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Movies like The Unidentified (2008)

The best movies like The Unidentified (2008) are A Journal for Jordan (2021), Fire with Fire (1986) and Nine Lives (2005). If The Unidentified hooked you with its drama and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. A Journal for Jordan (2021)

    Based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a soldier deployed to Iraq begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to her and their child.

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

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  2. Fire with Fire (1986)

    A tough, street-smart kid serving a sentence in a state youth reformatory meets a beautiful, innocent girl studying at a nearby convent. When forbidden love blossoms between them, they must fight the prison authorities, their parents and the law.

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

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  3. Nine Lives (2005)

    Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life.

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

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  4. Time 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

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  5. Not Easily Broken (2009)

    A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.

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

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  6. Blind (2017)

    A novelist is blinded in a car crash that killed his wife and several years later rediscovers his passion for life and writing when he embarks on an affair with the neglected wife of an indicted businessman.

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

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  7. The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020)

    A widow with three children hires a handyman to fix her house during a major storm. When not doing home repairs, he shares his philosophy of believing in the power of the universe to deliver what we want.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Life in a Year (2020)

    A 17 year old finds out that his girlfriend is dying, so he sets out to give her an entire life, in the last year she has left.

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

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  9. Ashes in the Snow (2018)

    The coming-of-age tale of 16-year-old Lina Vilkas who is deported to Siberia amid Stalin's reign of terror in the Baltic region during WWII. An aspiring artist, she secretly documents her harrowing journey with her drawings.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. The Fugitive Kind (1960)

    Val Xavier, a drifter of obscure origins, arrives at a small town and gets a job in a store run by Lady Torrence. Her husband, Jabe M. Torrance, is dying of cancer. Val is pursued by Carol Cutere, the enigmatic local tramp-of-good-family.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022)

    Clare and Aidan make a pact to break up before college — no regrets, no broken hearts. But will one epic goodbye date offer them a last chance at love?

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

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  12. Newness (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 this
  13. Peter Ibbetson (1935)

    When his mother dies, young Peter Ibbetson leaves Paris and his best friend, Mary, behind to live with a severe uncle in England. Years later, Peter is an architect with little time for women, until he begins a project with the Duke and Duchess of Towers. When Peter and the duchess become great friends, she reveals that she is Mary — but the duke soon suspects his wife of infidelity and challenges Peter to a duel, threatening the pair's second chance.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Racing with the Moon (1984)

    In a small coastal California town, Henry and Nicky are pals from blue collar families with only a short time before they ship off to World War II. Henry begins romancing new-to-town Caddie Winger, believing her to be wealthy. Mischievous and irresponsible, Nicky gets into trouble which forces the other two to become involved, testing their relationship, as well as the friendship between the boys.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Maria's Lovers (1984)

    A World War II prisoner returns home to his childhood sweetheart. However, back home, he discovers that he has to compete to win her love.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. I Can't Think Straight (2008)

    Tala, a London-based Palestinian, is preparing for her elaborate Middle Eastern wedding when she meets Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating her best friend. Spirited Christian Tala and shy Muslim Leyla could not be more different from each other, but the attraction is immediate and goes deeper than friendship. But Tala is not ready to accept the implications of the choice her heart has made for her and escapes back to Jordan, while Leyla tries to move on with her new-found life, to the shock of her tradition-loving parents. As Tala's wedding day approaches, simmering tensions come to boiling point and the pressure mounts for Tala to be true to herself.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. Gabriel's Redemption: Part I (2023)

    After leaving his prestigious post at the University of Toronto, Gabriel embarks on a new journey with Julia, and he is eager to become a father. However, Gabriel's idyllic vision is jeopardized when Julia's intensive program becomes all consuming. When Julia is granted a prestigious opportunity to deliver an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel challenges her about the subject of her presentation, which clashes with his own research. In Oxford, their past resurfaces, including an old nemesis determined to humiliate Julia and expose one of Gabriel's well-guarded secrets. Emotions run high, alliances are tested, and the couple must confront the shadows of their shared history in a battle for love, truth, and redemption.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. London (2005)

    London is a drug laden adventure that centers on a party in a New York loft where a young man is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend.

