Movies like Vertigo's Butterfly (1987)
The best movies like Vertigo's Butterfly (1987) are The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), Chaos (2001) and Eleanor the Great (2025). If Vertigo's Butterfly hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- NewestAnother Day (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchChaos (2001)Also in French
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChaos (2001)
A bourgeois couple, modern yet conventional. One night by accident, a young prostitute barges into their lives. Hounded down, beaten up, threatened, she will continue to struggle, with the help of a well off lady, first for her survival-her resurrection-then for her dignity and freedom. Stormy encounters for everyone involved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man Who Laughs (2012)
During a winter storm, Ursus offers shelter to two orphans, Gwynplaine and Déa; some years later, they are still living together. Gwynplaine has become a famous star, but his success threatens his relationships with Déa and Ursus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cage (1975)
The story of a woman who is suddenly visited by her estranged ex-husband. The ex-hubby wants to buy her country house, which she received in the divorce settlement. Instead he finds himself locked in a cage in the cellar.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Sunday (2018)
Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Last Woman (1976)
Psychological drama of the compelling relationship between a young French engineer and the girl he takes into his home after his wife has left him with their baby son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisSecret Name (2021)
Nelie escaped a miserable existence by becoming a frontline nurse in 1914. One day, she takes the identity of Rose, a young woman from a good family, who dies in front of her. She presents herself in her place at Madame de Lengwil's house, to become the reader of this wealthy woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Nun (2013)
Suzanne Simonin describes her life of suffering in letters. As a young woman she is sent to a convent against her will. Since her parents cannot afford the dowry required for a marriage befitting her rank they decide she must instead become a nun. Although a kind and understanding Mother Superior helps her to learn the convent’s daily routine, Suzanne’s desire for freedom remains unabated. When the Mother Superior dies, Suzanne finds herself faced with reprisals, humiliation and harassment at the hands of the new Abbess and the other Sisters. For many years, Suzanne is subjected to bigotry and religious fanaticism. (Berlinale.de)
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinter in Sokcho (2025)
In the snowy seaside town of Sokcho, 25-year-old Soo-Ha works at a guesthouse. She drifts between her mother’s fish stall and her boyfriend until a French artist’s arrival stirs questions about her identity. As winter deepens, Soo-Ha and the artist form an unspoken connection through food and art.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlex of Venice (2015)
After her stay-at-home husband leaves her, a workaholic lawyer finds that she is not completely up to the tasks of caring for her young son, ailing father and household all by herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisAll Day and a Night (2020)
While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
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 thisOn the Edge (2022)
One night, Leo, a Spaniard working in Brussels as a subway driver, sees a young man on the edge of the platform, just before he falls onto the tracks.
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 thisPinocchio (2009)
The enchanted story of Pinocchio.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisHouria (2023)
A young woman who is passionate about ballet dancing and experiences a trauma, and then she meets other women who have experienced similar situations and they find a creative way to pursue their passion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGloria Mundi (2019)
Daniel leaves prison. He returns to Marseilles where Mathilda, his daughter, has just given birth. Nicolas, her spouse, a self-employed driver, is exhausted while Mathilda is a sales assistant on a trial basis. But, one night, Nicolas is assaulted by taxi drivers determined to reduce unfair competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSofia (2021)
Sonny and Luka are hanging out together as usual. They meet Sofia, an older girl who does not seem to be from their area. Together they will live an unexpected adventure during the time of an evening.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Omniscient (1978)
Ravi, a progressive schoolteacher in a small village helps fight an epidemic by getting his students inoculated. He incurs the wrath of local witchdoctor in the process.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
La Lunareja (1946)
Adapted from “Las Tradiciones Peruanas” by Ricardo Palma.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Lost Arm of God (2025)
A priest faces corruption and organized crime as his ethical dilemmas and temptations threaten to break his faith and convictions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Matryoshkas (2026)
In a house suspended in time, three women—Lúcia, Madalena, and Dolores—inhabit different layers of the same memory. Driven by curiosity, resistance, and silence, they orbit a love that never came to be, yet continues to unfold within them. Like nested dolls, they reveal and conceal themselves in an intimate cycle where remembering is inevitable and forgetting, an act of survival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Mountain Man (1934)
The mountain guide Jakob is a controversial figure. His supposed father dies and leaves behind a great heritage to the people. In the town they consider Jakob a bastard, because his parents were not married, which means that without a testament, the lands in which he lives do not belong to him. But the testament indicates that the inheritance corresponds him under a single condition, he must be the first person to climb the east face of Monte Verità. French version of Die weisse majestat, shot the year before in German with the same script in the Eiger/Jungfrau region but with different actors and by a different director.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
TEL-CLUB (1998)
In the summer of 1998, the filmmaker went home to Takasaki to film the birth of his brother and sister-in-law's child. Days go by and the child is still to be born. With time on his hands and no one to talk to, the filmmaker finds the phone number for a telephone date club, and calls up with an earnest de- sire: I'd like to talk to a girl. While following the conventions of film-diary form, at some point the filmmaker falls into a times pace tunnel of false memory.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Intralight (2026)
INTRALUZ follows Ella, a woman caught between memories and symbols that come to life, reminding her of past moments and unresolved emotions. Through poetic encounters and elements of magical realism, Ella journeys through her inner world, confronting fears, desires, and doubts. This voyage allows her to reconcile with herself and accept who she truly is, discovering the freedom that emerges when one dares to look within.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Vertigo's Butterfly?
The closest matches to Vertigo's Butterfly are The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), Chaos (2001) and Eleanor the Great (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Vertigo's Butterfly?
Start with The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), the closest match to Vertigo's Butterfly.
What is the newest movie like Vertigo's Butterfly?
Another Day (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Vertigo's Butterfly?
Yes: Chaos (2001), The Man Who Laughs (2012) and The Cage (1975).
How are movies similar to Vertigo's Butterfly chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Vertigo's Butterfly, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.