Movies like The Tin Drum (1979)
The best movies like The Tin Drum (1979) are Hitler: A Film from Germany (1977), Europa Europa (1990) and Rome, Open City (1945). If The Tin Drum hooked you with its drama and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSchindler's List (1993)8.6/10 from 18,163 votes
- NewestThe Captain (2018)Released 2018
- In GermanHitler: A Film from Germany (1977)Also in German
Hitler: A Film from Germany (1977)
A structure-free, four-part examination of the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Each part explores a different topic, from Hitler's cult of personality in propaganda to how said propaganda was associated with pre-Nazi German cultural, spiritual, and national heritage to the Holocaust and the ideology behind it, particularly from Himmler's point of view.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Europa Europa (1990)
A Jewish boy separated from his family in the early days of WWII poses as a German orphan and is taken into the heart of the Nazi world as a 'war hero' and eventually becomes a Hitler Youth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRome, Open City (1945)
During the Nazi occupation of 1944 Rome, Resistance leader Giorgio Manfredi is pursued by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a means of escape.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisArmy of Shadows (1969)
Betrayed by an informant, Philippe Gerbier finds himself trapped in a torturous Nazi prison camp. Though Gerbier escapes to rejoin the Resistance in occupied Marseilles, France, and exacts his revenge on the informant, he must continue a quiet, seemingly endless battle against the Nazis in an atmosphere of tension, paranoia and distrust.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Counterfeiters (2007)
The story of Jewish counterfeiter Salomon Sorowitsch, who was coerced into assisting the Nazi operation of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClosely Watched Trains (1966)
At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher’s apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery, encountering a universe of frustration, eroticism, and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIvan's Childhood (1962)
In WW2, twelve year old Soviet orphan Ivan Bondarev works for the Soviet army as a scout behind the German lines and strikes a friendship with three sympathetic Soviet officers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAu Revoir les Enfants (1987)
Au revoir les enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie—until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Malle’s own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome and See (1985)
The invasion of a village in Belarus by German forces sends young Flyora into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha, who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Flyora finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Shop on Main Street (1965)
In a small town in Nazi-occupied Slovakia during World War II, decent but timid carpenter Tono is named "Aryan comptroller" of a button store owned by an old Jewish widow, Rozalie. Since the post comes with a salary and standing in the town's corrupt hierarchy, Tono wrestles with greed and guilt as he and Rozalie gradually befriend each other. When the authorities order all Jews in town to be rounded up, Tono faces a moral dilemma unlike any he's known before.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970)
In 1930s Italy, a wealthy Jewish family tries to maintain their privileged lifestyle, hosting friends for tennis and parties at their villa. As anti-Semitism intensifies under Fascism, they must ultimately face the horrors of the Holocaust.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005)
In 1943, as Hitler continues to wage war across Europe, a group of college students mount an underground resistance movement in Munich. Dedicated expressly to the downfall of the monolithic Third Reich war machine, they call themselves the White Rose. One of its few female members, Sophie Scholl is captured during a dangerous mission to distribute pamphlets on campus with her brother Hans. Unwavering in her convictions and loyalty to the White Rose, her cross-examination by the Gestapo quickly escalates into a searing test of wills as Scholl delivers a passionate call to freedom and personal responsibility.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSchindler's List (1993)
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Damned (1969)
In the early days of Nazi Germany, a powerful noble family must adjust to life under the new dictatorship regime.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKanal (1957)
In the last few days of the Warsaw Uprising during World War II, a modest group of Resistance members remains. The band must take refuge in the sewers under the orders of leader Zadra, but it's only a matter of time before they will have to emerge. However, when they try, they are met only with intense hostility from the Nazis. Despite their attempts stay resolute through immense mental strain, it becomes increasingly apparent that they may be doomed.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKatyn (2007)
On September 1st, 1939, Nazi Germany invades Poland, unleashing World War II. On September 17th, the Soviet Red Army crosses the border. The Polish army, unable to fight on two fronts, is defeated. Thousands of Polish men, both military and government officials, are captured by the invaders. Their fate will only be known several years later.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisForbidden Games (1952)
Orphaned after a Nazi air raid, Paulette, a young Parisian girl, runs into Michel, an older peasant boy, and the two quickly become close. Together, they try to make sense of the chaotic and crumbling world around them, attempting to cope with death as they create a burial ground for Paulette's deceased pet dog. Eventually, however, Paulette's stay with Michel's family is threatened by the harsh realities of wartime.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Bridge (1959)
