Movies like The Present (2020)
The best movies like The Present (2020) are When I Saw You (2014), The Perfect Candidate (2020) and 3000 Nights (2015). If The Present hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCapernaum (2018)8.1/10 from 2,065 votes
- NewestFrom Ground Zero (2025)Released 2025
When I Saw You (2014)
Tarek and his mother Ghaydaa number among the tens of thousands of refugees crossing the border from Palestine, having been separated from Tarek's father amidst the chaos of the Six Day War. They ultimately settle at the Harir refugee camp, a makeshift home for a new generation displaced by conflict. Tarek dreams of being reunited with his father, and struggles to adapt to a new life far away from all he previously knew.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Perfect Candidate (2020)
A young Saudi doctor campaigns for a seat on the municipal council, finding confidence as she combats prejudice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this3000 Nights (2015)
Iman, a young newly wed Palestinian bride, is arrested and incarcerated in a top-security Israeli prison where she gives birth to a baby boy. As she struggles to survive and raise her child behind bars, she is torn between her instinct as a mother and the difficult decisions she must make, finding through her relationship with the other prisoners - both Palestinian and Israeli – the time and space to reflect, develop and mature as a young woman.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Wajib (2017)
After years abroad in Italy, Shadi returns to his native Nazareth. But this is no spectacular homecoming. He's back somewhat begrudgingly to honour his "wajib" (or duty) to hand out invitations to his sister's wedding with his father. The simmering tension between the two — who are often stuck in a car, more often than not in traffic — builds, exposing the sometimes-comic chasms that exist between men who live in different worlds but share an unshakable bond.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Reports on Sarah and Saleem (2018)
The affair of a married Palestinian man and a married Israeli woman in Jerusalem takes a dangerous political dimension when they are spotted in the wrong place at the wrong time, leaving them to deal with more than their broken marriages.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this200 Meters (2020)
Mustafa and his wife Salwa come from two Palestinian villages that are only 200 meters apart, but separated by the wall. Their unusual living situation is starting to affect their otherwise happy marriage, but the couple does what they can to make it work. Every night, Mustafa flashes a light from his balcony to wish his children on the other side a goodnight, and they signal him back. One day Mustafa gets a call that every parent dreads: his son has been in an accident. He rushes to the checkpoint where he must agonisingly wait in line only to find out there is a problem with his fingerprints and is denied entry. Desperate, Mustafa resorts to hiring a smuggler to bring him across. His once 200-meter journey becomes a 200-kilometer odyssey joined by other travellers determined to cross.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Still Hide to Smoke (2017)
Α tragi-comedy about 9 women of different ages and various backgrounds that gather in an Algerian hammam to talk about their lives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWadjda (2012)
An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Quran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Tambour of Retribution (2021)
In an impoverished neighborhood, the son of a swordsman falls in love with the daughter of a wedding singer — a taboo match in a traditional society.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Ala Kachuu – Take and Run (2020)
A young Kyrgyz woman is kidnapped and forced to marry. A drama about the desire for freedom in the clutches of a tradition.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Farha (2021)
Palestine, 1948. After the withdrawal of the British occupiers, tensions rise between Arabs and Jews. Meanwhile, Farha, the smart daughter of the mayor of a small village, unaware of the coming tragedy, dreams of going to study in the big city.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFeeling Through (2019)
A late-night encounter on a New York City street leads to a profound connection between a teen-in-need and a DeafBlind man.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn Between (2016)
The film captures the daily duality of three young Palestinian women in Tel Aviv, caught between hometown tradition and big city abandon, and the price they must pay for a lifestyle that seems obvious to many: the freedom to work, party, have sex, and choose.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLayla M. (2016)
18-year-old Layla, a Dutch girl with Moroccan roots, joins a group of radical Muslims. She encounters a world that nurtures her ideas initally, but finally confronts her with an impossible choice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Son (2020)
Tunisia, summer 2011. The holiday to the South of the country ends in disaster for Fares, Meriem and their 10-year-old son Aziz, when he is accidentally shot in an ambush. His injury will change their lives: Aziz needs a liver transplant, which leads to discovery of a long-buried secret. Will Aziz and the relationship survive?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man Who Sold His Skin (2021)
To be able to travel to Europe and find the love of his life, Sam Ali, a Syrian refugee, accepts to have his back tattooed by one of the most sulfurous contemporary artist; becoming that way a precious work of art.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn Syria (2017)
