10 Movies Like Netflix's Through My Window

The Spanish-language Netflix trilogy "Through My Window" follows Raquel (Clara Galle), a teen girl who has had a crush on her neighbor Ares (Julio Peña) for a long time. When he climbs through her window one night and the two argue about WiFi, they are finally in each other's orbit for the first time, despite having lived beside each other for years. Though things seem to progress between them, Ares continues to pull away, hurting Raquel in the process.

Like other teen dramas, "Through My Window" handles themes like discovering yourself, first love, tense family dynamics, and confronting the unknown. Ares' father creates a barrier for the couple, trying to discourage Ares from seeing Raquel, only confusing the teens more. Though he puts her through heartbreak again and again, Raquel and Ares find a way to be in each other's lives.

Based on Venezuelan author Ariana Godoy's popular Wattpad novel, the Netflix trilogy has a substantial fan base, with the first installment maintaining a place on the top five list of foreign language films on the streamer. For audiences looking for something similar to consume once they're done with the trilogy, here are the ten best movies like "Through My Window" to watch next.

The Spanish-language film "My Fault" follows Noah (Nicole Wallace), a teen moving in with her mother's new husband. She leaves her friends and boyfriend behind, only to be met with Nick (Gabriel Guevara), her now step-brother who immediately pushes her buttons. Noah and Nick throw insults back and forth, but that doesn't stop Nick from being protective of her and the two realizing there's something between them. Noah's mother is firmly against them exploring it, not because of them necessarily being step-siblings, but because she and her daughter could look like they're after Nick's family's money.

Noah from "My Fault" and Raquel from "Through My Window" are both teens who are used to it being them and their mothers against the world. Both come from middle class upbringings, compared to the richer backgrounds their love interests have. Additionally, the families of Nick and Ares don't agree with the relationships, with Ares' father calling Raquel a distraction and Nick's father agreeing with Noah's mother that the two should not be together.

"Through My Window" and "My Fault" are complementary films in many ways. Both are foreign language movies featuring teen drama and strong female main characters struggling with their attraction to someone that is perceived as off limits. Also, both are part of trilogies, making them the perfect movies for a marathon weekend. Critics didn't vibe with it, but with an audience score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, it's clear that viewers found it engaging.

• Starring: Nicole Wallace, Gabriel Guevara, Marta Hazas
• Director: Domingo González
• Year: 2023
• Runtime: 1h 57m
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 0%

Set against a backdrop of the 2008 economic recession in the United States, "First Love" is about two high school seniors who meet, fall in love, and then are pulled away from each other during college. Jim (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and Ann (Sydney Park) meet in the school library, and he's immediately intrigued by her. As the two continue to interact, Jim falls even harder for Ann, while she tries to keep their situation casual at her mother's recommendation.

There's a lot about "First Love" that "Through My Window" fans will enjoy, with there being many similarities in terms of the stories and characters. Jim and Ares are trying to meet expectations their fathers have set for them, for example. The teens go about their relationships differently from the start, but health events cause them to rethink what they want in life and who they want to spend it with, causing them to go after Ann and Raquel, respectively.

Jim and Ann are in a healthier dynamic than Ares and Raquel, but their families still create wedges in the lives of both couples. While Ares' parents aren't on board with him spending time with Raquel, Ann's mother is worried her daughter is putting all her energy into something that won't go anywhere when she leaves for college. Though it hurts their children at times, the parents have their best interests in mind, even if it doesn't always come across that way. It might not be one of the greatest college films of all time, but it is one of the most emotional. 

• Starring: Diane Kruger, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Sydney Park
• Director: A. J. Edwards
• Year: 2022
• Runtime: 1h 36m
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 33%

Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) and her younger brother are spending the summer with their father Steven (Greg Kinnear) after their parents' divorce three years before. For Ronnie, this is a worst case scenario because she's purposefully not communicated with him since the divorce. While spending time with her dad in his sleepy beach town, she meets Will (Liam Hemsworth), a popular teen from an influential family. The two begin to see each other despite the ups and downs that come their way, while Ronnie learns more about her family and reconnects with one of her passions.

Much like Ares' parents, Will's parents are not a fan of his relationship with Ronnie. His family is one of the more well-off in the area, putting Ronnie in an awkward situation when his parents aren't expecting her to come to family events or even be in Will's life. Like Raquel, Ronnie is trying to find her a creative outlet. Ronnie previously gave up her interest in piano because of how she felt about her dad, and Raquel doesn't have the courage to write her story, but the young women find their ways in the end.

