Movies like L'Île de sable (2000)
The best movies like L'Île de sable (2000) are Élisa (1995), Juliette in Spring (2024) and The Passengers of the Night (2022). If L'Île de sable hooked you with its drama, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
L'Île de sable
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhat Maisie Knew (2013)7.1/10 from 466 votes
- NewestAnother Day (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchÉlisa (1995)Also in French
Élisa (1995)
Marie has had a tough childhood ever since her mother Elisa committed suicide. She has spent most of her life in an orphanage and now makes a living as a small time criminal in Paris. Now she wants to unravel her past and find her father whom she blames for her mother's death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJuliette in Spring (2024)
Juliette goes back in her hometown to spend some time with her family. She finds herself between a loving but moody father, a New Age mother, a sister in the midst of an existential crisis, and a grandmother slowly losing her mind. Buried memories and family secrets rise to the surface in this sweet, tender and sometimes extravagant family portrait.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Passengers of the Night (2022)
On election night in 1981, celebrations spill out onto the street and there is an air of hope and change throughout Paris. But for Elisabeth, her marriage is coming to an end and she will now have to support herself and her two teenage children. She finds work at a late-night radio show and encounters a troubled teenager named Talulah whom she invites into her home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCéline (1992)
After the death of her father, 22-year-old Céline inherits most of his estate, but gives it to her stepmother, causing her greedy fiancé to leave her. Following several failed suicide attempts, Céline is hospitalized and comes to the attention of a nurse, Genevieve, who has struggled with depression. Under her personal care, Céline gradually recovers, and the two women grow close.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Brothers and I (2022)
Nour, a 14-year-old boy, is enjoying the summer holidays in the South of France. He is the youngest of four brothers. They live together in a council estate, caring for their mother who is in a coma. Nour dreams of escaping to a faraway place. When he crosses paths with Sarah, an Opera singer teaching summer classes, he finds the opportunity to come out of his shell and explore new horizons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnother Day (2026)
Over an eight-year journey in Paris, a struggling young actress turns to alcohol to cope with her anxieties, spiraling into self-destruction before finding a path toward recovery through a new romance and her ailing sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Little Loves (1974)
Daniel lives with his grandmother and, after a year of high school, goes to live with his mother in the south of France; a harsher environment which rapidly changes his perception of friends, work, and women.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUncontrollable Circumstances (1989)
Philippe and Daniel decide to go on vacation Southeast Asia, where they meet Hans, a European who livesthere and he becomes their guide and host. Once the holidays are over, before leaving to return to Paris, decided to give a small gift to Hans: a small piece of hashish.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMalabar Princess (2004)
A man leaves his 8-year old son with his father-in-law who lives near the glacier where the boy's mother died.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dazzled (2019)
Camille, is the eldest of a large family. One day, her parents enter a religious community which gradually, regimentation becomes sectarian and Camille will have to fight to assert her freedom and save her brothers and sisters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOut of Love (2025)
When Jeanne, a meticulous insurance assessor, is suddenly left to care for her estranged sister’s two children after their mother vanishes, her carefully ordered life begins to unravel. Confronted with unexpected responsibilities, she must balance the fragile task of earning the children’s trust while also tending to her own relationship with her girlfriend, who struggles to adjust to Jeanne’s new role. As grief, uncertainty, and shifting loyalties mount, Jeanne finds herself redefining what family and love truly mean.
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 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 thisAdieu Philippine (1962)
Michel is a young technician in the fledgling TV industry and is due for military service in two months at the time of the Algerian War. Juliette and Liliane are inseparable best friends, and aspiring actresses, who hang around outside the TV studio. Michel invites them in to watch, flirts with them both, and dates them separately and together. When Michel goes on a holiday to Corsica, just before he is drafted, the girls follow.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll to Play For (2023)
Sylvie lives with her two children whom she’s raising on her own. One evening, there’s an accident, and her youngest son is removed from her care. Sylvie must subsequently fight to get her son back and to keep herself afloat.
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 thisWild Diamond (2024)
Liane, 19 years old, daring and fiery, lives with her mother and little sister under the dusty sun of Fréjus in the South of France. Obsessed with beauty and the need to become “someone”, she sees reality TV as her opportunity to be loved... Fate smiles upon her when she auditions for “Miracle Island”.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Single Girl (1995)
A young Parisian must make major decisions about pregnancy, a job, and her boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHold Me Tight (2021)
At dawn, Clarisse takes a last look at her husband and two sleeping children, hesitates to leave a note, and hits the road. A desperate escape that gradually reveals its layers as Clarisse — who seems to have an extra-sensory connection to the family she has left behind — loses herself in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Finishers (2013)
Julien, 17, is wheelchair-bound due to cerebral palsy. Despite their love for him, his family is gradually falling apart under the strain of dealing with his disability. In a bid to bond with his father, Julien challenges him to participate with him in the Ironman race in Nice (French Riviera), a triathlon in which his father has previously competed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like L'Île de sable?
The closest matches to L'Île de sable are Élisa (1995), Juliette in Spring (2024) and The Passengers of the Night (2022). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after L'Île de sable?
Start with Élisa (1995), the closest match to L'Île de sable.
What is the highest-rated movie like L'Île de sable?
What Maisie Knew (2013), rated 7.1/10 by 466 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like L'Île de sable?
Another Day (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like L'Île de sable?
Yes: Élisa (1995), Juliette in Spring (2024) and The Passengers of the Night (2022).
How are movies similar to L'Île de sable chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside L'Île de sable, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.