Movies like The Wave 2008
If you like "The Wave" you are looking for philosophical, political and disturbing movies about / with fascism, nazism, suicide, dictator, experiment, bullying and teacher themes of Drama and Thriller genre shot in Germany or France.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
The Wave (2008)
121K
Original name: Die Welle
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A school teacher discusses types of government with his class. His students find it too boring to repeatedly go over national socialism and believe that dictatorship cannot be established in modern Germany. He starts an experiment to show how easily the masses can become manipulated.
Style:
philosophical, political, disturbing, suspense, educational, psychological thriller, realistic, spectacular, psychological, inspirational ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens, teen drama
Plot:
fascism, nazism, suicide, dictator, experiment, bullying, teacher, teachers and students, high school, fanaticism, dictatorship, against humanity, social experiment, society, vandalism, violence, politics, friendship, death, nazi, anarchist, childhood, sociology, justice, education ...
Time:
year 2008, year 2011, 20th century, contemporary
Place:
germany, middle east, israel, europe, berlin germany, california
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to The Wave
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out serious, realistic, thought provoking and disturbing films with plots about violence, storytelling, blood, runaway, brutality, dialogue and school mostly in Drama, Thriller and Mystery genres. Some movies like The Wave: The Experiment (2001), The Believer (2001), Detachment (2011), The Experiment (2010), 2:37 (2006). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Das Experiment is a shocking psycho thriller about the potential for brutality that humans hide. Even more shocking is the fact that it’s based on an actual occurrence—a 1971 psychological experiment at Stanford University that was aborted ...
Style:
psychological, suspense, thought provoking, rough, tense ...
Plot:
prison, experiment, torture, abuse, social experiment, aggression, prison escape, disorder, degradation, warden, psychology, violence ...
Time:
year 2001, 70s, year 2002, 21st century
Place:
germany, canada
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
A hardcore American racist skinhead who, because of his intelligence, leads a gang dedicated to fighting the enemy: the supposed American-Jewish conspiracy for domination. However, he's hiding a secret: he's Jewish-born, a brilliant ...
Style:
disturbing, emotional, bleak, independent film, realistic ...
Plot:
skinhead, judaism, racism, anti semitism, neo nazi, nazism, hate, politics, identity crisis, fascism, violence spree, anger ...
Time:
year 2001, y2k, 60s, 20th century
Place:
israel, new york, usa, argentina, germany
Similarity:
100%
110K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
A chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of substitute teacher, Henry Barthes. Henry roams from school to school, imparting modes of knowledge, but never staying long ...
Style:
psychological, depressing, bleak, thought provoking, independent film ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
teacher, depression, suicide, teachers and students, dedicated educator, school, unhappy, social problems, high school life, teen angst, human relationship, social decay ...
Time:
2010s, 21st century
Place:
usa
Similarity:
75%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
Style:
psychological, rough, visually appealing, reflective, clever ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
psychology, prison, prison life, confined, gay rape, violence, brutality, experiment gone awry, bullying, prison rape, sadism, moral ambiguity ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
india
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
8K
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
A contemporary, ensemble drama telling the complex tale of six high school students whose lives are interwoven with situations that so many of today's youth are faced with. The story takes place during a normal school day. At precisely 2:37 a ...
Style:
psychological, bleak, serious, sincere, depressing ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
high school, brother sister incest, incest, rape, youth, teenage life, suicide, homosexual, high school life, teenage love, incest rape, social relations ...
Place:
south australia, adelaide south australia, australia
Similarity:
100%
37K
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.
Style:
sincere, melancholic, psychological, realistic, talky ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens, kids, teen drama
Plot:
teachers and students, high school life, adolescence, dedicated educator, high school, ethnic diversity, mentor, life philosophy, social relations, workplace, self discovery, teaching ...
Time:
year 2008, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
paris france, france, europe, morocco, caribbean ...
Similarity:
100%
17K
Genre: Drama
Country: Estonia
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
An average guy of an Estonian high-school decides to defend his bullied classmate. This starts war between him and the informal leader of the class. As teenagers' honour is a touchy thing, everything ends in bloodshed.
Style:
serious, disturbing, tense, emotional, realistic ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
bullying, school shooting, youth, humiliation, vengeance, society, life is a bitch, juvenile delinquency, social misfits, teenage life, mistreatment, friendship ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
estonia, europe, eastern europe
Similarity:
71%
20K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Belgium, Netherlands
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Harassed by bullies because of his mild autism, teen Ben (Greg Timmermans) finds refuge in an online computer game, which leads him to his virtual dream girl, Scarlite (Laura Verlinden). Together, the odd couple seeks revenge against Ben's ...
Style:
psychological, surprise ending, serious, stylized, sad ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
autism, asperger's syndrome, communication problem, escape from reality, internet, faked death, bullying, computer game, mental illness, computer, imaginary friend, antisocial behavior ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
belgium, brussels, brussels belgium
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
A tragic love story set in East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture. Stasi captain Wieler is ordered to follow author Dreyman and plunges deeper and deeper into his life until he reaches the threshold of doubting the ...
Style:
gloomy, political thriller, sincere, political, emotional ...
