Movies like By the River (2005)
The best movies like By the River (2005) are 32 Malasana Street (2020), Cria! (1976) and Only the Lonely (1991). If By the River hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCria! (1976)7.5/10 from 293 votes
- NewestThe Beloved (2026)Released 2026
- In Spanish32 Malasana Street (2020)Also in Spanish
32 Malasana Street (2020)
Malasaña neighborhood, Madrid, Spain, 1976. While political turmoil ravages the streets all over the country, the Olmedo family arrives in the big city and settles into their new apartment. They soon discover that they are not the only ones roaming its corridors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCria! (1976)
Ana, an eight-year-old girl living in Madrid with her grandmother and two sisters, mourns the death of her mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOnly the Lonely (1991)
Danny Muldoon, a Chicago policeman, still lives with his overbearing mother Rose. He meets and falls in love with Theresa Luna, whose father owns the local funeral parlour. Naturally, his mother objects to the relationship, and Danny and Theresa must either overcome her objections or give up the romance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWe the Animals (2018)
Manny, Joel and Jonah tear their way through childhood and push against the volatile love of their parents. As Manny and Joel grow into versions of their father and Ma dreams of escape, Jonah, the youngest, embraces an imagined world all his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 7th Day (2004)
Isabel Jimenez is a teenager witnessing a horrible feud between her own family and the Fuentes family, a feud involving broken hearts, property disputes and a mysterious fire that destroyed the Fuentes house. Isabel's uncle is murdered by Jeronimo Fuentes, who later tries to stab her father. After Jeronimo dies in jail, Isabel must look outside of her family for the truth, learning from the village idiot that her father may have set fire to the Fuentes home.
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 thisThe Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011)
A suburban father gets trapped in a one-sided incestuous relationship with his abusive son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Kissing Booth (2018)
When teenager Elle's first kiss leads to a forbidden romance with the hottest boy in high school, she risks her relationship with her best friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBoyhood (2014)
The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Stepfather (2009)
Michael Harding returns home from military school to find his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend, David. As the two men get to know each other, Michael becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand. Is he really the man of her dreams or could David be hiding a dark side?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMy Fault: London (2025)
18-year-old Noah moves from America to London, with her mother who's recently fallen in love with William, a wealthy British businessman. Noah meets William’s son, bad-boy Nick, and soon discovers there is an attraction between them neither can avoid. As Noah spends the summer adjusting to her new life, her devastating past will catch up with her while falling in love for the first time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVenus (2022)
Lucía, a club dancer on the run, takes refuge in a sinister building on the outskirts of Madrid where her sister Rocío lives with her daughter Alba.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Beloved (2026)
Acclaimed film director Esteban Martínez is a legend both for his films and for his past marked by violence and excess. For his latest project, he offers his daughter Emilia a role under the pretext of helping her with her stalled acting career. Living together on set will foster a closeness they haven’t shared for years, but it will also reopen old wounds that never healed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFather There is Only One 4 (2024)
The eldest of the family, Sara, comes of age and brings chaos to the family by announcing her intention to marry Ocho. Javier and Marisa try to avoid it at all costs. At the same time Dani has an existential crisis, Paulita feels jealous of Cris, Carlota announces that she has found a boyfriend from a high society family and Rocio has finally managed to be cast in her first film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChinas (2023)
In Madrid, Spain, Lucía and Xiang, two nine-year-old Chinese girls, meet at the beginning of the school year.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Boy with Green Hair (1948)
Peter, an orphaned boy, is adopted by Gramp Frye after his parents are killed in Europe while doing war relief work. The boy feels safe with his new caretaker, but when he is taunted for being an orphan, he gets demoralized. The next day Peter wakes up with green hair. Embarrassed and further ridiculed, Peter seeks solace in a nearby forest. To his surprise, he finds other orphans in the woods, who encourage him to spread news of the injustices of war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRomance & Cigarettes (2006)
Ironworker Nick lives with his wife, Kitty, and three daughters. When he meets a significantly younger woman, Tula, he starts an affair with her, much to the chagrin of his wife, and his life is thrown into upheaval. Kitty kicks Nick out of the house, and he is forced to make some difficult decisions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Score to Settle (2019)
A former mob enforcer who is released from prison after serving 22 years for a crime he didn't commit sets out on a path for revenge against the people who wronged him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThrough My Window (2022)
Raquel's longtime crush on her next-door neighbor turns into something more when he starts developing feelings for her, despite his family's objections.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Flower of My Secret (1995)
Middle-aged romance author Leo writes under a pseudonym, since she despises her own work. At home, her husband, who works overseas, is distant both physically and emotionally. As she reevaluates her life and writing, Leo is led to an unexpected relationship with Ángel, a sensitive newspaper editor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like By the River?
The closest matches to By the River are 32 Malasana Street (2020), Cria! (1976) and Only the Lonely (1991). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after By the River?
Start with 32 Malasana Street (2020), the closest match to By the River.
What is the highest-rated movie like By the River?
Cria! (1976), rated 7.5/10 by 293 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like By the River?
The Beloved (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like By the River?
Yes: 32 Malasana Street (2020), Cria! (1976) and The 7th Day (2004).
How are movies similar to By the River chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside By the River, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.