Skip to content

Movies like El Otro Lado (2022)

The best movies like El Otro Lado (2022) are Carmen (2023), Paradise (1982) and 20,000 Species of Bees (2023). If El Otro Lado hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Carmen (2023)

    A young and fiercely independent woman, Carmen, is forced to flee her home in the Mexican desert following the brutal murder of her mother. She survives an illegal border crossing into the US, only to be confronted by a lawless volunteer border guard. When the border guard and his patrol partner Aidan become embroiled in a deadly standoff, the pair is forced to escape together.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Paradise (1982)

    After their caravan is attacked and their respective families butchered by Arab marauders, teenagers David and Sarah flee across the desert. But the desert is filled with danger from the elements, animals and the unwholesome appetite of the Jackal, a sheik who wants Sarah for himself. However, the desert also holds temptation and love. David and Sarah hide out in an oasis and build a life for themselves, discovering each other in new ways.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. 20,000 Species of Bees (2023)

    Lucía is an eight-year-old girl, who sometimes struggles as the world tries to catch up with the fact that she is trans. As the summer holidays pass, she explores her femininity alongside the women of her family who at the same time reflect on their own femininity.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. Every Day (2018)

    16-year old Rhiannon falls in love with a mysterious spirit named “A” that inhabits a different body every day. Feeling an unmatched connection, Rhiannon and “A” work each day to find each other, not knowing what the next day will bring.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. Jauja (2014)

    A father and daughter journey from Denmark to an unknown desert that exists in a realm beyond the confines of civilization.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. One Battle After Another (2025)

    Washed-up revolutionary Bob exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. Sidelined: The QB and Me (2025)

    Dallas, a burdened but headstrong dancer, is determined to get into the best dance school in the country—her late mother’s alma mater. However, that dream is suddenly derailed when the cheeky yet secretly grieving football star, Drayton, crashes into her life with a unique story of his own. Will the two of them be able to grow into their dreams together, or will their dreams be sidelined?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Boy Meets Girl (2014)

    In Kentucky, a transgender woman and her best male friend lament the lack of eligible partners and step across old boundaries of love and romance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Of Mice and Men (1939)

    An intellectually disabled giant and his level headed guardian find work at a sadistic cowboy's ranch in depression era America.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. Legend of the Lost (1957)

    American ne'er-do-well Joe January is hired to take Paul Bonnard on an expedition into the desert in search of treasure.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. A Boy and His Dog (1975)

    Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. XXY (2007)

    Alex, an intersexed 15-year-old, is living as a girl, but she and her family begin to wonder whether she's emotionally a boy when another teenager's sexual advances bring the issue to a head. As Alex faces a final decision regarding her gender, she meets both hostility and compassion.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. Will & Harper (2024)

    When Will Ferrell's good friend Harper comes out as a trans woman, they take a road trip to bond and reintroduce Harper to the country as her true self.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Chaos Walking (2021)

    Two unlikely companions embark on a perilous adventure through the badlands of an unexplored planet as they try to escape a dangerous and disorienting reality, where all inner thoughts are seen and heard by everyone.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Just Charlie (2017)

    Football star Charlie has the world at her feet. With a top club desperate to sign her, her future is seemingly mapped out. But the teenager sees only a nightmare. Raised as a boy, Charlie is torn between wanting to live up to her father's expectations and shedding this ill fitting skin.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Dreams (2025)

    A powerful socialite and a promising ballet dancer begin a dangerous affair. When he secretly crosses the US-Mexico border, she takes desperate measures to protect their future together.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Pimpinero: Blood and Oil (2024)

    When Juan, a young gasoline smuggler, is forced to work for a mysterious organization in the desert bordering Colombia and Venezuela, his girlfriend Diana embarks on a journey to uncover the secrets that inhabit this no-man’s-land.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Gerry (2002)

    Two friends named Gerry become lost in the desert after taking a wrong turn. Their attempts to find their way home only lead them into further trouble.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Port Authority (2019)

    Paul, a 20 year old midwesterner, arrives at the central bus station and quickly catches eyes with Wye, a 22 year old girl voguing on the sidewalk. After Paul seeks her out in secret, an intense love between them blossoms. But when Paul discovers Wye is trans, he is forced to confront his own identity and what it means to belong.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. In a World... (2013)

    An underachieving vocal coach is motivated by her father, the king of movie-trailer voice-overs, to pursue her aspirations of becoming a voice-over star. Amidst pride, sexism and family dysfunction, she sets out to change the voice of a generation.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like El Otro Lado and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like El Otro Lado?

The closest matches to El Otro Lado are Carmen (2023), Paradise (1982) and 20,000 Species of Bees (2023). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after El Otro Lado?

Start with Carmen (2023), the closest match to El Otro Lado.

What is the highest-rated movie like El Otro Lado?

One Battle After Another (2025), rated 7.3/10 by 4,525 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like El Otro Lado?

One Battle After Another (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Spanish movies like El Otro Lado?

Yes: 20,000 Species of Bees (2023), Jauja (2014) and XXY (2007).

How are movies similar to El Otro Lado chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside El Otro Lado, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Full search page