Movies like Ephemeral (1979)
The best movies like Ephemeral (1979) are Unthinkable (2010), They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018) and Room 237 (2012). If Ephemeral hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedReality (2015)7.1/10 from 568 votes
- NewestA House of Dynamite (2025)Released 2025
- In FrenchAmer (2009)Also in French
Unthinkable (2010)
The government gets wind of a plot to destroy America involving a trio of nuclear weapons for which the whereabouts are unknown. It's up to a seasoned interrogator and an FBI agent to find out exactly where the nukes are.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThey'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018)
As his life comes to its end, famous Hollywood director Orson Welles puts it all on the line at the chance for renewed success with the film The Other Side of the Wind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRoom 237 (2012)
A subjective documentary that explores various theories about hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's classic film The Shining. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007)
The definitive 3½-hour documentary about the troubled creation and enduring legacy of the science fiction classic 'Blade Runner', culled from 80 interviews and hours of never-before-seen outtakes and lost footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Director and the Jedi (2018)
An intimate documentary delving into Rian Johnson's process as he comes in as a director new to the Star Wars universe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBe My Cat: A Film for Anne (2015)
An aspiring filmmaker goes to shocking extremes to convince Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway to star in his film. First entry in Adrian Țofei's spiritual trilogy which includes We Put the World to Sleep and Pure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVoyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (2016)
A celebration of the universe, displaying the whole of time, from its start to its final collapse. This film examines all that occurred to prepare the world that stands before us now: science and spirit, birth and death, the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Skywalker Legacy (2020)
The story lives forever in this feature-length documentary that charts the making of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAmer (2009)
Ana is confronted with body and desire at three key moments of her life. As a young girl, she brings her dead grandpa back to life. In her puberty, she discovers the power of decay and sexuality. Finally, she wrestles with loss and loneliness when she returns to her parental home, now derelict.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA House of Dynamite (2025)
When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCurve (2016)
Clinging to a smooth, curved surface high above a sentient abyss, a woman tries to cover the few feet back to safety without losing purchase and falling to her death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow High (2001)
Jamal and Silas, two ordinary guys who smoke something magical, pass their college entrance exams with flying colors and end up at Harvard. Ivy League ways are strange but Silas and Jamal take it in a stride -- until their supply of supernatural smoke runs dry. That's when they have to start living by their wits and rely on their natural resources to make the grade.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReality (2015)
A wanna-be director is given 48 hours by a producer to find the best groan of pain, worthy of an Oscar, as the only condition to back his film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Adjustment Bureau (2011)
A man glimpses the future Fate has planned for him – and chooses to fight for his own destiny. Battling the powerful Adjustment Bureau across, under and through the streets of New York, he risks his destined greatness to be with the only woman he's ever loved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCall Me Crazy: A Five Film (2013)
A psychotherapist helps a law student cope with schizophrenia in one of five interconnected tales dealing with mental illness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisProject Almanac (2015)
A group of teens discover secret plans of a time machine, and construct one. However, things start to get out of control.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story (2025)
The authorized documentary celebrating the film that redefined Hollywood, 50 years after its premiere. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with acclaimed Hollywood directors alongside Steven Spielberg, top shark scientists, and conservationists, the film uncovers the behind-the-scenes chaos and how the film launched the summer blockbuster, inspired a new wave of filmmakers, and paved the way for shark conservation that continues today.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGuillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema (2022)
With mesmerizing footage and time lapses of animators at work, this behind-the-scenes special captures the artistry of a unique tale years in the making.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Moon Knight (2022)
Join the likes of Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke as they reveal how Marvel Studios' Moon Knight was painstakingly brought to life. Through insightful interviews with cast and crew, along with immersive footage from the set, and a candid "roundtable discussion" with the series' directors, this "making-of" pulls back the curtain on the groundbreaking series of Marvel Studios' newest hero.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Ephemeral?
The closest matches to Ephemeral are Unthinkable (2010), They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018) and Room 237 (2012). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Ephemeral?
Start with Unthinkable (2010), the closest match to Ephemeral.
What is the highest-rated movie like Ephemeral?
Reality (2015), rated 7.1/10 by 568 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Ephemeral?
A House of Dynamite (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Ephemeral?
Yes: Amer (2009), Reality (2015) and Chaos (2001).
How are movies similar to Ephemeral chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ephemeral, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.