Movies like My Mother Is Not Oil
The best movies like My Mother Is Not Oil are The Encounter (2010), Greyfriars Bobby (1961) and Where the Red Fern Grows (2003). If My Mother Is Not Oil hooked you with its drama and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
My Mother Is Not Oil
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Forge (2024)8.2/10 from 365 votes
- NewestAuto da Paixão de 2025 - "Redenção e Sacrifício: A Cruz que Transformou o Mundo" (2025)Released 2025
The 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 · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGreyfriars Bobby (1961)
In Scotland 1865, An old shepherd and his little Skye terrier go to Edinburgh. But when the shepherd dies of pneumonia, the dog remains faithful to his master, refuses to be adopted by anyone, and takes to sleeping on his master's grave in the Greyfriars kirkyard, despite a caretaker with a "no dogs" rule. And when Bobby is taken up for being unlicensed, it's up to the children of Edinburgh and the Lord Provost to decide what's to be done.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (2003)
Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSkater Girl (2021)
Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Believe (2019)
A 9 year old boy experiences God's power in a supernatural way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 · both drama & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisI'll Be Home for Christmas (2016)
Jackie Foster, a dynamic Assistant District Attorney and single mom, is looking forward to wrapping up her latest case and spending Christmas with Gracie, her adorable and precocious, eight-year old daughter. But when Jackie’s estranged dad, Jack , a gruff retired police officer, unexpectedly shows up at her door, they will be forced to confront old wounds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMiracles from Heaven (2016)
When Christy discovers her 10-year-old daughter Anna has a rare, incurable disease, she becomes a ferocious advocate for her daughter’s healing as she searches for a solution. After Anna has a freak accident and falls three stories, a miracle unfolds in the wake of her dramatic rescue that leaves medical specialists mystified, her family restored and their community inspired.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Tree of Life (2011)
The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sunset Limited (2011)
A deeply religious black ex-con thwarts the suicide attempt of an asocial white college professor who tries to throw himself in front of an oncoming subway train, 'The Sunset Limited.' As the one attempts to connect on a rational, spiritual and emotional level, the other remains steadfast in his hard-earned despair. Locked in a philosophical debate, both passionately defend their personal credos and try to convert the other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Nothing is as it seems when a woman experiencing misgivings about her new boyfriend joins him on a road trip to meet his parents at their remote farm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Mimzy (2007)
Two siblings begin to develop special talents after they find a mysterious box of toys, and soon their parents and even their teacher are drawn into a strange new world – and find a task ahead of them that is far more important than any of them could imagine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRemember (2015)
With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome Sunday (2018)
Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisMindwalk (1991)
On the French island of Mont Saint-Michel, Jack, a failed presidential candidate, Tom, a poet and Sonia, a physicist, engage in an intellectual conversation about politics, philosophy and life over the course of a single day.
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 thisOppenheimer (2023)
The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMirage (1972)
A young man inherits a broken down estate at the edge of the Peruvian desert, with no explanation about the former owners or what had become of the once thriving house.
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
Hawking (2004)
The story of Professor Stephen Hawking's early years. It is 1963, and our young cosmologist celebrates his 21st birthday. At the party is a new friend, Jane Wilde - there is a strong attraction between the two. Jane is intrigued by Stephen's talk of stars and the Universe. But she realises that there is something very wrong when Stephen suddenly finds that he is unable to stand up.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFour For Fun (2022)
A dinner party between two couples experiencing eleven different endings, all of which points to the same conclusion - the best possible life comes from the one lived the most in the present.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ariel (TBA)
In the world of the Ottoman Sultans, a poor child from Jerusalem makes an unimaginable desert journey to Cairo and back to save his mother and siblings from a rapacious aristocrat. He has nine days…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Quantum Suicide (2024)
The story of a physicist on a quest for the Grand Unifying Theory of Physics. In the process of his experiments he suffers radiation poisoning, loses his vision and alienates his partner, who leaves him. But in his obsession he finds clarity and the key to understanding our reality. There is one final test he must perform.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Birth of Narcissus (2018)
A young agoraphobic and megalomaniac scientist expresses a strong contempt for his fellows. Obsessed with a physical paradox he can't seem to solve, he decides to clone himself, since, according to him, only a brain similar to his can accomplish his work. After some time, the clone's presence becomes problematic...
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 thisThe Prayer (2020)
A drama and faith-based film about two ambitious college students. Mark and Tom became good friends despite a rocky beginning at gunpoint that almost cost Mark his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like My Mother Is Not Oil?
The closest matches to My Mother Is Not Oil are The Encounter (2010), Greyfriars Bobby (1961) and Where the Red Fern Grows (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after My Mother Is Not Oil?
Start with The Encounter (2010), the closest match to My Mother Is Not Oil.
What is the highest-rated movie like My Mother Is Not Oil?
The Forge (2024), rated 8.2/10 by 365 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like My Mother Is Not Oil?
Auto da Paixão de 2025 - "Redenção e Sacrifício: A Cruz que Transformou o Mundo" (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to My Mother Is Not Oil chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside My Mother Is Not Oil, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.