10 Movies Like Doing Life You Must See

Helmed by Tyler Perry, ‘Doing Life’ or ‘Tyler Perry’s Doing Life’ is a Netflix romantic drama film that follows Anika (Naomi Baker), a single mother trying to provide for her family while navigating a difficult past. She begins exchanging letters with Carousel (Jay Reeves), an inmate nearing the end of his sentence. Their connection has roots in a prison riot during which Carousel saves Anika, then a prison officer, and her unborn child. As their correspondence brings them closer, an unexpected bond develops between them. When Carousel is released, they reconnect and consider whether their relationship can offer them a fresh start.

However, Anika’s family and friends question her decision to grow close to a former inmate, warning her that he may not be a positive influence. With their troubled pasts and other people’s doubts complicating their relationship, Anika and Carousel must decide whether to pursue a future together and embrace the possibility of love and redemption. These movies, similar to ‘Doing Life,’ feature themes of love, doubt, loyalty, and choice that will keep you hooked.

10. Really Love (2020)

‘Really Love’ is an Angel Kristi Williams directorial set in Washington, D.C., and tells the story of Isaiah (Kofi Siriboe). He is an aspiring Black painter struggling to establish himself, who meets Stevie (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing), a law student hoping to build a career in Chicago. While their relationship grows, Stevie inspires Isaiah creatively, but his efforts to gain recognition bring new challenges. Gallery owner Chenai (Uzo Aduba) sees potential in his work but urges him to devote himself more fully to his craft.

When Isaiah finally gets an opportunity to advance his career, his growing commitment to painting leaves little room for their relationship. Stevie eventually accepts a job in Chicago, and the couple separates. A year later, Isaiah encounters her again at his group exhibition, realizing that professional success has not brought him the happiness he expected. The romantic drama film, akin to ‘Doing Life,’ explores the desire for lasting happiness and emotional fulfillment, as well as the experiences of African-American characters grappling with love and choice.

9. The Photograph (2020)

In ‘The Photograph,’ Mae Morton’s (Issa Rae) life takes an unexpected turn after her mother, celebrated photographer Christina Eames (Chanté Adams), dies. While sorting through her mother’s belongings, Mae discovers a photograph that raises questions about Christina’s past and prompts her to investigate the life she knew little about. Her search brings her into contact with Michael Block (LaKeith Stanfield), an ambitious journalist, and the two develop a romantic connection in New York.

But their growing relationship faces uncertainty when one of them receives an opportunity to work in London. As Mae explores her mother’s history, she must also navigate her own feelings and decide what she wants from her future with Michael. With Stella Meghie in the director’s seat, the romantic drama film captures the essence of ‘Doing Life’ by exploring how difficult personal experiences shape relationships, as its central characters confront emotional challenges and uncertainty in their pursuit of happiness.

8. A Jazzman’s Blues (2022)

Written and directed by Tyler Perry, ‘A Jazzman’s Blues’ is a drama film set in the American South. Bayou (Joshua Boone) is a gifted musician who gets an opportunity to pursue his ambitions in the city after earning an audition. Despite this new beginning, Bayou remains in love with Leanne (Solea Pfeiffer), who has stopped responding to his letters. His mother (Amirah Vann) encourages him to move on, but Leanne’s unexpected return raises the possibility of a reunion.

Their chances of being together are complicated by the circumstances surrounding their relationship. Against a backdrop of forbidden love and family conflict, the movie explores decades of secrets and deception that come to light during an investigation into a murder. Like Carousel in ‘Doing Life,’ Bayou faces obstacles that complicate his hopes for a better future, while personal circumstances influence the relationships he wants to pursue.

7. A Journal for Jordan (2021)

Brought to life by Denzel Washington, ‘A Journal for Jordan’ is a romantic drama film based on Dana Canedy’s memoir ‘A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor’. The narrative chronicles the tribulations of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Michael B. Jordan), who writes a journal for his infant son while serving in Iraq. Through his entries, Charles hopes to pass on life lessons and guide the boy as he grows up without a father.

His fiancée, Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams), later shares the journal with their son, reflecting on the relationship she shared with Charles. After Charles is killed in action in Baghdad, his words become a lasting connection between father and child. Both Charles in ‘A Journal for Jordan’ and Carousel in ‘Doing Life’ have a lasting impact on the women they love, although their circumstances and relationships differ significantly. The films also place family at the heart of their stories, exploring how love and personal connections influence the characters’ lives and hopes.

6. Ruth & Boaz (2025)

‘Ruth & Boaz’ is a romantic drama film inspired by the biblical ‘Book of Ruth,’ and focuses on Ruth Moably (Serayah). She is an aspiring singer from Atlanta whose life changes when she moves to Tennessee to care for Naomi (Phylicia Rashad), an elderly widow. While settling into her new surroundings, Ruth takes a job at the House of Azra winery, owned by Boaz (Tyler Lepley). Boaz becomes interested in Ruth after hearing her sing and offers to help her revive her music career.

