Movies like The Present (2009)
The best movies like The Present (2009) are White Night (2009), Night Train to Lisbon (2013) and Nocturnal (2025). If The Present hooked you with its mystery and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCasablanca (1943)8.1/10 from 6,322 votes
- NewestNocturnal (2025)Released 2025
- In KoreanWhite Night (2009)Also in Korean
White Night (2009)
A pawnbroker is found murdered in a remote town in a derelict building. Three people come under suspicion but all of them have perfect alibis and the investigation comes to a standstill. Almost fifteen years pass and the lead inspector decides to re-investigate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight Train to Lisbon (2013)
Raimund Gregorius, having saved a beautiful Portuguese woman from leaping to her death, stumbles upon a mesmerizing book by a Portuguese author, which compels him to suddenly abandon the boring life he has led for years and to embark on an enthralling adventure. In search of the author, Gregorius acts as detective, pulling together pieces of a puzzle that involves political and emotional intrigue and the highest possible stakes. His voyage is one that transcends time and space, delving into the realms of history, medicine and love, all in search of true meaning to his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNocturnal (2025)
Min-tae, a once-notorious gangster who now leads a peaceful retired life, discovers the bloody corpse of his only next of kin: his younger brother Seok-tae. With his brother’s missing wife Moon-young as the prime suspect, Min-tae uncovers a suspicious last phone call between her and a mysterious novelist, sparking a vicious hunt for the truth despite his seemingly deceitful former crime syndicate and the police in hot pursuit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOrdinary People (2018)
A gym teacher and his female student look for her missing friend. But as they investigate, they find that her disappearance is a part of a larger conspiracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCleaner (2007)
Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he cleans up death scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting, Cutler is shocked to learn he may have unknowingly erased crucial evidence, entangling himself in a dirty criminal cover-up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Very Foul Play (2019)
At a gathering of mystery and true crime fans, Aurora Teagarden’s nephew, Phillip, is accused of murder when an unplanned onstage blackout during the play in which he is performing ends, revealing Phillip holding the bloody knife that has just killed one of the other performers. 12th installment in Aurora Teagarden Mysteries
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Blue Gardenia (1953)
Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while attempting to resist his advances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoliday Date (2019)
When Brooke’s boyfriend, Ethan, breaks up with her just before the holidays, she agrees to go home with Joel, an actor who will pose as her boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFollowing (2024)
A realtor who loves sneaking into people's homes finds the dead body of a scamming social media influencer – can he find out who did it?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Black Book (2023)
After his son is wrongly accused of kidnapping, a deacon who has just lost his wife takes matters into his own hands and fights a crooked police gang to clear him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScaramouche (1952)
In 18th-century France, a young man masquerades as an actor to avenge his friend's murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRecalled (2021)
Soo-jin, who lost her memories due to a horrible incident, starts suspecting her husband. She is confused between reality and illusion, truth and lies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLady in the Lake (1946)
Private eye Phillip Marlowe wants to get out of the detective racket and into crime writing. But when he's called to the office of editor Adrienne Fromsett, it's not to talk about his story ideas — she wants him to locate the missing wife of her boss, Mr. Kingsby. The assignment quickly becomes complicated when bodies start turning up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChateau Christmas (2020)
Margot, a world-renowned pianist, returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and is reunited with an ex who helps her rediscover her passion for music.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbsolution (2024)
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisMr. Arkadin (1955)
Claiming that he doesn't know his own past, a rich man enlists an ex-con with an odd bit of detective work. Gregory Arkadin says he can't remember anything before the late 1920s, and convict Guy Van Stratten is happy to take the job of exploring his new acquaintance's life story. Guy's research turns up stunning details about his employer's past, and as his work seems linked to untimely deaths, the mystery surrounding Mr. Arkadin deepens.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mirror Crack'd (1980)
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoor Lock (2018)
Kyung-min lives alone in a one-room apartment. One day, she finds traces of a stranger breaking into her room and soon a mysterious murder case begins to unravel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInnocent Thing (2014)
A high school teacher whose wife is about to give birth finds himself tangled in temptation and obsession when a student falls for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
Nancy Drew, a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNotorious (1946)
In order to help bring Nazis to justice, U.S. government agent T.R. Devlin recruits Alicia Huberman, the American daughter of a convicted German war criminal, as a spy. As they begin to fall for one another, Alicia is instructed to win the affections of Alexander Sebastian, a Nazi hiding out in Brazil. When Sebastian becomes serious about his relationship with Alicia, the stakes get higher, and Devlin must watch her slip further undercover.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCasablanca (1943)
In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Nude Bomb (1980)
When KAOS develops a bomb that can dissolve all clothing, Maxwell Smart is brought in to foil the evil plot.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Glass Bottom Boat (1966)
Bruce, the owner of an aerospace company, is infatuated with Jennifer and hires her to be his biographer so that he can be near her and win her affections. Is she actually a Russian spy trying to obtain aerospace secrets?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll the Old Knives (2022)
When the CIA discovers one of its agents leaked information that cost more than 100 people their lives, veteran operative Henry Pelham is assigned to root out the mole with his former lover and colleague Celia Harrison.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLast Embrace (1979)
Secret agent Harry Hannan suffers a mental breakdown when a botched mission in Mexico results in the death of his wife. He is sent to a mental asylum, after which he eventually returns to work. But, once again, he begins to doubt his sanity when he receives a bizarre death threat written in Hebrew. Not knowing which of his colleagues wants to kill him, Hannan teams up with pretty young college student Ellie Fabian to attempt to unravel the mystery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
An American doctor and his wife, a former singing star, witness a murder while vacationing in Morocco, and are drawn into a twisting plot of international intrigue when their young son is kidnapped.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Magnificent One (1973)
A writer of pulpy book series in which he's the hero and his beautiful English roommate is the love interest attempts to finish his new book in time at the publisher's demand.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChamku (2008)
A traumatized child becomes a political activist but agrees to become an assassin upon being captured.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
The Conspirators (1944)
A guerilla leader falls in love with a mysterious woman in World War II Lisbon.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Like The Present and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Present?
The closest matches to The Present are White Night (2009), Night Train to Lisbon (2013) and Nocturnal (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Present?
Start with White Night (2009), the closest match to The Present.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Present?
Casablanca (1943), rated 8.1/10 by 6,322 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Present?
Nocturnal (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like The Present?
Yes: White Night (2009), Nocturnal (2025) and Ordinary People (2018).
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.