Movies like Living With María
The best movies like Living With María are Under the Volcano (1984), The Perez Family (1995) and The Brother from Another Planet (1984). If Living With María hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFlamin' Hot (2023)8.0/10 from 888 votes
- NewestThe Last Sunrise (2026)Released 2026
Under the Volcano (1984)
Against a background of war breaking out in Europe and the Mexican fiesta Day of Death, we are taken through one day in the life of Geoffrey Firmin, a British consul living in alcoholic disrepair and obscurity in a small southern Mexican town in 1939. The consul's self-destructive behaviour, perhaps a metaphor for a menaced civilization, is a source of perplexity and sadness to his nomadic, idealistic half-brother, Hugh, and his ex-wife, Yvonne, who has returned with hopes of healing Geoffrey and their broken marriage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perez Family (1995)
In the midst of the Mariel boat lift -- a hurried exodus of refugees from Cuba going to America -- an immigration clerk accidentally presumes that dissident Juan Raul Perez and Dorita Evita Perez are married. United by their last name and a mutual resolve to emigrate, Dorita and Juan agree to play along. But it gets complicated when the two begin falling for each other just as Juan reunites with his wife, Carmela, whom he hasn't seen in decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Brother from Another Planet (1984)
A mute alien with the appearance of a black human is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRifkin's Festival (2020)
The story of a married American couple who go to the San Sebastian Film Festival. They get caught up in the magic of the festival, the beauty and charm of Spain and the fantasy of movies. She has an affair with a brilliant French movie director, and he falls in love with a beautiful Spanish woman who lives there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQueer (2024)
In 1950s Mexico City, William Lee, an American ex-pat in his late forties, leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival in town of Eugene Allerton, a young student, stirs William into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll of Me (1984)
Just before stubborn millionaire Edwina Cutwater dies, she asks her uptight lawyer, Roger Cobb, to amend her will so that her soul will pass to the young, vibrant Terry Hoskins – but the spiritual transference goes awry. Edwina enters Roger's body instead, forcing him to battle Edwina for control of his own being.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLa Bamba (1987)
Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend. But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob, and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHis Kind of Woman (1951)
Career gambler Dan Milner agrees to a $50,000 deal to leave the USA for Mexico, only to find himself entangled with fellow guests at a luxurious resort and suspecting that the man who hired him may be the deported crime boss Nick Ferraro aiming to re-enter to the USA.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Book of Life (2014)
The journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Hitch-Hiker (1953)
Roy and Gilbert's fishing trip takes a terrifying turn when the hitchhiker they pick up turns out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. He's killed before, and he lets the two know that as soon as they're no longer useful, he'll kill again. The two friends plot an escape, but the hitchhiker's peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for them to tell when they can make a break for it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlamin' Hot (2023)
The inspiring true story of Richard Montañez, the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin' Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Immigrant (1917)
A European immigrant endures a challenging voyage only to get into trouble as soon as he arrives in New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)
Toby, a cynical film director finds himself trapped in the outrageous delusions of an old Spanish shoe-maker who believes himself to be Don Quixote. In the course of their comic and increasingly surreal adventures, Toby is forced to confront the tragic repercussions of a film he made in his idealistic youth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEncanto (2021)
The tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family's last hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStill Breathing (1997)
Two lost souls: she a con-artist in L.A.; he a puppeteer in San Antonio have the same dream linking each with the other. He travels to L.A. to find this woman he has become obsessed with. She resists, afraid of his kooky ideas until she travels with him to San Antonio and meets his wise grandmother. Story of two disparate people linked by "fate" gets increasingly interesting as it rolls along.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTortilla Soup (2001)
A Mexican-American master chef and father to three daughters has lost his taste for food but not for life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPaperman (2012)
An urban office worker finds that paper airplanes are instrumental in meeting a girl in ways he never expected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAlexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip (2025)
Eleven-year-old Alexander and his family embark on a dream Spring Break vacation to Mexico City only to have all their plans go terribly wrong when they discover a cursed idol.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCuban Fury (2014)
Beneath Bruce Garrett's under-confident, overweight exterior, the passionate heart of a salsa king lies dormant. Now, one woman is about to reignite his Latin fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Sunrise (2026)
Ry, a college student with a chronic illness, escapes to Mallorca for the summer with her mother, where she unexpectedly falls for a local and begins to embrace living in the moment. But as her condition worsens and long-hidden family secrets come to light, everything she has found before summer's end is threatened.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Living With María?
The closest matches to Living With María are Under the Volcano (1984), The Perez Family (1995) and The Brother from Another Planet (1984). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Living With María?
Start with Under the Volcano (1984), the closest match to Living With María.
What is the highest-rated movie like Living With María?
Flamin' Hot (2023), rated 8.0/10 by 888 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Living With María?
The Last Sunrise (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Living With María?
Yes: Under the Volcano (1984), The Perez Family (1995) and The Brother from Another Planet (1984).
How are movies similar to Living With María chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Living With María, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.