to small gestures and the unspoken weight of obligation and love coexisting.
But It's a family drama rooted in economic struggle; if you want romance at the center rather than periphery, this might feel too diffuse.
Heartstopper2022
A British series about two boys discovering connection despite circumstance. It's warm and sincere without being saccharine, and genuinely funny. The cast has real chemistry and the show trusts its audience to feel things.
But It's considerably lighter and more optimistic in tone; if you want something with more edge or moral ambiguity, this will feel almost wholesome.
The Cry of the Owl2009
Both begin with observation—one person watching another—and trace how that watching becomes entanglement, but Pluto finds grace in it where this film finds menace.
A French thriller about obsession and the terrifying ease with which connection becomes something darker. It's psychologically unsettling and beautifully shot, with the same precision in depicting how quickly intimacy can curdle into something else.
But It's noir-ish and morally murky; if you want warmth or clarity about who to root for, this offers neither, which some find brilliant and others find exhausting.
