Movies like Magdalen (2003)
The best movies like Magdalen (2003) are Albert Nobbs (2011), Calm with Horses (2020) and She Rides Shotgun (2025). If Magdalen hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedProtector (2026)8.4/10 from 648 votes
- NewestProtector (2026)Released 2026
Albert Nobbs (2011)
Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man, so she can work as a butler in Dublin's most posh hotel, Albert meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCalm with Horses (2020)
In darkest rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic five-year-old son, Jack. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are truly tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShe Rides Shotgun (2025)
Newly released from prison and marked for death by unrelenting enemies, Nate must now protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter, Polly, at all costs. With scant resources and no one to trust, Nate and Polly forge a bond under fire as he shows her how to fight and survive—and she teaches him the true meaning of unconditional love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPhilomena (2013)
A woman searches for her adult son, who was taken away from her decades ago when she was forced to live in a convent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLight of My Life (2019)
Years after a pandemic wipes out most of the female population, a father struggles to shield his daughter from a dangerous and predatory world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Guard (2011)
When a small-town Irish cop with a crass personality is partnered with a straight-laced FBI agent to bust an international drug-trafficking ring, they must settle their differences in order to take down a dangerous gang.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHomefront (2013)
Phil Broker, a retired DEA agent, leads a quiet life with his daughter Maddy, until a school bullying incident draws them into a conflict with Morgan “Gator” Bodine, a local crime boss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this6 Bullets (2012)
An ex-mercenary known for finding missing children is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter whose daughter has been kidnapped.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaken (2008)
Bryan Mills, a former government operative, is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter Kim. After reluctantly agreeing with his ex-wife to let Kim go to Paris on vacation with a friend, his worst nightmare comes true. While on the phone with his daughter shortly after she arrives in Paris, she and her friend are abducted by a gang of human traffickers. Working against the clock, Bryan relies on his extensive training and skills to track down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launch a one-man war to rescue his daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Miracle Club (2023)
Three close friends who have never left the outskirts of Dublin (much less Ireland) get the journey of a lifetime — a visit to Lourdes, the picturesque French town and place of miracles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVeronica Guerin (2003)
In this true story, Veronica Guerin is an investigative reporter for an Irish newspaper. As the drug trade begins to bleed into the mainstream, Guerin decides to take on and expose those responsible. Beginning at the bottom with addicts, Guerin then gets in touch with John Traynor, a paranoid informant. Not without some prodding, Traynor leads her to John Gilligan, the ruthless head of the operation, who does not take kindly to Guerin's nosing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Retirement Plan (2023)
When Ashley and her young daughter Sarah get caught up in a criminal enterprise that puts their lives at risk, she turns to the only person who can help: her estranged father Matt, currently living the life of a retired beach bum in the Cayman Islands. Their reunion is fleeting as they are soon tracked down on the island by crime boss Donnie and his lieutenant Bobo. As Ashley, Sarah, and Matt become entangled in an increasingly dangerous web, Ashley quickly learns her father had a secret past that she knew nothing about and that there is more to her father than meets the eye.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisShadow Dancer (2012)
In 1990s Belfast, a woman is forced to betray all she believes in for the sake of her son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProtector (2026)
Nikki's life is shattered when her daughter is kidnapped. Thrust into the criminal underworld while hunted by cops and military, she must fight to rescue her child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEvery Secret Thing (2014)
One clear summer day in a Baltimore suburb, a baby goes missing from her front porch. Two young girls serve seven years for the crime and are released into a town that hasn't fully forgiven or forgotten. Soon, another child is missing, and two detectives are called in to investigate the mystery in a community where everyone seems to have a secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHardcore (1979)
A conservative Midwest businessman ventures into the sordid underworld of pornography in search of his runaway teenage daughter who’s making hardcore films in the pits of Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Snapper (1993)
Sharon Curley is a 20-year-old living with her parents and many brothers and sisters in Dublin. When she gets pregnant and refuses to name the father, she becomes the talk of the town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJoyride (2022)
12-year-old Mully has lost his mother and discovers his debt-ridden father stealing the charity money they've raised in her name. Grabbing the cash, Mully steals a taxi and is shocked to find a woman, Joy, in the back seat with a baby. A straight-talking solicitor who didn't expect to get pregnant, Joy is struggling with motherhood and planning to give her baby to a friend who will raise the child as her own. She joins Mully on a wild journey across Ireland, stealing cars, hitch-hiking, catching ferries and breaking police barricades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPrisoners (2013)
After his six-year-old daughter is abducted, a desperate father takes justice into his own hands when he loses faith in the detective leading the investigation, setting both men on a collision course as the search descends into obsession and moral compromise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSweet Girl (2021)
A man vows to bring justice to those responsible for his wife's death while protecting the only family he has left, his daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Magdalen and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Magdalen?
The closest matches to Magdalen are Albert Nobbs (2011), Calm with Horses (2020) and She Rides Shotgun (2025). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Magdalen?
Start with Albert Nobbs (2011), the closest match to Magdalen.
What is the highest-rated movie like Magdalen?
Protector (2026), rated 8.4/10 by 648 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Magdalen?
Protector (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Magdalen?
Yes: Albert Nobbs (2011), Calm with Horses (2020) and She Rides Shotgun (2025).
How are movies similar to Magdalen chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Magdalen, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.