Movies Like The Polgar Variant

If you liked The Polgar Variant (2014), a movie directed by Yossi Aviram, 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
Queen of Katwe (2016)
★ 7.2/10
A young girl overcomes her disadvantaged upbringing in the slums of Uganda to become a Chess master.
2
Queen of Chess (2026)
★ 7.6/10
A Hungarian girl dreams of conquering international men’s chess. After a 15-year battle against world champion Garry Kasparov and her domineering father, Judit Polgár revolutionizes the sport’s patriarchal culture to…
3
The Black Cat (1934)
★ 6.7/10
After a road accident in Hungary, the American honeymooners Joan and Peter and the enigmatic Dr. Werdegast find refuge in the house of the famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig, who shares a dark past with the doctor.
4
Mistress America (2015)
★ 6.5/10
A college freshman cures her disappointment and loneliness by allowing herself to be pulled into the wacky schemes of her future stepsister.
5
Sunshine (1999)
★ 6.5/10
The fate of a Hungarian Jewish family throughout the 20th century.
6
The Notebook (2013)
★ 6.6/10
In a village on the Hungarian border, two young brothers grow up during war time with their cruel grandmother and must learn every trick of evil to survive in the absurd world of adults.
7
An American Rhapsody (2001)
★ 6.4/10
A Hungarian family forced to flee the Communist country for the United States must leave a young daughter behind. Six years later, the family arranges to bring the absent daughter to the United States where she has…
8
A Real Pain (2024)
★ 6.8/10
Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
9
Red Sparrow (2018)
★ 6.5/10
Prima ballerina Dominika Egorova faces a bleak and uncertain future after she suffers an injury that ends her career. She soon turns to Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people…
10
Pawn Sacrifice (2015)
★ 6.7/10
During the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire.
11
The Countess (2009)
★ 5.9/10
Kingdom of Hungary, 17th century. As she gets older, powerful Countess Erzsébet Báthory (1560-1614), blinded by the passion that she feels for a younger man, succumbs to the mad delusion that blood will keep her young…
12
One Life (2023)
★ 7.8/10
British stockbroker Nicholas Winton visits Czechoslovakia in the 1930s and forms plans to assist in the rescue of Jewish children before the onset of World War II, in an operation that came to be known as the…
13
The Book Thief (2013)
★ 7.5/10
While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.
14
Quiz Lady (2023)
★ 6.7/10
A brilliant but tightly wound, gameshow-obsessed young woman, Anne, and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister, Jenny, must work together to help cover their mother's gambling debts. When Anne's beloved dog is…
15
The Devil's Arithmetic (1999)
★ 6.8/10
An American-born Jewish adolescent, Hannah Stern, is uninterested in the culture, faith and customs of her relatives. However, she begins to revaluate her heritage when she has a supernatural experience that transports…
16
Schindler's List (1993)
★ 8.6/10
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
17
Freedom Writers (2007)
★ 7.9/10
A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.
18
Untold: Chess Mates (2026)
★ 7/10
Magnus Carlsen, widely regarded as the greatest chess player of all time, is challenged by Hans Niemann, a rising star who capitalizes on the meteoric growth of online chess. Niemann’s ascension culminated in an epic…
19
Computer Chess (2013)
★ 6.1/10
At the American Computer Chess Convention, enthusiasts gather to pit their programs against other computer chess programs and human players in a tournament for a grand prize of $7500.
20
The Zone of Interest (2023)
★ 7/10
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.