Movies like The Prayer (2020)
The best movies like The Prayer (2020) are Higher Ground (2011), Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) and Violent Ends (2025). If The Prayer hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Pursuit of Happyness (2006)7.9/10 from 11,010 votes
- NewestBeast (2026)Released 2026
Higher Ground (2011)
Inspired by screenwriter Carolyn S. Briggs' memoir This Dark World, a tight-knit spiritual community is thrown off-kilter when one of their own begins to question her faith, love, and trust - in human relationships as well as in God.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisViolent Ends (2025)
A man raised in a violent crime family struggles to build an honest life with his fiancée but is dragged back into the criminal world after his cousin’s armed robbery leaves an innocent person caught in the crossfire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSalomé (2013)
After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé comes before her king with an unreasonable demand. Beguiled by John the Baptist, and then scorned for the sake of his god, lascivious Salomé—encouraged by her mother, the vindictive, Herodias—commands that John be executed and his head delivered on a silver platter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBurning Sands (2017)
Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing.
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 thisThe Nest (2020)
Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Beautiful Country (2004)
After reuniting with his mother in Ho Chi Minh City, a family tragedy causes Binh to flee from Viet Nam to America. Landing in New York, Binh begins a road trip to Texas, where his American father is said to live.
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 thisAbove the Rim (1994)
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIron Jawed Angels (2004)
Defiant young activists take the women's suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 thisThat Evening Sun (2009)
An aging Tennessee farmer returns to his homestead and must confront a family betrayal, the reappearance of an old enemy, and the loss of his farm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisImperial Dreams (2014)
A 21-year-old reformed gangster's devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ledge (2011)
A thriller in which a battle of philosophies between a fundamentalist Christian and an atheist who shares an apartment with a gay friend escalates into a lethal battle of wills.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoad to Paloma (2014)
While Native American Wolf is being pursued by the FBI for having taken the law into his own hands, when his mother was raped and killed on their reservation he crosses paths with Cash, a down and out musician who is coping with the end of his marriage. An unlikely friendship develops, as they ride together towards the Teton mountain range, where Wolf will spread his mothers ashes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisEffie Gray (2014)
A look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPreacher's Kid (2010)
Longing to experience more of life, twentysomething preacher's daughter Angie strikes out on her own for the very first time and joins a traveling gospel show.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Neighbor (2022)
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Tomorrow (2022)
Based on a true story, this film is an inspirational look at how heartbreak can change a person's life in an instant, and the obstacles that person must overcome to move on and get through the inevitable pain of a break-up to become a stronger person.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
What Now Mama (2025)
A mother struggles to hold her family together as multiple crises threaten to destroy them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Auto da Paixão de 2025 - "Redenção e Sacrifício: A Cruz que Transformou o Mundo" (2025)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Average Joe (2024)
After a troubled childhood, a former Marine becomes a beloved high school football coach. However, his reputation comes under fire when he is fired for praying before each games.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Making Him Famous (2023)
Mario King (Vonii Bristow) is an inspirational speaker in the constant pursuit of fame. Though his grandfather (Cameron Arnett) always instilled the importance of living a life of integrity, Mario's affluent lifestyle leads to temptation, sending him down a path of destruction fueled by his own greed and arrogance. Disgraced and humiliated, Mario picks up a delivery job in a small town in North Carolina hoping to make ends meet. When a speeding ticket threatens his livelihood and freedom, Mario must take on community service work at Safe Harbor homeless shelter. While reluctant at first, Mario soon finds his calling in helping others with the encouragement of Olivia McBride (Morgan Graham) and Steven Young (Cornelius Muller). As Mario re-discovers the true meaning of "making Him famous," he begins to feel as if his past life is pulling him back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Friendly Persuasion (1956)
The story of a family of Quakers in Indiana in 1862. Their religious sect is strongly opposed to violence and war. It's not easy for them to meet the rules of their religion in everyday life but when Southern troops pass the area they are in real trouble. Should they fight, despite their peaceful attitude?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPresident's Day (2024)
Kieran, a young man jaded by the modern world, goes on an unexpected journey after losing his keys.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Right Across from Where Mangoes Fall (2025)
At daybreak, a mother and daughter muse over loss, pain, and absence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Heritage (1978)
Anders Refn's film adaptation of Gustav Wied's novel stars Jens Okking and Helle Hertz in the leading roles as Baron Helmuth and his wife Alvilda. The baron is deeply enamored with his wife, but she is repelled by his blunt and coarse nature and is drawn to her cousin, who fulfills her desire for passionate romance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Prayer?
The closest matches to The Prayer are Higher Ground (2011), Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) and Violent Ends (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Prayer?
Start with Higher Ground (2011), the closest match to The Prayer.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Prayer?
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), rated 7.9/10 by 11,010 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Prayer?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Prayer?
Yes: Higher Ground (2011), Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) and Violent Ends (2025).
How are movies similar to The Prayer chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Prayer, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.