Movies like Axel (2018)
The best movies like Axel (2018) are Y Tu Mamá También (2001), Azrael (2024) and Midaq Alley (1995). If Axel hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMidnight Cowboy (1969)7.5/10 from 1,721 votes
- NewestOn the Road (2026)Released 2026
- In SpanishY Tu Mamá También (2001)Also in Spanish
Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAzrael (2024)
In a world where no one speaks, a devout female hunts down a young woman who has escaped her imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, Azrael is due to be sacrificed to pacify an ancient evil deep within the surrounding wilderness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMidaq Alley (1995)
Heated tempers, frustrated desires and dashed hopes plague a diverse group of individuals whose lives cross paths in Mexico City. There is the bar-owner's son, Chava, who yearns to emigrate to America. A poor barber, Abel, is madly in love with the gorgeous Alma, who eventually becomes a high-class prostitute. Finally, there is Susanita, the desperate spinster who pursues many love affairs in hopes of finding a husband.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattle 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisOn 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
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Coming of Sin (1978)
A superstitious servant girl - who has foreboding nightmares about a naked man on horseback - comes to live with a solitary female artist at her country chateau. As the artist takes the girl under her wing, a sensuous relationship develops between them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Virgin of Lust (2002)
In Vera Cruz in the 1940s, Nacho, an Indian, waits tables at Don Lázaro's café at Hotel Ofélia. He falls for Lola, an opium-addicted, alcoholic whore who's hopelessly in love with Gardenia Wilson, a masked wrestler who slept with her once but knows she's unbalanced. Don Lázaro warns Nacho about Lola, and Nacho knows his love will be unrequited, but he'll do anything, regardless of how degrading, to be near her. Lola, for her part, can be sadistic. Republican exiles who are regulars at the café encourage Lola's desire to assassinate Franco. Nacho in turn mixes this political mirage with his fascination with the plot of "The Mikado." Where do fantasies and obsessions lead?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Addiction (1995)
A vampiric doctoral student tries to follow the philosophy of a nocturnal comrade and control her thirst for blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAt Midnight (2023)
Alejandro's life is disrupted when actress Sophie Wilder stays at his hotel. To their surprise, the two fall for one another, meeting at midnight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2023)
Two teenage Mexican-American loners in 1987 El Paso explore a new, unusual friendship and the difficult road to self-discovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDressed to Kill (1980)
After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing her only witness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQueer (2024)
In 1950s Mexico City, William Lee, an American ex-pat in his late forties, leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival in town of Eugene Allerton, a young student, stirs William into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMidnight Cowboy (1969)
Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an ailing swindler with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHis Kind of Woman (1951)
Career gambler Dan Milner agrees to a $50,000 deal to leave the USA for Mexico, only to find himself entangled with fellow guests at a luxurious resort and suspecting that the man who hired him may be the deported crime boss Nick Ferraro aiming to re-enter to the USA.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Matador (2005)
The life of Danny Wright, a salesman forever on the road, veers into dangerous and surreal territory when he wanders into a Mexican bar and meets a mysterious stranger, Julian, who's very likely a hit man. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that will change their lives forever, as Wright is suddenly thrust into a far-from-mundane existence that he takes to surprisingly well … once he gets acclimated to it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBreathless (1983)
Jesse, a small-time criminal, high-tails it to Los Angeles to rendezvous with a French exchange student. Stealing a car and accidentally killing a highway patrolman, he becomes the most wanted fugitive in L.A.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Zero Theorem (2013)
A computer hacker's goal to discover the reason for human existence continually finds his work interrupted thanks to the Management; this time, they send a teenager and lusty love interest to distract him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Tower (2017)
A boy haunted by visions of a parallel world aids its disillusioned guardian in preventing the destruction of the nexus of universes known as the Dark Tower.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisIntimacy (2001)
Failed musician Jay abandoned his family and now earns a living as head bartender in a trendy London pub. Every Wednesday afternoon, a woman comes to his house for graphic, almost wordless, sex. One day, Jay follows her and learns about her. This eventually disrupts their relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLust for a Vampire (1971)
In 1830, the Karnstein heirs use the blood of an innocent to bring forth the evil that is the beautiful Mircalla - or as she was in 1710, Carmilla. The nearby Finishing School offers rich pickings not only in in the blood of nubile young ladies but also with the headmaster who is desperate to become Mircalla's disciple, and the equally besotted and even more foolish author Richard Lestrange.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like this
Like Axel and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Axel?
The closest matches to Axel are Y Tu Mamá También (2001), Azrael (2024) and Midaq Alley (1995). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Axel?
Start with Y Tu Mamá También (2001), the closest match to Axel.
What is the highest-rated movie like Axel?
Midnight Cowboy (1969), rated 7.5/10 by 1,721 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Axel?
On the Road (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like Axel?
Yes: Y Tu Mamá También (2001), Midaq Alley (1995) and Battle in Heaven (2005).
How are movies similar to Axel chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Axel, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.