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| Looking for Movies Like Here the Whole Time? Here Are 20 Similar Films to Stream Next. (Photo: Netflix) |
If Here the Whole Time left you wanting another warm coming-of-age story filled with first love, awkward friendships, summer nostalgia and characters slowly figuring themselves out, there is plenty more to watch. The 2026 Brazilian Netflix film, originally titled Quinze Dias, works because it keeps its romance grounded in everyday embarrassment: Felipe wants to disappear for the summer, only for his childhood friend and secret crush Caio to move into the same space for 15 days. Naturally, the universe has other plans.
Directed by Daniel Lieff and adapted from Vitor Martins' 2020 young adult novel, the film combines romantic comedy, teenage self-discovery and a surprisingly tender look at insecurity. Felipe's struggle with confidence, his complicated feelings towards Caio and the pressure surrounding Caio's home life give the story more weight than a simple summer romance. It is funny, occasionally painfully awkward and very much interested in the idea that the person who appears to have everything together may actually be struggling just as much as everyone else.
That combination makes finding similar films slightly tricky. You could simply pick another young romance and call it a day, but that would miss what makes Here the Whole Time work.
The best companions share its mixture of friendship, first love, self-acceptance, family pressure, school life, forced proximity or that particular cinematic feeling of one summer changing everything. So, rather than throwing 20 vaguely romantic titles into a bucket and hoping for the best, here are 20 films that genuinely overlap with its story, tone or themes.
Movies Like Here the Whole Time
1. The Way He Looks (2014)
The Way He Looks, or Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho, is probably the closest match to Here the Whole Time and the obvious place to start.
This Brazilian coming-of-age romance follows Leonardo, a blind teenager trying to become more independent while dealing with school and the complicated social world around him. His friendship with Gabriel, a new student, gradually develops into something more.
Like Felipe, Leonardo is not presented as some impossibly confident romantic hero. He is vulnerable, uncertain and trying to understand what he wants while the people around him keep making assumptions.
The Brazilian setting, gentle humour, school friendships and understated romance make this feel like a natural companion rather than simply another film from the same broad genre.
2. The Half of It (2020)
Netflix's The Half of It follows Ellie Chu, an academically gifted teenager who agrees to write love letters for a popular boy, only to realise she has feelings for the same girl he likes. It sounds like a standard teen romantic comedy until the film starts digging considerably deeper into friendship, identity and the difficulty of saying what you actually feel.
Its connection with Here the Whole Time comes through the emotional awkwardness. Both films understand that teenage romance is rarely a smooth journey from attraction to happily ever after. There are misunderstandings, self-doubt and plenty of moments when characters would probably benefit from simply talking to one another. Naturally, they do not.
3. Love, Simon (2018)
Love, Simon remains one of the most accessible modern coming-of-age romances about a teenager trying to navigate school, friendship and a secret crush while working out how much of himself he is ready to reveal. Simon Spier has a relatively ordinary school life until an anonymous online connection changes his emotional world.
The similarity with Here the Whole Time lies in its focus on first love and the fear of being judged. Both films balance humour with more vulnerable moments and allow their protagonists to be flawed without making those flaws their entire identity. If Felipe's emotional journey is what stayed with you, Simon's is worth revisiting.
4. Crush (2022)
Crush takes the coming-of-age romantic comedy route and fills it with school friendships, artistic ambitions, crushes and the kind of romantic confusion that makes everyone involved look considerably less clever than they probably are.
Like Here the Whole Time, it places emotional growth alongside comedy rather than treating romance as a completely separate storyline.
The characters are figuring out who they are while also trying to work out who they like, which creates plenty of awkward situations and unexpectedly sweet moments. It is lighter than Felipe and Caio's story, but the warm atmosphere makes it an easy follow-up.
5. Alex Strangelove (2018)
Alex Strangelove follows Alex, a high-school student who believes he has his future relationship neatly mapped out until meeting Elliott, an openly gay student who forces him to reconsider what he actually wants.
