Movies like The Name of the Son (2018)
The best movies like The Name of the Son (2018) are Just to Be Sure (2017), Le Brio (2017) and My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010). If The Name of the Son hooked you with its drama and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedTess (1979)7.1/10 from 399 votes
- NewestDaydream (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchJust to Be Sure (2017)Also in French
Just to Be Sure (2017)
Erwan, a strapping Breton who clears mines for a living, is shaken when he discovers that his father is not his father. Despite his affection for the man who raised him, he quietly sets out to find his biological father, and succeeds in locating Joseph, an endearing old codger he takes a liking to. Just when things look settled, another unexpected “bomb” hits Erwan in the form of Anna, an elusive nymph.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLe Brio (2017)
After an incident, a brilliant professor known for his outbursts is forced to mentor the student he wronged for a speech contest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Afternoons with Margueritte (2010)
An illiterate and lonely man bonds with an older and well-read woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMacadam Stories (2015)
Improbable encounters bring tenderness, laughter and compassion to a world of urban alienation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAuntie Mame (1958)
Mame Dennis, a progressive and independent woman of the 1920s, is left to care for her nephew Patrick after his wealthy father dies. Conflict ensues when the executor of the father's estate objects to the aunt's lifestyle and tries to force her to send Patrick to prep school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIt Runs in the Family (2003)
This is the story of a dysfunctional New York family, and their attempts to reconcile
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat is Love? (2026)
Marguerite has no reason to refuse the church’s annulment of her marriage to Fred. She also has a new partner with whom she has a child. However, to convince the church that their previous marriage was doomed from the start, Marguerite and Fred must examine their shared past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Distant Neighborhood (2010)
Thomas, a father in his fifties, returns by chance to the town where he grew up. He collapses and wakes up forty years earlier in the body of his teenage self. Thrown back into his past, Thomas will not only have to re-live his first love, but also try to understand the reasons for his father’s mysterious departure. Can you change the past by living it again?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAn Indian Tale (2017)
The life of two men changed unexpectedly when Ajith, an Indian sailor who was robbed and lost everything, appears out of nowhere in front of Pierre, a single and grumpy Frenchman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisRide Away (2025)
From the Atlantic to the Black Sea, Mathias and Philippe, two old friends, embark on a bicycle journey that Mathias’s son made before his tragic death. The two men ride through the ordeals with tenderness, humor and emotion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisToni (2023)
Toni has spent her entire life putting other people’s needs before her own. When she was 20 years old, she was pushed by her mother to join a TV singing competition, becoming a national star. Twenty years and five children later, she is a full-time mom who spends all her time and effort on raising her teenage kids. As she helps her children plan their future after graduation, she begins to imagine what her life could be if - for once - she did what she really wanted. Will she be able to turn her life around and dare to be something other than a mother and a daughter?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFour Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (1987)
Two young girls meet, Reinette from the countryside and Mirabelle from Paris, and decide to take a flat together in Paris where they attend University. Four successive stories about their daily lives illustrate the very different views, characters and relation to the world of these two friends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSometimes Always Never (2019)
Alan is a stylish tailor with moves as sharp as his suits. He has spent years searching tirelessly for his missing son Michael who stormed out over a game of Scrabble. With a body to identify and his family torn apart, Alan must repair the relationship with his youngest son and solve the mystery of an online player who he thinks could be Michael, so he can finally move on and reunite his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChloe and Theo (2015)
A young woman, Chloe, living by her wits on the streets of New York City, has a chance meeting with a wise Inuit Eskimo, Theo, who was sent to New York by his elders to provide a message to the people of the world – We either change our destructive was or be destroyed by them. Chloe, who has been searching for something to believe in, becomes inspired by Theo and , with the help of a kind lawyer, Monica, the three of them present Theo’s story to the United Nations in hopes of creating a better future for all of us.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHeartstrings (2016)
A talented cellist, Marie, is secretly losing her sight due to a degenerative eye disease. Determined to attend a prestigious music school, she strikes a pact with her struggling classmate Victor: she’ll help him with his homework if he becomes her “eyes,” helping her hide her condition as she prepares for the entrance exam. As the two grow closer, their arrangement begins to change both of their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAn Impudent Girl (1985)
