Summary
- Cottagecore movies provide a comforting escape with themes of rustic innocence and camaraderie in a romanticized view of rural life.
- Whether it's period pieces, modern rom-coms, or magical stories, there's a cottagecore movie for everyone that inspires a homey lifestyle.
- These movies capture the beauty of nature, simplicity, and sustainable living, transporting viewers to rolling green hills, thatched roofs, and cozy cottages.
Among the more obscure genres when it comes to cinema, there are a strong number of fans who look for the best cottagecore movies on streaming when wanting to unwind. When urban life becomes too stressful, it's the perfect time to snuggle on the couch and watch some cottagecore movies, inspiring thoughts of faraway farms and simpler times. Fans enjoy getting lost in the themes of rustic innocence and cheerful camaraderie in the romanticized view of rural life, and there is a large selection of movies with a cottagecore aesthetic available through different streaming platforms.
Think rolling green hills dappled with golden sunlight, wearing snuggly sweaters by a fire, a quaint farmstead with a thatched roof, and the smell of old beloved books. Whether cottagecore fans prefer period pieces, modern rom-coms, or something a little bit magical, there is a cottagecore movie for everyone that offers inspiration for the homey lifestyle. While the era of these movies can also lend itself to the unsettling gothic horror movie genre, cottagecore could not be further from that, with the kind of stories that make viewers want to grab a cozy cardigan, a cup of tea, and a sense of wonder.
For more streaming recommendations, be sure to check out the best movies on Netflix and the best TV shows on Netflix.
Tuck Everlasting (2002)
- Available to stream on Disney+
Based on the 1975 novel of the same name, Tuck Everlasting tells the story of Winnie, a teenager who tries to run away from home in the early 1900s when she desires a freedom her family won’t allow her. What Winnie finds is a family in the woods who have found a fountain of youth. When one of the sons falls for Winnie, he wants her to live forever with them. While the movie has dramatic elements, like the Tuck family’s way of life being threatened, and Winnie helping to break their parents out of jail, ultimately, it’s a tale of the fleeting nature of first love. Winnie’s story is told with the forest and a simple, rustic life as its backdrop. The Tuck family’s lifestyle, despite its longevity, speaks to the cottagecore aesthetic.
Summerland (2020)
- Available to stream on Netflix
There is one type of cottagecore movie that uses intense moments in history to tell their intimate, cozy, and comforting stories. Summerland is a perfect example of this, as it is set in a small seaside English community during World War II. A reclusive writer is forced to take care of a young boy who is among the evacuees of the city. Though she is reluctant, at first, she gradually forms a bond with the boy. The images of this sweet friendship taking shape on the beautiful coastal cliffsides of this community is the kind of images cottagecore is built from.
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
- Available to stream on Max
Many cottagecore movies have an element of fantasy to them simply because the rural life is conducive to stories of fairies, the magic of nature, and even, in the case of Kiki’s Delivery Service, witchcraft. Kiki is a young witch in training when the movie begins, and she uses her ability to fly on her broom to leave home and start her own delivery service, working for a baker while she does.
Some of Kiki’s story might take place in a city, and there are technological advancements like flying machines, but it really speaks to the cottagecore tenets. Simplicity and sustainability are a big part of cottagecore, not just wildflowers and rustic furniture. Kiki wants to follow her own path, work with her own hands, and she does it without all the bells and whistles that others might need, teaching the audience about the burnout of overwork while she does it.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
- Available to rent through AppleTV, Vudu, and Youtube
Wes Anderson is known for crafty quirky stories with pastel color palettes. Moonrise Kingdom is that, to a degree, but it’s also the story of first love in the wilderness. Two young people become pen pals after meeting, and when they happen to be in the same place for the summer, they hatch a plan to run away. They are, however, only 12, which complicates matters.
When Sam runs away from camp and Suzy from home, the two go on an adventure through the wilderness, camping, hiking, and fishing their way to a new life. They might ultimately end up recovered, but they fully experience the cottagecore lifestyle without actually living in a cottage while they’re trying to outrun authority figures.
Enola Holmes (2020)
- Available to stream on Netflix
Just as Stranger Things prepares to end, Millie Bobby Brown has a new Netflix franchise on her hands with Enola Holmes in which she plays the sleuthing younger sister of Sherlock. When her mother goes missing and her brother, The World's Greatest Detective, is busy being famous, Enola heads to London to solve the case herself. When she's not running around the soot-filled streets, Enola lives in a fabulous country estate, studying poetry, classical languages, painting, and fencing. All she wants is to find her mother so that they can get back to putting on fun plays by candlelight, eating biscuits, and basically having the best cottagecore lifestyle.
The Secret Garden (1993)
- Available to stream on Roku and Tubi
There have been many different versions of The Secret Garden and there will likely be arguments about which movie is the best, but the 1993 version has withstood the test of time to remain an audience favorite on review aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes. The movie takes place in an estate, unlike most cottagecore movies, but it still speaks to the main cottagecore theme: connecting with nature.
Mary finds the key to a locked overgrown garden when she moves into her uncle’s estate after the death of her parents. She’s stern and closed-off, but she learns to open herself up to her emotions as she works with Dickon to restore the garden to its former glory. She and her previously bedridden cousin become happier and healthier as they spend time outdoors enjoying the garden in a story that’s about grief and forgiveness.
