Movies like El padre Juan (1986)
The best movies like El padre Juan (1986) are The Club (2015), Nazarín (1959) and Doubt (2008). If El padre Juan hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
El padre Juan
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSpotlight (2015)7.8/10 from 9,090 votes
- NewestUntil the End of the World (2026)Released 2026
- In SpanishThe Club (2015)Also in Spanish
The Club (2015)
In a secluded house in a small seaside town live four unrelated men and the woman who tends to the house and their needs. All former priests, they have been sent to this quiet exile to purge the sins of their pasts, the separation from their communities the worst form of punishment by the Church. They keep to a strict daily schedule devoid of all temptation and spontaneity, each moment a deliberate effort to atone for their wrongdoings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNazarín (1959)
A Catholic priest in a poor community lives a charitable life in accordance with his religious principles, but others do not return the favor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDoubt (2008)
In 1964 Bronx, two Catholic school nuns question the new priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled African-American student.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Keys of the Kingdom (1944)
A young priest, Father Chisholm is sent to China to establish a Catholic parish among the non-Christian Chinese. While his boyhood friend, also a priest, flourishes in his calling as a priest in a more Christian area of the world, Father Chisholm struggles. He encounters hostility, isolation, disease, poverty and a variety of set backs which humble him, but make him more determined than ever to succeed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNovitiate (2017)
In the early 1960s, during the Vatican II era, a young woman training to become a nun struggles with issues of faith, sexuality and the changing church.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPerfect Obedience (2014)
The fictional Father Ángel de la Cruz is based on Legion of Christ founder Marcial Maciel, whose long history of child abuse was not addressed until 2006 and only publicly acknowledged in 2009. But director Luis Urquiza chooses to structure his film through the largely uncomprehending, wondering eyes of 13-year-old Julián, who travels from the arms of his loving pastoral family into the austere, hallowed halls of the seminary. Singling out the boy as his intimate disciple, installing him in his palatial private quarters and redubbing him “Sacramento Santos,” Father Ángel begins Julian’s instruction into the mysteries of “perfect obedience,” whose cardinal rule is: Never question a superior’s actions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrimes of Passion (1984)
Fashion designer Joanna Crane leads a double life. By night she is China Blue, a prostitute who's attracted the attention of a sexually frustrated private detective, and a psychopathic priest in possession of a murderous sex toy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpotlight (2015)
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrue Confessions (1981)
A cop clashes with his priest brother while investigating the brutal murder of a young prostitute.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Only Living Boy in New York (2017)
When a young man learns that his overbearing father is having an affair, he tries to stop it, only to be seduced by the older woman as well.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013)
A man named Seligman finds a fainted wounded woman in an alley and he brings her home. She tells him that her name is Joe and that she is nymphomaniac. Joe tells her life and sexual experiences with hundreds of men since she was a young teenager while Seligman tells about his hobbies, such as fly fishing, reading about Fibonacci numbers or listening to organ music.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boys of St. Vincent (1994)
The true story of boys being sexually abused at their orphanage, run by a religious community in Newfoundland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUntil the End of the World (2026)
Manuel's life is upended when Esmeralda, his lost love from 15 years ago, calls unexpectedly. Despite being set to marry another, he rediscovers Esmeralda, and they realize their love transcends time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Miracle of Marcelino (1955)
Left on the doorstep of a monastery as an infant, Marcelino was raised by the monks. He was well-cared for but lonely and missed having a mother. One day he found a special friend in the forbidden attic, hanging on a cross. A friend that would repay Marcelino's kindness by granting him one heart-felt wish.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFaces (1968)
Middle-aged suburban husband Richard abruptly tells his wife, Maria, that he wants a divorce. As Richard takes up with a younger woman, Maria enjoys a night on the town with her friends and meets a younger man. As the couple and those around them confront a seemingly futile search for what they've lost -- love, excitement, passion -- this classic American independent film explores themes of aging and alienation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbsolution (1978)
