Movies Similar to Born in East L.A.

Bend It Like Beckham(2002)

Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

Potato Dreams of America(2021)

A true story about a gay boy growing up in the collapsing USSR, his courageous mail-order bride mother, and their adventurous escape to Seattle in the 90s.

Anushan(2023)

An American Tail(1986)

A young mouse named Fievel and his family decide to migrate to America, a "land without cats," at the turn of the 20th century. But somehow, Fievel ends up in the New World alone and must fend off not only the felines he never thought he'd have to deal with again but also the loneliness of being away from home.

Visions of Europe(2004)

Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.

Lucky Miles(2007)

It's 1990 and an Indonesian fishing boat abandons Iraqi and Cambodian refugees in a remote part of the Western Australia. Although most are quickly caught by officials, three men with nothing in common but their misfortune and determination to escape arrest, begin an epic journey into the heart of Australia.

Lowlife(2017)

The sordid lives of an addict, an ex-con, and a luchador collide when an organ harvesting caper goes very, very wrong.

A Day Without a Mexican(2004)

When a mysterious fog surrounds the boundaries of California, there is a communication breakdown and all the Mexicans disappear, affecting the economy and the state stops working missing the Mexican workers and dwellers.

Green Card(1990)

Urban horticulturalist Brontë Mitchell has her eye on a gorgeous apartment, but the building's board will rent it only to a married couple. Georges Fauré, a waiter from France whose visa is expiring, needs to marry an American woman to stay in the country. Their marriage of convenience turns into a burden when they must live together to allay the suspicions of the immigration service, as the polar opposites grate on each other's nerves.

Un lugar mejor(2013)

Thimbo wants to be a football player. Malik dreams of managing his own business. Demba just thinks of going to a better place.

My Beautiful Laundrette(1985)

A Pakistani Briton renovates a rundown laundrette with his male lover while dealing with drama within his family, the local Pakistani community, and a persistent mob of skinheads.

La Salada(2014)

Three intertwining stories that take place in La Salada — the largest unregulated market in Buenos Aires: a Korean father prepares his daughter for an arranged marriage, a young Bolivian man searches for work, and a Taiwanese DVD seller tries to woo a young woman to be his girlfriend.

East Side Story(2006)

Diego is a gay but closeted Hispanic chef living in East Los Angeles who works in the restaurant operated by his grandmother. Frustrated by the secretive lifestyle he shares with his similarly closeted lover, Pablo, Diego finds himself attracted to Wesley, one of the openly gay Caucasian men he feels are gentrifying his neighborhood. Their relationship pushes Diego to consider the possibility of a life he had never imagined.

Hippocrates(2014)

Benjamin is meant to be a great doctor, he’s certain of it. But his first experience as a junior doctor in the hospital ward where his father works doesn’t turn out the way he hoped it would. Responsibility is overwhelming, his father is all but present, and his co-junior partner, a foreign doctor, is far more experimented than he is. This internship will force Benjamin to confront his limits… and start his way to adulthood.

The Swissmakers(1978)

This romantic drama follows two policemen whose job is to investigate the lives of foreigners who have applied for Swiss citizenship. Among the applicants they must screen are a French psychiatrist and his wife, and a ballet dancer. The married couple are quickly accepted, but the dancer's life offers some objections. However, since the younger policeman has fallen in love with her, there is a chance that she, too, will win Swiss citizenship.

Suedi(2021)

What would you do if you found 30 million that no one was missing? Mahmut decides to do what he has always dreamt of: to be seen as a Swede. He changes his name to Sebastian, rents a nice house, buys a Volvo and starts wearing socks with patterns. But there's a problem, all of the money is in notes that become invalid in two weeks. His new life is threatened and he needs to find a way to launder 30 million in two weeks.

Discipline(2014)

In a moment of anger in a grocery store in Lausanne, a father loses patience and disciplines his disobedient child. A shocked customer immediately intervenes to express her concern. Other customers join the conversation and the discussion soon turns into a debate that gradually gets out of hand.

Jeff Ross Roasts the Border(2017)

Roastmaster Jeff Ross explores the world surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border, speaking to immigrants, DREAMers, detainees, border patrolers, human traffickers and Trump supporters. Then he puts on a show next to the border wall to roast American immigration policies, random audience volunteers and every ethnicity imaginable.

Vista mare(2017)

VISA(2025)

Faced with deportation at the end of his work permit, an Asian employee tries to get hate-crimed to secure a green card.