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

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  19. Gabriel's Inferno: Part III (2020)

    The final part of the film adaption of the erotic romance novel Gabriel's Inferno written by an anonymous Canadian author under the pen name Sylvain Reynard.

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

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  20. Sylvie's Love (2020)

    When a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father’s record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. Dear John (2010)

    While Sergeant John Tyree is home on two weeks leave from Germany, he meets Savannah after he dives into the ocean to retrieve Savannah's purse that had fallen off a pier. John eventually falls in love with Savannah, who promises to write to him until he returns from overseas.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  22. Julie & Julia (2009)

    Julia Child and Julie Powell – both of whom wrote memoirs – find their lives intertwined. Though separated by time and space, both women are at loose ends... until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  23. The Soldier's Star (2006)

    A Russian guitarist was enlisted in 1984 in the Afghan war. Imprisoned, he will meet an Afghan musician and a French journalist.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  24. I'll Be Gone in June (2026)

    In 2001, Franny, a 16-year-old exchange student from Germany, arrives in the sleepy desert town of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Far from home, Franny struggles through awkward school days, stifling heat, and restless nights until she meets Elliott, a boy whose quiet sadness mirrors her own. As America reels from 9/11, something resonates within Franny and an unexpected tenderness begins to bloom.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. A Mighty Heart (2007)

    Based on Mariane Pearl's account of the terrifying and unforgettable story of her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl's life and death.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  26. September 11 (2002)

    Eleven directors from eleven countries each contribute an eleven-minute short reflecting on the events of 11 September 2001: A village teacher in Iran tries to explain to her young students what's happened; city kids in Burkina Faso think they've spotted Osama bin Laden; a deaf Frenchwoman in Manhattan writes a Dear John letter to a man who left that morning for work at the World Trade Center; a Chilean remembers Allende; events recall other deaths; a mother endures more than her son's death. Tones vary, as do the locales. Most concern coming to terms with the events of the day, but at least one confronts the viewer with tragedy and death.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  27. Land of Plenty (2004)

    After living abroad, Lana returns to the United States, and finds that her uncle is a reclusive vagabond with psychic wounds from the Vietnam War.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  28. Into the Fire (2005)

    Into the Fire follows the story of Walter Hartwig, a lieutenant in the New York City Harbor Unit, who finally comes to terms with grief and what is really important about this life.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  29. Flight 93 (2006)

    Flight 93 is a 2006 made-for-TV film, directed by Peter Markle, which chronicles the events aboard United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks. It premiered January 30, 2006 on the A&E Network and was re-broadcast several times throughout 2006. The film focused heavily on eight passengers, namely Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham, Tom Burnett, Jeremy Glick, Lauren Grandcolas, Donald Greene, Nicole Miller, and Honor Elizabeth Wainio. It features small appearances from many other passengers, namely Donald Peterson and his wife, Jean, and also from flight attendant Sandra Bradshaw.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  30. Brick Lane (2007)

    The grind of daily life as a Brick Lane Bangladessi as seen through the eyes of Nazneen (Chatterjee), who at 17 enters an arranged marriage with Chanu (Kaushik). Years later, living in east London with her family, she meets a young man Karim (Simpson).

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Like The Unidentified and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Unidentified?

The closest matches to The Unidentified are A Journal for Jordan (2021), Fire with Fire (1986) and Nine Lives (2005). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Unidentified?

Start with A Journal for Jordan (2021), the closest match to The Unidentified.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Unidentified?

Gabriel's Inferno: Part III (2020), rated 8.3/10 by 1,097 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Unidentified?

I'll Be Gone in June (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Unidentified?

Yes: A Journal for Jordan (2021), Fire with Fire (1986) and Nine Lives (2005).

How are movies similar to The Unidentified chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Unidentified, 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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