Falling Inn Love (2019)
- Available to stream on Netflix
When a busy executive enters a "Win an Inn" contest after suffering a horrible break-up, she suddenly finds herself leaving everything behind to live in rural New Zealand. Through transforming The Bellbird Valley Farm, she not only finds a new lease on life but on love, as well. The Lord of the Rings movies proved that New Zealand makes for a beautiful filming location, and Falling Inn Love fully captures the wild beauty of the land. Viewers shouldn't be surprised if they take one look at the stunning countryside in this cottagecore film on Netflix and want to fly there themselves.
Little Women (2019)
- Available to stream on Starz
There have been numerous adaptations of Little Women, but Greta Gerwig’s 2019 movie is the closest to cottagecore of the bunch as the March sisters repurpose old clothing to host plays in their home and take trips to the shore for the health of their sister Beth.
The story is really about the four sisters coming of age in the 1800s, but while they do there are rustic homes, fields of wildflowers, and the need to make things last just a little bit longer. There are also stories of friendship and romance and sisterhood that will appeal to any generation of Little Women audience members.
This Beautiful Fantastic (2016)
- Available to stream on Kanopy
Though it’s set in the middle of London, This Beautiful Fantastic still manages to capture the heart of cottagecore movies. After all, the main character ends up with the kind of garden that someone living in a small rural area would certainly be envious of. Bella is a young woman afflicted with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who has an aversion to plants. When she’s threatened with eviction because of the state of what should be her garden, her neighbor helps her develop a garden, encouraging her to appreciate nature. She develops a friendship with the cantankerous widower as he helps bring her garden back to life.
Emma. (2020)
- Available to stream on Peacock
It can be argued that almost any Jane Austen novel adapted for the big screen could fit the cottagecore aesthetic. While that is true in that most of Austen’s stories take place in the countryside and in the Georgian Era of England’s history, most of her stories are also set in estates with much of the drama happening at society events. Emma has some of that as well, but Emma takes a lot of its action outdoors.
Emma might be an affluent member of society with plenty of callers, but she’s also got a penchant for walks in the country, for picking flowers with her friend, and definitely for picnic outings. That’s where quite a bit of the drama happens in Emma, giving the cottagecore look its due in a beautifully shot story of Emma’s meddling in the lives of her friends while falling in love herself.
The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society (2018)
- Available to stream on Netflix
Among Lily James' best movies are more than a few cottagecore entries, including this overlooked gem. The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society takes place on the small island of Guernsey, which was occupied by German forces during World War II. Within the tight-knit community, a courtship between a writer from London and one of the handsome residents begins after they exchange a series of heartfelt letters. Set in the 1940s, it's part period drama and part historical romance, with an abundance of cozy vintage garments to covet. Despite the sad reminders of the occupation that hang over the movie, it nevertheless reminds cottagecore fans to take joy in the simple pleasures of life.
The Dig (2021)
Though Ralph Fiennes is best known as Voldemort and for his other villainous roles, he is charming alongside Carey Mulligan in this quiet and dramatic cottagecore film on Netflix. It's based on the true story of Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan), a widow who hires small-time archaeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to unearth several mounds located on her English estate. And what they find is considered one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. It's impossible not to get excited with the thrill of the chase that The Dig provides, especially as new developments — and romantic feelings — keep the pace crackling.
The Secret World Of Arrietty (2010)
- Available to stream on Max
Inspired by the children’s novel The Borrowers, Arietty or Arrietty The Borrower as the movie is called outside the United States, tells the story of a small young woman whose family lives by “borrowing” small items from the households of humans they live in. Arrietty exposes her family on her first mission to “borrow” a sugar cube and tissue paper. Despite the young boy who finds them only wanting to befriend them, Arrietty’s family opts to leave to keep them all safe.
Part of the cottagecore aesthetic involves repurposing items for new uses. While in the real world that might mean using a glass jar as a drinking glass or a flower vase, in Arietty that might mean using a small clothespin as a hairclip. Beautifully animated by Studio Ghibli, Arrietty might not seem like a cottagecore movie at first glance, but it fits right into the look that cottagecore has.
My Girl (1991)
- Available to stream through DirecTV
Summer bike rides, first kisses, and lake swimming never looked as appealing as they do in My Girl, a cottagecore movie about a spunky tomboy who gets over the death of her mother by befriending a quirky little boy from school. The movie has such a strong following that fans are still waiting for My Girl 3 after all these years. This cottagecore film on Netflix highlights the special seeds of friendship that, when sewn in youth, offer a lifetime of keepsake memories. But cottagecore fans are warned: tissues are required to view Macaulay Culkin at his most precious.
Snow White And The Seven Dwarves (1937)
- Available to stream on Disney+
When it comes to cottagecore movies, the quintessential vision might just be Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The movie is Disney’s very first princess movie, beginning a franchise that is still popular today, and it’s getting a live-action remake starring Rachel Zegler.
The story, about a princess who escapes her wicked stepmother with nothing to live in a cottage in the woods with seven miners, is exactly what the cottagecore aesthetic is all about. Snow White wears the same simple clothes throughout the entire movie, works with what little belonging the dwarves have to make a comfortable home for all of them, and embraces the animals of the forest as friends. And, of course, they actually live in a cottage for the entirety of the film. Many cottagecore movies embrace the idea of the cottage without actually having it present.