Movies Like These things never happened but have always been

If you liked These things never happened but have always been, a movie directed by Pierluca Ditano, 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
The Machinist (2004)
★ 7.5/10
Trevor, an insomniac lathe operator, experiences unusual occurrences at work and home. A strange man follows him everywhere, but no one else seems to notice him.
2
Small Body (2022)
★ 6.9/10
A young woman in early-1900s Italy searches for a mystical sanctuary where her stillborn child can be brought back to life long enough to be baptized.
3
The Children's Train (2024)
★ 7.4/10
In late 1940s Italy, a mother makes the difficult decision to send her son to the north, where he catches glimpses of a new life away from poverty.
4
Don't Worry Darling (2022)
★ 6.8/10
Alice and Jack are lucky to be living in the idealized community of Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. But when cracks in their…
5
Safe Haven (2013)
★ 7.2/10
A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
6
Aspromonte: Land of The Forgotten (2019)
★ 6.3/10
At the end of the 1950s in Africo, a small village in the southern valley of Aspromonte, a woman dies in childbirth because a doctor fails to arrive on time. No road connects Africo with the other villages. In the wake…
7
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
★ 7.5/10
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with…
8
There's Still Tomorrow (2023)
★ 8.1/10
In postwar Rome, a working-class woman dreams of a better future for herself and her daughter while facing abuse at the hands of her domineering husband. When a mysterious letter arrives, she discovers the courage to…
9
5 Is the Perfect Number (2019)
★ 6.3/10
Peppino, a retired hitman for the Camorra, has now fully passed on his job and know-how to his single son, Nino. But when Nino is brutally assassinated, the old man is back in business to take revenge. Aside his…
10
Stealing Beauty (1996)
★ 6.7/10
Lucy Harmon, an American teenager is arriving in the lush Tuscan countryside to be sculpted by a family friend who lives in a beautiful villa. Lucy visited there four years earlier and exchanged a kiss with an Italian…
11
Odd Thomas (2013)
★ 7/10
In a California desert town, a short-order cook with clairvoyant abilities encounters a mysterious man with a link to dark, threatening forces.
12
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
★ 8.2/10
Unemployed Antonio is elated when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. However on his first day, his bicycle—essential to his work—gets stolen. His job is doomed unless he can find the thief…
13
Ovosodo (1997)
★ 7.2/10
From childhood to fatherhood, Piero learns things the hard way while growing up in a working-class neighborhood of Livorno.
14
Sweetheart (2025)
★ 6.6/10
A reluctant summer together transforms into an enchanting adventure when a young boy discovers his aunt's mysterious Sicilian house holds secrets and, perhaps, ancient spirits lurking within its walls.
15
City of Ember (2008)
★ 6.4/10
For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to…
16
Golden Door (2006)
★ 6.5/10
The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century in Sicily. Salvatore, a very poor farmer, and a widower, decides to emigrate to the US with all his family, including his old mother. Before they embark, they meet…
17
The Roof (1956)
★ 7.3/10
Under provincial Italian law at the time, once a roof is erected, the occupants cannot be evicted from a building. This film follows the efforts of a family to erect the roof on a house overnight so that a newlywed…
18
Made in Italy (2020)
★ 6/10
A bohemian artist travels from London to Italy with his estranged son to sell the house they inherited from his late wife.
19
Man with No Past (2025)
★ 6.5/10
Waking up in an unfamiliar city, a man with no memory must confront the mysteries of his own identity. However, his desperate search to uncover the past pits him against a powerful enemy, leading to a showdown that…
20
Judy & Punch (2019)
★ 6.1/10
In the anarchic town of Seaside, nowhere near the sea, puppeteers Judy and Punch are trying to resurrect their marionette show. The show is a hit due to Judy's superior puppeteering but Punch's driving ambition and…