Movies like Leila (2017)
The best movies like Leila (2017) are The Killing of Two Lovers (2021), What Maisie Knew (2013) and Bastard Out of Carolina (1996). If Leila hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Leila
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBoyhood (2014)7.5/10 from 5,706 votes
- NewestGoodbye June (2025)Released 2025
- In FrenchMy Little Princess (2011)Also in French
The Killing of Two Lovers (2021)
In a rural Utah town, David, a father of four, grapples with his separation from wife Nikki as she pursues a new relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBastard Out of Carolina (1996)
A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Little Princess (2011)
Young Violetta and her mother Hannah are a peculiar couple. Ten-year-old Violetta lives a quiet life with her grandmother, while her mother Hannah is an unpredictable photographer who lives off of the generosity of others. When Hannah forces her daughter to pose as a model, Violetta finds her life with her loving grandmother turned upside down.The resulting pictures quickly become a sensation for the trendy 70's Paris art scene, and Violetta finds herself caught in between her new stature as an art muse and her dull childhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung Mothers (2025)
Housed in a shelter for young mothers, Jessica, Perla, Julia, Ariane, and Naïma, all of whom have grown up in difficult circumstances, struggle to obtain a better life for themselves and their children.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChaos (2001)
A bourgeois couple, modern yet conventional. One night by accident, a young prostitute barges into their lives. Hounded down, beaten up, threatened, she will continue to struggle, with the help of a well off lady, first for her survival-her resurrection-then for her dignity and freedom. Stormy encounters for everyone involved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBoyhood (2014)
The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLast Ride (2009)
A young boy travels across Australia with his father, who's wanted by the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Woman (1976)
Psychological drama of the compelling relationship between a young French engineer and the girl he takes into his home after his wife has left him with their baby son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaddy Longlegs (2010)
After months of living a solitary existence, Lenny, 34, picks up his kids from school. Every year he spends a couple of weeks with his sons Sage, 9, and Frey, 7. Lenny hosts his kids within a midtown studio apartment in New York. During these two weeks, he must figure out if he wants to act as their father or be their friend. Ultimately, their trip upstate results in complete lawlessness taking over their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlex of Venice (2015)
After her stay-at-home husband leaves her, a workaholic lawyer finds that she is not completely up to the tasks of caring for her young son, ailing father and household all by herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisGoodbye June (2025)
Four siblings' lives change drastically when their ailing mother takes a turn for the worse over the holiday season.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoly Lands (2019)
When lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife Monica is trying to manage the lives of their adult children, Annabelle and David, as well as her own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Truth About Emanuel (2013)
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJuliette in Spring (2024)
Juliette goes back in her hometown to spend some time with her family. She finds herself between a loving but moody father, a New Age mother, a sister in the midst of an existential crisis, and a grandmother slowly losing her mind. Buried memories and family secrets rise to the surface in this sweet, tender and sometimes extravagant family portrait.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHounddog (2008)
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pumpkin Eater (1964)
Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Sunday (2018)
Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisI Never Sang for My Father (1970)
A man living in the towering shadow of his aging father finds it difficult to start a new chapter in his life by marrying his girlfriend and moving to California.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrotherly Love (2015)
West Philadelphia basketball star Sergio Taylor deals with the pressures of fame while his brother and sister have their own issues with ambition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Silent Child (2017)
A deaf 4-year-old girl named Libby lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her to use sign language to communicate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWer kann etwas verändern? (2017)
Short film tackling depression and it‘s causes in teenagers and young adults.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Boca Dura (2025)
In an evangelical house on the outskirts of a Brazilian megalopolis, a young trans man revisits his family after years. Gradually, what could be just a Sunday lunch turns into a suffocating plot of abuse and violence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Before/After (2024)
A needy young man confronts years of parental manipulation when he discovers that his father has gotten plastic surgery to look exactly like him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
To the Stars (2019)
Under small-town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer’s daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Winged Detectives (2022)
"The Winged Detectives" is a queer coming-of-age short film, which follows Reagan and her friends as they prepare for the annual bird-watching competition. Tensions quickly rise for Reagan with the introduction of potential new friends and the absence of a special team member.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Mother's Day (2016)
Three generations come together in the week leading up to Mother's Day.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Tears of the Sea (2014)
Brigitta Nielebeck suffered a serious car accident in which miraculously escape unscathed. However, she has lost his memory. Doctors recommend her to spend time with family members. Therefore, make contact with Marie, her 16 year old daughter, who for two years living with a host family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
End of September (2020)
The father is a complete stranger and the mother an alcoholic unable to raise a child. For this reason, Christian is forced to fill the role of parent for his younger brother Giulio. He wants to make sure Giulio goes to school every morning. Unfortunately, he also has to go to work at the same time. Thus the ordinary becomes extraordinary for the two brothers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Almost 18 (2012)
Karri, Pete, André, Akseli and Joni dream, party, love and boast like only teenage males can. They're dealing with the same issues as every other young man — fears and hopes for future, disillusions and problems with parents.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Leila?
The closest matches to Leila are The Killing of Two Lovers (2021), What Maisie Knew (2013) and Bastard Out of Carolina (1996). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Leila?
Start with The Killing of Two Lovers (2021), the closest match to Leila.
What is the highest-rated movie like Leila?
Boyhood (2014), rated 7.5/10 by 5,706 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Leila?
Goodbye June (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Leila?
Yes: My Little Princess (2011), Young Mothers (2025) and Chaos (2001).
How are movies similar to Leila chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Leila, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.