Movies like The Search: 20 to watch next
If you loved The Search (1948) — a drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann — these 20 movies are the closest matches.
The first picks are what fans of The Search most often go on to watch; the rest share its genres and themes like adoption, auschwitz-birkenau concentration camp and post war germany. 4 of them are streaming in India right now — each entry shows where.
Where to watch The Search →·Get picks for your whole taste →
- 1
The Island on Bird Street 1997★ 7.3
Shares: Drama
Alex is an 11-year old boy who, during WWII, hides in the Jewish ghetto from Nazis after all his relatives have been sent to the concentration camp. The movie portrays the ghetto through his eyes.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 2
The Book Thief 2013★ 7.5
Shares: Drama
While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 3
The Zone of Interest 2023★ 7.0
Shares: Drama
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
Stream in India on Amazon Prime Video, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel
- 4
Woman in Gold 2015★ 7.3
Shares: Drama
Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee, takes on the government to recover artwork she believes rightfully belongs to her family.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 5
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 2008★ 7.8
Shares: Drama
When his family moves from their home in Berlin to a strange new house in Poland, young Bruno befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Unaware of Shmuel's fate as a Jewish prisoner or the role his own Nazi father plays in his imprisonment, Bruno embarks on a dangerous journey inside the camp's walls.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 6
Nowhere Special 2020★ 7.3
Shares: Drama
John, a 35-year-old window cleaner, has dedicated his life to bringing up his 4-year-old son, Michael, after the child's mother left them soon after giving birth. When John is given only a few months left to live, he attempts to find a new, perfect family for Michael, determined to shield him from the terrible reality of the situation.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 7
Hope and Glory 1987★ 6.9
Shares: Drama
A middle-aged man recalls his childhood growing up in and around London during World War II.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 8
The Boy in the Woods 2023★ 7.0
Shares: Drama
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
- 9
Lion 2016★ 8.0
Shares: Drama
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
Stream in India on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Movie Sphere+
- 10
Alone in Berlin 2016★ 6.7
Shares: Drama
Berlin in June of 1940. While Nazi propaganda celebrates the regime’s victory over France, a kitchen-cum-living room in Prenzlauer Berg is filled with grief. Anna and Otto Quangel’s son has been killed at the front. This working class couple had long believed in the ‘Führer’ and followed him willingly, but now they realise that his promises are nothing but lies and deceit. They begin writing postcards as a form of resistance and in a bid to raise awareness: Stop the war machine! Kill Hitler! Putting their lives at risk, they distribute these cards in the entrances of tenement buildings and in stairwells. But the SS and the Gestapo are soon onto them, and even their neighbours pose a threat.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 11
Empire of the Sun 1987★ 7.5
Shares: Drama
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 12
The Monuments Men 2014★ 6.1
Shares: Drama
Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and art historians who went to the front lines of WWII to rescue the world’s artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. With the art hidden behind enemy lines, how could these guys hope to succeed?
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 13
Sleepwalking 2008★ 6.1
Shares: Drama
When her boyfriend is arrested for marijuana possession, Joleen Reedy and her 11-year-old daughter, Tara, take refuge with Joleen's aimless brother, James. Joleen soon runs off with a truck driver, and James is unable to meet his responsibilities. After Child Protective Services takes possession of Tara, James abducts her from a foster home, and the two travel from California to Utah, where his abusive father lives.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 14
Second Best 1994★ 6.7
Shares: Drama
The difficult relationship between a british postal officer and his adoptive son.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 15
Swing Kids 1993★ 6.7
Shares: Drama
The story of a close-knit group of young kids in Nazi Germany who listen to banned swing music from the US. Soon dancing and fun leads to more difficult choices as the Nazis begin tightening the grip on Germany. Each member of the group is forced to face some tough choices about right, wrong, and survival.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 16
Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog 2020★ 6.8
Shares: Drama
Follow the perilous journey to freedom when a young boy and his dog attempt to escape a concentration camp during World War II. Based on true events.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 17
White Bird 2023★ 7.8
Shares: Drama
After being expelled from Beecher Prep for his treatment of a classmate with a facial deformity, Julian has struggled to fit in at his new school. To transform his life, Julian's grandmother finally reveals her own story of courage of her youth in Nazi-occupied France, where a classmate shelters her from mortal danger.
Stream in India on Netflix
- 18
Short Term 12 2013★ 7.7
Shares: Drama
Grace, a compassionate young supervisor at a foster care facility, helps at-risk teens. But when a new charge dredges up memories of her own troubled past, Grace's tough exterior begins eroding.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 19
Ladybird Ladybird 1994★ 7.2
Shares: Drama
Maggie has had four children, by four different fathers, removed by social services because of a previous violent relationship. When she meets Jorge, a gentle Latin American refugee, she gradually sees her chance for happiness, but her past still haunts her.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 20
The Great Escape 1963★ 7.9
Shares: Drama
The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.
Stream in India on MGM Plus Amazon Channel