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Movies like The Things We Don't Say (2019)

The best movies like The Things We Don't Say (2019) are Pain and Glory (2019), On the Road (2026) and Mammal (2016). If The Things We Don't Say hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Pain and Glory (2019)

    Salvador Mallo, a filmmaker in the twilight of his career, remembers his life: his mother, his lovers, the actors he worked with. The sixties in a small village in Valencia, the eighties in Madrid, the present, when he feels an immeasurable emptiness, facing his mortality, the incapability of continuing filming, the impossibility of separating creation from his own life. The need of narrating his past can be his salvation.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  2. On the Road (2026)

    Veneno, a rebellious young drifter, frequents roadside diners where he sleeps with truck drivers. Urgently needing a ride, he meets Muñeco, a hard-edged driver who keeps to himself. He convinces Muñeco to take him deep into the hyper-masculine world of long-haul trucking across the north of Mexico. As they travel together and an unexpected intimacy builds between them, shadows from Veneno’s past resurface, putting both their lives at risk.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  3. Mammal (2016)

    After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband's grieving rage.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. Until the End of the World (2026)

    Manuel's life is upended when Esmeralda, his lost love from 15 years ago, calls unexpectedly. Despite being set to marry another, he rediscovers Esmeralda, and they realize their love transcends time.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  5. Amores Perros (2000)

    A fatalistic car crash in Mexico city sets off a chain of events in the lives of three people: a supermodel, a young man wanting to run off with his sister-in-law, and a homeless man.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. Battle in Heaven (2005)

    Set in Mexico City, Carlos Reygadas's sexually explicit drama centers on a man in turmoil over his past actions. Chauffer Marcos feels compelled to reveal a dark secret to his boss's daughter, Ana, a wealthy woman who works as a prostitute just for the thrill of it. Marcos confesses that he and his wife committed a crime that ended in horrible tragedy. Haunted by his past, Marcos searches for redemption.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  7. Bad Education (2004)

    When an old friend brings filmmaker Enrique Goded a semi-autobiographical script chronicling their adolescence, Enrique is forced to relive his youth spent at a Catholic boarding school. Weaving through past and present, the script follows a transvestite performer who reconnects with a grade school sweetheart. Spurred on by this chance encounter, the character reflects on her childhood sexual victimization and the trauma of closeting her sexual orientation.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Killer's Kiss (1955)

    Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Pretty Boy (2015)

    Sean is taken to a motel and is given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father. He must sleep with her to "fix" his questionable homosexuality. "Pretty Boy" is a coming of age story of a young bullied teen, Sean, struggling with his sexuality and the hardships of high school. After his father finds some questionable magazines in his room, this devout Christian will go to any lengths to get his son to find the light and "perform" the way a man should. Sean is introduced to Katie, a prostitute that understands the stigmas of modern society and helps him see the true light that is within him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. The Obscure Spring (2014)

    Igor is a plumber; Pina serves coffee. It is winter and they both deeply desire each other, but they are not free. In trying to figure out how to realize their love, she decides to make a lion costume for her little son and he decides to buy a photocopying machine for his wife. Spring will come at last and with it the consummation of love, filling their lives with hope and sex.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Absent (2011)

    Martín, a young student, gets injured during a swimming class. Sebastián, the PE teacher, takes him to the hospital. When they leave, he offers to drive him home, but Martín is planning to spend the night at a classmate's house, since there is no one at his own home.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  12. The Fabelmans (2022)

    Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. From Straight A's to XXX (2017)

    When a change of circumstances leaves Miriam unable to pay her college tuition, she makes a surprising decision: to start performing in adult films, using the pseudonym Belle Knox. Miriam lies to her family and her friends at school, keeping her double life a secret. But soon rumours spread and Miriam becomes the subject of vicious online attacks and unwanted attention. Miriam fights back: she talks to the media, saying her new line of work empowers her as a feminist. But her confident stand has unintended consequences. Miriam is shunned by her conservative family and her colleagues in the adult film world. One impulsive decision has quickly spiralled out of control - and Miriam's problems are just beginning.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  14. My Brother the Devil (2012)

