Movies like The Drift (1989)
The best movies like The Drift (1989) are Eleanor the Great (2025), Hounddog (2008) and The Good Neighbor (2022). If The Drift hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhat Maisie Knew (2013)7.1/10 from 466 votes
- NewestPhilia (2026)Released 2026
Eleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
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 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 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 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 thisKiller's Kiss (1955)
Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRogue Agent (2022)
Conman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.
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 thisBoot Camp (2008)
A group of troubled teens are sent to a rehabilitation program housed in a remote camp on the island of Fiji. What their parents believe is a state-of-the-art deluxe institution in a beautiful natural environment turns out to be a prison-like boot camp where they are abused and brainwashed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe House on Carroll Street (1988)
A reporter, fired after refusing to give names to a 1951 House Un-American Activities Committee, takes a part-time job as companion to an old lady. While working she overhears a noisy argument in the neighboring house, being conducted largely in German and involving her HUAC prosecutor. She begins to investigate, enlisting the help of the FBI Agent initially detailed to surveil her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Young One (1960)
A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisNowhere to Run (1993)
Escaped convict Sam Gillen single-handedly takes on ruthless developers who are determined to evict a widow with two young children.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Operative (2019)
A young Western woman is recruited by the Mossad to go undercover in Tehran where she becomes entangled in a complex triangle with her handler and her subject.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisGirl in the Bunker (2018)
When Elizabeth is abducted by a fugitive sexual predator, she realizes she must take matters into her own hands and plot her escape. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattle of the Year (2013)
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boys in the Band (2020)
At a birthday party in 1968 New York, a surprise guest and a drunken game leave seven gay friends reckoning with unspoken feelings and buried truths.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mustang (2019)
While participating in a rehabilitation program training wild mustangs, a convict at first struggles to connect with the horses and his fellow inmates, but he learns to confront his violent past as he soothes an especially feisty horse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Girl in the Book (2015)
The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisUndercurrent (TBA)
A young man recently released from prison attempts to rebuild his life after the death of his mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Philia (2026)
Miguel arrived at his home after being beaten up. His boyfriend, Jorge, attends to his wounds. However, the process of recovery is staled due to Miguel’s ex-wife, Sara, showing up, claiming that she is pregnant, forcing Miguel to make a decision between the past and the future.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Strangers (2021)
In an anonymous city, a person collapses, appearing to have lost consciousness. Some strangers pass by, others embrace her. In a solitary quest for intimacy, blinded by a world of indifference, her gaze, her body are staggering.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Girl Dinner (2024)
A young woman hosts a dinner party amongst her closest friends and their partners with the secret intention of home-wrecking.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Submissive Omission (2022)
A couple interrupts an intimate moment to discuss their relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Tempo Rubato (TBA)
What would you do if only after the death of your husband, or your father, or your best friend, you found out that he had loved another man? “Tempo Rubato” is a story about two grieving processes—Ravi’s, who lost his first love to police violence, and Dora and Edu’s, who lost their husband and father, respectively. Tiago, Ravi’s childhood friend, visits his family after the funeral and brings with him two boxes full of videos that Ravi recorded throughout his youth, including a farewell video-letter to his family, in which he confesses the secret he kept his entire life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Totally F***ed Up (1994)
Gay, alienated Los Angeles teens have a hard time as their parents kick them out of their homes, they don’t have money, their lovers cheat, and they are harassed by gay-bashers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoom for Two (2019)
Suspecting her partner of an affair, Helena goes to extreme lengths to discover the truth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Holy Rollers (2025)
Eve, in love with her best friend Rebeccah, agrees to secure alcohol for the end-of-year youth group party in hopes to gain her favor. However, during this endeavor Eve is caught in the middle of a drug war between locals and the largest church in Jefferson County, where she must save both her town and her love, Rebeccah.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Just Past Noon on a Tuesday (2018)
Two strangers visit the penthouse of a recently deceased lover, only to find themselves learning more about each other.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like The Drift and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Drift?
The closest matches to The Drift are Eleanor the Great (2025), Hounddog (2008) and The Good Neighbor (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Drift?
Start with Eleanor the Great (2025), the closest match to The Drift.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Drift?
What Maisie Knew (2013), rated 7.1/10 by 466 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Drift?
Philia (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Drift?
Yes: Eleanor the Great (2025), Hounddog (2008) and The Good Neighbor (2022).
How are movies similar to The Drift chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Drift, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.