Movies Like The Forest for the Trees

If you liked The Forest for the Trees (2004), a comedy and drama movie directed by Maren Ade, 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 Teachers' Lounge (2023)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
When one of her students is suspected of theft, teacher Carla Nowak decides to get to the bottom of the matter. Caught between her ideals and the school system, the consequences of her actions threaten to break her.
2
Young Adult (2011)
★ 5.8/10Also comedy and drama
A divorced writer from the Midwest returns to her hometown to reconnect with an old flame, who's now married with a family.
3
Suck Me Shakespeer (2013)
★ 7/10Also comedy
Ex-con Zeki Müller goes undercover as a teacher at a below average Gymnasium to find money he'd stashed prior to incarceration.
4
Contra (2020)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy and drama
With his uncouth manner, Professor Pohl doesn’t enjoy the best reputation at the university where he works. To make matters worse, he makes a racist remark when student Naima arrives late for his lecture. Unfortunately…
5
The Trouble with Angels (1966)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy
Mary and her friend, Rachel, are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by the iron fist of Mother Superior. The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and…
6
Black Sheep (1996)
★ 6.1/10Also comedy
When dignified Albert Donnelly runs for Governor, his team moves to keep his slow-witted and klutzy younger brother, Mike, out of the eye of the media. To baby-sit Mike, the campaign assigns sarcastic Steve, who gets…
7
Paper Man (2009)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy and drama
A coming-of-middle-age comedy that chronicles the unlikely friendship between failed author Richard Dunne and a Long Island teen who teaches him a thing or two about growing up, all under the disapproving eye of his…
8
Corner Office (2023)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy and drama
In this office satire, Orson, a straight-laced employee, retreats to a blissfully empty corner office to get away from his lackluster colleagues. But why does this seem to upset them so much?
9
Summer School (1987)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy
A high-school gym teacher has big plans for the summer, but is forced to cancel them to teach a "bonehead" English class for misfit goof-off students. Fortunately, his unconventional brand of teaching fun field trips…
10
Old Boys (2018)
★ 6.6/10Also comedy
In the school-set re-working of Cyrano, an awkward but imaginative pupil helps the handsome but spectacularly dim school-hero pursue the fiery daughter of a visiting French teacher.
11
Thunderstruck (2012)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
12
Big Business (1988)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy
In the 1940s in the small town of Jupiter Hollow, two sets of identical twins are born in the same hospital on the same night. One set to a poor local family and the other to a rich family just passing through. The…
13
Moxie (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy and drama
Inspired by her mom's rebellious past and a confident new friend, a shy 16-year-old publishes an anonymous zine calling out sexism at her school.
14
Carnage (2011)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy and drama
Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the discussion into chaos.
15
Berlin Blues (2003)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy and drama
In October 1989, the part of the West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg called SO 36, had been largely shut off by the Wall from the rest of the city for 28 years. A lethargic sub-culture of students, artists, bohemians and…
16
My Own Love Song (2010)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy and drama
A wheelchair-bound singer and her best friend embark on a roadtrip to Memphis.
17
The Ron Clark Story (2006)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
Passionate and innovative teacher Ron Clark leaves his small hometown to teach in one of Harlem's toughest schools. But to break through to the students, he must use unconventional methods, including his…
18
Snoopy Presents: Lucy's School (2022)
★ 7.3/10Also comedy
The Peanuts gang is anxious about starting at a new school in the fall, inspiring Lucy to start her own school instead. She soon learns that teaching isn't as easy as it sounds and that change can be a good thing.
19
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy
A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.
20
Afterlife of the Party (2021)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and drama
A social butterfly who dies during her birthday week is given a second chance to right her wrongs on Earth.