Movies Like Pétronille’s Despair

If you liked Pétronille’s Despair (1914), a movie, 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
Hard Luck (1921)
★ 6.9/10
A down on his luck young man makes several attempts at committing suicide but fails them too. He then finds himself becoming more confident through a series of petty adventures, to such an extent that this becomes his…
2
CQ (2001)
★ 5.9/10
A young filmmaker in 1960s Paris juggles directing a cheesy sci-fi debacle, directing his own personal art film, coping with his crumbling relationship with his girlfriend, and a new-found infatuation with the sci-fi…
3
On the Count of Three (2022)
★ 6.4/10
Val has reached a place where he feels the only way out is to end things. But he considers himself a bit of a failure—his effectiveness lacking—so he figures he could use some help. As luck would have it, Val’s best…
4
Isn't It Romantic (2019)
★ 6.2/10
For a long time, Natalie, an Australian architect living in New York City, had always believed that what she had seen in rom-coms is all fantasy. But after thwarting a mugger at a subway station only to be knocked out…
5
Beau Is Afraid (2023)
★ 6.7/10
Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic odyssey back home.
6
The Bed Sitting Room (1969)
★ 5.9/10
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed sitting room.
7
My Sassy Girl (2008)
★ 6.8/10
A guy has his life planned out until he is wooed, groomed and then dumped by an elusive woman.
8
A Woman Is a Woman (1961)
★ 7.3/10
Longing for a baby, a stripper pursues another man in order to make her boyfriend jealous.
9
Send Me No Flowers (1964)
★ 6.8/10
When a hypochondriac assumes that he is dying, he makes an elaborate plan to ensure his wife's happiness. However, trouble ensues when she misunderstands his intentions.
10
Meet Cute (2022)
★ 5.8/10
A wildly inventive deconstruction of the romantic comedy built around the question: What would you do if you could travel to your loved ones’ past, heal their traumas, fix their problems, and change them into the…
11
The Suicide Shop (2012)
★ 6.3/10
In a cold French city where suicide is a common urge, there is a colorful shop, managed for many years by the Tuvache family, where it is very easy to obtain the necessary tools to satisfy the sinister desires of so…
12
Dead Tired (1994)
★ 6/10
Stressed and overworked, famous French movie star Michel Blanc is beginning to wear down, physically and mentally, from the pressure and demands of fame. Already in a fragile state of mind, strange events start to…
13
Fanfan (1993)
★ 6.3/10
After seeing the initial passion and romance fade into a series of routine and boring relationships, Alexandre (Vincent Perez) concludes that romance ends when sex enters into a relationship. Determined to prevent this…
14
There's Something About Mary (1998)
★ 6.6/10
For Ted, prom night went about as bad as it’s possible for any night to go. Thirteen years later, he finally gets another chance with his old prom date, only to run up against other suitors including the sleazy…
15
French Girl (2024)
★ 6.3/10
Sweet Gordon, an affable English teacher in Brooklyn, has beaten the odds; a French Girl has fallen in love with him and he’s fallen even harder back. But their future is thrown into limbo when she interviews for an…
16
La Grande Bouffe (1973)
★ 7.1/10
Four friends gather at a villa with the intention of eating themselves to death.
17
After You (2003)
★ 6.1/10
Antoine works in a bar in Paris. One evening on his way home from work, he intervenes when a man tries to commit suicide. He feels strangely guilty about having saved the man's life and constantly tries to help him…
18
Simply Black (2020)
★ 5.9/10
A failed 40 year old comedian wants to organize the first Black protests in France but meeting with other French celebrities of the Black community will make it a whole new adventure.
19
Let's Make Love (1960)
★ 6.4/10
When billionaire Jean-Marc Clement learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue, he passes himself off as an actor playing him in order to get closer to the beautiful star of the show, Amanda Dell.
20
Podium (2004)
★ 5.9/10
Bernand Fréderic is a mediocre bank executive. He's married and has a son. He used to have another profession: being French star Claude Francois. Now, with the Imitators Gala Night coming up, he must choose between his…