Audience:
date night, adult
Plot:
surveillance, cold war, spy, communism, berlin wall, stasi, politics, redemption, espionage, iron curtain, life philosophy, voyeurism ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1989, 2000s, 90s ...
Place:
east germany, germany, berlin germany, europe, soviet union ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.
Style:
touching, inspirational, emotional, motivational, sentimental ...
Audience:
chick flick, kids, teens, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
teacher, childhood, single parent, life philosophy, death, boy, good deed, disfigurement, addiction, abusive husband, childhood trauma, teacher student relationship ...
Time:
year 2000, 20th century, 90s
Place:
tibet, usa, nevada, las vegas
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
A sixteen-year-old boy insinuates himself into the house of a fellow student from his literature class and writes about it in essays for his French teacher. Faced with this gifted and unusual pupil, the teacher rediscovers his enthusiasm for his ...
Style:
suspense, witty, disturbing, surreal, enigmatic ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
writers, teacher, obsession, high school, privacy invasion, mind game, student, stalking, direction and purpose, art, desire, high school life ...
Time:
year 2012, 21st century
Place:
france, paris france
Similarity:
100%
90K
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, Austria, Germany, Italy
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
A married couple is terrorized by a series of videotapes planted on their front porch.
Style:
disturbing, psychological, clever, psychological thriller, tense ...
Plot:
suicide, nightmare, guilt, childhood, haunted by the past, hidden camera, dysfunctional family, videotaping, found footage, psychology, voyeurism, lie ...
Time:
year 2005, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
paris france, france, algeria, germany, iraq ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
A quiet and inconspicuous man (Trelkovsky) rents an apartment in France where the previous tenant committed suicide, and begins to suspect his landlord and neighbors are trying to subtly change him into the last tenant so that he too will kill ...
Style:
psychological, disturbing, atmospheric, surreal, creepy ...
Plot:
surrealism, paranoia, nightmare, satire, suicide, conspiracy, obsession, apartment building, loner, dream, landlord tenant relationship, mental illness ...
Time:
year 1976, near future, 70s, 20th century
Place:
paris france, france, europe
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: Germany
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
True story of Germany's most famous anti-Nazi heroine brought to thrilling, dramatic life. Sophie Scholl stars Julia Jentsch in a luminous performance as the fearless activist of the underground student resistance group, The White Rose. Armed ...
Style:
sincere, emotional, touching, suspenseful, political ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
world war two, politics, nazism, nazi germany, death sentence, nazi, resistance, gestapo, justice, historical character, trial, lawyer ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, year 1943, 2000s, year 2005 ...
Place:
germany, munich germany, europe, poland, berlin germany ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA, Spain
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
After her son Kevin commits a horrific act, troubled mother Eva reflects on her complicated relationship with her disturbed son as he grew from a toddler into a teenager.
Style:
disturbing, psychological, bleak, depressing, gloomy ...
Audience:
teens, toddlers, teen drama, adult
Plot:
psychopath, evil child, school shooting, high school, childhood, guilt, prison visit, depression, teenager, sociopath, antisocial behavior, teenage boy ...
Time:
year 2011, 90s, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
united kingdom, america, connecticut, usa, new york ...
Similarity:
100%
252K
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: France, Canada, USA
Duration: 164 min.
Story:
During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and ...
Style:
political, intense, brutal, political thriller, suspense ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
terrorism, espionage, assassination, mossad, vengeance, judaism, politics, terrorist, vigilante, revenge, spy, murder ...
Time:
70s, year 2005, 20th century, 2000s, year 1972
Place:
israel, middle east, palestine, germany, europe ...
Similarity:
100%
103K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent. The film chronicles the events surrounding a school shooting.
Style:
disturbing, psychological, bleak, independent film, teen ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
school shooting, violence, teacher, bullying, teenage girl, mass murder, violent, high school, teenager, youth, school, rage ...
Time:
year 2003, near future, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, oregon, ireland, portland oregon, california
Similarity:
67%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Poland
Duration: 82 min.
Story:
It's the end of the school year and today is the last chance for 12-year-old Gabrysia to tell her classmate that she has fallen in love with him. She sets up a secret meeting and blackmails the boy to show up. But what was supposed to be an ...
Style:
suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, sincere, controversial ...
Audience:
kids, toddlers
Plot:
bullying, childhood trauma, killer child, children, teenager, unrequited love, teenage love, coming of age, kidnapping, murder, tragic love, mentally unstable ...
Place:
poland
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
44K
Genre: Drama
Country: Sweden, Denmark
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
Stockholm, the fifties. Though academically bright, violent pupil Erik Ponti is expelled from his state school with the headmaster’s words “there’s only one word for people like you – evil… what you need is a good thrashing, and more”. ...
Style:
touching, emotional, rough, disturbing, psychological ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
private school, coming of age, violence, rebelliousness, rebellion, bullying, humiliation, bully, corporal punishment, friendship, abuse, high school ...