Charlotte Castang is a working-class 13-year-old girl, who lives in a drab, run-down neighbourhood, and is ready to become an adult. Her mother died giving birth to her, and she lives with her crass brother and a father whose attention is elsewhere. Her only friend is Lulu, a sick 10-year-old she regards as a pest. Charlotte is antisocial, bored and dreams of a better life. Her life improves when she meets Clara Bauman, a pianist prodigy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Got Life! (2017)
Aurore has separated, just lost her job, and learns that she is going to be a grandmother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBon Voyage, Marie (2025)
An unexpected road trip brings a dysfunctional family together for one last journey with their elder, sparking moments of connection, joy, and reconciliation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFoster (2011)
Looking to adopt a child and unable to conceive a child of their own, the Morrisons' lives are turned upside down when a seven-year-old boy unexpectedly shows up on their doorstep.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Trouble with Angels (1966)
Mary and her friend, Rachel, are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by the iron fist of Mother Superior. The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and their unpleasant classmates, becoming a constant thorn in Mother Superior's side. However, as the years pass, Mary and Rachel slowly mature and begin to see the nuns in a different light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIntacto (2001)
An enigmatic tale of four people whose lives are intertwined by destiny are subject to the laws of fate. They discover that luck is something they cannot afford to be without as they gamble with the highest stakes possible in a deadly game from which only one of them will emerge intact.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaydream (2026)
A young adult recounts childhood memories involving his 6th grade teacher and the lessons she taught, particularly her unconventional assignment: to daydream.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Idiocies (2023)
"Four boys drinking tomato juice and beer for God knows why..."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko (2024)
Music gives her life. Music is his life. This is a story that will make our hearts skip a beat this season of love. Ikaw Pa Rin ang Pipiliin Ko, a May-December romance, promises the fresh tandem of Aga and Julia, who portray a musical conductor and chorister, respectively.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Clearing (2004)
When affluent executive Wayne Hayes is kidnapped by a disgruntled employee and held for ransom in a forest, Wayne’s wife is forced to reckon with the FBI agents as they negotiate with the kidnapper.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisTattoo Bar (2000)
Although she's still hung up on the man who broke her heart, club dancer Simona pledges to eradicate all memories of him by removing the tattoos he put on her body. Complicating matters is Mariel, the owner of a Barcelona tattoo shop whose obsession with Simona's undulating form leads him to steal the money to help her pay for the necessary laser treatments.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Lena will es endlich wissen (2011)
Twenty-three-year-old Lena lands a lead in Sartre’s “No Exit” while endlessly seeking love. Her call‐girl friend Becky convinces her to try prostitution, plunging Lena into a bizarre free‐love world of surreal encounters. Complicating matters, she falls for her director, Dex White, and cares for her grieving, balloon‐making father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Cakemaker (2017)
Thomas, a young German baker, is having an affair with Oren, an Israeli married man who has frequent business visits in Berlin. When Oren dies in a car crash in Israel, Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking for answers regarding his death. Under a fabricated identity, Thomas infiltrates the life of Anat, his lover’s newly widowed wife, who owns a small Café in downtown Jerusalem. Thomas starts to work for her, creating German cakes and cookies that bring her Café to life. Thomas finds himself involved in Anat’s life in a way far beyond his anticipation. To protect the truth he will stretch his lie to a point of no return.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTess (1979)
A strong-willed peasant girl is sent by her father to the estate of some local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumour that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit commences an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Electric Horseman (1979)
A former champion rodeo rider is reduced to using his saddle skills to promote a breakfast cereal in a gaudy Las Vegas show. When he's asked to perform with a $12 million horse, he discovers it is being doped to remain docile. He flees into the desert astride the beast in an act of defiance. A story-hungry female reporter gives chase.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Name of the Son?
The closest matches to The Name of the Son are Just to Be Sure (2017), Le Brio (2017) and My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Name of the Son?
Start with Just to Be Sure (2017), the closest match to The Name of the Son.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Name of the Son?
Tess (1979), rated 7.1/10 by 399 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Name of the Son?
Daydream (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like The Name of the Son?
Yes: Just to Be Sure (2017), Le Brio (2017) and My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010).
How are movies similar to The Name of the Son chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Name of the Son, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.