Movies like While Mother Is Away (1980)
The best movies like While Mother Is Away (1980) are Johnny Mad Dog (2008), Men in War (1957) and The Siege of Jadotville (2016). If While Mother Is Away hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFirst They Killed My Father (2017)7.3/10 from 741 votes
- NewestBallistic (2026)Released 2026
Johnny Mad Dog (2008)
A cast of unknown performers are used in this drama about child soldiers fighting a war in an unnamed African country.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMen in War (1957)
In Korea, on 6 September 1950, Lieutenant Benson's platoon finds itself isolated in enemy-held territory after a retreat. Soon they are joined by Sergeant Montana, whose overriding concern is caring for his catatonic colonel. Benson and Montana can't stand each other, but together they must get the survivors to Hill 465, where they hope the division is waiting. It's a long, harrowing march, fraught with all the dangers the elusive enemy can summon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Siege of Jadotville (2016)
Irish Commandant Pat Quinlan leads a stand off with troops against French and Belgian Mercenaries in the Congo during the early 1960s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDon't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)
Sue Ellen Crandell is a teenager eagerly awaiting her mother's summer-long absence. While the babysitter looks after her rambunctious younger siblings, Sue Ellen can party and have fun. But then the babysitter abruptly dies, leaving the Crandells short on cash. Sue Ellen finds a sweet job in fashion by lying about her age and experience on her résumé. But, while her siblings run wild, she discovers the downside of adulthood
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJacknife (1989)
A conflict develops between a troubled Vietnam veteran and the sister he lives with when she becomes involved romantically with the army buddy who reminds him of the tragic battle they both survived.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBallistic (2026)
When a soldier's mother discovers the bullet that killed her son in Afghanistan was made at the factory where she works, she sets out on a path of revenge against those responsible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisFort Bliss (2014)
After returning home from an extended tour in Afghanistan, a decorated U.S. Army medic and single mother struggles to rebuild her relationship with her young son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInterceptor (2022)
A U.S. Army Captain uses her years of tactical training to save humanity from sixteen nuclear missiles launched at the U.S. as a violent attack threatens her remote missile interceptor station.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWorldbreaker (2025)
Five years ago, a tear in the fabric of reality brought creatures to our world from an alternate dimension bent on our destruction. A father hides his daughter on an island to keep her safe while he prepares her for survival and the battles to come. But when the world is about to break, no place is safe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSince You Went Away (1944)
In 1943, several people enter, re-enter, and exit the difficult life of a Midwestern family whose patriarch has been called up to war, leaving behind his wife and two teen daughters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisOutside the Wire (2021)
In the near future, a drone pilot is sent into a deadly militarized zone and must work with an android officer to locate a doomsday device.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCasualties of War (1989)
During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnderworld: Awakening (2012)
Having escaped years of imprisonment, vampire warrioress Selene finds herself in a changed world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Now Selene must battle the humans and a frightening new breed of super Lycans to ensure the death dealers' survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFurie (2019)
When a little girl is kidnapped by a trafficking ring, they soon find they messed with the wrong child. Her mother, a notorious former gang leader, is close on their trail and will go to any lengths to bring her child home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngel Town (1990)
A graduate student and martial-arts expert rents a room in a house owned by a single mother who lives there with her son. A local street gang is trying to recruit the son, but the new tenant tries to help the boy's mother keep him out of the gang. When they learn of this, they target both the mother and her new tenant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
When the ruthless forces of the Motherworld threaten a quiet farming village on a distant moon, a mysterious outsider becomes its best hope for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mother (2023)
A deadly female assassin comes out of hiding to protect the daughter that she gave up years before, while on the run from dangerous men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFirst They Killed My Father (2017)
A 5-year-old girl embarks on a harrowing quest for survival amid the sudden rise and terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpectral (2016)
A special-ops team is dispatched to fight supernatural beings that have taken over a European city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like While Mother Is Away?
The closest matches to While Mother Is Away are Johnny Mad Dog (2008), Men in War (1957) and The Siege of Jadotville (2016). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after While Mother Is Away?
Start with Johnny Mad Dog (2008), the closest match to While Mother Is Away.
What is the highest-rated movie like While Mother Is Away?
First They Killed My Father (2017), rated 7.3/10 by 741 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like While Mother Is Away?
Ballistic (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to While Mother Is Away chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside While Mother Is Away, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.