Best French movies to watch
By the KyaDekhu team · Updated · Availability for India from JustWatch, ratings from IMDb
The highest-rated French movies streaming in India right now, ranked by vote-weighted IMDb rating. Every pick is on a subscription or free app today.
50 titles across 1 language, average IMDb rating 7.6.
1. Léon: The Professional (1994)
Movie · French · 1h 51m · A · Crime, Drama · IMDb 8.5 (14L votes)
Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
2. Night and Fog (1956)
Movie · French · 32m · Documentary, History · IMDb 8.6 (24K votes)
Filmmaker Alain Resnais documents the atrocities behind the walls of Hitler's concentration camps.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + dark, gritty edges
4. The 400 Blows (1959)
Movie · French · 1h 39m · Drama · IMDb 8.0 (1.4L votes)
For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law,
Feels like: dark, gritty edges + family-friendly fun
5. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Movie · French · 2h 1m · Drama, Romance · IMDb 8.0 (1.3L votes)
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + mind-bending twists
7. Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)
Movie · French · 1h 32m · Drama, History · IMDb 7.8 (40K votes)
The deep conversation between a Japanese architect and a French actress forms the basis of this celebrated French film, considered one of the vanguard productions of the French New Wave. Set in Hiroshima after the end of World War II, the couple -- lovers turned friends -- recount, over many hours, previous romances an
Feels like: mind-bending twists + dark, gritty edges
8. Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
Movie · French · 1h 30m · Drama · IMDb 7.8 (32K votes)
Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand and cameos by
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + family-friendly fun
9. Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
Movie · French · 2h 31m · UA · Thriller, Mystery · IMDb 7.6 (2.4L votes)
A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + edge-of-seat suspense
10. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
Movie · French · 1h 36m · Drama · IMDb 7.7 (25K votes)
The story of a donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations beyond his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fat
Feels like: dark, gritty edges + big-screen spectacle
11. The Double Life of Véronique (1991)
Movie · French · 1h 38m · Drama, Fantasy · IMDb 7.6 (58K votes)
Véronique is a beautiful young French woman who aspires to be a renowned singer; Weronika lives in Poland, has a similar career goal and looks identical to Véronique, though the two are not related. The film follows both women as they contend with the ups and downs of their individual lives, with Véronique embarking on
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-screen spectacle
12. The Count of Monte Cristo (2024)
Movie · French · 2h 58m · Adventure, Action · IMDb 7.6 (51K votes)
Edmond Dantès becomes the target of a sinister plot and is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After 14 years in the island prison of Château d’If, he manages a daring escape. Now rich beyond his dreams, he assumes the identity of the Count of Monte-Cristo and exacts his revenge on the three men
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + mind-bending twists
13. Jules and Jim (1962)
Movie · French · 1h 46m · Drama, Romance · IMDb 7.6 (47K votes)
In the carefree days before World War I, introverted Austrian author Jules strikes up a friendship with the exuberant Frenchman Jim and both men fall for the impulsive and beautiful Catherine.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-screen spectacle
14. Fantastic Planet (1973)
Movie · French · 1h 12m · Animation, Science Fiction · IMDb 7.6 (44K votes)
On the planet Ygam, the Draags, extremely technologically and spiritually advanced blue humanoids, consider the tiny Oms, human beings descendants of Terra's inhabitants, as ignorant animals. Those who live in slavery are treated as simple pets and used to entertain Draag children; those who live hidden in the hostile
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + mind-bending twists
15. Sans Soleil (1983)
Movie · French · 1h 40m · Documentary · IMDb 7.7 (13K votes)
A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-screen spectacle
16. The Beaches of Agnès (2008)
Movie · French · 1h 50m · Documentary · IMDb 8.0 (5.4K votes)
Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda, the award-winning director regarded by many as the grandmother of the French new wave, turns the camera on herself with this unique autobiographical documentary. Composed of film excerpts and elaborate dramatic re-creations, Varda's self-portrait recounts the highs and lows of her professio