"The Last Song" is a Nicholas Sparks adaptation that echoes the messages of finding yourself and going after the person you love that are central to "Through My Window." For Will, that means transferring colleges to be with Ronnie, and for Ares, that means climbing back through Raquel's window. 

• Starring: Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, Greg Kinnear
• Director: Julie Anne Robinson
• Year: 2010
• Runtime: 1h 48m
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 21%

As Tessa (Josephine Langford) heads to college, she gets more than she bargained for when she's introduced to Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), one of her roommate's friends. After a less-than-friendly interaction at a fraternity party, the two realize they have a class together and keep running into each other. Hardin starts to pursue her, and Tessa falls for him, even though she has a boyfriend back home. Just when it seems like Hardin and Tessa work through the obstacles in their way and become a couple, Tessa finds out Hardin's initial intentions weren't as pure as she thought.

As the "After" series continues, more and more of Hardin's father issues are on display, which is not unlike Ares' story in "Through My Window." Both male characters struggle with how to have a relationship with their dads, especially with the weight of their expectations. Tessa and Raquel continue to give Hardin and Ares chances, even when they're hurt over and over again, hoping that each time will be the last. They even have friends willing to point that out to their love interests.

"Through My Window" and "After" are both based on Wattpad stories that have had commercial success as film adaptations. While the latter boasts more movies (here's how to watch the "After" movies in chronological order) than the Netflix trilogy, both have similar relationship dynamics, both between the couples and between the guys and their dads. The back and forth of "After" is sure to keep fans of "Through My Window" intrigued.

• Starring: Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Selma Blair
• Director: Jenny Gage
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 1h 45m
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 18%

Valeria (Annie Cabello) and Alex (Ralf Morales) don't get along well in person, but when they accidentally start talking to each other anonymously online, everything changes. Through the social media landscape, they become friends, an ear for the other as they work through common teen struggles. The two fall for each other in this faceless form, not realizing the other is someone they know and despise in the real world.

Ares and Valeria experience similar parental expectations. Valeria's parents want her to work for the family company and she wants to go into the film industry, whereas Ares is able to defy his father's plan and study medicine like he wants to, but only after an accident. There is also a class difference between Valeria and Alex, just like in "Through My Window." However, it's flipped, so the male lead is the one in the middle class family trying to hold his own among his more well-off peers.

For fans looking for another foreign language flick, the Mexican movie "Anonymously Yours" is the one to watch. It provides a story that hits the same beats and has a technological aspect to rival that of the WiFi situation in "Through My Window." Rather than communicating through a WiFi password, Valeria and Alex talk through messaging, though the nature of the communication is just as amusing as wondering when Ares will come through Raquel's window next. It may not be among the greatest Netflix films ever made, but it is the perfect watch for fans of "Through My Window."

• Starring: Annie Cabello, Ralf Morales, Estefi Merelles
• Director: Maria Torres
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 1h 40m
• IMDb Rating: 5.8

Tyler (Robert Pattinson) is a bookstore worker with a complicated dynamic with his father. Ally (Emilie de Ravin) is a college student in New York who also struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with her dad. When Tyler seeks Ally out as a way to get back at the police officer who arrested him, who happens to be Ally's father, the two begin a love story that turns into something more than the revenge Tyler intended it to be.

Both Ally and Tyler mirror Ares and his connection with his dad. Though to varying degrees, the three of them are put in positions that force them to speak against their dads and go against what they want. Raquel and Ally also go through difficult times when Ares and Tyler betray them, though both couples reconcile in the end after coming to the conclusion that there's genuine feelings there.

A word of warning: "Remember Me" comes with a devastating ending. It isn't what anyone expects, but it reinforces the need to go for what (or who) you want in life, even when that doesn't seem possible. For Raquel, that's writing her story, and for Ally, that's trying to move forward from her mother's death.

• Starring: Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Pierce Brosnan
• Director: Allen Coulter
• Year: 2010
• Runtime: 1h 53m
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 26%

Waverly's (Andrea Bang) parents made plans for an amazing internship before she starts her medical residency, but all she wants to do is take a bit of a break before embarking on her next chapter. She heads to her aunt's house in a coastal town for the summer, all while telling her parents she's at the internship. While spending time with her aunt, she makes new friends, including her aunt's neighbor Blake (Robbie Amell), and realizes where she wants her life to go outside of what her parents decide for her.