The film shares Here the Whole Time's interest in uncertainty and self-discovery, particularly the idea that growing up rarely happens according to a tidy plan. Alex's confusion provides much of the comedy, while his developing understanding of himself gives the film its emotional centre. It is messy, funny and occasionally cringe in precisely the way teenage romance tends to be.
6. Giant Little Ones (2018)
Giant Little Ones takes a more dramatic approach to adolescence, following two close teenage friends whose lives are unexpectedly disrupted by a complicated incident that changes how they see themselves and each other.
The connection to Here the Whole Time comes through its examination of identity, friendship and the pressure young people can feel when everyone around them appears to have an opinion about who they should be. It is less cosy and considerably more serious, but the emotional honesty makes it a strong choice if you liked the more thoughtful side of Felipe's story.
7. Dating Amber (2020)
Set in 1990s Ireland, Dating Amber follows teenagers Eddie and Amber, who pretend to be a couple to avoid unwanted attention while privately dealing with their own feelings and uncertainty.
The fake relationship premise gives the film plenty of comedy, but beneath that is a story about friendship and finding a safe person with whom you can be honest. Much like Here the Whole Time, it understands that sometimes the most important relationship in a young person's life is not necessarily the romantic one. It also has enough awkward humour to ensure things never become unbearably earnest.
8. The Thing About Harry (2020)
The Thing About Harry follows former high-school rivals Sam and Harry, who unexpectedly find themselves spending time together again years after school. Their relationship gradually changes as old assumptions give way to a more complicated attraction.
The similarities with Here the Whole Time are particularly strong in the way childhood familiarity becomes the foundation for something new. The characters have history, baggage and plenty of reasons to misunderstand each other, but spending time together forces them to reconsider what they thought they knew. It is essentially another reminder that apparently simple friendships can become surprisingly complicated.
9. Jongens (Boys) (2014)
Dutch film Jongens, also known internationally as Boys, follows teenage athlete Sieger, whose friendship with Marc gradually develops into romantic feelings during a summer filled with training and uncertainty.
The summer setting makes it particularly appealing for fans of Here the Whole Time. Both films use a relatively contained period of time to explore feelings that have probably been sitting beneath the surface for much longer. There is sport, friendship, nervousness and the gradual realisation that pretending everything is normal is becoming increasingly difficult.
10. North Sea Texas (2011)
North Sea Texas follows Pim, a lonely teenager growing up in Belgium whose friendship with Gino becomes increasingly important as he tries to make sense of his feelings.
The film is quieter and more atmospheric than Here the Whole Time, but the emotional ingredients are strikingly familiar: adolescence, loneliness, friendship, first attraction and the desire to be understood without having to explain every complicated feeling. It is a slower watch, but one that rewards viewers looking for something more intimate.
11. Esteros (2016)
Argentinian drama Esteros centres on Matías and Jerónimo, two childhood friends whose connection is interrupted by time and circumstance before they meet again as adults.
Its strongest connection with Here the Whole Time is the childhood-friendship-to-romance element. Rather than presenting attraction as something appearing from nowhere, the film explores how old memories and unresolved feelings can remain quietly present for years. The result is more mature than Felipe and Caio's story, but the emotional foundation is remarkably similar.
12. Summer of 85 (2020)
Summer of 85 takes viewers to the French coast, where teenager Alexis meets the charismatic David, leading to an intense relationship during one unforgettable summer.
The film shares the sun-soaked atmosphere and temporary-summer-romance quality that makes Here the Whole Time appealing, although it takes its story in a considerably more dramatic direction. Both films understand the peculiar intensity of summer, when a few weeks can feel like an entire lifetime and ordinary teenage worries suddenly seem enormous.
13. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2022)
Based on Benjamin Alire Sáenz's acclaimed novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe follows two teenagers who form an unexpected friendship that gradually develops into a deeper emotional connection.
