Movies like The White Ribbon (2009)
The best movies like The White Ribbon (2009) are Sunset (2018), The Club (2015) and The Childhood of a Leader (2016). If The White Ribbon hooked you with its drama and mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Hunt (2012)8.1/10 from 5,085 votes
- NewestOur Father, the Devil (2023)Released 2023
- In GermanAlpine Fire (1985)Also in German
Sunset (2018)
In 1913, an orphaned young woman arrives in Budapest to take up employment as a milliner at the hat store that belonged to her late parents but becomes mired in a search for a brother she had never known of.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Club (2015)
In a secluded house in a small seaside town live four unrelated men and the woman who tends to the house and their needs. All former priests, they have been sent to this quiet exile to purge the sins of their pasts, the separation from their communities the worst form of punishment by the Church. They keep to a strict daily schedule devoid of all temptation and spontaneity, each moment a deliberate effort to atone for their wrongdoings.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Childhood of a Leader (2016)
The chilling story of a young American boy living in France in 1918 whose father is working for the US government on the creation of the Treaty of Versailles. What he witnesses helps to mold his beliefs – and we witness the birth of a terrifying ego.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaché (2005)
As the host of a literary TV show, Georges begins receiving anonymously filmed videos of his family alongside cryptic, disturbing drawings, but as the tapes become increasingly intimate, they reveal a stalker who has known him for a very long time.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both mystery & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
Two college roommates have 24 hours to make the ultimate choice as they finalize arrangements for a black market abortion.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIda (2013)
In 1960s Poland, young novitiate Anna is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a family secret dating back to the years of the German occupation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Hunt (2012)
A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son’s custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIncendies (2010)
A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & mystery
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
Hoping to put to rest years of unease concerning a past case, retired criminal investigator Benjamín begins writing a novel based on the unsolved mystery of a newlywed’s rape and murder. With the help of a former colleague, judge Irene, he attempts to make sense of the past.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both mystery & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEl Bola (2000)
El Bola is a 12-year-old boy raised in a violent and sordid environment. Embarrassed by his family life, he avoids becoming close to classmates. The arrival of a new boy at school changes his attitude towards his classmates and friendship.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAlpine Fire (1985)
A year on an Alpine farm: an older couple have two children, Belli, who wanted to be a teacher, and the younger Franzi, deaf, and although he works like a man, child-like. Belli teaches him. In his work, he can become frustrated, so when he throws an expensive mower over a cliff in a fit of pique, his father banishes him to the outskirts of the farm, where he uses pubescent energy to break rocks and build walls and cairns. (It's the tradition of the father's family, called "The Irascibles" by neighbors, to spend puberty doing this.) Belli visits him and they begin sleeping together. By winter, the boy is back in the house and Belli is pregnant. Soon her parents must know.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Celebration (1998)
The family of a wealthy businessman gather to celebrate his 60th birthday. During the course of the party, his eldest son presents a speech that reveals a devastating secret that turns the night into a battle of truth and denial.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Lives of Others (2006)
In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFanny and Alexander (1982)
As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Painted Bird (2019)
After losing his parents, a young Jewish boy wanders Eastern Europe, seeking refuge during World War II.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Past (2013)
After four years apart, Ahmad returns to his wife Marie in Paris in order to progress their divorce. During his brief stay, he cannot help noticing the strained relationship between Marie and her daughter Lucie. As he attempts to improve matters between mother and daughter Ahmad unwittingly lifts the lid on a long buried secret...
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThree Worlds (2012)
Al, a young man from a modest background is about to marry his boss’ daughter, along with succeeding him as the head of a car dealership. One night, while coming back from his bachelor party, he is guilty of a hit-and-run accident, urged by his two childhood friends present in the car. The next day, gnawed with guilt, Al decides to inquire about his victim. What he does not know is that Juliette, a young woman, has witnessed the entire accident from her balcony.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Seventh Continent (1989)
Chronicles three years of a middle-class family seemingly caught up in their daily routines, troubled only by minor incidents. Behind their apparent calm and repetitive existence, however, they're planning something much more sinister.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Separation (2011)
A married couple are faced with a difficult decision – to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBarbara (2012)
Exiled to a rural clinic in 1980s East Germany for seeking an exit visa, a disillusioned doctor maintains a guarded distance from her colleagues, unsure if the kindly head physician is a genuine ally or a Stasi informant.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Return (2003)
Two young brothers in contemporary Russia are reunited with a father they know only from an old photograph after his sudden return from a long absence. With their mother’s reluctant consent, they set out on a remote trip that quickly becomes an uneasy test of authority, trust, and masculinity. As the journey moves deeper into the wilderness, the fragile bonds between father and sons are pushed to their limits.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYella (2007)
A young East German woman leaves her controlling husband/business partner and relocates to a West German city to start anew as an accountant, but he soon catches up with her.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Skin I Live In (2011)
A brilliant plastic surgeon creates a synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPhoenix (2014)
In the aftermath of WWII, German-Jewish cabaret singer Nelly has to undergo facial reconstructive surgery following her survival from Auschwitz. Without recognising Nelly, her former husband Johnny asks her to help him claim his wife’s inheritance. To see if he's betrayed her, she agrees, becoming her own doppelgänger.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCorpus Christi (2019)
A pious 20-year-old juvenile delinquent is sent to work at a sawmill in a small town; on arrival, he dresses up as a priest and accidentally takes over the local parish. The arrival of this young, charismatic preacher is an opportunity for the local community to begin the healing process after a tragedy that happened a year prior.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClergy (2018)
The fate of three Catholic priests were linked together through tragic events a few years back. Every year, on the anniversary of the catastrophe, they gather to celebrate their survival of the tragedy. Lisowski works at a curia in a big city, building his career while dreaming of the Vatican. Standing in his way, Mordowicz, the archbishop, a luxurious church dignitary who is making use of his political connections to build the largest sanctuary in Poland. Trybus, is a parish priest and often submits to human weaknesses. Kukuła also is not doing well. Despite his passion for faith, he is losing the trust of his flock. Soon, through new tragic events, the paths of the three priests will cross again.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOur Father, the Devil (2023)
An African refugee's quiet existence in a sleepy mountain town in the south of France is upended by the arrival of a charismatic Catholic priest, whom she recognizes as the warlord who slaughtered her family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both mystery & drama
Death and the Maiden (1994)
A political activist is convinced that her guest is a man who once tortured her for the government.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrown (2020)
After leaking of a video of her class in a women only swimming pool, Parvaneh is brutally murdered by her husband, Hashem, who seeks a way to redeem his reputation and dignity as the godfather in the neighborhood. Hashem’s brother, Hojat, embarks a journey into the labyrinths of underground in Tehran to find out who is responsible for this dirty game. Once wrongfully accused for smuggling drugs, he returns to the world of crime to trace his brother’s rivals…
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & mystery
Close Your Eyes (2023)
Years after his mysterious disappearance, Julio Arenas, a famous Spanish actor, is back in the news thanks to a television program.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The White Ribbon?
The closest matches to The White Ribbon are Sunset (2018), The Club (2015) and The Childhood of a Leader (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The White Ribbon?
People who watched The White Ribbon most often go on to Sunset (2018), The Club (2015) and The Childhood of a Leader (2016).
What is the highest-rated movie like The White Ribbon?
The Hunt (2012), rated 8.1/10 by 5,085 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The White Ribbon?
Our Father, the Devil (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like The White Ribbon?
Yes: Alpine Fire (1985), The Lives of Others (2006) and The Seventh Continent (1989).
How are movies similar to The White Ribbon chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The White Ribbon, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.