Movies like Léon Morin, Priest (1961)
The best movies like Léon Morin, Priest (1961) are The Way We Were (1973), Rebel in the Rye (2017) and Suite Française (2015). If Léon Morin, Priest 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
- Highest ratedWhite Bird (2023)7.8/10 from 256 votes
- NewestMoulin (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchThe Children of the Century (1999)Also in French
The Way We Were (1973)
Opposites attract when, during their college days, Katie Morosky, a politically active Jew, meets Hubbell Gardiner, a feckless WASP. Years later, in the wake of World War II, they meet once again and, despite their obvious differences, attempt to make their love for each other work.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRebel in the Rye (2017)
The life of celebrated but reclusive author J.D. Salinger, who gained worldwide fame with the publication of his novel The Catcher in the Rye.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuite Française (2015)
France, 1940. In the first days of occupation, beautiful Lucile Angellier is trapped in a stifled existence with her controlling mother-in-law as they both await news of her husband: a prisoner of war. Parisian refugees start to pour into their small town, soon followed by a regiment of German soldiers who take up residence in the villagers' own homes. Lucile initially tries to ignore Bruno von Falk, the handsome and refined German officer staying with them. But soon, a powerful love draws them together and leads them into the tragedy of war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Bridges of Madison County (1995)
Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson for four days in the 1960s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSummerland (2020)
A woman during the Second World War opens her heart to an evacuee after initially resolving to be rid of him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Razor's Edge (1984)
An American WWI veteran undertakes a spiritual quest that takes him from Paris to Nepal to the Himalayas and back to his hometown. Upon his return, he discovers he is not the only one who has changed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLes Misérables (1998)
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHead in the Clouds (2004)
Gilda Bessé shares her Paris apartment with an Irish schoolteacher, Guy Malyon, and Mia, a refugee from Spain. As the world drifts toward war, Gilda defiantly pursues her hedonistic lifestyle and her burgeoning career as a photographer. But Guy and Mia feel impelled to join the fight against fascism, and the three friends are separated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Children of the Century (1999)
True tale of the tumultuous love affair between two French literary icons of the 19th Century, novelist George Sand and poet Alfred de Musset. But their affair falls apart during an excursion to Venice, Italy where Musset is distracted by drugs and Sand by a handsome doctor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Hidden Life (2019)
Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter faces the threat of execution for refusing to fight for the Nazis during World War II.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Left Hand of God (1955)
A man in priestly robes, seemingly the long-awaited Father O'Shea, arrives at a little-frequented Catholic mission in 1947 China. Though the man seems curiously uncomfortable with his priestly duties, his tough tactics prove very successful in the Seven Villages, as around them China disintegrates in civil war and revolution. But he has a secret, and his friendship with mission nurse Anne (an attractive war widow) seems to be taking on an unpriestly tone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFreud's Last Session (2023)
On the eve of the Second World War, two of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud converge for their own personal battle over the existence of God. The film interweaves the lives of Freud and Lewis, past, present, and through fantasy, bursting from the confines of Freud’s study on a dynamic journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nun (2013)
Suzanne Simonin describes her life of suffering in letters. As a young woman she is sent to a convent against her will. Since her parents cannot afford the dowry required for a marriage befitting her rank they decide she must instead become a nun. Although a kind and understanding Mother Superior helps her to learn the convent’s daily routine, Suzanne’s desire for freedom remains unabated. When the Mother Superior dies, Suzanne finds herself faced with reprisals, humiliation and harassment at the hands of the new Abbess and the other Sisters. For many years, Suzanne is subjected to bigotry and religious fanaticism. (Berlinale.de)
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Innocents (2016)
Poland, 1945. Mathilde, a young French Red Cross doctor, is on a mission to help the war survivors. When a nun seeks for her help, she is brought to a convent where several pregnant sisters are hiding, unable to reconcile their faith with their pregnancy. Mathilde becomes their only hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMoulin (2026)
In June 1943, Jean Moulin, leader of the French Resistance, is arrested while attempting to reunite the forces of the "Armée Secrète." Interrogated by Klaus Barbie, the head of the Gestapo in Lyon, Moulin is drawn into a relentless confrontation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Future Awaits (2025)
