Movies like Ah Girl (2026)
The best movies like Ah Girl (2026) are Ilo Ilo (2013), What Maisie Knew (2013) and Buddha Mountain (2011). If Ah Girl hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBoyhood (2014)7.5/10 from 5,709 votes
- NewestIn The Ever (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseIlo Ilo (2013)Also in Chinese
Ilo Ilo (2013)
During the late 1990s, a busy working-class Singaporean couple hires a Filipino woman as a maid and nanny to their young son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBuddha Mountain (2011)
In Chengdu, China, a retired female opera singer named Master Chang takes in a trio of young tenants into her boarding home. The tenants include a rock singer and a college student who has run away from home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDearest (2014)
A story centered around a divorced couple living in a southern Chinese city Shenzhen and dealing with the disappearance of their missing son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBreathe In (2013)
When a foreign exchange student arrives in a small upstate New York town, she challenges the dynamics of her host family's relationships and alters their lives forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisUpstream (2024)
A moment of impulsiveness turns Gao Zhilei into a "stay-at-home" individual, but he never expected his life to take a turn in the opposite direction. A series of changes compel him to take on his responsibilities as the head of the family. When life's burdens hit hard, he must confront himself and start anew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pumpkin Eater (1964)
Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaught by the Tides (2024)
Years after her boyfriend left her for the big city and promised to bring her there after he’s settled down, a Chinese woman sets out on a journey to be reunited with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Father's Shadow (2025)
Two young brothers explore Lagos with their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis, witnessing both the city's magnitude and their father's daily struggles as political unrest threatens their journey home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVive L'Amour (1994)
Three lonely young denizens of Taipei unknowingly share an apartment: May, a real estate agent who uses it for her sexual affairs; Ah-jung, her current lover; and Hsiao-kang, who's stolen the key and uses the apartment as a retreat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this5 Flights Up (2014)
A long-time married couple who've spent their lives together in the same New York apartment become overwhelmed by personal and real estate-related issues when they plan to move away.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTerrorizers (1986)
An uncompromising look into urban life from the eyes of a voyeuristic photographer, a rebellious teenager, and a married couple teetering on the edge of adultery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Gift (2015)
Simon and Robyn are a young married couple whose life is going as planned until a chance run-in with Simon's high school acquaintance sends their world into a tailspin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Dog (2024)
Released from jail, Lang returns to his hometown in Northwest China. As part of a dog patrol tasked with clearing stray dogs before the 2008 Olympics, he bonds with a black stray. The two lonely souls embark on a new journey together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTaipei Story (1985)
A young woman urgently seeks to navigate the maze of contemporary Taipei and find a future. She hopes that her boyfriend Lung is the key to the future, but Lung is stuck in a past that combines baseball and traditional loyalty that leads him to squander his nest egg bailing her father out of financial trouble.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSky (2016)
A woman embarks on a journey alone across the United States after fleeing from her violent husband.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Question of Faith (2017)
When Tragedy Strikes three Families, their Destiny forces them on a coverging path and mercy as the challenges of their fate could also resurrect their beliefs
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHere (2024)
An odyssey through time and memory, centered on a place in New Jersey where—from wilderness, and then, later, from a home—love, loss, struggle, hope and legacy play out between couples and families over generations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne & Two (2015)
In an isolated farmhouse, located in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by a mysterious wooden wall, Zac and Eva, two siblings gifted with extraordinary abilities, endure every day the wrath of their strict father while witnessing how a cruel sickness lurks their beloved mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Wicked Tale (2005)
A Wicked Tale is a thriller based on the story of the Little Red Riding Hood, a tale about manipulation, seduction and innocence lost.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Ballad of the Sunset Kid (2025)
A granddaughter struggles to care for her grandfather, whose fading memories and haunting hallucinations blur reality, in this poignant tale of love and communication.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Don’t Cry, Butterfly (2025)
After discovering her husband’s affair on live television, a wedding venue worker seeks a powerful spell master to win back his love, while her daughter dreams of a brighter future abroad and a mysterious spirit haunts their crumbling home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Thalaivan Thalaivii (2025)
Two headstrong lovers navigate a turbulent relationship where passion and conflict intertwine, creating an intense emotional bond through their shared journey.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Zwei Menschen (1919)
An actor and his wife have a tumultuous relationship. It ends in separation and a child custody battle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
Charles, an attorney, and Helen, his devoted wife, seem to have everything – money, a beautiful mansion – the American Dream. However, as Helen prepares to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary, her life takes an unexpected twist when she comes home to find her clothes packed up in a U-Haul van parked in the driveway. Charles is divorcing her and kicks her out. Helen moves in with her grandmother Madea, an old woman who doesn't take any lip from anyone. Madea helps Helen through these tough times by showing her what is really important in life. Helen is forced to rediscover love, life, and religion in her pursuit for happiness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLearning to Drive (2014)
As her marriage dissolves, a Manhattan writer takes driving lessons from a Sikh instructor with marriage troubles of his own. In each other's company they find the courage to get back on the road and the strength to take the wheel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this15 (2003)
Five troubled teens, abandoned by society and family, form a bond in a world of violence, drugs, and self-destruction, facing harsh realities of modern Singapore.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
In The Ever (2026)
Blending intimate voice-over with the fractured memories of a 1970s folksinger, IN THE EVER follows Sam Ellis, a mechanic, whose songs written for his dead mother become a surprise hit. Unable to cope with fame, Sam retreats to a desert ranch, where an unexpected love affair forces him to confront his pain in order to move forward. The film is a love letter infused in music. With 70s needle drops, an original score by Sonny Luca, and original music by lead actor and co-writer/director C.M. Sutton, watching IN THE EVER feels like listening to a complete album.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
King Rat (1965)
When Singapore surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, the Allied POWs, mostly British but including a few Americans, were incarcerated in Changi prison. Among the American prisoners is Cpl. King, a wheeler-dealer who has managed to establish a pretty good life for himself in the camp. King soon forms a friendship with an upper-class British officer who is fascinated with King's enthusiastic approach to life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Ah Girl?
The closest matches to Ah Girl are Ilo Ilo (2013), What Maisie Knew (2013) and Buddha Mountain (2011). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Ah Girl?
Start with Ilo Ilo (2013), the closest match to Ah Girl.
What is the highest-rated movie like Ah Girl?
Boyhood (2014), rated 7.5/10 by 5,709 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Ah Girl?
In The Ever (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Ah Girl?
Yes: Ilo Ilo (2013), Buddha Mountain (2011) and Dearest (2014).
How are movies similar to Ah Girl chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ah Girl, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.