    Fourteen-year-old Mo is a lonely, sensitive boy whose hunger for the rant and banter of buddies makes him prone to tread dangerous territories. He idolizes his handsome older brother, Rashid, a charismatic, well-respected member of a local gang, whose drug dealing enables “Rash” to provide for his family. Aching to be seen as a tough guy himself, Mo takes a job that unlocks a fateful turn of events and forces the brothers to confront their inner demons. It turns out that hate is easy. It is love and understanding that take real courage.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Clapham Junction (2007)

    Set in the Clapham district of south London, England, the film is inspired by true events. The paths of several men intersect during a dramatic thirty-six hours in which their lives are changed forever.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Deseo (2013)

    Eight short stories of seduction and illicit encounters between lovers, filled with humor and eroticism, which use a circular structure located in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of a colonial city of Mexico.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Ema (2019)

    Ema is a magnetic and impulsive dancer in a reggaeton troupe. Her toxic marriage to choreographer Gastón is beyond repair, following a decision to give up on their adopted child Polo. She sets out on a mission to get him back, not caring who she’ll need to fight, seduce or destroy to make it happen.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Redbelt (2008)

    Martial artist Mike Terry lives by a strict code of no competitions, for he feels that such contests weaken fighters. After saving a famous action star from a brutal attack, Mike takes a job in the film industry. He soon finds his personal beliefs and integrity on the line as circumstances force him to participate in a prize fight.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. One Year, One Night (2022)

    Ramón and Céline are a young couple that attended a concert at the Bataclan theatre in Paris on the fateful night of November 13, 2015. They survive the attack, but when they leave the theatre, they are no longer the same. That night leaves a deep scar on both their lives and each tries to cope.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. The Human Voice (2020)

    A woman watches time pass beside the suitcases of her ex-lover (who is supposed to come pick them up but never arrives) and a restless dog who doesn't understand that his master has abandoned him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

    Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  22. My Own Private Idaho (1991)

    Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  23. Summer Storm (2004)

    Tobi and Achim, the pride of the local crew club, have been the best of friends for years and are convinced that nothing will ever stand in the way of their friendship. They look forward to the upcoming summer camp and the crew competition. Then the gay team from Berlin arrives and Tobi is totally confused. The evening before the races begin, the storm that breaks out is more than meteorological.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  24. Mala Noche (1987)

    Walt is a lonely convenience store clerk who has fallen in love with a Mexican migrant worker named Johnny. Though Walt has little in common with the object of his affections — including a shared language — his desire to possess Johnny prompts a sexual awakening that results in a tangled love triangle.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  25. Paseo por una guerra antigua (1949)

    Madrid, Spain. A mutilated man, a war veteran, walks, leaning on a crutch, through the stadium of the Ciudad Universitaria, a place that still preserves in walls and buildings the terrifying traces of one of the bloodiest battles of the Spanish Civil War.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. Nobody's Watching (2017)

    Nico is a famous actor in Argentina, but in New York, nobody takes notice. He needs to juggle bartending, babysitting and odd jobs to keep himself afloat. But when old friends from Buenos Aires come to visit, he needs to juggle the image of his old life with the reality of the struggling actor in New York City.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  27. This Too Shall Pass (2020)

    An unsuccessful meeting with her estranged father leaves Noel questioning whether or not he deserves a role in her life.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  28. Youth China hits headlines (2019)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  29. The Mirror/Mirror The (2022)

    A socially awkward teen gets caught between a changing friendship and a life-altering discovery.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. Faggot (2017)

    This short film tells the story of Alexis, a 16-years-old hockey player who, after discovering he is gay, must face a heartbreaking dilemma: come out to his homophobic friends at the risk of being rejected and ridiculed, or stay in the closet even if that would mean abandoning Elliot, the only person who really loves him for what he is.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Like The Things We Don't Say and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Things We Don't Say?

The closest matches to The Things We Don't Say are Pain and Glory (2019), On the Road (2026) and Mammal (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Things We Don't Say?

Start with Pain and Glory (2019), the closest match to The Things We Don't Say.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Things We Don't Say?

Amores Perros (2000), rated 7.7/10 by 3,059 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Things We Don't Say?

Until the End of the World (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Spanish movies like The Things We Don't Say?

Yes: Pain and Glory (2019), On the Road (2026) and Until the End of the World (2026).

How are movies similar to The Things We Don't Say chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Things We Don't Say, 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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