Movies Like The Lover

If you liked The Lover (1996), a movie directed by Olivier Smolders, 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
Desire (2011)
★ 6.3/10
In a social context deteriorated by a countrywide economic crisis, the life of several people will be turned upside down after they meet Cécile, a character who symbolizes desire.
2
Sometimes I Think About Dying (2024)
★ 6.8/10
Fran likes to think about dying. It brings sensation to her quiet life. When she makes the new guy at work laugh, it leads to more: a date, a slice of pie, a conversation, a spark. The only thing standing in their way…
3
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1976)
★ 7.4/10
A lonely young widow lives with her son following an immutable order: while the boy is in school, she cares for their apartment, does chores, and receives clients in the afternoon.
4
The Smiling Madame Beudet (1923)
★ 6/10
An unhappily married woman devises a scheme to get rid of her husband.
5
Elegy (2008)
★ 6.3/10
Cultural critic David Kepesh finds his life -- which he indicates is a state of "emancipated manhood" -- thrown into tragic disarray by Consuela Castillo, a well-mannered student who awakens a sense of sexual…
6
Three Colors: White (1994)
★ 7.4/10
Polish immigrant Karol Karol finds himself out of a marriage, a job and a country when his French wife, Dominique, divorces him after six months due to his impotence. Forced to leave France after losing the business…
7
The Voyeurs (2021)
★ 6.5/10
When Pippa and Thomas move into their dream apartment, they notice that their windows look directly into the apartment opposite – inviting them to witness the volatile relationship of the attractive couple across the…
8
I Want Your Sex (2026)
★ 6/10
When a naive young man becomes the sexual muse for a renowned and provocative artist, his dream job quickly turns dangerous as he is drawn into an obsessive world of power, betrayal, and murder.
9
India Song (1975)
★ 6.3/10
Anne-Marie Stretter, the wife of a French diplomat in 1930s India, takes many lovers to relieve the boredom in her life.
10
Nude (2017)
★ 9.2/10
NUDE explores perceptions of nudity in art by chronicling the creative process of photographer David Bellemere as he's commissioned by NU Muses founder Steve Shaw to shoot a fine art calendar of nude photographs.
11
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
★ 7.6/10
A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires…
12
Yes, God, Yes (2020)
★ 6.3/10
Alice, a young innocent Catholic girl, is tempted into masturbating after an AOL chat suddenly turns sexual, however is conflicted as the act would be considered a sin.
13
The Windshield Wiper (2021)
★ 7/10
Inside a cafe while smoking a whole pack of cigarettes, a man poses an ambitious question: "What is Love?". A collection of vignettes and situations will lead the man to the desired conclusion.
14
That Most Important Thing: Love (1975)
★ 7/10
Servais Mont, a freelance photographer who works taking compromising photos, gets fascinated by Nadine Chevalier, a tormented low-budget movie actress married to an eccentric film photo collector.
15
L'Âge d'or (1930)
★ 6.8/10
The film consists of a series of tightly interlinked vignettes, the most sustained of which details the story of a man and a woman who are passionately in love. Their attempts to consummate their passion are constantly…
16
Caught in a Cabaret (1914)
★ 5.8/10
Charlie is a clumsy waiter in a cheap cabaret, suffering the strict orders from his boss. He meets a pretty girl in the park and tries to impress her by pretending to be an ambassador. Unfortunately she has a jealous…
17
A Woman (1915)
★ 6.1/10
Mother, father and daughter go to the park. The women doze off on a bench while the father plays a hide-and-seek game with a girl, blindfolded. Charlie leads him into a lake. Both dozing ladies on the bench fall for…
18
I Like Movies (2023)
★ 6.9/10
Socially inept 17-year-old cinephile Lawrence Kweller gets a job at a video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager.
19
Hamnet (2025)
★ 7.7/10
The powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.
20
Emmanuelle (1974)
★ 6/10
An employee at the French Embassy in Bangkok invites his wife to join him – and enjoy the benefits of their open marriage.