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-hearted warmth
17. I Lost My Body (2019)
Movie · French · 1h 21m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.5 (39K votes)
A story of Naoufel, a young man who is in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-screen spectacle
18. Vagabond (1985)
Movie · French · 1h 46m · Drama · IMDb 7.6 (16K votes)
Mona Bergeron is dead, her frozen body found in a ditch in the French countryside. From this, the film flashes back to the weeks leading up to her death. Through these flashbacks, Mona gradually declines as she travels from place to place, taking odd jobs and staying with whomever will offer her a place to sleep. Mona
Feels like: mind-bending twists + dark, gritty edges
19. The Gleaners and I (2000)
Movie · French · 1h 22m · Documentary · IMDb 7.7 (10K votes)
Varda focuses her eye on gleaners: those who scour already-reaped fields for the odd potato or turnip. Her investigation leads from forgotten corners of the French countryside to off-hours at the green markets of Paris, following those who insist on finding a use for that which society has cast off, whether out of nece
Feels like: family-friendly fun + big-hearted warmth
21. The Beasts (2022)
Movie · French · 2h 18m · Thriller, Drama · IMDb 7.5 (27K votes)
Antoine and Olga, a French couple, have been living in a small village in Galicia for a long time. They practice eco-responsible agriculture and restore abandoned houses to facilitate repopulation. Everything should be idyllic except for their opposition to a wind turbine project that creates a serious conflict with th
Feels like: dark, gritty edges + edge-of-seat suspense
22. Happiness (1965)
Movie · French · 1h 20m · Drama, Romance · IMDb 7.6 (12K votes)
Though married to the good-natured, beautiful Thérèse, young husband and father François finds himself falling unquestioningly into an affair with an attractive postal worker. One of Agnès Varda's most provocative films, 'Le bonheur' examines, with a deceptively cheery palette and the spirited strains of Mozart, the id
Feels like: dark, gritty edges + big-screen spectacle
23. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024)
Movie · French · 2h 47m · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 7.5 (21K votes)
Investigating judge Iman grapples with paranoia amid political unrest in Tehran. When his gun vanishes, he suspects his wife and daughters, imposing draconian measures that strain family ties as societal rules crumble.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + dark, gritty edges
24. It Was Just an Accident (2025)
Movie · French · 1h 43m · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 7.4 (40K votes)
An unassuming mechanic is reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he encounters a man he suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + edge-of-seat suspense
25. Mars Express (2023)
Movie · French · 1h 29m · Animation, Science Fiction · IMDb 7.5 (16K votes)
In 2200, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker. On Mars, they descend deep into the underbelly of the planet's capital city where they uncover a darker story of brain farms, political corruption, and a missing girl who hold
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + dark, gritty edges
26. The Summit of the Gods (2021)
Movie · French · 1h 35m · Animation, Adventure · IMDb 7.5 (12K votes)
A photojournalist's obsessive quest for the truth about the first expedition to Mt. Everest leads him to search for an esteemed climber who went missing.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
27. Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (2025)
Movie · French · 1h 17m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.6 (6.3K votes)
The world is a perplexing, peaceful mystery to Amélie until a miraculous encounter with chocolate ignites her wild sense of curiosity. As she develops a deep attachment to her family's housekeeper, Nishio-san, Amélie discovers the wonders of nature as well as the emotional truths hidden beneath the surface of her famil
Feels like: big-hearted warmth + family-friendly fun
28. Petite Maman (2021)
Movie · French · 1h 12m · Drama, Fantasy · IMDb 7.3 (21K votes)
After the death of her beloved grandmother, eight-year-old Nelly meets a strangely familiar girl her own age in the woods. Instantly forming a connection with this mysterious new friend, Nelly embarks on a fantastical journey of discovery which helps her come to terms with this newfound loss.
