Movies like The Persians (1961)
The best movies like The Persians (1961) are Oslo (2021), The Miniaturist (2017) and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017). If The Persians hooked you with its history and tv movie, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Lion in Winter (1968)7.4/10 from 424 votes
- NewestA Man of His Time (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchA Man of His Time (2026)Also in French
Oslo (2021)
The true story of negotiations between implacable enemies — the secret back-channel talks, unlikely friendships and quiet heroics of a small but committed group of Israelis, Palestinians and one Norwegian couple that led to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Miniaturist (2017)
A woman moves to live with her new husband in 17th century Amsterdam, but soon discovers that not everything is what it seems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
An African-American woman becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells are used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHamlet (2009)
David Tennant stars in a film of the Royal Shakespeare Company's award-winning production of Shakespeare's great play. Director Gregory Doran's modern-dress production was hailed by the critics as thrilling, fast-moving and, in parts, very funny.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEsther (1999)
Esther, the beautiful queen of Persia, intervenes to save the Jewish people from a bloody massacre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Lear (2018)
An aging King invites disaster, when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters, and rejects his loving and honest one.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaesar and Cleopatra (1946)
At the height of the Roman Civil War, an aging Julius Caesar finds himself intrigued by the young Egyptian queen Cleopatra, whom he teaches how to rule Egypt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOutlaws - For Greater Glory (2012)
A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996)
A dramatization of the life of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (Don Cheadle), with a lot of factual based occurrences. A reformed junkie returns from prison to clean up his act and devote the rest of his life to the young kids of Harlem. 1996 was the 25th anniversary of the first tournament named after him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHenry V (1944)
In 1415, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlexander (2004)
Alexander, the King of Macedonia, leads his legions against the giant Persian Empire. After defeating the Persians, he leads his army across the then known world, venturing farther than any westerner had ever gone, all the way to India.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNorthanger Abbey (2007)
A young woman's penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006)
A college student must take care of her 7-year-old half sister after the death of their parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirl in the Box (2016)
The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFirebrand (2024)
Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, is named regent while the tyrant battles abroad. When the king returns, increasingly ill and paranoid, Katherine finds herself fighting for her own survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018)
The award-winning show is re-imagined as a live concert event, featuring an all-star cast of recording artists, set during the last week of Jesus' life as he deals with betrayal, love and jealousy, and told from the perspective of Judas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Return (2024)
After twenty years away, Odysseus washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The king has finally returned home, but much has changed in his kingdom since he left to fight in the Trojan war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hunchback (1997)
Based on Victor Hugo's famed novel, the story of Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer of Notre Dame, and his unrequited love for the gypsy girl, Esmeralda.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMary (2024)
A miraculous conception. A merciless king. A murderous pursuit. Mary's journey to give birth to Jesus unfolds in this biblical coming-of-age epic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Man of His Time (2026)
September 1940. Henri Marre arrives alone in Vichy as the authoritarian regime settles in. Broke, estranged from his family, and carrying copies of his self-published manifesto Notre Salut (Our Salvation), the 49-year-old is determined to secure what he believes is his rightful place in the new administration. In his writing, Henri sets out his patriotic convictions and his engineer’s methodology: efficiency above all. Claiming he wants to help save France after defeat, he does whatever is required to remain useful, serving the machinery of the new order with increasing skill. But he may be pursuing something more urgent: escape from his own ruin
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCompany (1996)
Set in modern upper-crust Manhattan, an exploration of love and commitment as seen through the eyes of a charming perpetual bachelor questioning his single state and his enthusiastically married, slightly envious friends.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Out of the Shadows (1988)
A U.S. Embassy worker is helped by an Interpol agent to prove herself innocent of a murder in the Greek isles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Henry V (1989)
In 1415, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEn attendant Godot (1989)
Two vagabonds, Vladimir and Estragon, meet on stage in a non-place ("Country road with tree") at dusk to wait for "Godot". This man - who will never come - has promised them that he will come to the rendezvous; although it is not clear what he is supposed to bring them, he represents a hope for change. While waiting for him, the two friends try to find occupations, "distractions" to make the time go by.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Lion in Winter (1968)
Christmas 1183, Angevin Empire: King Henry II plans to announce his successor to the throne. Jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy Prince John to take over. Henry's wife, Queen Eleanor, believes their son Prince Richard should be king. As family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArms and the Man (1983)
A frightened Swiss soldier climbs into a young Bulgarian girl's room during wartime.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Patrasket (1966)
A poor Jewish family, called the Riffraff by the author, puts the great Joe Meng at the heart of high-flying plans and imaginative flair.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Hero: Live in Cinema (2024)
In 1909, the Korean Empire is on the verge of losing its sovereignty to Japan. Patriot Ahn Jung-geun and his comrades pledge their lives to the movement for Korea's liberation. Seol-hee, a court lady of the late Empress, also expresses her intent to join the independence movement. Ito Hirobumi, the first Japanese resident-general on the Korean Peninsula, heads to Harbin to pursue his dream of advancing into Asia. On Oct. 26, 1909, a shot rang out at Harbin Station. Beloved son, father of two children, and husband, Ahn Jung-geun, assassinated Ito Hirobumi. In court, Ahn claims not to be a terrorist, but a prisoner of war desperate to protect his beloved homeland, Korea. Who is the one guilty of a crime?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Veteran (2020)
Old guilt, forgiveness and a new love. After 20 years in the French Foreign Legion, Martin returns to his Czech hometown. As soon as he arrives, he learns that his mother has died in his absence. Martin realizes that while in the military he learned to survive in any dangerous situation, but not how to cope with the complexities of human emotions and relationships. When he meets the deputy mayor's clever daughter Sara, he falls passionately in love and happiness seems to be within reach. But then his past catches up with him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Persians?
The closest matches to The Persians are Oslo (2021), The Miniaturist (2017) and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Persians?
Start with Oslo (2021), the closest match to The Persians.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Persians?
The Lion in Winter (1968), rated 7.4/10 by 424 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Persians?
A Man of His Time (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like The Persians?
Yes: A Man of His Time (2026) and En attendant Godot (1989).
How are movies similar to The Persians chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Persians, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.