A group of German boys are ordered to protect a small bridge in their home village during the waning months of the second world war. Truckloads of defeated, cynical Wehrmacht soldiers flee the approaching American troops, but the boys, full of enthusiasm for the "blood and honor" Nazi ideology, stay to defend the useless bridge. The film is based on a West German anti-war novel of the same name, written by Gregor Dorfmeister.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
When his family moves from their home in Berlin to a strange new house in Poland, young Bruno befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Unaware of Shmuel's fate as a Jewish prisoner or the role his own Nazi father plays in his imprisonment, Bruno embarks on a dangerous journey inside the camp's walls.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Captain (2018)
Germany, 1945. Soldier Willi Herold, a deserter of the German army, stumbles into a uniform of a Nazi captain abandoned during the last and desperate weeks of the Third Reich. Newly emboldened by the allure of a suit that he has stolen only to stay warm, Willi discovers that many Germans will follow the leader, whoever he is.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYear of Enlightment (1986)
April, 1940. Manolo, 16 years old, and Jesus, who is just 8, are taken by their older brother Pepe, a lieutenant in the Army, to a sanatorium for children suffering from tuberculosis, situated on the border with Portugal. Once in the sanatorium, Manolo, surrounded by boys all much younger than he is, feels a bit like the cock of the walk since the only other man around is the handyman Emilio who looks after the gardens and does whatever needs to be done about the place. His wife, Rafaela, is the cook. Manolo meets Irene, a falangist who runs the sanatorium, and the school teacher, Miss Transito, a crabby spinster. He has his first sexual experience, albeit as a voyeur, with his nurse Vicenta. When she has to leave, her place is taken by a girl from the village, Maria Jesus, with whom Manolo falls hopelessly in love. A relationship grows up between them which will mark them both for ever.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
The Pianist (2002)
The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisConvoy of Girls (1979)
Eric, a brilliant young German officer, is transfered back to Berlin.His superior officer tells him about his new assignment on the Russian front and then invites him to a luxurious villa. Gathered in the mansion are the most beautiful women: the army's special services could enroll for the pleasure of its returning heroes.Eric is stupefied to recognize Renata among the women, who are all ready and willing to make love with any officer present. Not many years ago, while still students, Renata and Eric had been very much in love. After making love in a room put at their disposal, Renata tells him that she had no choice but to accept joining the army as an official camp follower: her father's survival depended on it. The following morning, Renata leaves in a special women's convoy for Eastern frontwhere they are scheduled to entertain hard-pressed officers and men. Will Eric and Renata's love survive those adventures?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & drama
Diamonds of the Night (1964)
Two Jewish boys escape from a train transporting them from one concentration camp to another. Beyond themes of war and anti-Nazism, the film concerns itself with man's struggle to preserve human dignity.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEmpire of the Sun (1987)
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLife Is Beautiful (1997)
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAmarcord (1973)
In an Italian seaside town, young Titta gets into trouble with his friends and watches various local eccentrics as they engage in often absurd behavior. Frequently clashing with his stern father and defended by his doting mother, Titta witnesses the actions of a wide range of characters, from his extended family to Fascist loyalists to sensual women, with certain moments shifting into fantastical scenarios.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMirror (1975)
A dying man in his forties recalls his childhood, his mother, the war and personal moments that tell of and juxtapose pivotal moments in Soviet history with daily life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Old Gun (1975)
In Montauban in 1944, Julien Dandieu is a surgeon in the local hospital. Frightened by the German army entering Montauban, he asks his friend Francois to drive his wife and his daughter in the back country village where Julien has an old castle. One week later, Julien decides to meet them for the week end, but the Germans are already occupying the village.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSalò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1976)
Four corrupted fascist libertines round up 9 teenage boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of sadistic physical, mental and sexual torture.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Tin Drum?
The closest matches to The Tin Drum are Hitler: A Film from Germany (1977), Europa Europa (1990) and Rome, Open City (1945). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Tin Drum?
People who watched The Tin Drum most often go on to Hitler: A Film from Germany (1977), Europa Europa (1990) and Rome, Open City (1945).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Tin Drum?
Schindler's List (1993), rated 8.6/10 by 18,163 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Tin Drum?
The Captain (2018) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like The Tin Drum?
Yes: Hitler: A Film from Germany (1977), Europa Europa (1990) and The Counterfeiters (2007).
How are movies similar to The Tin Drum chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Tin Drum, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.