Movies like A Whole Life: 20 to watch next

If you loved A Whole Life (2023) — a drama and history film directed by Hans Steinbichler — these 20 movies are the closest matches.

The first picks are what fans of A Whole Life most often go on to watch; the rest share its genres and themes like mountain man, isolated place and austrian alps. 3 of them are streaming in India right now — each entry shows where.

Where to watch A Whole Life →·Get picks for your whole taste →

1
The Tasters 2025★ 6.7
Shares: Drama, History
In autumn 1943, in Gross-Partsch, 26-year-old Rosa, who had come from Berlin to stay with the parents of her husband Gregor, who was fighting on the Russian front, was taken by the SS to a mysterious place. Forced to taste a dish, she joins the group of tasters responsible for checking that the food destined for Hitler is not poisoned.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
2
Munich - The Edge of War 2021★ 6.9
Shares: Drama, History
At the tense 1938 Munich Conference, former friends who now work for opposing governments become reluctant spies racing to expose a Nazi secret.
Stream in India on Netflix
3
The Dark Valley 2014★ 7.0
Shares: Drama
The Alps, late 19th century. Greider, a mysterious lone rider who claims to be a photographer, arrives at an isolated lumber village, despotically ruled by a family clan, asking for winter accommodation.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
4
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser 1974★ 7.3
Shares: Drama, History
The film follows Kaspar Hauser, who lived the first seventeen years of his life chained in a tiny cellar with only a toy horse to occupy his time, devoid of all human contact except for a man who wears a black overcoat and top hat who feeds him.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
5
The Royal Siren 2010★ 6.1
Shares: Drama, History
Constance, 1410. Marie, daughter of the richest bourgeois of the city, is on the eve of marrying a prestigious lawyer, son of an earl. Although the compromise fills with pride the girl's father, anxious to ennoble, Marie is not just convinced about her fiancé, who she has only seen twice. Her suspicions are confirmed tragically on the eve of the wedding when, after signing the marriage contract, a stranger breaks into the house ensuring that Marie has slept with other men in exchange for gifts, like a vile harlot. From that moment, the life of the girl will give a terrible unexpected turnaround. Alone, with his reputation ruined, she will have no choice to survive than partnering with a prostitute and lying on the roads.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
6
Colonel Redl 1985★ 6.9
Shares: Drama, History
Set during the fading glory of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the film tells of the rise and fall of Alfred Redl, an ambitious young officer who proceeds up the ladder to become head of the Secret Police only to become ensnared in political deception.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
7
Seven Years in Tibet 1997★ 7.2
Shares: Drama, History
Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedition in 1939. But when World War II breaks out, the arrogant Harrer falls into Allied forces' hands as a prisoner of war. He escapes with a fellow detainee and makes his way to Lhasa, Tibet, where he meets the 14-year-old Dalai Lama, whose friendship ultimately transforms his outlook on life.
Stream in India on Netflix
8
A Hidden Life 2019★ 7.2
Shares: History, Drama
Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter faces the threat of execution for refusing to fight for the Nazis during World War II.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
9
Giant 2026★ 6.7
Shares: Drama, History
Follows Prince Naseem Hamed from his humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership, Naz’s unorthodox style, cocky persona, and sheer dominance in the ring propelled them to the top of boxing’s elite and unprecedented levels of global superstardom, all in the face of the rampant Islamophobia and racism of ’80s and 90’s Britain.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
10
Mary 2024★ 6.3
Shares: Drama, History
A miraculous conception. A merciless king. A murderous pursuit. Mary's journey to give birth to Jesus unfolds in this biblical coming-of-age epic.
Stream in India on Netflix
11
The German Lesson 2019★ 6.5
Shares: Drama
In a small North German village a drama played out during and shortly after the Second World War about duty versus individual conscience and morality.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
12
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan 2011★ 6.1
Shares: Drama, History
A story set in 19th century China and centered on the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
13
The Invisibles 2017★ 7.1
Shares: Drama, History
Four young Jews survive the Third Reich in the middle of Berlin by living so recklessly that they become "invisible."
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
14
The Universal Theory 2023★ 5.8
Shares: Drama
Johannes, a doctor of physics, travels with his doctoral supervisor to a scientific congress in the Alps. A series of mysterious incidents occur on site. He meets Karin, a mysterious jazz pianist who seems to know more about him than she can know. Suddenly, mysterious deaths begin to pile up and Johannes tries to uncover the secret under the mountain.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
15
The Boy in the Woods 2023★ 7.0
Shares: Drama, History
The remarkable true-life survival story of a Jewish boy hiding and being hunted in the forests of Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe, based on Maxwell Smart's memoir.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
16
I Am David 2003★ 6.8
Shares: Drama
A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a compass to help get him there.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
17
The Last Execution 2021★ 6.2
Shares: Drama
The ambitious scientist Franz Walter doesn't hesitate when he is promised a professorship at the university. He immediately accepts, pledges absolute loyalty to the system and agrees to work for the GDR's foreign intelligence service until he can take up his new position. Together with his colleague Dirk, he is sent on foreign assignments to West Germany. Franz soon has to use blackmail to get innocent people to talk. But his superiors go even further: GDR refugees and their relatives are targeted to be psychologically destroyed, forged letters, medical diagnoses, surveillance and wiretapping are on the agenda. However, this is more than Franz can bear: he feels powerless and increasingly isolates himself. When he then decides to steal secret documents for a later defection to the West, this results in an unfortunate chain reaction leading to his arrest and ultimately to his execution...
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
18
Clouds of Sils Maria 2014★ 6.6
Shares: Drama
A veteran actress comes face-to-face with an uncomfortable reflection of herself when she agrees to take part in a revival of the play that launched her career 20 years earlier.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
19
Remember 2015★ 7.3
Shares: Drama
With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
20
Mr. Turner 2014★ 6.6
Shares: History, Drama
Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful housekeeper bears an unrequited love for him.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now