Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like Christy:
Echo Valley
Echo Valley isn’t a disaster—it’s handsomely shot, capably acted, and carries the skeleton of a compelling story. But the execution is underwhelming. With muddled direction, an emotional arc that doesn’t fully connect, and a central relationship between Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney’s characters that is more implied than developed, this Apple TV+ release lands closer to forgettable than impactful. It’s a film with some standout moments, but not nearly enough of them.
Emily the Criminal
Emily the Criminal is a tense star vehicle for one of the industry’s biggest risers, the committed and ambitious Aubrey Plaza. The movie lives and dies by her performance, and she’s able to carry the weight of this thriller a majority of the time.
Small Things Like These
I thought Cillian Murphy couldn’t get any more wide-eyed and weathered than in his Oscar-winning turn as the title character in Oppenheimer, but just one role later, he manages to do exactly that in Small Things Like These. Serving as a low-key star vehicle for one of the industry’s most steadfast and quietly expressive performers, Murphy feels almost too right for a role like this. The film simply follows him—face etched with equal parts resilience and sorrow—through a small Irish town during the Christmas season as he uncovers deeply unsettling truths about the Catholic Church, an institution that looms heavily over nearly every citizen in town.
Love Lies Bleeding
There’s really nothing like Love Lies Bleeding. I don’t necessarily subscribe to the blanket notion that they don’t make movies like they used to anymore – but I will say, Hollywood hasn’t consistently made films as erotic and thrilling like this since the 1980s and 90s. Rose Glass directs the dynamic duo of Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
A sense of dread and despair blankets the entirety of Fire Walk with Me, the prequal movie centered on the torment and inevitable death of Homecoming queen Laura Palmer in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington. There’s little fun to be had as much of the movie descends into a few frightening subplots with characters hiding dark secrets.
A History of Violence
Leave it to David Cronenberg to deconstruct the mythical American hero with odd wit and clinical detail. A History of Violence looks like a small-town melodrama on the surface, then peels back skin to expose identity, impulse, and the stories we tell to survive. Viggo Mortensen gives one of his sharpest performances as Tom Stall, a soft-spoken diner owner whose quick, efficient dispatching of two spree killers turns him into a local legend and blows up the quiet life he has built with Edie, played with fierce tenderness by Maria Bello.
The Iron Claw
The Iron Claw is a powerful reminder of the human spirit being both enduring and fragile. It’s a movie that redefines what a sports movie can be, leaving viewers emotionally spent and profoundly moved. This is, without a doubt, one of 2023’s greatest achievements in filmmaking, a confirmed *masterpiece* that will linger in your mind and heart long after the final bell rings.
Moneyball
Moneyball might not look or sound like your typical sports movie, but that’s precisely what makes it the greatest one ever made. Directed by Bennett Miller and written by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian, this 2011 adaptation of Michael Lewis’ bestselling nonfiction book isn’t just about baseball—it’s about systems, failure, reinvention, and what it means to succeed on your own terms. At its core, it’s a somber, deeply human character study, anchored by what may be the best performance of Brad Pitt’s career.
One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is a movie of firsts that never feels tentative. It is his first modern-set feature since Punch-Drunk Love, his first collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio, and his first film of this scale, reportedly in the $130 to $175 million range. What is not new is the command. From the first explosion to the last chase, this is PTA in full control, turning a feverish political thriller into one of 2025’s most purely thrilling big-screen experiences.
Read our full review of One Battle After Another
Reality
While certainly thought provoking and original, Reality succumbs to odd stylistic choices and a rather uninteresting approach. Sydney Sweeney stars, and struggles to shed the glamour she’s built the last few years.
READ MORE: Christy (2025)