Feels like: big-hearted warmth + family-friendly fun
29. Masculin Féminin (1966)
Movie · French · 1h 45m · Drama, Romance · IMDb 7.3 (19K votes)
Paul, a young idealist trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life, takes a job interviewing people for a marketing research firm. He moves in with aspiring pop singer Madeleine. Paul, however, is disillusioned by the growing commercialism in society, while Madeleine just wants to be successful. The story is
Feels like: mind-bending twists + dark, gritty edges
30. 13 Tzameti (2006)
Movie · French · 1h 33m · Action, Thriller · IMDb 7.3 (19K votes)
Sebastian, a young man, has decided to follow instructions intended for someone else, without knowing where they will take him. Something else he does not know is that Gerard Dorez, a cop on a knife-edge, is tailing him. When he reaches his destination, Sebastian falls into a degenerate, clandestine world of mental cha
Feels like: mind-bending twists + edge-of-seat suspense
31. Nikita (1990)
Movie · French · 1h 57m · Action, Thriller · IMDb 7.2 (83K votes)
A beautiful felon, sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a policeman, is given a second chance – as a secret political assassin controlled by the government.
Feels like: edge-of-seat suspense + big-screen spectacle
32. Black Girl (1966)
Movie · French · 1h 5m · Drama · IMDb 7.4 (7.7K votes)
Eager to find a better life abroad, a Senegalese woman becomes a mere governess to a family in southern France, suffering from discrimination and marginalization.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + dark, gritty edges
33. Antoine and Colette (1962)
Movie · French · 30m · Romance, Drama · IMDb 7.4 (7.4K votes)
Now aged 17, Antoine Doinel works in a factory which makes records. At a music concert, he meets a girl his own age, Colette, and falls in love with her. Later, Antoine goes to extraordinary lengths to please his new girlfriend and her parents, but Colette still only regards him as a casual friend. First segment of “Lo
Feels like: big-hearted warmth + family-friendly fun
34. Divines (2016)
Movie · French · 1h 45m · Drama · IMDb 7.3 (11K votes)
In a ghetto where religion and drug trafficking rub shoulders, Dounia has a lust for power and success. Supported by Maimouna, her best friend, she decides to follow in the footsteps of Rebecca, a respected dealer. But her encounter with Djigui, a young, disturbingly sensual dancer, throws her off course.
Feels like: dark, gritty edges + edge-of-seat suspense
35. Dheepan (2015)
Movie · French · 1h 55m · Crime, Drama · IMDb 7.2 (18K votes)
Three war-torn strangers posing as a family flee Sri Lanka’s civil war to start over in a troubled Paris suburb, but their past traumas resurface as they struggle to survive in their new environment.
Feels like: dark, gritty edges + edge-of-seat suspense
36. Asterix and Cleopatra (1968)
Movie · French · 1h 12m · Family, Animation · IMDb 7.2 (16K votes)
Popular animated hero Asterix and his faithful sidekick Obelix travel to ancient Egypt to help Cleopatra build a new summer home. Cleopatra and Julius Caesar have made a bet, with Caesar wagering the project cannot be completed in a few weeks time. With the help of a magic potion, Asterix comes to the rescue of the Que
Feels like: sharp humour + family-friendly fun
37. Time Masters (1982)
Movie · French · 1h 20m · Animation, Science Fiction · IMDb 7.3 (7.8K votes)
On planet Perdide, an attack of giant hornets leaves young Piel alone in a wrecked car with his dying father. A mayday message reaches their friend Jaffar, an adventurer travelling through space. Onboard Jaffar’s shuttle are the renegade Prince Matton, his fiancée, and Silbad, who knows Perdide well. Thus begins an inc
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
38. Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir (2024)
Movie · French · 48m · Animation, Family · IMDb 8.4 (1.1K votes)
Ladybug and Cat Noir discover the existence of a parallel universe in which they're supervillains determined to seize the Butterfly Miraculous.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + breakneck pacing
39. Chronicle of a Summer (1961)
Movie · French · 1h 31m · Documentary · IMDb 7.4 (4.1K votes)
Paris, summer 1960. Anthropologist and filmmaker Jean Rouch and sociologist and film critic Edgar Morin wander through the crowded streets asking passersby how they cope with life's misfortunes.