"Float" is a great option for a movie with a similar feel to "Through My Window" but following older characters. It provides a look at how these circumstances can occur at any point in life, and that even as an adult, it can be difficult to go against what your parents want for you. By defying that, Waverly finally gets to try new things and take chances, something she hadn't had the liberty to do before. This is exactly like how Raquel finally writes down her story after consistently putting it off.

"Through My Window" and "Float" both feature female leads trying to find the courage to do something more with their lives. For Raquel, that's putting herself out there for Ares and starting to write, and for Waverly, it's breaking away from her parents' life plan. Ares and Waverly are in that boat together, giving her strong parallels with both leads of the Netflix movie.

• Starring: Andrea Bang, Robbie Amell, Michelle Krusiec
• Director: Sherren Lee
• Year: 2023
• Runtime: 1h 40m
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 46%

"Everything, Everything" takes being separated by a window to a new level as Maddy (Amandla Stenberg), a teen living with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), becomes interested in her new neighbor Olly (Nick Robinson). The two watch each other through their bedroom windows, eventually exchanging phone numbers and texting. Because of her immunodeficiency, Maddy can't go outside, but that doesn't stop Olly from decorating windows in her house and trying to connect with her the best he can despite the literal wall that has to be between them. 

Like Raquel and her mother, Maddy and her mom are incredibly close. It's been the two of them for as long as Maddy can remember, and when your world is that small, it causes you to both hold on to what you know and seek out new people. In turn, she struggles with her mother's expectations of what life will be for her because of her diagnosis. When Maddy finally takes a chance, she realizes everything she knew isn't what she thought, forcing her to alter her world view, like Raquel does when putting her story on paper.

Olly and Ares both have complicated relationships with their fathers that spill over into their worldviews. While Ares lets that dictate how he handles his feelings toward Raquel, Olly's family ends up leaving the area to get away from his dad, causing Olly and Maddy to separate for a time.

• Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, Anika Noni Rose
• Director: Stella Meghie
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 1h 36m
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 45%

When Henry (Austin Abrams) meets a new student at school, his life changes. Grace (Lili Reinhart), a teen who uses a walking cane, keeps to herself, though she participates in school activities like the newspaper. The two are made editors of the paper, causing them to interact more. As Henry gets to know her, he falls hard, but Grace is still going through emotional turmoil tied to a car accident, one that left her using the cane and afraid to drive.

"Chemical Hearts" is from a male perspective, giving audiences a look at someone else experiencing a love like Raquel is. Henry and Raquel both endure mixed signals and confusing interactions with Grace and Ares, respectively, causing them to be unsure of where they stand and hurting them again and again. They both pine for a person that isn't giving them that in return. While Grace and Ares are experiencing incredibly different situations, both cause them to question their feelings and build a wall in their relationships.

Like the aforementioned film "Remember Me," the Amazon original "Chemical Hearts" is an emotional story that doesn't have a happy ending. It has one of the most realistic endings of the movies on this list, showing a clear picture of where Raquel and Ares' relationship could have led if Ares hadn't come back, and providing another look at how indecision can impact the love lives of teenagers.

• Starring: Lili Reinhart, Austin Abrams, Sarah Jones
• Director: Richard Tanne
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 1h 33m
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%

"The Spectacular Now" follows Sutter (Miles Teller), a senior in high school who doesn't know what to do next. After his girlfriend breaks up with him, he begins acting out, getting drunk and disengaging with the world around him. That changes when he meets Aimee (Shailene Woodley) one morning. She begins helping him with geometry, and the two spend more time together. While Aimee falls for him easily, Sutter continues to go back and forth about his feelings.

Sutter regularly disappoints Aimee, much like how Ares makes Raquel feel. The two teens are going through their own personal issues, which causes them to reject something positive in their lives at the expense of Aimee and Raquel. Like Raquel does with Ares, Aimee continues to give Sutter chances, even after one of their arguments results in her being hit by a car and breaking her arm.

"Through My Window" and "The Spectacular Now" both feature male leads who are working through difficult relationships with their father and can't quite decide where they want their future to lead. In the process, they hurt young women that care for them deeply, but eventually find their way back after reflection and time. If you liked how "Through My Window" finished, then you'll love the ending of "The Spectacular Now."

• Starring: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson
• Director: James Ponsoldt
• Year: 2013
• Runtime: 1h 35m
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%