But their growing romance faces complications as Ruth struggles to balance her feelings with her existing music commitments and the challenges of her past. When their relationship develops, faith and love become central to Ruth’s efforts to find a new direction in life. Shaped under Alanna Brown’s directorial vision, the movie, similar to ‘Doing Life,’ explores the possibility of finding love and happiness after hardship. Anika, much like Ruth, faces a major change in her life and begins navigating unfamiliar circumstances.

5. Monster’s Ball (2001)

‘Monster’s Ball’ is the saga of Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), a racist prison guard who works on death row and lives with his father and son. After a family tragedy leaves Hank struggling with grief, he meets Leticia Musgrove (Halle Berry), a Black single mother whose husband, Lawrence, has recently been executed under Hank’s supervision. When Hank helps Leticia’s injured son, Leticia and Hank grow closer as they find comfort in their shared pain.

The relationship becomes more complicated as they fall in love, unaware at first of the connection between Hank and Leticia’s late husband. Their growing bond forces Hank to confront his racism and reconsider his beliefs. Marc Forster steers this romantic drama film, which explores whether an unexpected relationship can help people confront painful histories, much like ‘Doing Life.’ Both Leticia and Anika are mothers facing difficult circumstances, and their relationships with men connected to incarceration bring new emotional complications into their lives.

4. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

Penned and helmed by Barry Jenkins, ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ is a romantic drama based on James Baldwin’s novel of the same title. Set in 1970s Harlem, it centers on Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne), a 19-year-old shop worker, and her fiancé, Alonzo Hunt, AKA Fonny (Stephan James), a 22-year-old aspiring sculptor who has been her friend since childhood. Their relationship takes a devastating turn when Fonny is falsely accused of raping a woman and imprisoned, with a racist police officer playing a key role in the case. Fonny awaits trial, and Tish looks back on their relationship while preparing to welcome their child.

With help from her mother, sister, Fonny’s father, and their wider community, she fights to clear his name. As her pregnancy makes their situation more dire, Tish and her family seek legal assistance to secure Fonny’s release. Both ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ and ‘Doing Life’ feature relationships shaped by incarceration, with the characters confronting the challenges of building a future despite harrowing events. Anika develops a relationship with Carousel despite concerns about his past, while Tish and her family fight to clear Fonny’s name and secure his freedom.

3. Down by Love (2016)

‘Down by Love’ or ‘Éperdument’ is a French drama film from director Pierre Godeau, inspired by true events and based on Florent Gonçalves’ book ‘Défense d’aimer’. It delves into the life of Anna Amari (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a rebellious young inmate serving a nine-year sentence at a women’s prison in Versailles. She eventually catches the attention of Jean Firmino (Guillaume Gallienne), the director of the facility, who is more than twice her age and has a wife and young daughter.

Despite his established family life, Jean becomes increasingly obsessed with Anna, and the two begin a forbidden affair. Their relationship soon attracts attention from the authorities, putting both their lives and careers at risk. As Jean takes more risks to spend time with Anna, the pair must face the uncertainty surrounding their future together. Like Carousel in ‘Doing Life,’ Jean’s life is closely tied to the prison system, which plays a central role in shaping an unexpected and complicated romantic relationship.

2. Labor Day (2013)

‘Labor Day’ is set in the 1980s and introduces 13-year-old Henry Wheeler (Gattlin Griffith), who looks after his reclusive mother, Adele (Kate Winslet), following her separation from her ex-husband. During a shopping trip before the school term, they encounter Frank Chambers (Josh Brolin), an injured stranger who pressures them into taking him home. Frank eventually reveals that he has escaped from a hospital, while news reports identify him as a convicted murderer. Although he initially intends to hide for only a few hours, his presence gradually changes their lives.

While Frank helps Adele and Henry with everyday tasks, the three begin imagining a future together in Canada. Turning this dream into reality becomes difficult while Frank remains a wanted fugitive. With Jason Reitman writing the screenplay and bringing it to life, the drama film is based on Joyce Maynard’s eponymous novel. Along the lines of ‘Doing Life,’ the narrative explores an unlikely bond that develops between a woman facing personal difficulties and a man whose troubled circumstances complicate their relationship in unexpected ways.

1. Reminders of Him (2026)

In ‘Reminders of Him,’ Kenna Rowan (Maika Monroe) returns to her hometown after serving six years in prison for the vehicular manslaughter of her boyfriend, Scotty Landry (Rudy Pankow). Hoping to reunite with her five-year-old daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), Kenna faces resistance from the girl’s grandparents, Grace (Lauren Graham) and Patrick Landry (Bradley Whitford), who have raised her since birth. Struggling to rebuild her life and prove herself as a mother, Kenna forms an unexpected connection with Ledger Ward (Tyriq Withers), a local bar owner who was Scotty’s closest friend and remains close to Diem.

Kenna’s painful past and personal struggles threaten her efforts to reconnect with her daughter, find happiness, and face the tribulations of love. Vanessa Caswill steers this romantic drama film, which is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s eponymous novel. Kenna’s journey centers on overcoming past mistakes and proving that she deserves an opportunity to build a better future, reflecting how ‘Doing Life’ portrays Carousel’s experiences.