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Movies like The Bastard (1983)

The best movies like The Bastard (1983) are Chaos (2001), The Young One (1960) and Élisa (1995). If The Bastard hooked you with its drama, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Chaos (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 · both drama

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  2. The Young One (1960)

    A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  3. Élisa (1995)

    Marie has had a tough childhood ever since her mother Elisa committed suicide. She has spent most of her life in an orphanage and now makes a living as a small time criminal in Paris. Now she wants to unravel her past and find her father whom she blames for her mother's death.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  4. The Minister (2011)

    Transport Minister Bertrand Saint-Jean is awoken in the middle of the night by his head of staff. A bus has gone off the road into a gully. He has no choice but to go to the scene of the accident. Thus begins the odyssey of a politician in a world that is increasingly more complex and hostile.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  5. Imperial Dreams (2014)

    A 21-year-old reformed gangster's devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  6. Street Flow 3 (2026)

    Grieving and facing the consequences of their crimes, the Traoré brothers get one last chance to forge a new path.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  7. Night of the Kings (2021)

    A young man is sent to "La Maca," a prison in the middle of the Ivorian forest ruled by its inmates. As tradition goes with the rising of the red moon, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners. Learning what fate awaits him, he begins to narrate the mystical life of the legendary outlaw named "Zama King" and has no choice but to make his story last until dawn.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  8. Pimp (2018)

    An urban love story set on the hard streets of the Bronx. A struggling female pimp, named Wednesday, grows up learning the game from her dad. Once he's gone she's left to look out for her prostitute mother and girlfriend Nikki.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  9. Bloody Milk (2017)

    Pierre, in his thirties, is a breeder of dairy cattle. His life revolves around his farm, his veterinarian sister and his parents whose livestock he took over. As the first cases of a zoonotic outbreak are reported in France, Pierre discovers that one of his animals is infected. He cannot cope with the perspective of losing the whole herd. They are everything he has and he will do whatever it takes to save them.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  10. Brother (2019)

    Because he wanted to protect his little brother, Teddy, a young man without a history, is accused of the murder of his father and sent to a closed educational center, waiting for his trial for parricide. He then plunges into a brutal universe of which he does not know the rules.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  11. All Day and a Night (2020)

    While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  12. Love Me No More (2008)

    Antoine Méliot is around 40 years old and has everything he needs to be happy: a beautiful wife, two adorable children, friends he can count on, a pretty house in the Yvelines and money. But one day he decides to ruin everything in one weekend.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  13. Gloria Mundi (2019)

    Daniel leaves prison. He returns to Marseilles where Mathilda, his daughter, has just given birth. Nicolas, her spouse, a self-employed driver, is exhausted while Mathilda is a sales assistant on a trial basis. But, one night, Nicolas is assaulted by taxi drivers determined to reduce unfair competition.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  14. Judge Fayard Called the Sheriff (1977)

    Jean-Marie Fayard is a young examining magistrate in a large provincial french city. He belongs to that generation of judges who are endeavoring to re-adapt the notion of justice to our changing times. His methods are not agreeable to every one. Criticism and pressure are brought to bear upon him but he is aware of his value, professionally, and refuses to make any concessions. He follows an unwavering course. He uses dynamic methods and takes uncustomary initiatives. He behaves like a crusader, a battler, whence the nickname given him by the reporters : the sheriff.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  15. The Horse (1970)

    Auguste Maroilleur, an elderly farmer, exploits 400 hectares of crop land with the help of his family, over which he rules with an iron hand. Things go awry the day he discovers one of his grandsons is involved in drug traffic. To make matters worse, the reckless youth has hidden the white powder in the Maroilleur farm. Without a moment's hesitation, Auguste gets rid of the toxic substance but, of course, the mob has different views...

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  16. Pasha (1968)

    Six months before his retirement from the criminal police, inspector Joss finds his colleague Gouvion dead, in a poorly faked suicide attempt. Joss loses his temper, and investigates on his own, which leads him through the bas-fond of Paris...

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  17. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)

    Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  18. Home (2021)

    An ex-felon returns home from prison and must confront the demons of his past.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  19. Charm City Kings (2020)

    Mouse desperately wants to join The Midnight Clique, the infamous Baltimore dirt bike riders who rule the summertime streets. When Midnight’s leader, Blax, takes 14-year-old Mouse under his wing, Mouse soon finds himself torn between the straight-and-narrow and a road filled with fast money and violence.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. The Truth About Emanuel (2013)

    A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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Like The Bastard and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Bastard?

The closest matches to The Bastard are Chaos (2001), The Young One (1960) and Élisa (1995). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Bastard?

Start with Chaos (2001), the closest match to The Bastard.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Bastard?

Charm City Kings (2020), rated 7.8/10 by 508 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Bastard?

Street Flow 3 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there French movies like The Bastard?

Yes: Chaos (2001), Élisa (1995) and The Minister (2011).

How are movies similar to The Bastard chosen?

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