Feels like: family-friendly fun + big-hearted warmth
40. Arco (2025)
Movie · French · 1h 29m · Adventure, Animation · IMDb 7.2 (9.6K votes)
Ten-year-old Arco lives in a far future. During his first flight in his rainbow suit, he loses control and falls into the past. Iris, a girl his age from 2075, comes to his rescue and tries by any means to help send him back to his own era.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + family-friendly fun
41. Daguerréotypes (1978)
Movie · French · 1h 20m · Documentary · IMDb 7.6 (2.4K votes)
An intimate portrait of the small shops and shopkeepers of the Rue Daguerre in Paris, a picturesque street that has been the filmmaker’s home for more than 50 years.
Feels like: family-friendly fun + big-hearted warmth
42. Red Rooms (2023)
Movie · French · 1h 58m · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 7.1 (25K votes)
The high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the case’s puzzle.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + dark, gritty edges
43. Black Panthers (1968)
Movie · French · 28m · Documentary · IMDb 7.4 (3.1K votes)
A film shot during the summer of 1968 in Oakland, California around the meetings organised by the Black Panthers Party to free Huey Newton, one of their leaders, and to turn his trial into a political debate. They tried and succeeded in catching America’s attention.
Feels like: dark, gritty edges + family-friendly fun
44. Bad Seeds (2018)
Movie · French · 1h 40m · Comedy, Drama · IMDb 7.2 (6.9K votes)
Wael, a former street child, makes a living from small scams with his adoptive mother and partner-in-crime Monique. When this unconventional duo swindles the wrong guy, Victor, an old acquaintance of Monique now in charge of a support organization for troubled teens, they have no choice but to become his interim secret
Feels like: dark, gritty edges + mind-bending twists
45. Asterix in Britain (1986)
Movie · French · 1h 19m · Family, Animation · IMDb 7.1 (14K votes)
One little ancient British village still holds out against the Roman invaders. Asterix and Obelix are invited to help. They must face fog, rain, warm beer and boiled boar with mint sauce, but they soon have Governor Encyclopaedius Britannicus's Romans declining and falling. Until a wild race for a barrel of magic potio
Feels like: sharp humour + family-friendly fun
46. Hello Cubans (1963)
Movie · French · 30m · Documentary · IMDb 7.5 (2.1K votes)
A photo montage of Cubans filmed by Agnès Varda during her visit to Cuba in 1963, four years after Fidel Castro came to power. This black & white documentary explores their socialist culture and society while making use of 1500 pictures (out of 4000!) the filmmaker took while on the island.
Feels like: family-friendly fun + big-screen spectacle
47. Colours of Time (2025)
Movie · French · 2h 6m · History, Drama · IMDb 7.2 (5.2K votes)
When four distant cousins inherit a 19th-century home in Normandy, they decide to visit and examine their family history. No one has lived there since the 1940s, and the cousins are intrigued by all of the items they find there, little things that help them to understand their ancestor, Adèle Vermillard. Jumping back a
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-hearted warmth
48. Bay of Angels (1963)
Movie · French · 1h 24m · Romance, Drama · IMDb 7.2 (5K votes)
A bank clerk is drawn into the risky world of a gorgeous gambling addict.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + dark, gritty edges
49. Rebel (2022)
Movie · French · 2h 15m · Action, Thriller · IMDb 7.3 (3.1K votes)
Kamal resolves to change his life for the better, and so leaves Belgium to help victims of the war in Syria. But when he arrives, he is forced to join a militia and is left stranded in Raqqa. Back home, his younger brother Nassim quickly becomes easy prey for radical recruiters, who promise to reunite him with his brot
Feels like: edge-of-seat suspense + dark, gritty edges
50. Valparaiso (1964)
Movie · French · 27m · Documentary · IMDb 7.5 (1.7K votes)
In 1962 Joris Ivens was invited to Chile for teaching and filmmaking. Together with students he made …A Valparaíso, one of his most poetic films. Contrasting the prestigious history of the seaport with the present the film sketches a portrait of the city, built on 42 hills, with its wealth and poverty, its daily life o
Feels like: family-friendly fun + big-screen spectacle
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- Which is the best French movies?
- Léon: The Professional currently ranks #1 among French movies we track.
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