Movies Like Parental Leave

If you liked Parental Leave (2020), a movie directed by Matthew Taylor Blais, 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
Cosmic Ray (1962)
★ 6.4/10
Experimental short uses Ray Charles' “What'd I Say” as accompaniment to constantly shifting collage of female nude, cartoons, and newsreels of atomic bomb explosions.
2
Black Mirror (2011)
★ 7.8/10
A nameless drifter navigates a barren landscape punctuated by satellite dishes, radio towers and droning airplanes. Stopping periodically in anonymous hotel rooms, she makes attempts to connect to an unidentified…
3
Vicious (2025)
★ 6/10
When Polly receives a mysterious box, it comes with one rule: place inside something she needs, something she hates, and something she loves. If she doesn’t obey, it will consume everything—and everyone—she’s ever known.
4
Eleanor the Great (2025)
★ 6.8/10
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
5
Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022)
★ 7.2/10
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
6
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025)
★ 7.1/10
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
7
Curve (2016)
★ 6.9/10
Clinging to a smooth, curved surface high above a sentient abyss, a woman tries to cover the few feet back to safety without losing purchase and falling to her death.
8
Not Without Hope (2025)
★ 6.6/10
A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.
9
Write Before Christmas (2019)
★ 6.9/10
A recently single Jessica sends Christmas cards to people who have impacted her life—the aunt who raised her, her younger brother in the military, a popstar who was part of the soundtrack of her life, the music teacher…
10
Very Nice, Very Nice (1961)
★ 6/10
Arthur Lipsett's first film is an avant-garde blend of photography and sound. It looks behind the business-as-usual face we put on life and shows anxieties we want to forget. It is made of dozens of pictures that seem…
11
Snoopy Presents: It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown (2022)
★ 7.3/10
Charlie Brown is determined to win the big baseball game. But things turn into a fiasco right before the matchup, when Sally bonds with a little flower on the pitcher's mound and vows to protect it at all costs.
12
29th Street (1991)
★ 6.9/10
After winning $6.2 million in the 1976 New York State Lottery, he is arrested for throwing rocks at a church. He then tells his story at the police station.
13
The Last Waltz (1978)
★ 7.7/10
Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and other…
14
Border Hunters (2025)
★ 6.1/10
After his police officer brother is killed by a drug dealer who flees to the protection of his cartel-connected uncle in Mexico, an American man with a diverse law enforcement/military background goes south of the…
15
Competition (2015)
★ 6.1/10
Two minions working in a bomb lab get competitive.
16
My Mom Jayne (2025)
★ 8/10
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and…
17
The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)
★ 7.3/10
A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.
18
Arlo the Alligator Boy (2021)
★ 6.8/10
Upon learning that he is from New York City, a wide-eyed boy, who is half human and half alligator, decides to leave his sheltered life in the swamp and search for his long lost father. A musical adventure.
19
Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King (2014)
★ 6.8/10
A documentary filmmaker interviews the now-famous Trevor Slattery from behind bars.
20
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
★ 7.8/10
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.