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Movies like Paper Year (2018)

The best movies like Paper Year (2018) are The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), Not Easily Broken (2009) and My Brilliant Career (1979). If Paper Year 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. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

    The spoiled young heir to the decaying Amberson fortune comes between his widowed mother and the man she has always loved.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  2. 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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. My Brilliant Career (1979)

    A young woman who is determined to maintain her independence finds herself at odds with her family who wants her to tame her wild side and get married.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. Clash by Night (1952)

    An embittered woman seeks escape in marriage, only to fall for her husband’s best friend.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. Afterglow (1997)

    Lucky Mann is a builder equally handy at repairs and seduction. The latest housewife to succumb to his charms is Marianne, unhappily married to corporate exec Jeffrey. When Jeffrey becomes enraptured by Lucky’s wife Phyllis, the four get caught in a love quadrangle that reignites their marriages.

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

  6. How to Make an American Quilt (1995)

    Soon-to-be-wed graduate student Finn Dodd develops cold feet when she suspects her fiancé is cheating on her. In order to clear her head, Finn visits her grandmother, Hy, and great aunt, Glady Joe Cleary, in Grasse, Calif. There, Finn learns that Hy and Glady Joe are members of a group of passionate quilters, and over the course of her visit she is regaled with tales of love and life by women who have collected rich experiences and much wisdom.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. 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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. The Lost Husband (2020)

    Trying to put her life back together after the death of her husband, Libby and her children move to her estranged Aunt's goat farm in central Texas.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Strangers When We Meet (1960)

    A suburban architect loves his wife but is bored with his marriage and with his work, so he takes up with the neglected, married beauty who lives down the street.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. 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
  11. City Girl (1930)

    A waitress from Chicago falls in love with a man from rural Minnesota and marries him, with the intent of living a better life - but life on the farm has its own challenges.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  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. Flamingo Road (1949)

    A stranded carnival dancer takes on a corrupt political boss when she marries into small-town society.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005)

    Pregnant out of wedlock, an educated young woman is pressured by her father into an arranged marriage with a lonely farmer in this drama set during WWII.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. 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
  16. Elena Undone (2010)

    The wife of a pastor who preaches against homosexuality embarks on an affair with a female writer.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her (2014)

    Told from the woman's perspective, the story of a couple trying to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Shirley (2020)

    A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Higher 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 · both drama

  20. War Room (2015)

    The family-friendly movie explores the transformational role prayer plays in the lives of the Jordan family. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan, a middle-class couple who seemingly have it all – great jobs, a beautiful daughter, their dream home. But appearances can be deceiving. In reality, the Jordan’s marriage has become a war zone and their daughter is collateral damage. With the help of Miss Clara, an older, wiser woman, Elizabeth discovers she can start fighting for her family instead of against them. Through a newly energized faith, Elizabeth and Tony’s real enemy doesn’t have a prayer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  21. My Life Without Me (2003)

    A fatally ill mother with only two months to live creates a list of things she wants to do before she dies without telling her family of her illness.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  22. Open Hearts (2002)

    Cecilie and Joachim are about to get married when a freak car accident leaves Joachim disabled, throwing their lives into a spin. The driver of the other car, Marie, and her family don’t get off lightly, either. Her husband Niels works in the hospital where he meets Cecilie and falls madly in love with her.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  23. The Secret Life of Words (2005)

    A solitary nurse bonds with a badly burned patient who survived an accident on an oil rig.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  24. Walk the Line (2005)

    A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  25. Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002)

    The strange comedy film of two close brothers; one, Wilbur, who wants to kill himself, and the other, Harbour, who tries to prevent this. When their father dies leaving them his bookstore they meet a woman who makes their lives a bit better yet with a bit more trouble as well.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  26. The War of the Roses (1989)

    Barbara and Oliver Rose live happily as a married couple. When Barbara starts to wonder what life would be like without Oliver and likes what she sees, the two begin a campaign to force each other to leave their house, with their divorce lawyer D'Amato caught in the middle.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  27. The Age for Love (1931)

    A comedy-drama about marriage and divorce. A wife does not want children, her husband leaves her and marries a woman who does.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  28. Freaks (1932)

    A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  29. Boys Don't Cry (1999)

    A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  30. Butch Jamie (2008)

    The film follows the story of Jamie, a struggling butch lesbian actress who gets cast as a man in a film. The main plot is a romantic comedy between Jamie's male alter-ego, "Male Jamie," and Jill, a heterosexual woman on set. The film's subplots include Jamie's bisexual roommate Lola and her cat actor Howard, Lola's abrasive butch German girlfriend Andi, and Jamie's gay Asian friend David.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

Like Paper Year and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Paper Year?

The closest matches to Paper Year are The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), Not Easily Broken (2009) and My Brilliant Career (1979). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Paper Year?

Start with The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), the closest match to Paper Year.

What is the highest-rated movie like Paper Year?

War Room (2015), rated 7.9/10 by 613 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Paper Year?

Gabriel's Redemption: Part I (2023) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Paper Year?

Yes: The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), Not Easily Broken (2009) and My Brilliant Career (1979).

How are movies similar to Paper Year chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Paper Year, 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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