Movies like In Self Defense (1917)
The best movies like In Self Defense (1917) are The Night My Mother Killed My Father (2016), The People Upstairs (2020) and Old Man Made in Spain (1969). If In Self Defense hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAmores Perros (2000)7.7/10 from 3,059 votes
- NewestWedding Registry (2025)Released 2025
- In SpanishThe Night My Mother Killed My Father (2016)Also in Spanish
The Night My Mother Killed My Father (2016)
Isabel is torn between the need to feel valued as an actress and her insecurities and contradictions. One night, she hosts a very special dinner: her husband Ángel, who is a scriptwriter, and Susana, Ángel's ex-wife and film director, want to convince Argentinian actor Diego Peretti to star in a movie. But at some point something unexpected happens that surprises everyone and disturbs the evening.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe People Upstairs (2020)
Julio and Ana have been together for more than fifteen years. They have become a couple who no longer look at nor touch one another, and who have made daily fighting the essence of their relationship. This evening, Ana has invited their upstairs neighbors to come round, Salva and Laura, a couple younger than them, pleasant and friendly, but whose noises are now an annoyance for Julio and Ana... or perhaps a stimulus? The upstairs neighbors will make them an unusual and surprising proposal which will turn the evening into an exaggerated and cathartic experience for all four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOld Man Made in Spain (1969)
A widow shepherd who lives at the Aragonese Pyrenees sees how his three young daughters, Cándida, Visi, and Nieves, go to Madrid to find a better life and leave him alone. There they all get married, have sons and forget their father. One day, Marcelino receives a letter from Cándida, who wants him to stay with her family for some time. What she really wants is some help from her father, as she's not able to take care of her ten daughters and her upcoming child. Marcelino goes to Madrid, but, once there, he only finds an unknown, frantic and hostile world, and also three unhappy daughters...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Be a Latin Lover (2017)
An aging Latin lover gets dumped by his sugar mama and must fend for himself in a harsh world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmores 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEncanto (2021)
The tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family's last hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWedding Registry (2025)
Nicolás and Antonia plan a fake wedding to share the gifts and fund their dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSanky Panky (2007)
In the Dominican Republic, Genaro works in a small family store and lives with his mother in a poor neighborhood. He is learning a few words in English and dreams of being a Sanky Panky to marry an American tourist to move to the USA with a VISA and have a better life. He calls his friend Giuseppe, who is a hotel manager in Bávaro, and applies for a job entertaining children but hoping to find a wealthy tourist. Genaro meets the beautiful Martha, who has come with her aunts Dorothy and Helen, to forget her fiancée after calling off her wedding. Genaro calls his best friends, Chelo and Carlitos, to go out with the aunts and experience it alone with Martha. Martha only speaks English and Genaro only knows a few words of English, but everything goes as planned until Martha's boyfriend arrives at the resort and complicates everything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRosa's Wedding (2020)
Rosa is about to turn 45 and realises that she's always lived her life to serve everyone else. So she decides to leave it all behind, take charge of her life and fulfil her dream of starting her own business.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExchanged (2024)
One enchanted night, during a meteor shower, young Sebastián made a heartfelt wish: for his loving nanny, Lupe, to become his mother, for her warmth and care were what he longed for, unlike his busy mother, Paola. The stars listened, and in their mysterious way, granted his wish, exchanging the roles of the two women, leading to a whimsical adventure full of unexpected laughs and heartwarming chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGrandma's Wedding (2019)
A dysfunctional family travels to Cuernavaca to celebrate their grandmother’s wedding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTótem (2023)
In a bustling Mexican household, seven-year-old Sol is swept up in a whirlwind of preparations for the birthday party for her father, Tona, led by her mother, aunts, and other relatives. As the day goes on, building to an event both anticipated and dreaded, Sol begins to understand the gravity of the celebration this year and watches as her family does the same.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSex and Lucía (2001)
Lucía is a young waitress in Madrid who seeks refuge on a quiet, secluded Mediterranean island after the loss of her longtime boyfriend. Amidst the fresh air, dazzling sun, and glistening deep blue water, Lucía begins to piece together the dark corners of her past relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInseparables (2016)
Felipe a wealthy businessman who has been quadriplegic, due to an accident, is looking for a therapeutic assistant. There are several highly qualified, but he decides to take the assistant of his gardener, Tito who has decided to resign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Maid (2009)
Raquel has been the live-in housekeeper for a kind, reasonably wealthy family for half her life, and the joyless repetition of the job has begun to take its toll. Increasingly dependent on painkillers, Raquel resorts to pranks and childish avoidance to antagonize the family’s college-age daughter and a procession of new servants, all in the hopes of protecting her precarious power within the home. Her antics successfully push everyone away, until new maid Lucy actually pushes back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUna pequeña confusión (2024)
Lola and Cuau, a progressive middle-class pair, and Iñigo and Majo, a young conservative, well-heeled duo, turn to artificial insemination as a last resort to have children. In a madcap twist based on actual events, a mix-up at the clinic results in each mom-to-be carrying the other one's baby.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSame Love, Same Rain (1999)
Jorge is a writer for a left-leaning Buenos Aires magazine that's at odds with the country's military dictatorship. He meets lovely and intelligent actress Laura and begins an on-and-off romance that will continue for the next two decades. Fearful of commitment, Jorge initially moves on from her and his fortunes suffer, but the situation changes when he and Laura renew their acquaintance. Meanwhile, the country undergoes a political transformation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAn Unexpected Love (2018)
It tells the story of Marcos and Ana, who have been married for more than 25 years, but enter into an existential crisis that leads them to separate. The life of singles seems fascinating and exciting at first, but soon it also becomes monotonous for her and nightmarish for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt Started in Naples (1960)
Mike Hamilton, a Philadelphia lawyer, comes to Naples to settle the estate of his long estranged "black sheep" brother. Once there, he discovers that the deceased has left an 8 year old boy who is being raised by Michael's sister-in-law Lucia Curcio. To complicate matters, Lucia happens to be a sexy nightclub performer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWeeding Night (2024)
Lucía and Nico, the couple of the century, are about to say yes... although not with each other. It turns out that they both decided to get married on the same day and in the same place, but with other people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like In Self Defense?
The closest matches to In Self Defense are The Night My Mother Killed My Father (2016), The People Upstairs (2020) and Old Man Made in Spain (1969). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after In Self Defense?
Start with The Night My Mother Killed My Father (2016), the closest match to In Self Defense.
What is the highest-rated movie like In Self Defense?
Amores Perros (2000), rated 7.7/10 by 3,059 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like In Self Defense?
Wedding Registry (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like In Self Defense?
Yes: The Night My Mother Killed My Father (2016), The People Upstairs (2020) and Old Man Made in Spain (1969).
How are movies similar to In Self Defense chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside In Self Defense, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.