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Movies like The Big Departure (1972)

The best movies like The Big Departure (1972) are The Little Match Girl (1928), The Good Witch (2008) and Split (2016). If The Big Departure hooked you with its drama and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The Little Match Girl (1928)

    An impoverished girl tries to sell matches on New Year's Eve. Shivering with cold and unable to sell her wares, she sits in a sheltered nook. Striking a match to keep warm, the flame shows her what's beyond.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & fantasy

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  2. The Good Witch (2008)

    A mysterious woman comes in to town and inhabits the local haunted mansion, making everyone wonder if she's a witch or "The Grey Lady".

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & drama

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  3. Split (2016)

    The story of a young woman who takes an epic journey to claim her own darkness and sexuality so she can stop putting it into the hands of her abusive lover. When Inanna, a young actress, working as a stripper, becomes obsessed with a mask maker, she sacrifices parts of herself and her life, piece by piece, in order to win his love. At the same time she enters a mythic journey in the theater. One that forces her to face the many abuses endured by women around that world and that blurs her performance, her dreams and her real life and results in a provocative and powerful confrontation that frees her. -- from official website

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & drama

  4. Nine Days (2021)

    A bureaucrat interviews five souls to decide which of them will be given a life on Earth. But he soon faces an existential challenge of his own.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & fantasy

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  5. Hereafter (2010)

    Three people — a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy — are touched by death in different ways.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & fantasy

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  6. Tuesday (2024)

    A mother and her teenage daughter must confront Death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing talking bird.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & drama

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  7. Mood Indigo (2013)

    A woman suffers from an unusual illness caused by a flower growing in her lungs.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & fantasy

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  8. Pasha (1968)

    Six months before his retirement from the criminal police, inspector Joss finds his colleague Gouvion dead, in a poorly faked suicide attempt. Joss loses his temper, and investigates on his own, which leads him through the bas-fond of Paris...

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  9. TalhotBlond (2012)

    Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  10. The Pagemaster (1994)

    Rich knows a lot about accidents. So much so, he is scared to do anything that might endanger him, like riding his bike, or climbing into his treehouse. While in an old library, he is mystically transported into the unknown world of books, and he has to try and get home again.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy

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  11. The Enforcer (2022)

    A noir thriller set in Miami, the film follows an enforcer who discovers his femme fatale boss has branched out into cyber sex trafficking, putting a young runaway he’s befriended at risk. He sacrifices everything to save the young girl from the deadly organization he’s spent his life building.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  12. Mythica: A Quest for Heroes (2014)

    Stuck in a life of indentured servitude, Marek dreams of becoming a wizard. When she meets the beautiful priestess Teela in need of help, she offers her assistance and provides a motley troupe. Together they go in search of Teela's sister, who was kidnapped by a wild ogre.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy

  13. The Caveman's Valentine (2001)

    Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  14. The Truth About Emanuel (2013)

    A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  15. Marona's Fantastic Tale (2020)

    Marona, an innocent and empathetic little female dog, remembers the life she has shared with different masters, whom she has loved unconditionally.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  16. Welcome to Smelliville (2021)

    The Oggly family arrive at the municipal rubbish dump of Smelliville and must look for a new home, but they never feel really welcome anywhere. They stink and are for most humans just a tad too oggly. When Firebottom, the family dragon, crash-lands on the run-down rubbish tip of the small town of Smelliville, the Ogglies at once feel at home. And it's here they want to stay.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy

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  17. The Congress (2013)

    An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  18. The Day of the Crows (2012)

    In a cabin of the deep of the forest, a child and his father lead a wild and hard life in utmost isolation. The child grows up fearing and admiring his father, with the ghosts haunting the forest as his only companions. Until the day he discovers the neighbouring village and meets a young girl there, Manon. At her side, he discovers that love exists. From then on he won't cease to search for the place where his father's love for him is hiding.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy

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  19. Come Away (2020)

    Before Alice went to Wonderland, and before Peter became Pan, they were brother and sister. When their eldest brother dies in a tragic accident, they each seek to save their parents from their downward spirals of despair until finally they are forced to choose between home and imagination, setting the stage for their iconic journeys into Wonderland and Neverland.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy

  20. Where the Red Fern Grows (1974)

    Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  21. Begotten (1991)

    Begotten is the creation myth brought to life, the story of no less than the violent death of God and the (re)birth of nature on a barren earth.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy

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  22. The Door in the Floor (2004)

    A writer's young assistant becomes both pawn and catalyst in his boss's disintegrating household.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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  23. Bell, Book and Candle (1958)

    Gillian Holroyd, a modern-day witch, becomes smitten with her handsome upstairs neighbor, Shep Henderson. Using her magical powers, she casts a love spell on him, only to face unexpected complications when genuine feelings emerge, threatening her supernatural abilities.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy

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  24. Shrek the Halls (2007)

    The Christmas tree isn't the only thing green in this new holiday classic. Shrek is back and trying to get into the spirit of the season. After promising Fiona and the kids a Christmas they'll remember, he is forced to take a crash course in the holiday. But just when he thinks he has everything for their quiet family Christmas just right, there is a knock at the door.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy

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  25. Fritz the Cat (1972)

    In late 1960s New York City, fed up with monotonous college life and police repression, free-spirited Fritz, an impenitent seducer and unrestrained party-animal, decides to explore the world. And just like that, as he flees NYC, heading to San Francisco, Fritz embarks on an endless adventure of illumination. Immersed in a world surrounded by drugs and sex, Fritz participates in mad orgies, brings about a revolution, incites mass urban riots, and crosses paths with drug-addled Nazi bikers.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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  26. Moonwalker (1988)

    This fantastical movie inspired by the music of Michael Jackson features imaginative interpretations of hit tracks from the iconic 1987 album “Bad”.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy

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  27. Smiles (1964)

    A short film by John G. Avildsen.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  28. Monday or Tuesday (1966)

    A divorced journalist Marko Požgaj starts his working day by taking his son to the school. During the day many thoughts and images pass through his mind - the memories of childhood, ex-wife, current girlfriend, but mostly his father who died in a war.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  29. Kaya (1967)

    An experimental film about a peaceful and carefree life in a small Dalmatian town, which turns into bloodshed and horror on the eve of the Italian occupation of the country.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)

    The final 17 years of American singer and musician Karen Carpenter, performed almost entirely by modified Barbie dolls.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this

Like The Big Departure and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Big Departure?

The closest matches to The Big Departure are The Little Match Girl (1928), The Good Witch (2008) and Split (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Big Departure?

Start with The Little Match Girl (1928), the closest match to The Big Departure.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Big Departure?

Moonwalker (1988), rated 7.1/10 by 702 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Big Departure?

Tuesday (2024) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there French movies like The Big Departure?

Yes: The Little Match Girl (1928), Mood Indigo (2013) and Pasha (1968).

How are movies similar to The Big Departure chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Big Departure, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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