Movies like The Old Believers (1988)
The best movies like The Old Believers (1988) are Lucky (2017), Salesman (1969) and Sarah's Oil (2025). If The Old Believers hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Forge (2024)8.2/10 from 364 votes
- NewestSarah's Oil (2025)Released 2025
Lucky (2017)
Follows the journey of a 90-year-old atheist and the quirky characters that inhabit his off-the-map desert town. He finds himself at the precipice of life, thrust into a journey of self-exploration.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSalesman (1969)
This documentary from Albert and David Maysles follows the bitter rivalry of four door-to-door salesmen working for the Mid-American Bible Company: Paul "The Badger" Brennan, Charles "The Gipper" McDevitt, James "The Rabbit" Baker and Raymond "The Bull" Martos. Times are tough for this hard-living quartet, who spend their days traveling through small-town America, trying their best to peddle gold-leaf Bibles to an apathetic crowd of lower-middle-class housewives and elderly couples.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSarah's Oil (2025)
Sarah Rector, a Black girl born in early 20th-century Oklahoma Indian Territory, believes there is oil beneath the barren land she’s allotted, and her faith proves right. As greedy oil sharks close in, Sarah turns to family, friends, and some Texas wildcatters to maintain control of her oil-rich land, eventually becoming among the nation's first Black female millionaires—at eleven years old.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Forge (2024)
19 year old Isaiah Wright lives for basketball and video games. A year out of high school, he has no job, no plans, and no idea how to be a man. At odds with his single mother Cynthia, Isaiah is given an ultimatum – to step up or move out. Feeling the pull from his friends and the push from his mom, Isaiah is hired by Moore Fitness, unaware of how the owner will personally impact his life. With the prayers of his mother and unexpected guidance from his new mentor, Isaiah is forced to deal with his past, sacrifice his selfishness and discover how God might have a greater purpose for his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
From the 1960s to the 1980s, evangelist Jim Baker and his ambitious wife, Tammy Faye, rose from humble beginnings to build an empire based on big-time evangelical Christianity--only for the couple to fall from grace because of some all-too-human sins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigher 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisDo You Believe? (2015)
When a pastor is shaken by the visible faith of a street-corner preacher, he is reminded that true belief always requires action. His response ignites a journey that impacts everyone it touches in ways that only God could orchestrate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhen I'm Ready (2025)
It's the end of the world. Seeking meaning and thrills in their last days alive, Rose and Michael embark on a cross-country road trip to see Rose's grandmother as a devastating asteroid threatens to wipe out life on Earth. Along the way they encounter other lost souls, each with their own very different perspective on the impending doom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGod's Not Dead (2014)
After he refuses to disavow his faith, a devout Christian student must prove the existence of God or else his college philosophy professor will fail him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove's Abiding Joy (2006)
The continued Westward journey of settlers Missie and Willie Lahaye. Their roots now firmly planted as they set up homestead in the far West, Missie begins to realize her passion for teaching as Willie cares for the couple's young daughter Kathy while expanding the family ranch with a little help from sons Jeff and Matthew. When the frontier railroad comes to town, the pleasure of a long-promised visit from Missie's father Clark is suddenly offset by the tragic death of young Kathy. As the untimely demise of their beloved daughter begins to drive an emotional wedge between Missie and Willie, the devastated father unexpectedly accepts an offer made by the powerful Samuel Doros to assume the role of town sheriff. Their faith shaken and their once close-knit bond suddenly torn asunder, Missie and Willie desperately attempt to bring their crumbling family back together as son Jeff faces a series of dangers while hopelessly falling for Doros' beautiful daughter Colette.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove's Unfolding Dream (2007)
Centers on Missy's adopted daughter Belinda Tyler as she follows her dream. Belinda wants to be a doctor, but this time period does not look kindly on women with careers, especially one in the medical field. But Belinda is a strong-minded woman and deeply wants a career as a doctor. She manages to prove her abilities while assisting the local doctor and caring for an old woman who recently experienced a stroke. Belinda nurses her back to health and helps her regain the use of her arm again. Belinda also meets the nephew of their deceased neighbor. Drew comes to town to get his uncle's farm in shape to sell. After that he intends on returning to New York to join his father's law practice. He has no desire to stay in this small, unsophisticated town. But after meeting Belinda he has second thoughts. Belinda also feels something for Drew, but she is conflicted because she wants to be a doctor...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove's Long Journey (2005)
Missie's surprise pregnancy sets her on a new course that is both thrilling and terrifying. After all the planning and dreaming, she and her husband Willie are headed west in a covered wagon, leaving behind the prairie home of Missie's parents. Now, caught between the excitement of the new adventure and the pain of not knowing when she'll see her family again, Missie copes with the challenges, and cherishes the rewards, of her new homestead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAngela's Christmas (2017)
A trip to church with her family on Christmas Eve gives young Angela an extraordinary idea. A heartwarming tale based on a story by Frank McCourt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Encounter (2010)
When five strangers with nothing in common come together at a remote roadside eatery, they place their orders with the diner's omniscient owner, who seems to know everything about them ... and is eerily reminiscent of Jesus Christ.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHappy People: A Year in the Taiga (2010)
In the center of the story is the life of the indigenous people of the village Bakhtia at the river Yenisei in the Siberian Taiga. The camera follows the protagonists in the village over a period of a year. The natives, whose daily routines have barely changed over the last centuries, keep living their lives according to their own cultural traditions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Shack (2017)
A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called 'The Shack'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove's Enduring Promise (2004)
In the 1800s frontier, Missie Davis is a bright and beautiful schoolteacher whose love for the prairie is matched only by her passion for books. When Missie encounters Grant, a handsome New England railroad executive, she feels as though she's met a hero from one of her novels.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Still Believe (2020)
The true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp and his journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAre You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)
When her family moves from New York City to New Jersey, an 11-year-old girl navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnsung Hero (2024)
When David Smallbone's successful music company collapses, he moves his family from Australia to the United States in search of a brighter future. With nothing more than their six children, their suitcases, and their love of music, David and his pregnant wife Helen set out to rebuild their lives from the ground up. Based on a remarkable true story, a mum's faith stands against all odds; and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Old Believers?
The closest matches to The Old Believers are Lucky (2017), Salesman (1969) and Sarah's Oil (2025). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Old Believers?
Start with Lucky (2017), the closest match to The Old Believers.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Old Believers?
The Forge (2024), rated 8.2/10 by 364 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Old Believers?
Sarah's Oil (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Old Believers?
Yes: Lucky (2017), Salesman (1969) and Sarah's Oil (2025).
How are movies similar to The Old Believers chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Old Believers, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.