A mother attempts to keep her family safe as war rages and a sniper lies in wait outside her home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGaza (2019)
GAZA brings us into a unique place beyond the reach of television news reports to reveal a world rich with eloquent and resilient characters, offering us a cinematic and enriching portrait of a people attempting to lead meaningful lives against the rubble of perennial conflict. Throughout its entire history the Gaza Strip has been witness to conflict and upheaval. From ancient times this tiny coastal territory, located at a crossroads between continents, has been a pawn whose fate rested in the hands of powerful neighbours.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
You Will Die at Twenty (2020)
Shortly after Muzamil was born, the village's holy man predicts that he will die at age 20. Muzamil's father can't stand the curse and leaves home. Sakina raises her son as a single mother, overly protective. One day, Muzamil turns 19.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInshallah a Boy (2024)
After the sudden death of her husband, working mother Nawal has to fight for her inheritance in order to save her daughter and home in a society where having a son would be a game changer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Red, White and Blue (2024)
A young mother from Arkansas is forced to travel across state lines in search of an urgent and necessary abortion.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Capernaum (2018)
After running away from his negligent parents, committing a violent crime and being sentenced to five years in jail, a hardened, streetwise 12-year-old Lebanese boy sues his parents in protest of the life they have given him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNefta Football Club (2018)
In the south of Tunisia, two football fan brothers bump into a donkey lost in the middle of the desert on the border of Algeria. Strangely, the animal wears headphones over its ears.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStutterer (2015)
A lonely typographer with a cruel speech impediment but an eloquent inner voice must face his greatest fear.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAdam (2019)
Abla runs a modest local bakery from her home in Casablanca where she lives alone with her 8-year-old daughter Warda. Their routine of housework and homework is interrupted one day by a knock on the door. It is Samia, a young woman looking for a job and a roof over her head. The little girl is immediately taken with the newcomer, but her mother initially refuses to allow a pregnant stranger into their home. Gradually, however, Abla's resolve softens and Samia's arrival begins to offer all of them the prospect of a new life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTwo Distant Strangers (2020)
A man trying to get home to his dog becomes stuck in a time loop that forces him to relive a deadly run-in with a cop.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFrom Ground Zero (2025)
"From Ground Zero" is a compelling project that brings together 22 short films created by talented filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by Rashid Masharawi, a notable Palestinian filmmaker, the initiative emerged amid the backdrop of conflict, aiming to provide a platform for young artists to express themselves through their craft. Each film, ranging from 3 to 7 minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. With a mix of genres such as fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation, and experimental cinema, "From Ground Zero" showcases a rich tapestry of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy, and hope inherent in Gazan life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
My Happy Family (2017)
In a patriarchal society, an ordinary Georgian family lives with three generations under one roof. All are shocked when 52-year-old Manana decides to move out from her parents’ home and live alone. Without her family and her husband, a journey into the unknown begins.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBrotherhood (2020)
Mohamed is a hardened shepherd living in rural Tunisia with his wife and two sons. Mohamed is deeply shaken when his oldest son Malik returns home after a long journey with a mysterious new wife. Tension between father and son rises over three days until reaching a breaking point.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Book of Sun (2020)
In 2010, at the peak of the Saudi YouTube movement, high school senior Husam finds himself drawn into the world of video production. He’s joined in his pursuit by his best friend Maan, their one-time foe Ibrahim, and Orabi a teacher with a passion for filmmaking. In the middle of their senior year, they set out to produce a no-budget horror movie – a wild adventure that will put their futures at risk.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Present?
The closest matches to The Present are When I Saw You (2014), The Perfect Candidate (2020) and 3000 Nights (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Present?
People who watched The Present most often go on to When I Saw You (2014), The Perfect Candidate (2020) and 3000 Nights (2015).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Present?
Capernaum (2018), rated 8.1/10 by 2,065 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Present?
From Ground Zero (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Present chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Present, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.