To me they had a similar feel and atmosphere. The two movies are very different in terms of subject matter and story in general (also how to win at checkers doesnt include straight up homophobic characters). They crush you, both are dramatic bur have some nice moments sprinkled in between.
both movies focus on a group of three friends that kinda drift apart, include bullying and have a similar 'dark' and serious atmosphere. They also both made me cry for a while after having finished them..