Movies like Parafernalia (2008)
The best movies like Parafernalia (2008) are Apocalypse in the Tropics (2025), Preacher's Kid (2010) and Twenty Years Later (1984). If Parafernalia hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Parafernalia
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCentral Station (1998)8.1/10 from 1,093 votes
- NewestA Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough (2026)Released 2026
Apocalypse in the Tropics (2025)
Through deep examination, this documentary from Oscar nominee Petra Costa explores the profound impact of evangelism on Brazil's political landscape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPreacher's Kid (2010)
Longing to experience more of life, twentysomething preacher's daughter Angie strikes out on her own for the very first time and joins a traveling gospel show.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwenty Years Later (1984)
Eduardo Coutinho was filming a movie with the same name in the Northeast of Brazil, in 1964, when there came the military coup. He had to interrupt the project, and came back to it in 1981, looking for the same places and people, showing what had ocurred since then, and trying to gather a family whose patriarch, a political leader fighting for rights of country people, had been murdered.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisI'm Still Here (2024)
A woman married to a former politician during the 1971 military dictatorship in Brazil is forced to reinvent herself and chart a new course for her family after a violent and arbitrary act.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Starling Girl (2023)
17-year-old Jem Starling struggles with her place within her Christian fundamentalist community. But everything changes when her magnetic youth pastor Owen returns to their church.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Testament of Ann Lee (2025)
The extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers as the female Christ.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigher Ground (2011)
Inspired by screenwriter Carolyn S. Briggs' memoir This Dark World, a tight-knit spiritual community is thrown off-kilter when one of their own begins to question her faith, love, and trust - in human relationships as well as in God.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisVitória (2025)
Nina is an elderly woman who lives alone and feels distressed by the increasing violence in her neighborhood. Amidst conflicts with her neighbors, she decides to film the movement of drug traffickers from her window, hoping to assist the police. After months of recording suspicious activities, her initiative attracts the attention of a journalist, who approaches Nina and offers to support her in her mission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRio (2011)
Captured by smugglers when he was just a hatchling, a macaw named Blu never learned to fly and lives a happily domesticated life in Minnesota with his human friend, Linda. Blu is thought to be the last of his kind, but when word comes that Jewel, a lone female, lives in Rio de Janeiro, Blu and Linda go to meet her. Animal smugglers kidnap Blu and Jewel, but the pair soon escape and begin a perilous adventure back to freedom -- and Linda.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisConfessions of a Brazilian Call Girl (2011)
Rachel is a girl, adopted by an upper middle class family, who rebelled at 17 and left her family and studies at a traditional college in Sao Paulo to become a sexy call girl. Shortly after starting work, she decided to write a blog about her experiences. Since some clients thought she looked like a surfer she adopted the name "Surfistinha" which means little surfer girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCentral Station (1998)
An emotional journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Metamorphosis of Birds (2021)
Filmmaker Catarina Vasconcelos sifts through the memories of her ancestors. Her naval officer grandfather, Henrique, who married her grandmother, Beatriz, on her 21st birthday, spent extended periods at sea, leaving her with six children. This is the beginning of a generational saga.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rogue's Trial (2024)
After 20 years missing, João Grilo returns to Taperoá to join his old friend Chicó and, after his story of resurrection spreads, he is disputed as an electoral candidate by the two most powerful politicians in the city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRich in Love 2 (2023)
When the idealistic Paula resumes her work as a volunteer doctor in the Amazon, Teto convinces his partners to establish their tomato cooperative in a village in the region. But to win back Paula's heart and save the company from bankruptcy, Teto must definitely overcome his spoiled playboy habits and face the interests of a powerful farmer, who stands in his way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Mission (1986)
When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSilence (2016)
In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSergio (2020)
A sweeping drama set in the chaotic aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq, where the life of top UN diplomat Brazilian Sérgio Vieira de Mello hangs in the balance during the most treacherous mission of his career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJesus (2020)
From the bustling streets of Jerusalem to the raging Sea of Galilee, join Peter, Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene, and a multitude of others as they journey alongside the most famous person ever to walk the earth. Witness the most miraculous events in history as Jesus sets sail with fishermen, challenges the Pharisees, befriends the outcasts, and heals the hurting. The lives he touches will never be the same. Filmed in front of a live audience, Sight & Sound's spectacular original production has been experienced by over one million people live on stage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough (2026)
Veteran naturalist Sir David Attenborough tells the story of a remarkable group of gorillas, from his first encounter in the '70s to the present day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Parafernalia?
The closest matches to Parafernalia are Apocalypse in the Tropics (2025), Preacher's Kid (2010) and Twenty Years Later (1984). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Parafernalia?
Start with Apocalypse in the Tropics (2025), the closest match to Parafernalia.
What is the highest-rated movie like Parafernalia?
Central Station (1998), rated 8.1/10 by 1,093 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Parafernalia?
A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Parafernalia chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Parafernalia, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.