Movies Like Breaking the Waves (1996)

Breaking the Waves is a 1996 drama, romance film from Lars von Trier with a MovieMagicScore of 7.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Léon Morin, Priest and First Reformed.

Drama Romance

Léon Morin, Priest

1961

Barny, although a Marxist, is intrigued by the mysteries of religion. In confession, she teases a priest, Léon Morin, but he is a young and intelligent man and ready to discuss anything.

7.0

MagicScore

First Reformed

2018

A pastor of a small church in upstate New York starts to spiral out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist and his pregnant wife.

7.0

MagicScore

East Is East

1999

In 1971 Salford fish-and-chip shop owner George Khan expects his family to follow his strict Pakistani Muslim ways. But his children, with an English mother and having been born and brought up in Britain, increasingly see themselves as British and start to reject their father's rules on dress, food, religion, and living in general.

6.5

MagicScore

The Discovery of Heaven

2001

Disappointed with humanity, God wants to revoke his contract with humanity and wants to take back the stone tablets containing the ten commandments. To this end an angel is sent out to affect the personal lives of three humans so an appropriate child may be conceived.

6.3

MagicScore

Takva: A Man's Fear of God

2006

Humble and introvert Muharrem lives in a solitary and meager existence of a prayer and sexual abstinence adhering strictly to the most severe Islamic doctrines.His extraordinary devotion attracts the attention of the leader of a rich and powerful Istanbul religious group and he offers him an administrative post as a rent collector for their numerous properties. Muharrem's new job throws him into the modern outside world he has successfully avoided for so long. He soon witnesses conflict attitude toward alcohol consumption and goodwill.He notices that he himself has become proud, domineering and even dishonest.To make matters worse, Muharrem's inner peace is unnerved by the tormenting image of seductive woman who tempts him in his dreams,both night and day.With the balance of his devotion now upset,his fear of God begins to eat away at his senses.

7.1

MagicScore

Bruce Almighty

2003

Bruce Nolan toils as a "human interest" television reporter in Buffalo, NY, but despite his high ratings and the love of his beautiful girlfriend, Bruce remains unfulfilled. At the end of the worst day in his life, he angrily ridicules God — and the Almighty responds, endowing Bruce with all of His divine powers.

6.7

MagicScore

Courageous

2011

Law enforcement officers Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their partners stand up to the worst the streets have to offer with confidence and focus. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood. They know that God desires to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, but their children are beginning to drift further and further away from them. When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God... and to their children?

7.6

MagicScore

Adam's Apples

2005

A neo-nazi sentenced to community service at a church clashes with the blindly devotional priest.

7.4

MagicScore

Chocolat

2000

A mother and daughter move to a small French town where they open a chocolate shop. The town, religious and morally strict, is against them, as they represent free-thinking and indulgence. When a group of gypsies arrive by riverboat, the Mayor's prejudices lead to a crisis.

7.0

MagicScore

#10

Priest

1995

The deeply held religious convictions of an idealistic young priest are challenged when he must face extraordinary events within his own congregation.

6.3

MagicScore

#11

The Rite

2011

Seminary student Michael Kovak reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. While he’s in Rome, Michael meets an unorthodox priest who introduces him to the darker side of his faith, uncovering the devil’s reach even to one of the holiest places on Earth.

6.1

MagicScore

#12

Agnes

2021

Rumors of demonic possession at a religious convent prompts a church investigation into the strange goings-on among its nuns. A disaffected priest and his neophyte are confronted with temptation, bloodshed and a crisis of faith.

4.2

MagicScore

#13

End of Days

1999

On 28 December 1999, the citizens of New York City are getting ready for the turn of the millennium. However, Satan decides to crash the party by coming to the city and searching for his chosen bride — a 20-year-old woman named Christine York. The world will end, and the only hope lies within an atheist named Jericho Cane.

6.1

MagicScore

#14

Proteus

1995

Group of heroin smugglers finds shelter on abandoned oil rig after their ship had exploded. Soon they find that the oil rig was just cover for biological experiment. One of the results is Charlie - shape-shifting monster with ability to absorb the memory of its victims. However, even such creatures have their own bad habits.

4.7

MagicScore

#15

Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist

2005

Father Merrin takes a sabbatical from the Church to devote himself to history and archaeology as he struggles with his shattered faith.

5.3

MagicScore

#16

Evan Almighty

2007

God contacts Junior Congressman Evan Baxter and tells him to build an ark in preparation for a great flood.

5.6

MagicScore

#17

Italian for Beginners

2000

Several lonely hearts in a semi-provincial suburb of a town in Denmark use a beginner's course in Italian as the platform to meet the romance of their lives. The film, which unspools the connections and family drama shared between the students, complies with several aesthetic principles of Dogme 95 movement.

6.4

MagicScore

#18

The Poseidon Adventure

1972

When their ocean liner capsizes, a group of passengers struggle to survive and escape.

7.1

MagicScore

#19

Open Hearts

2002

Cecilie and Joachim are about to get married when a freak car accident leaves Joachim disabled, throwing their lives into a spin. The driver of the other car, Marie, and her family don’t get off lightly, either. Her husband Niels works in the hospital where he meets Cecilie and falls madly in love with her.

7.0

MagicScore

#20

The Secret Life of Words

2005

A solitary nurse bonds with a badly burned patient who survived an accident on an oil rig.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Breaking the Waves?

The top films similar to Breaking the Waves by MovieMagicScore are Léon Morin, Priest (7.0), First Reformed (7.0), East Is East (6.5). Each shares drama/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Breaking the Waves worth watching?

Breaking the Waves holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.5/10 from 1,064 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Breaking the Waves?

Breaking the Waves (1996) is a drama, romance film directed by Lars von Trier, starring Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge.

Where can I find more recommendations like Breaking the Waves?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Léon Morin, Priest Movies like First Reformed Movies like East Is East Movies like The Discovery of Heaven Movies like Takva: A Man's Fear of God Movies like Bruce Almighty

About movies like Breaking the Waves

This ranked list pairs Breaking the Waves (1996), a drama and romance film from Lars von Trier, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Emily Watson take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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