Movies Like The Emigrants

If you liked The Emigrants (1971), a drama and history movie directed by Jan Troell, 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
Train Dreams (2025)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and western
A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.
2
The Dead Don't Hurt (2024)
★ 6.5/10Also western and drama
In the 1860s, fiercely independent French-Canadian Vivienne Le Coudy embarks on a journey with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen, attempting to forge a life together in the dusty town of Elk Flats, Nevada. When Holger…
3
Hostile Territory (2022)
★ 6.9/10Also western and drama
Former P.O.W. Jack Calgrove moves Heaven and Earth to be reunited with his children following the Civil War. After returning home, Jack discovers that his wife has tragically died and his children, presumed to be…
4
Dances with Wolves (1990)
★ 7.8/10Also drama and western
Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with…
5
Frontera (2014)
★ 6.5/10Also western and drama
After crossing the border illegally for work, Miguel, a hard-working father and devoted husband, finds himself wrongfully accused of murdering a former sheriff’s wife. After learning of his imprisonment, Miguel’s…
6
Cabrini (2024)
★ 7.7/10Also history and drama
Italian immigrant Francesca Cabrini arrives in 1889 New York City and is greeted by disease, crime, and impoverished children. Cabrini sets off on a daring mission to convince the hostile mayor to secure housing and…
7
Heaven's Gate (1980)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and western
Harvard graduate James Averill serves as the sheriff of prosperous Jackson County, Wyoming, standing at the center of a conflict between impoverished immigrants and affluent cattle farmers. Politically connected…
8
The Way West (1967)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and western
In the mid-19th century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western US. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on…
9
Wake of the Red Witch (1948)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and history
Captain Ralls fights Dutch shipping magnate Mayrant Sidneye for the woman he loves, Angelique Desaix, and for a fortune in gold aboard the Red Witch.
10
The Cowboys (1972)
★ 7.1/10Also western and drama
When his cattlemen abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his cowboys in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. The boys…
11
Against the Ice (2022)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and history
In 1909, two explorers fight to survive after they're left behind while on a Danish expedition in ice-covered Greenland.
12
True Grit (1969)
★ 7.3/10Also western and drama
The murder of her father sends a teenage tomboy on a mission of 'justice', which involves avenging her father's death. She recruits a tough old marshal, 'Rooster' Cogburn because he has 'true grit', and a reputation of…
13
The Call of the Wild (1972)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and western
John Thornton, is a fearless man who's after more than gold; he wants to do what's right. Thornton works for the U.S. mail and is the only person daring and smart enough to figure out how to travel the deadly 600 miles…
14
Shane (1953)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and western
A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smouldering settler and rancher conflict forces him to act.
15
Cry Macho (2021)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and western
A one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder takes a job from an ex-boss to bring the man's young son home from Mexico.
16
The Impossible (2012)
★ 7.4/10Also drama and history
In December 2004, close-knit family Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas, the idyllic holiday turns into an incomprehensible nightmare when a terrifying…
17
A Hidden Life (2019)
★ 7.2/10Also history and drama
Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter faces the threat of execution for refusing to fight for the Nazis during World War II.
18
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
★ 8/10Also drama and western
Two jobless Americans convince a prospector to travel to the mountains of Mexico with them in search of gold. But the hostile wilderness, local bandits, and greed all get in the way of their journey.
19
News of the World (2020)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and western
A Texan traveling across the wild West bringing the news of the world to local townspeople, agrees to help rescue a young girl who was kidnapped.
20
Rob Roy (1995)
★ 6.7/10Also history and drama
In the highlands of Scotland in the 1700s, Rob Roy tries to lead his small town to a better future, by borrowing money from the local nobility to buy cattle to herd to market. When the money is stolen, Rob is forced…