In July 1942, during the Vel’ d’Hiv’ Roundup of Jewish families in Paris, 13 year old Tauba Birenbaum and her parents, who are Polish Jews, find refuge in a tiny room for the next 765 days. Living conditions are tough and they fear being discovered at any moment. But while her parents sink further into despair, Tauba’s fighting spirit shines through. She finds joy in every little thing, from a piano drawn on the floor, to the views of Paris through an open window. Despite extreme circumstances, she will keep hope until the liberation of Paris, and take back control of her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Zone of Interest (2023)
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhite Bird (2023)
After being expelled from Beecher Prep for his treatment of a classmate with a facial deformity, Julian has struggled to fit in at his new school. To transform his life, Julian's grandmother finally reveals her own story of courage of her youth in Nazi-occupied France, where a classmate shelters her from mortal danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLes Miserables (1995)
In WWII France, poor and illiterate Henri Fortin is introduced to Victor Hugo's classic novel Les Misérables and begins to see parallels between the book and his own life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nun's Story (1959)
After leaving a wealthy Belgian family to become a nun, Sister Luke struggles with her devotion to her vows during crisis, disappointment, and World War II.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClaire's Knee (1970)
On the eve of his wedding, on holiday on the Lake Annecy shore, career diplomat Jérôme visits an old acquaintance, perhaps a former girlfriend. Through her, he meets an intense teenager, Laura, and then lusts after her sister, Claire. Whilst Laura attempts to flirt with him, Jérôme's fantasy becomes focused on wanting to caress Claire's knee.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBaby Udon (2026)
Fanny Kondoh, a young Indonesian woman, falls in love with Hajime Kondoh, a Japanese man who comes to Indonesia for work. After getting married, Fanny and Hajime begin building a life together, embracing both its joys and challenges. As they struggle to fulfill their dream of having a child, they are faced with one heartbreaking trial after another, testing the strength of their love, especially when Hajime is diagnosed with cancer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Things of Life (1970)
The mind of Pierre Bérard, a successful middle-aged architect, is torn between his unstable present with Hélène, his younger lover, and his happy memories of the past with Catherine, his ex-wife; but his true destiny awaits him at a crossroads on his way to Rennes…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEllipsis (2018)
In the middle of a crowded city the paths of two strangers, a man and a woman, collide. This accidental, chance occurrence sets in motion a chain of events that sees the two strangers embark on a night of adventure and connection that challenges their separate lives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
La silla (2006)
A man is consumed with the idea of acquiring a chair from a bric-a-brac shop.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
24 Hour Party People (2002)
Manchester, 1976. Tony Wilson is an ambitious but frustrated local TV news reporter looking for a way to make his mark. After witnessing a life-changing concert by a band known as the Sex Pistols, he persuades his station to televise one of their performances, and soon Manchester's punk groups are clamoring for him to manage them. Riding the wave of a musical revolution, Wilson and his friends create the legendary Factory Records label and The Hacienda club.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Assault (1986)
At the end of WWII the Dutch resistance kills a German officer in front of the house of a Dutch family. Years after the war the young boy who witnessed the killing runs into the members of the resistance who committed the killing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdaptation. (2002)
Charlie Kaufman is a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin brother Donald. While struggling to adapt "The Orchid Thief," by Susan Orlean, Kaufman's life spins from pathetic to bizarre. The lives of Kaufman and Orlean's book become strangely intertwined as each one's search for passion collides with the other's.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYoung and Innocent (1937)
When a young writer is falsely accused of murdering a famous actress, he escapes custody and joins forces with the daughter of a police constable to prove his innocence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Name of the Law (1932)
The story is about a drug ring and the finally successful efforts of the Paris police to break it up. A young detective goes into a den in Paris' Chinatown, following a clue, and that is the last seen of him until his body is found floating in the Seine several days later. The only clue is a woman's glove. The dead man's friends on the force vow to avenge him, and receive information leading them to suspect one Sandra, a beautiful foreigner, played by the stunning Marcelle Chantal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Léon Morin, Priest?
The closest matches to Léon Morin, Priest are The Way We Were (1973), Rebel in the Rye (2017) and Suite Française (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Léon Morin, Priest?
Start with The Way We Were (1973), the closest match to Léon Morin, Priest.
What is the highest-rated movie like Léon Morin, Priest?
White Bird (2023), rated 7.8/10 by 256 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Léon Morin, Priest?
Moulin (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Léon Morin, Priest?
Yes: The Children of the Century (1999), The Nun (2013) and The Innocents (2016).
How are movies similar to Léon Morin, Priest chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Léon Morin, Priest, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.