15 Movies Like That Special Summer
Loved That Special Summer? Based on its unique Cinema DNA—including its pacing, themes, and emotional tone—we've curated the ultimate list of what you should watch next.
#1
All Things Fair
In 1943 Malmö, 15-year-old Stig is attracted to his teacher Viola, 22 years his senior, who, drawn to his youth and innocence, believes the lad is a God-sent relief from her miserable marriage to a drunken, unfaithful lout.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#2
Pleasure
19 year old Linnéa leaves her small town in Sweden and heads for Los Angeles with the aim of becoming the world's next big porn star, but the road to her goal turns out to be bumpier than she imagined.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#3
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Swedish thriller based on Stieg Larsson's novel about a male journalist and a young female hacker. In the opening of the movie, Mikael Blomkvist, a middle-aged publisher for the magazine Millennium, loses a libel case brought by corrupt Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. Nevertheless, he is hired by Henrik Vanger in order to solve a cold case, the disappearance of Vanger's niece
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#4
The Seventh Seal
When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#5
The Square
A prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#6
Lilya 4-ever
In a struggling post-Soviet community, Lilya a teenage girl is abandoned when her mother moves to the United States with her boyfriend. Facing neglect and poverty, she meets Andrei, who offers her a job in Sweden, giving her hope for a better life — and a journey that will change everything.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#7
Persona
A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#8
Je m'appelle Agneta
Craving a fresh start, recently unemployed Agneta accepts an au pair gig in Provence that turns into an indulgent escape — and an unexpected awakening.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#9
Wild Strawberries
Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor's own first love.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#10
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of Millennium magazine, has made his living exposing the crooked and corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse underage girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#11
Let the Right One In
When Oskar, a sensitive, bullied 12-year-old boy, meets his new neighbor, the mysterious and moody Eli, they strike up a friendship. Initially reserved with each other, Oskar and Eli slowly form a close bond, but it soon becomes apparent that she is no ordinary young girl.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#12
Evil
Stockholm, in the 1950s. Erik is expelled from the local school for getting into one brawl too many. To protect Erik from his violent stepfather’s reaction to his expulsion, Erik's mother arranges for Erik to spend a year at Stjärnsberg Boarding School, the only school willing to accept him. This is Erik's last chance to graduate to Upper School and he promises his mother, for his and her sake, to do all he can to stay out of trouble.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#13
Border
When a border guard with a sixth sense for identifying smugglers encounters the first person she cannot prove is guilty, she is forced to confront terrifying revelations about herself and humankind.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.
#14
Mr. Turner
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.
💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked That Special Summer.
#15
A Man Called Ove
Despite being deposed as president of his condominium association, grumpy 59-year-old Ove continues to watch over his neighbourhood with an iron fist. When pregnant Parvaneh and her family move into the terraced house opposite Ove and she accidentally backs into Ove’s mailbox, it sets off a series of unexpected changes in his life.
💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to That Special Summer.