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Movies like I Am Not a Swan (2016)

The best movies like I Am Not a Swan (2016) are Élisa (1995), Spy, Stand Up (1982) and Bloody Milk (2017). If I Am Not a Swan hooked you with its drama, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Élisa (1995)

    Marie has had a tough childhood ever since her mother Elisa committed suicide. She has spent most of her life in an orphanage and now makes a living as a small time criminal in Paris. Now she wants to unravel her past and find her father whom she blames for her mother's death.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  2. Spy, Stand Up (1982)

    Sebastien Grenier, a former French spy, is working as a financial analyst in Zurich. However, his peaceful existence starts to disintegrate when he is recruited by a top French intelligence operative to discover how one of their own secret agents was found out and executed in broad daylight.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  3. Bloody Milk (2017)

    Pierre, in his thirties, is a breeder of dairy cattle. His life revolves around his farm, his veterinarian sister and his parents whose livestock he took over. As the first cases of a zoonotic outbreak are reported in France, Pierre discovers that one of his animals is infected. He cannot cope with the perspective of losing the whole herd. They are everything he has and he will do whatever it takes to save them.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  4. Adieu Philippine (1962)

    Michel is a young technician in the fledgling TV industry and is due for military service in two months at the time of the Algerian War. Juliette and Liliane are inseparable best friends, and aspiring actresses, who hang around outside the TV studio. Michel invites them in to watch, flirts with them both, and dates them separately and together. When Michel goes on a holiday to Corsica, just before he is drafted, the girls follow.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  5. Thank You, Life (1991)

    Camille, a naïve schoolgirl, meets an intriguing influence in Joelle, a slightly older and much more experienced spirit. Camille follows her new friend through the discovery of sex and the darker side of life. As the film progresses, Camille discovers AIDS and the fear that she may have picked up the disease in her early encounters.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  6. Out of Control (2025)

    Julien and Marie have enjoyed 15 years of seemingly stable marriage until Anaëlle, Julien’s childhood flame, returns. Her sudden presence awakens old insecurities in Marie, who begins to doubt Julien’s devotion and question her self-worth. Amid this emotional storm, Marie is drawn to Thomas, a charismatic stranger who offers her the validation she craves.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  7. Haute Couture (2021)

    Esther is at the end of her career as Head Seamstress at Dior Avenue Montaigne workshop. One day, she gets her handbag stolen in the metro by a 20 years old girl, Jade. Instead of calling the police she decides to take care of Jade. She sees in her the opportunity to pass on her skills, the craft of dressmaking, her only wealth. In the frenetic world of Haute Couture, Esther will give Jade la beauté du geste, a way to reach beyond herself.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  8. Brother (2019)

    Because he wanted to protect his little brother, Teddy, a young man without a history, is accused of the murder of his father and sent to a closed educational center, waiting for his trial for parricide. He then plunges into a brutal universe of which he does not know the rules.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  9. Pasha (1968)

    Six months before his retirement from the criminal police, inspector Joss finds his colleague Gouvion dead, in a poorly faked suicide attempt. Joss loses his temper, and investigates on his own, which leads him through the bas-fond of Paris...

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  10. On the Edge (2022)

    One night, Leo, a Spaniard working in Brussels as a subway driver, sees a young man on the edge of the platform, just before he falls onto the tracks.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  11. A Single Girl (1995)

    A young Parisian must make major decisions about pregnancy, a job, and her boyfriend.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  12. Out of Love (2025)

    When Jeanne, a meticulous insurance assessor, is suddenly left to care for her estranged sister’s two children after their mother vanishes, her carefully ordered life begins to unravel. Confronted with unexpected responsibilities, she must balance the fragile task of earning the children’s trust while also tending to her own relationship with her girlfriend, who struggles to adjust to Jeanne’s new role. As grief, uncertainty, and shifting loyalties mount, Jeanne finds herself redefining what family and love truly mean.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  13. The Long Absence (1961)

    Therese, a café owner, mourns the mysterious disappearance of her husband sixteen years earlier. A tramp arrives in the town and she believes him to be her husband. But he is suffering from amnesia and she tries to bring back his memory of earlier times.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  14. L'Argent (1928)

    Adapted from the novel L'Argent by Émile Zola, the film portrays the world of banking and the stock market in Paris in the 1920s.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. Chaos (2001)

    A bourgeois couple, modern yet conventional. One night by accident, a young prostitute barges into their lives. Hounded down, beaten up, threatened, she will continue to struggle, with the help of a well off lady, first for her survival-her resurrection-then for her dignity and freedom. Stormy encounters for everyone involved.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  16. The Minister (2011)

    Transport Minister Bertrand Saint-Jean is awoken in the middle of the night by his head of staff. A bus has gone off the road into a gully. He has no choice but to go to the scene of the accident. Thus begins the odyssey of a politician in a world that is increasingly more complex and hostile.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  17. Secret Name (2021)

    Nelie escaped a miserable existence by becoming a frontline nurse in 1914. One day, she takes the identity of Rose, a young woman from a good family, who dies in front of her. She presents herself in her place at Madame de Lengwil's house, to become the reader of this wealthy woman.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  18. Farewell to the Night (2019)

    Muriel is overjoyed, as her beloved grandson Alex is staying at her place for a few days before moving to Canada to work. But when the changes in his behavior arouse her curiosity, she is led to the discovery of a dark secret.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  19. The Passengers of the Night (2022)

    On election night in 1981, celebrations spill out onto the street and there is an air of hope and change throughout Paris. But for Elisabeth, her marriage is coming to an end and she will now have to support herself and her two teenage children. She finds work at a late-night radio show and encounters a troubled teenager named Talulah whom she invites into her home.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  20. All to Play For (2023)

    Sylvie lives with her two children whom she’s raising on her own. One evening, there’s an accident, and her youngest son is removed from her care. Sylvie must subsequently fight to get her son back and to keep herself afloat.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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Like I Am Not a Swan and something else?

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like I Am Not a Swan?

The closest matches to I Am Not a Swan are Élisa (1995), Spy, Stand Up (1982) and Bloody Milk (2017). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after I Am Not a Swan?

Start with Élisa (1995), the closest match to I Am Not a Swan.

What is the highest-rated movie like I Am Not a Swan?

Bloody Milk (2017), rated 6.9/10 by 218 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like I Am Not a Swan?

Out of Love (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there French movies like I Am Not a Swan?

Yes: Élisa (1995), Spy, Stand Up (1982) and Bloody Milk (2017).

How are movies similar to I Am Not a Swan chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside I Am Not a Swan, 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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