At a Catholic boys' school, domineering disciplinarian Father Goddard rules over his pupils with an iron hand. When one of his teenage charges confesses to murder, the dogmatic but deeply repressed Goddard finds his faith challenged and his life spiralling dangerously out of control.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad Lieutenant (1992)
While investigating a young nun's rape, a corrupt New York City police detective, with a serious drug and gambling addiction, tries to change his ways and find forgiveness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAddicted (2014)
A gallerist risks her family and flourishing career when she enters into an affair with a talented painter and slowly loses control of her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Third Miracle (1999)
The Vatican sends a priest to verify some miracles, performed by a woman who has been nominated for sainthood...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisVenena Bibas (2016)
In a Catholic seminary, Brother Nestor is found dead and his best friend, Brother Esteban, tells the story of the events that preceded his death. There, a repressed and unhealthy love is discovered.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Baby of Mâcon (1993)
In 17th-century Tuscany, a church play is performed for the benefit of young aristocrat Cosimo. In the play, a grotesque old woman gives birth to a beautiful baby boy. The child's older sister is quick to exploit the situation, selling blessings from the baby, and even claiming she's the true mother by virgin birth. However, when she attempts to seduce the bishop's son, the Church exacts a terrible revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Summer (2023)
For more than 25 years, Marc Côté, street chaplain and parish priest, has lived with the poor and the homeless. Today, Marc is a worn-out man. Exhausted from running his church, which serves as a shelter, and overwhelmed by the bills they can no longer pay, Marc must face the facts: he will have to shut down his church. Like a call from Providence, he inherits a property in the Bas-du-Fleuve region and decides to take a group of homeless people with him, who, like himself, need a vacation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crime of Padre Amaro (2002)
Sent to Mexico to help take care of aging Father Benito, young Father Amaro faces a moral challenge when he meets a 16-year-old girl who he starts an affair with. Likewise, the girl's mother had been having an affair with Father Benito. Father Amaro must choose between a holy or sinful life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaddalena (1971)
The love story between a free-spirited girl and a priest.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Martin Luther, Heretic (1983)
Martin Luther inspires a breakaway from the Roman Catholic church and is the founder of Protestantism.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Time to Remember (1987)
It is small town America in the 1950's. Twelve year-old Angelo Villano has one dream: to someday sing like his idol, Mario Lanza. His grandmother, Mama Theresa encourages him; and his beautiful voice catches the attention of the formidable but kind Father Walsh who arranges for him to receive formal training. This infuriates Angelo's widowed father, Frank, who wants his son to be a steelworker like him. Determined to "make a man out of him", Frank forbids Angelo from singing. When Angelo is chased by bullies into the path of an oncoming car, he recovers all but his voice, retreating into a silent world that no one can touch. One night, locked in the church basement, the frightened Angelo experiences a spectacular vision, a true Christmas miracle, that changes his life. And when his vision and his voice return during Christmas Eve Mass, no one can deny the beauty and blessing of his amazing gift.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Pather Panchali (1955)
Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Alone, his wife, Sarbojaya, looks after her rebellious daughter, Durga, and her young son, Apu, as well as Harihar's elderly aunt Indir. The children enjoy the small pleasures of their difficult life, while their parents suffer the daily indignities heaped upon them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNew Rose Hotel (1999)
A corporate raider and his henchman use a chanteuse to lure a scientific genius away from his employer and family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like El padre Juan?
The closest matches to El padre Juan are The Club (2015), Nazarín (1959) and Doubt (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after El padre Juan?
Start with The Club (2015), the closest match to El padre Juan.
What is the highest-rated movie like El padre Juan?
Spotlight (2015), rated 7.8/10 by 9,090 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like El padre Juan?
Until the End of the World (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like El padre Juan?
Yes: The Club (2015), Nazarín (1959) and Perfect Obedience (2014).
How are movies similar to El padre Juan chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside El padre Juan, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.