Movies like The Night of the Butterfly (2021)
The best movies like The Night of the Butterfly (2021) are Newness (2017), An Affair of Love (1999) and Time Is Up (2021). If The Night of the Butterfly hooked you with its romance and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGabriel's Inferno: Part III (2020)8.3/10 from 1,097 votes
- NewestLadybug (2023)Released 2023
- In FrenchAn Affair of Love (1999)Also in French
Newness (2017)
In contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAn Affair of Love (1999)
A man and a woman meet to fulfill her sexual fantasy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTime Is Up (2021)
Vivien, an accomplished student with a passion for physics, and Roy, a troubled young man, are involved in an accident that forces them to reclaim their lives one minute at the time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFire with Fire (1986)
A tough, street-smart kid serving a sentence in a state youth reformatory meets a beautiful, innocent girl studying at a nearby convent. When forbidden love blossoms between them, they must fight the prison authorities, their parents and the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Limit (2022)
Roxana Aubrey decides to drop her studies and escape her life in Paris for a free diving course in the south of France. She is quickly pulled into a life that reaches new depths brought by the weight of an ocean's descent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret: Dare to Dream (2020)
A widow with three children hires a handyman to fix her house during a major storm. When not doing home repairs, he shares his philosophy of believing in the power of the universe to deliver what we want.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Fugitive Kind (1960)
Val Xavier, a drifter of obscure origins, arrives at a small town and gets a job in a store run by Lady Torrence. Her husband, Jabe M. Torrance, is dying of cancer. Val is pursued by Carol Cutere, the enigmatic local tramp-of-good-family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Everlasting (2016)
Bridger is a young outsider who's always wanted more. He and his mother flee an abusive home, eventually finding a small town in the middle of nowhere. Once there, Bridger finds true acceptance with another misfit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMore Than Ever (2022)
Hélène, a 33-year-old woman from Bordeaux, France, lives happily as a couple with Mathieu, her husband of many years. Her life turns upside down the day she learns she has a rare lung disease. Thanks to a blog, she discovers Norway and decides to follow her instinct. Despite all the love she has for her life partner Mathieu, who is very supportive through her illness, she leaves him behind in France and will cross all Europe to Norway alone in search of a new path and to meet a blogger named Mister that she found on the internet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGabriel's Inferno: Part III (2020)
The final part of the film adaption of the erotic romance novel Gabriel's Inferno written by an anonymous Canadian author under the pen name Sylvain Reynard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCesar and Rosalie (1972)
A young woman becomes entangled with a successful businessman, but her ex tries to win her back, provoking intense jealousy that leads her to reconsider her choice. Ultimately, one man's actions force a resolution to her dilemma.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGame of Love (2022)
Follows Vivien and Roy as their love story continues and leads them to Roy’s childhood home in Sicily to prepare for the sale of the family estate. During the visit, a mysterious woman arrives and befriends Vivien, much to Roy’s displeasure. Tensions build and lines are crossed as secrets from Roy’s past force the couple to face aspects of their relationship they did not know existed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022)
Clare and Aidan make a pact to break up before college — no regrets, no broken hearts. But will one epic goodbye date offer them a last chance at love?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn Secret (2014)
In 1860s Paris, a young woman, Therese, is trapped in a loveless marriage to the sickly Camille by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin. She spends her days behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame play dominos with an eclectic group. After she meets her husband’s alluring friend, Laurent, she embarks on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences. Based on Emile Zola’s novel, Thérèse Raquin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoonlight Mile (2002)
As he copes with the death of his fiancee along with her parents, a young man must figure out what he wants out of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSylvie's Love (2020)
When a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father’s record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPurple Hearts (2022)
An aspiring musician agrees to a marriage of convenience with a soon-to-deploy Marine, but a tragedy soon turns their fake relationship all too real.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSee You Soon (2019)
A U.S. soccer star suffers a career-threatening injury in the run-up to the World Cup, and during his recovery, embarks on an epic romance with a Russian single mom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Neighbors' Window (2019)
The story of a middle-aged woman with small children whose life is shaken up when two free-spirited twenty-somethings move in across the street.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Match Girl (1928)
An impoverished girl tries to sell matches on New Year's Eve. Shivering with cold and unable to sell her wares, she sits in a sheltered nook. Striking a match to keep warm, the flame shows her what's beyond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarrio Boy (2014)
A Latino barber quietly falls in love with a handsome stranger over the course of a haircut during a hot and sweaty summer afternoon in a macho Brooklyn hood.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Awakening (2008)
Carsten is dating Melissa, who introduces him to her parents. On a camping trip with Melissa's family, Carsten finds that he shares a secret with Melissa's father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Double (2012)
In a gloomy era of Taiwan under Japanese rule, there's a noble family, the mother of the twins of different sexes died early, and their father works for the government away from home. YU, the twin brother, have nightmares every night about being drowned by someone. He is lonely and longing to talk to his sister, but he could not meet her. Because AMEKO, the twin sister, has been in illness isolation since childhood. Things become strange while their cousin WEN CHENG was returning from Japan. YU finds out a big secret of the whole family, about his sister and the killer in the dream.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ganef (2020)
Confusion escalates when a little girl thinks she sees her beloved family cleaner steal a precious ornament.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Mon chéri (2015)
On a hot summer‘s day, lonely Franklin is invited to play with other kids for the first time since moving to a new village. But when the children stumble across a recently moved-in house and observe his mother, things take a drastic turn – and Franklin once again has to play a role that he is not meant for…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
In Transit (2012)
Based on true events, the film is the meeting of two people from diametricaly opposite cultures at a typical Los Angeles bus stop. The more they interact, they realize one common factor brought them together as their lives intersect in transit.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Afternoon Sun (2020)
Under the harsh rays of the sun, Carlos is laying down. There is sunburn on his back. The wind is still. The air is warm. There’s a dryness in the air. He can barely breathe, until he sees Mateus.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ladybug (2023)
A detached girl finds comfort in a ladybug.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Notes from the Arctic Circle (2005)
Jack drives around his hometown of Mount Gambier, South Australia, looking for an excuse, however trivial, to snap, to vent and to rage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Verity (2010)
The thrilling story of Verity Lambert and her struggle to get Doctor Who on the air. The legendary producer's amazing story, written by Thomas Cowell and Joey Guy, is a must-see for both fans of the show and those who aren't so keen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Night of the Butterfly?
The closest matches to The Night of the Butterfly are Newness (2017), An Affair of Love (1999) and Time Is Up (2021). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Night of the Butterfly?
Start with Newness (2017), the closest match to The Night of the Butterfly.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Night of the Butterfly?
Gabriel's Inferno: Part III (2020), rated 8.3/10 by 1,097 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Night of the Butterfly?
Ladybug (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like The Night of the Butterfly?
Yes: An Affair of Love (1999), No Limit (2022) and More Than Ever (2022).
How are movies similar to The Night of the Butterfly chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Night of the Butterfly, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.