Like Here the Whole Time, the film is interested in boys who are learning to understand themselves through another person. Friendship comes first, attraction develops gradually and family relationships add another emotional layer. It is less overtly comedic, but the gentle coming-of-age tone makes it a strong choice for viewers who prefer romance that takes its time.
14. Handsome Devil (2016)
Irish film Handsome Devil centres on Ned, a teenager at a rugby-focused boarding school who becomes friends with his new roommate Conor, despite their very different personalities.
The film has a similar interest in young people feeling like outsiders and discovering that friendship can provide a much-needed refuge from social expectations. Like Felipe, Ned does not comfortably fit the image that people around him expect him to adopt. The result is funny, warm and considerably more interested in character than in manufactured teenage drama.
15. Shelter (2007)
Shelter follows Zach, a young man whose life becomes complicated when his friendship with his best friend's older brother develops into something deeper.
The film shares Here the Whole Time's emphasis on romance growing out of familiarity rather than appearing as an instant cinematic thunderbolt.
Zach also has to think about family responsibilities, personal ambitions and what he actually wants from his future. It is an older title, but the emotional premise still feels remarkably familiar.
16. Rafiki (2018)
Kenyan film Rafiki follows Kena and Ziki, two young women whose growing relationship develops against the expectations of their families and community.
It is more politically and socially focused than Here the Whole Time, but the emotional connection is clear. Both films place young romance inside a wider world of expectations and pressures, while keeping their central characters recognisably human rather than turning them into symbols. The colour, energy and youthful perspective also make it a memorable companion.
17. My Policeman (2022)
My Policeman moves beyond the teenage years but retains the central idea of a relationship shaped by social expectations and the consequences of keeping important feelings hidden. The story moves between different periods in the characters' lives, showing how decisions made when young can continue to influence them much later.
For viewers who enjoyed the emotional vulnerability in Here the Whole Time, this is a more mature alternative. It swaps teenage awkwardness for adult reflection, but its interest in identity, love and the pressure to conform makes the thematic connection easy to see.
18. Single All the Way (2021)
Single All the Way is considerably more festive and deliberately cosy, following Peter, who persuades his best friend Nick to pretend to be his partner during a family Christmas visit.
The forced-proximity and best-friends-to-romance elements make this an entertaining choice for fans of Here the Whole Time. The stakes are much lower and the tone is far more cheerful, but both stories understand that spending extended time with someone you already know can reveal feelings that were easier to ignore when you were not sharing every waking moment.
19. Fire Island (2022)
Fire Island takes its inspiration from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and follows a group of friends during a holiday that becomes unexpectedly complicated by romance, friendship and social expectations.
The characters are adults rather than teenagers, so it is not a direct match for Here the Whole Time, but the holiday setting, close-knit friendships and romantic misunderstandings make the connection worthwhile. It also shares the idea that a supposedly carefree getaway can become an unexpectedly important period of emotional discovery.
20. Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Call Me by Your Name is perhaps the most obvious recommendation for viewers who loved the warm summer atmosphere and slowly developing romance in Here the Whole Time. Set during a summer in northern Italy, the film follows Elio, a teenager whose relationship with Oliver develops during a season that changes how he understands love and himself.
The stories are very different in tone and scale, but both use a confined summer setting to make emotional changes feel larger. There is a house, a long stretch of time, two young people growing closer and the sense that once the summer ends, neither person will quite be the same. If the seasonal atmosphere of Here the Whole Time was what pulled you in, this belongs near the top of your watchlist.
Fans of Here the Whole Time are likely to disagree on which of these films comes closest, and that is probably the fun part. Some will want another soft Brazilian coming-of-age romance like The Way He Looks, others will prefer the comedy of The Half of It, Crush or Dating Amber, while viewers drawn to the summer atmosphere may go straight for Jongens, Summer of 85 or Call Me by Your Name. Either way, the appeal of Here the Whole Time is clear: it combines romance with the much messier business of growing up, learning to accept yourself and discovering that the supposedly perfect person standing beside you may be just as confused as you are. Which film would you put at No. 1, and which one do you think deserves to be added to this list?