Movies like The Waves Call You (2024)
The best movies like The Waves Call You (2024) are God Grew Tired of Us (2006), Nim's Island (2008) and He's Out There (2018). If The Waves Call You hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMeshes of the Afternoon (1943)7.6/10 from 463 votes
- NewestBlue Heron (2026)Released 2026
God Grew Tired of Us (2006)
Filmmaker Christopher Quinn observes the ordeal of three Sudanese refugees -- Jon Bul Dau, Daniel Abul Pach and Panther Bior -- as they try to come to terms with the horrors they experienced in their homeland, while adjusting to their new lives in the United States.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNim's Island (2008)
A young girl inhabits an isolated island with her scientist father and communicates with a reclusive author of the novel she's reading.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisHe's Out There (2018)
On vacation at a remote lake house, a mother and her two young daughters must fight for survival after falling into a terrifying and bizarre nightmare conceived by a psychopath.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisReturn to the Blue Lagoon (1991)
In this sequel to the 1980 classic, two children are stranded on a beautiful island in the South Pacific. With no adults to guide them, the two make a simple life together and eventually become tanned teenagers in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Heron (2026)
A family of six's fresh start on 1990s Vancouver Island unravels as their youngest child, Sasha, witnesses the increasingly dangerous behavior of her older brother, Jeremy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Song (2010)
A drama centered on a rebellious girl who is sent to a Southern beach town for the summer to stay with her father. Through their mutual love of music, the estranged duo learn to reconnect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSunshine State (2002)
A woman and her new husband returns to her hometown roots in coastal northern Florida, and must deal with family, business, and encroaching real estate development.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTigertail (2020)
A man reflects on the lost love of his youth and his long-ago journey from Taiwan to America as he begins to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMeshes of the Afternoon (1943)
A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlue Lagoon: The Awakening (2012)
Two high school students become stranded on a tropical island and must rely on each other for survival. They learn more about themselves and each other while falling in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lost Daughter (2021)
A woman's seaside vacation takes a dark turn when her obsession with a young mother forces her to confront secrets from her past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSongs My Brothers Taught Me (2015)
This complex portrait of modern-day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn to Nim's Island (2013)
Fourteen year old Nim, more determined than ever to protect her island and all the wildlife that call it home, faces off against resort developers and animal poachers. Soon she realizes she can’t depend on her animal cohorts alone and must make her first human friend – Edmund, who’s run away to the island from the mainland – to save her home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTomb Raider (2018)
Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrooklyn (2015)
In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Eilis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Irishman: In Conversation (2019)
Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino in conversation about The Irishman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIf I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025)
With her life crashing down around her, Linda attempts to navigate her child's mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Believe in Unicorns (2015)
Feeling awkward and isolated, an imaginative and strong-willed teenage girl runs away from home with an older punk rock drifter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnuja (2024)
When a brilliant nine-year-old working in a sweatshop gets a chance to attend school, she must make a difficult choice for her and her sister's future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPrincess Protection Program (2009)
When her nation is invaded, a young princess is taken into the Princess Protection Program. She is relocated to Louisiana, where she stays with a covert agent and his tomboyish daughter, and must learn how to behave like an ordinary teenager.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like The Waves Call You and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Waves Call You?
The closest matches to The Waves Call You are God Grew Tired of Us (2006), Nim's Island (2008) and He's Out There (2018). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Waves Call You?
Start with God Grew Tired of Us (2006), the closest match to The Waves Call You.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Waves Call You?
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), rated 7.6/10 by 463 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Waves Call You?
Blue Heron (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Waves Call You?
Yes: God Grew Tired of Us (2006), Nim's Island (2008) and He's Out There (2018).
How are movies similar to The Waves Call You chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Waves Call You, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.