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Movies like I, Julia (2020)

The best movies like I, Julia (2020) are I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), What Maisie Knew (2013) and The Girl in the Book (2015). If I, Julia hooked you with its drama, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977)

    A disturbed and institutionalized 16-year-old girl struggles between fantasy and reality.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  2. What 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 this
  3. The Girl in the Book (2015)

    The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  4. Gracie (2007)

    A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. Inside I'm Dancing (2004)

    Michael is a 24-year-old who has cerebral palsy and long-term resident of the Carrigmore Residential Home for the Disabled, run by the formidable Eileen. His life is transformed when the maverick Rory O'Shea moves in.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. Gimme Shelter (2013)

    After running away from her abusive mother, a streetwise teen seeks refuge with her father, but he rejects her when he learns that she's pregnant.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Little Boy Blue (1998)

    Living in rural Texas is a dysfunctional family: an abusive dad, a Vietnam vet with a war wound that's left him impotent; a compliant wife and a son of about 20, two small sons who look a lot like their brother. The dad harbors a secret, and he goes to murderous lengths to keep it hidden. The young man, Jimmy, who has suspicions, but little comes out until a Yankee woman comes to town.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. The Young One (1960)

    A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. The Kindness of Strangers (2019)

    Clara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter. While stealing food at a Russian restaurant called ‘Winter Palace’, Clara meets Marc, who has been given the chance to help the old eatery regain its former glory. The ‘Winter Palace’ soon becomes a place of unexpected encounters between people who are all undergoing some sort of crisis and whom fate has now brought together.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. Light of My Life (2019)

    Years after a pandemic wipes out most of the female population, a father struggles to shield his daughter from a dangerous and predatory world.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. The Truth About Emanuel (2013)

    A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. The Crush (1993)

    A precocious and obsessive teenager develops a crush on a naive writer with harrowing consequences.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. Skin (2009)

    Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. The Glass Castle (2017)

    A young girl is raised in a dysfunctional family constantly on the run from the FBI. Living in poverty, she comes of age guided by her drunkard, ingenious father who distracts her with magical stories to keep her mind off the family's dire state, and her selfish, nonconformist mother who has no intention of raising a family, along with her younger brother and sister, and her other older sister. Together, they fend for each other as they mature in an unorthodox journey that is their family life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. The Nest (2020)

    Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Alex of Venice (2015)

    After her stay-at-home husband leaves her, a workaholic lawyer finds that she is not completely up to the tasks of caring for her young son, ailing father and household all by herself.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  17. Thirteen (2003)

    When 13-year-old Tracy befriends Evie, the most popular girl in school, her life is turned upside down as Evie introduces her to a world of sex, drugs, and money. But it isn’t long before Tracy’s new lifestyle begins to take a heavy toll on her and her family.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Cape Fear (1962)

    Sam Bowden witnesses a rape committed by Max Cady and testifies against him. When released after 8 years in prison, Cady begins stalking Bowden and his family but is always clever enough not to violate the law.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. Kisses (2008)

    Two kids, Dylan and Kylie, run away from home on Christmas Day and spend a night of magic and terror on the streets of inner-city Dublin.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. Hungry Hearts (2015)

    The relationship of a couple who meet by chance in New York City is put to the test when they encounter a life or death circumstance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like I, Julia and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like I, Julia?

The closest matches to I, Julia are I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), What Maisie Knew (2013) and The Girl in the Book (2015). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after I, Julia?

Start with I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), the closest match to I, Julia.

What is the highest-rated movie like I, Julia?

Inside I'm Dancing (2004), rated 7.4/10 by 243 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like I, Julia?

The Nest (2020) is the most recent release on this list.

How are movies similar to I, Julia chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside I, Julia, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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