Movies Like The Child

If you liked The Child (2005), a drama movie directed by Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Mildred Pierce (1945)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
A hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.
2
The Judge (2014)
★ 7.3/10Also drama
A successful lawyer returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral only to discover that his estranged father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder.
3
Mommie Dearest (1981)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
Renowned film star Joan Crawford's abuse towards Christina, her adopted daughter, intensifies as her professional and romantic relationships turn sour.
4
Short Term 12 (2013)
★ 7.7/10Also drama
Grace, a compassionate young supervisor at a foster care facility, helps at-risk teens. But when a new charge dredges up memories of her own troubled past, Grace's tough exterior begins eroding.
5
Young Mothers (2025)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
Housed in a shelter for young mothers, Jessica, Perla, Julia, Ariane, and Naïma, all of whom have grown up in difficult circumstances, struggle to obtain a better life for themselves and their children.
6
What Maisie Knew (2013)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.
7
I'll Be Home for Christmas (2016)
★ 6.1/10Also drama
Jackie Foster, a dynamic Assistant District Attorney and single mom, is looking forward to wrapping up her latest case and spending Christmas with Gracie, her adorable and precocious, eight-year old daughter. But when…
8
White Oleander (2002)
★ 7/10Also drama
A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.
9
Full Time (2022)
★ 7/10Also drama
Julie finally gets an interview for a job where she can raise her children better only to run into a national transit strike.
10
Sherrybaby (2006)
★ 6.1/10Also drama
After serving time in prison, former drug addict Sherry Swanson returns home to reclaim her young daughter from family members who have been raising the child. Sherry's family, especially her sister-in-law, doubt…
11
Chaos (2001)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
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…
12
Death of a Salesman (1985)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
Willy Loman, an aging, failing salesman, struggles to accept reality and his failure to achieve the American Dream.
13
Saint Omer (2022)
★ 6.1/10Also drama
A novelist attends the trial of a woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by abandoning her to the rising tide on a beach in northern France. But as the trial continues, her own family history, doubts, and…
14
The Glass Castle (2017)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
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…
15
The Kid with a Bike (2011)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
Abandoned by his father, a young boy is left in the hands of an unqualified childcare provider.
16
I Am Sam (2001)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
Sam, a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations as a parent start to become…
17
My Little Princess (2011)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
Young Violetta and her mother Hannah are a peculiar couple. Ten-year-old Violetta lives a quiet life with her grandmother, while her mother Hannah is an unpredictable photographer who lives off of the generosity of…
18
La Promesse (1996)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
Igor, aged 15, and his father Roger deal in housing and peddling illicit labor in the outlying districts of Liege, Belgium. Scams, lies and swindling rule their lives. When one of his father’s illegal workers gets…
19
Angel Face (2018)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
8-year-old Elli and her mother, Marlène, live in a small town by the French Riviera where they act out to relieve boredom and hide from social services. When Marlène caves in to yet another night of excess, she chooses…
20
Last Ride (2009)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
A young boy travels across Australia with his father, who's wanted by the law.