Movies like Caligula and Messalina (1981)
The best movies like Caligula and Messalina (1981) are Original Sin (2001), Scarlet (2023) and The Man from Elysian Fields (2001). If Caligula and Messalina hooked you with its romance and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMy King (2015)7.1/10 from 824 votes
- NewestScarlet (2023)Released 2023
- In FrenchScarlet (2023)Also in French
Original Sin (2001)
A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScarlet (2023)
A French widower and WWI veteran returns home after the war to raise his newborn daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man from Elysian Fields (2001)
A failed novelist's inability to pay the bills strains relations with his wife and leads him to work at an escort service, where he becomes entwined with a wealthy woman whose husband is a successful writer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisNewness (2017)
In contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days (1989)
Lucas has invented a new computer language but at the same time he has been informed about his strange terminal illness during which he has been gradually losing his memory. Shortly after that he meets Blanche who acts as a medium in a bizarre traveling show. Dying Lucas follows her to the sea resort where they spend together several days and nights.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Duke of Burgundy (2015)
Day in and day out, lovers Cynthia and Evelyn enact an elaborate sadomasochistic fantasy as mistress and maid. But as their ritual of domination and submission begins to turn stale, Cynthia yearns for something more conventional, while Evelyn tries to push their taboos even further.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBelow Her Mouth (2017)
An unexpected affair quickly escalates into a heart-stopping reality for two women whose passionate connection changes their lives forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnfaithful (2002)
A New York suburban couple's marriage goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDouble Lover (2017)
Chloé, a fragile young woman, falls in love with her psychoanalyst, Paul. A few months later she moves in with him, but soon discovers that her lover is concealing a part of his identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFifty Shades Freed (2018)
Believing they have left behind shadowy figures from their past, newlyweds Christian and Ana fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he relaxes into an unfamiliar stability, new threats could jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy King (2015)
Tony is admitted to a rehabilitation center after a serious ski accident. Dependent on the medical staff and pain relievers, she takes time to look back on a turbulent relationship that she experienced with Georgio.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNo Limit (2022)
Roxana Aubrey decides to drop her studies and escape her life in Paris for a free diving course in the south of France. She is quickly pulled into a life that reaches new depths brought by the weight of an ocean's descent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFifty Shades of Grey (2015)
When college senior Anastasia Steele steps in for her sick roommate to interview prominent businessman Christian Grey for their campus paper, little does she realize the path her life will take. Christian, as enigmatic as he is rich and powerful, finds himself strangely drawn to Ana, and she to him. Though sexually inexperienced, Ana plunges headlong into an affair -- and learns that Christian's true sexual proclivities push the boundaries of pain and pleasure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisTime Is Up (2021)
Vivien, an accomplished student with a passion for physics, and Roy, a troubled young man, are involved in an accident that forces them to reclaim their lives one minute at the time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGervaise (1956)
Gervaise Macquart is a beautiful Parisian laundress and mother whose lover, Lantier, walks out on her. She eventually marries Henri Coupeau, a roofer who has an unfortunate accident. As her now crippled husband descends into alcoholism, Gervaise tries to make ends meet on her own. Life becomes even more complicated when Lantier returns and befriends Henri. Meanwhile, the man she really loves is sent to prison.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAsylum (2005)
A woman becomes very curious about one of her psychiatrist husband's inmates, a man who was found guilty in the murder and disfigurement of his former wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIntimacy (2001)
Failed musician Jay abandoned his family and now earns a living as head bartender in a trendy London pub. Every Wednesday afternoon, a woman comes to his house for graphic, almost wordless, sex. One day, Jay follows her and learns about her. This eventually disrupts their relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmmanuelle (1974)
An employee at the French Embassy in Bangkok invites his wife to join him – and enjoy the benefits of their open marriage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonday (2021)
A spark on a Friday can lead to a sizzling weekend fling, but what happens when you get to the inevitable Monday?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Married Woman (1964)
A superficial woman finds conflict choosing between her abusive husband and her vain lover.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Belt (1989)
Vittorio, an American novelist teaching in Rome, meets the beautiful but damaged Bianca and they rapidly fall into an urgent, tempestuous affair. He's hesitant over their relationship since she seems to thrive on conflict and is constantly baiting him into physical altercation. Bianca gives Vittorio an exquisite leather belt as a gift; he knows immediately that she wants him to whip her with it. Driven by his craving for her, Vittorio complies to Bianca's desire. Their relationship escalates into a dark realm of S&M which becomes more and more self-destructive.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Peccati a Venezia (1980)
Melissa, a beautiful woman in her prime, her cousin Gianni and her elderly and paralyzed Aunt Adele live in a villa in a decadent Venice, Franca. A very young friend of the family comes to the villa. In a short time the life of the three is turned upside down.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Canterbury Tales (1972)
Glimpses of Chaucer penning his famous work are sprinkled through this re-enactment of several of his stories.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPassion and Romance: Ocean of Dreams (1997)
Hungry for more sizzle and spice in their bland love lives, a married couple embarks upon a cruise. Once aboard the ship, they find themselves faced with a veritable buffet of erotic delights and a strong temptation to overindulge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Wild Orchid (1989)
A woman lawyer becomes mesmerized by a self-made millionaire during an encounter in Rio setting off a series of erotic encounters.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisScandalous Gilda (1985)
A woman catches her husband in bed with a much younger lady. Shocked and distraught, the woman leaves her husband. She decides to embark on a road trip of erotic self discovery. The woman meets a cartoonist during her sensual pilgrimage and gets involved in a torrid sexual affair with him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sex-Power (1970)
A young Frenchman arrives in Northern California looking to forget a lost love and ends up encountering various forms of feminine power.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
As Long as One Is Intoxicated (1974)
The tormented loves of the young Ottavio, first for the countess Gamiani and then for the writer Georges Sand.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
El caso Laura (1991)
Laura abandons her peaceful life as a doctor to avenge her sister, who was cheated by a band of pornographers who drugged her to film her rape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Story of O (1975)
The beautiful O is taken by her boyfriend, Rene, to a bizarre retreat, where she is trained in bondage and sexual perversion...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like this
Like Caligula and Messalina and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Caligula and Messalina?
The closest matches to Caligula and Messalina are Original Sin (2001), Scarlet (2023) and The Man from Elysian Fields (2001). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Caligula and Messalina?
Start with Original Sin (2001), the closest match to Caligula and Messalina.
What is the highest-rated movie like Caligula and Messalina?
My King (2015), rated 7.1/10 by 824 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Caligula and Messalina?
Scarlet (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Caligula and Messalina?
Yes: Scarlet (2023), My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days (1989) and Double Lover (2017).
How are movies similar to Caligula and Messalina chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Caligula and Messalina, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.