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Movies like The Shepherd (1988)

The best movies like The Shepherd (1988) are My Sweet Orange Tree (2012), Skater Girl (2021) and Heidi (2005). If The Shepherd hooked you with its drama and family, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. My Sweet Orange Tree (2012)

    Zezé is an 8 year old boy who, although a naughty boy, has a good heart. He leads a very modest life, due to the fact that his father has been unemployed for a long time, and has the habit of having long conversations with a sweet orange tree which is in his backyard. Until one day he meets Portuga, a man who begins to help him and soon becomes his best friend.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  2. Skater 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 this
  3. Heidi (2005)

    Swiss girl Adelheid 'Heidi' is orphaned young. Aunt Detie brings her to grandpa Alp and his wife, who live isolated in the Alps since his murder charge. Heidi soon takes to the wild country, especially accompanying young goatherd Peter. Grandpa refuses to send her to school in the city, but aunt Detie returns and forces him to give in. She's sent to a posh lady in Frankfurt, where she'll be a companion for crippled daughter Clara after school hours.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. Where 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 this
  5. I 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 this
  6. Greyfriars 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 this
  7. Where 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 this
  8. Angels in the Snow (2015)

    The affluent, yet troubled Montgomery family hits the road for a special Christmas in the mountains.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Flicka (2006)

    Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. The Stray (2017)

    A young father takes his nine year old son, the family dog, and two of his son's friends backpacking in the mountains of Colorado only for all five of them to be struck by lightning.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Flicka: Country Pride (2012)

    Flicka and Toby help out a struggling stable owner and her teenage daughter.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)

    Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American. But after the death of the Earl's remaining son, he decides to accept Cedric as his heir.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. The Good Witch's Gift (2010)

    Almost as soon as Jake and Cassie decide to get married on Christmas Eve, complications arise.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Canvas (2020)

    After a heartbreaking loss, a grandfather struggling to reclaim his passion for painting finds the inspiration to create again.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong (2009)

    A fourth grader and her friends deal with bullying from a more popular girl in their class.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars (2012)

    A young girl struggles to maintain her school grades while competing as a gymnast.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. A Second Chance (2011)

    A young girl and her coach overcome adversity to make their way into the National Australian Gymnastics Squad.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Sanjay's Super Team (2015)

    SANJAY'S SUPER TEAM follows the daydream of a young Indian boy, bored with his father's religious meditation, who imagines "a kind of ancient, Hindu version of The Avengers," with the gods appearing like superheros.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. I Am David (2003)

    A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a compass to help get him there.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. Embattled (2020)

    The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like The Shepherd and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Shepherd?

The closest matches to The Shepherd are My Sweet Orange Tree (2012), Skater Girl (2021) and Heidi (2005). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Shepherd?

Start with My Sweet Orange Tree (2012), the closest match to The Shepherd.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Shepherd?

Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980), rated 7.3/10 by 326 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Shepherd?

Skater Girl (2021) is the most recent release on this list.

How are movies similar to The Shepherd chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Shepherd, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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