Movies like Life upside down (2015)
The best movies like Life upside down (2015) are Waking Life (2001), Bittersweet (2010) and The Great Fava Beans of China (2004). If Life upside down hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedJoseph (1995)8.3/10 from 238 votes
- NewestI Was a Stranger (2025)Released 2025
Waking Life (2001)
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBittersweet (2010)
An Egyptian-American returns to his homeland after twenty years abroad, filled with nostalgia and high hopes. But as he reconnects with his roots, he finds himself caught between two worlds—and begins to experience the reality of a country he thought he knew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Great Fava Beans of China (2004)
Mohy Al-Sharqawi is a young man whose grandfather and his uncles form a smuggling gang. As Mohy is a coward who cannot go along with them, he goes to live with his mother and step-father but they send him to China to represent Egypt in a cooking competition which gets him into a lot of troubles
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGod Grew Tired of Us (2006)
Filmmaker Christopher Quinn observes the ordeal of three Sudanese refugees -- Jon Bul Dau, Daniel Abul Pach and Panther Bior -- as they try to come to terms with the horrors they experienced in their homeland, while adjusting to their new lives in the United States.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKahlil Gibran's The Prophet (2014)
Exiled artist and poet Mustafa embarks on a journey home with his housekeeper and her daughter; together the trio must evade the authorities who fear that the truth in Mustafa's words will incite rebellion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLocked (2025)
When Eddie breaks into a luxury SUV, he steps into a deadly trap set by William, a self-proclaimed vigilante delivering his own brand of twisted justice. With no means of escape, Eddie must fight to survive in a ride where escape is an illusion, survival is a nightmare, and justice shifts into high gear.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHarrison Bergeron (1995)
"All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so." This is the premise of the Showtime film adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's futuristic short story Harrison Bergeron. The film centers around a young man (Harrison) who is smarter than his peers, and is not affected by the usual "Handicapping" which is used to train all Americans so everyone is of equal intelligence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Giver (2014)
In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Escape (2015)
In their new overseas home, an American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape in an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWorth (2021)
Kenneth Feinberg, a powerful D.C. lawyer appointed Special Master of the 9/11 Fund, fights off the cynicism, bureaucracy, and politics associated with administering government funds and, in doing so, discovers what life is worth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Angel (2018)
True story of Ashraf Marwan, who was President Nasser's son-in-law and special adviser and confidant to his successor Anwar Sadat - while simultaneously Israeli Intelligence's most precious asset of the 20th century. Based on NYT bestselling book 'The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel' by Uri Bar-Joseph.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHidden Strike (2023)
Two elite soldiers must escort civilians through a gauntlet of gunfire and explosions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJoseph (1995)
Joseph, favored son of Jacob and great-grandson of Abraham, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Rising to become prime minister of Egypt. Joseph governed the country during a seven year famine, during which his brothers visit Egypt seeking grain, only to encounter their brother, presumed long dead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMultiverse (2021)
Four brilliant university students are forced to confront themselves in terrifying ways when their Quantum Physics experiment leads to an entangled parallel existence that leaves them questioning who they are and what is real.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBread and Roses (2000)
In Los Angeles, undocumented Mexican immigrant Maya finds work as a janitor through her sister, Rosa. However, as both work non-union, conditions are grim. After enduring abuse from her superiors, Maya is open to the pro-union rhetoric offered by organiser Sam Shapiro. Rosa, meanwhile, is far less interested in clashing with management, given the needs of her family, and a rift forms between the sisters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Operative (2019)
A young Western woman is recruited by the Mossad to go undercover in Tehran where she becomes entangled in a complex triangle with her handler and her subject.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisWatch on the Rhine (1943)
On the eve of World War II, the German Kurt Müller, his American-born wife Sara, and their three children, having lived in Europe for years, visit Sara's wealthy mother near Washington, DC. Kurt secretly works for the anti-Nazi resistance. A visiting Romanian count, becoming aware of this, seeks to blackmail him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Assessment (2025)
In a climate change-ravaged world, a utopian society optimizes life, including parenthood assessments. A successful couple faces scrutiny by an evaluator over seven days to determine their fitness for childbearing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Was a Stranger (2025)
A Syrian doctor and her daughter flee Aleppo, setting off a chain of events that binds five strangers together. A smuggler, a soldier, a poet, and a coast guard captain collide in a crisis that tests their courage, their choices, and their humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nest (2020)
Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Life upside down?
The closest matches to Life upside down are Waking Life (2001), Bittersweet (2010) and The Great Fava Beans of China (2004). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Life upside down?
Start with Waking Life (2001), the closest match to Life upside down.
What is the highest-rated movie like Life upside down?
Joseph (1995), rated 8.3/10 by 238 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Life upside down?
I Was a Stranger (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Life upside down chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Life upside down, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.