Time:
1950s, year 2003, 20th century, 50s
Place:
europe, stockholm sweden, eastern europe, scandinavia
Similarity:
67%
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Country: Russia
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Victor Sluzhkin signs on as a teacher of geography in a secondary school in his native Perm (in the Urals) and gets lost in a haze of hard vodka, desperate love for a nymphet-like student and the stress of educating teenagers. Geographer, as the ...
Style:
realistic, gloomy, cynical, psychological, thought provoking ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
teacher, adultery, teachers and students, alcohol abuse, school, friendship, youth, introspection, hopes, rafting, flirting, infatuation ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
russia, ussr
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Argentina, Spain, Norway, France
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Patagonia, 1960. A German physician meets an Argentinean family and follows them on the long desert road to Bariloche where Eva, Enzo and their three children are going to open a lodging house by the Nahuel Huapi lake. This model family reawakens ...
Style:
captivating, realistic, tense, serious, suspense ...
Plot:
war criminal, doctor, nazi war criminal, wanted, on the run, nazi hunter, family relations, hidden identity, world war two, nazi, family life, mysterious character ...
Time:
20th century, 60s, 50s, year 1960
Place:
south america, germany, latin america, argentina, patagonia
Similarity:
20%
2.6M
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 139 min.
Story:
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the ...
Style:
psychological, twist ending, surprise ending, cerebral, thought provoking ...
Audience:
manly, boys' night, chick flick, girls' night, adult
Plot:
twists and turns, self destructing, psychology, split personality, plot twist, nihilism, insanity, obsession, dissociative identity disorder, insomnia, identity crisis, mental illness ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1999, year 2013
Place:
delaware, seattle, iran, america, los angeles ...
Similarity:
20%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Trevor is a troubled high school student, thanks to the effects of bullying. This is the story of his fight to break free.
Style:
realistic, harsh, suspenseful, sincere, teen ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
bullying, school shooting, childhood, depression, teacher, bully, vengeance, social misfits, teenage life, school, violence, fighting the system ...
Place:
oregon, tokyo
Similarity:
20%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Taking place during the 1976 Soweto uprising, the story follows a white school teacher whose life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
Style:
talky, disturbing, emotional, thought provoking, realistic ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
racism, lawyer, society, legal, injustice, rebellion, discrimination, children, courtroom, freedom, chess, social commentary ...
Time:
20th century, 70s, year 1976
Place:
south africa, africa, poland, canada, new jersey ...
Similarity:
20%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
When a high school party goes dangerously off the rails, one teenager finds that revenge is just a computer click away.
Style:
suspenseful, serious, tense, captivating, independent film ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
vengeance, teenage life, youth, teenage love, social relations, rivalry, family relations, murder, social network, danger, blood, coming of age ...
Time:
year 2010, y2k, 21st century
Place:
australia
Similarity:
20%
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.
Style:
inspirational, touching, feel good, sentimental, rough ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, kids, teen drama ...
Plot:
high school, teacher, dedicated educator, teachers and students, lifestyle change, racism, teenage life, strong female lead, mentor, school teacher, bonding, idealism ...
Time:
year 2007, 20th century, year 1961, year 1999, year 2006 ...
Place:
california, los angeles, long beach california, usa
Similarity:
19%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
When 16 year old Scott Byers decided to bring a camcorder to school, none of his schoolmates ever imagined what was to come. Only Scott's five closest friends and followers have the insight on his master plan. He is on a quest for the ultimate ...
Style:
disturbing, realistic, serious, suspenseful, surreal ...
Plot:
voyeurism, loss of control, life is a bitch, introspection, destructive relationship, buddies, youth, teenage life, bullying, sociopath, suicide, high school ...
Time:
year 2004, 2000s
Similarity:
19%
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 167 min.
Story:
Inspired by true events, Olympic swimmer Harry Melchior defects from East Germany in the 1960s and hatches a daring plot to help his sister and others flee East Berlin through a 145-yard underground tunnel.
Style:
suspense, suspenseful, political, compassionate, captivating ...
Plot:
berlin wall, tunnel, politics, communism, breast feeding, political unrest, cold war, wartime, heroes, danger, daring rescue, prison escape ...
Time:
ancient times, 60s, year 2001
Place:
east germany, germany, berlin germany, west berlin west germany, german democratic republic ...
Similarity:
19%
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Canada
Duration: 144 min.
Story:
Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years just before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. The abused and suppressed children of the villagers seem to be at the heart of this mystery.
Style:
disturbing, breathtaking, art house, cerebral, visually stunning ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
punishment, children, sexual abuse, cruelty, physical appearance, suicide, child abuse, death, small town, authoritarianism, transgression, priest ...
Time:
year 1914, year 2009, 1910s, pre world war one, 2000s ...
Place:
germany, northern germany, europe, italy
Similarity:
19%
121K
Genre: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
The invasion of a village in Byelorussia by German forces sends young Florya into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha, who accompanies him back to his village. On ...
Style:
bleak, harsh, thought provoking, rough, brutal ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
world war two, genocide, war crime, against humanity, brutality, holocaust, nazi, atrocity, occupation, children in wartime, massacre, teenage girl ...
Time:
1940s, year 1943, 20th century, year 1985, near future ...
Place:
germany, persia, europe, soviet union, russia ...
Similarity:
19%
Related movie lists
