Best movies like Branching Out

Seeking funds for her orphanage in India, Isabelle travels to New York to meet Theresa, a wealthy benefactor. An invitation to attend a wedding ignites a series of events in which the past collides with the present while mysteries unravel.

A single father has a fractious relationship with his rebellious teenage daughter. When a lost letter written to the daughter from her dying mother is miraculously found, everything starts to turn around.

Jess Gradwell and her teenage daughter boast a superclose relationship. When it comes to sex, however, Mom won't stand for anything less than premarital celibacy. So she gets a pretty healthy dose of her own medicine when she winds up getting pregnant from a brief encounter with a newly single doctor! This new situation poses a major challenge to the mother-daughter dynamic. Tune in to see if Jess and her daughter can rise to the occasion.

Tess enlists her biological father – a lovable slacker from the wrong side of the tracks – and the charming juvenile delinquent next door to help her come to grips with the death of her little sister.

When Adam Thornton learns that he only has a little time left, he decides that he wants to make peace with his family. Only problem is that most of his family are not exactly fond of him because he walked out on his wife and of his stubborn nature and he hasn't spoken to his youngest son after having an argument with him which he was in the wrong but only realize after his son left and has not been heard from since. But he goes to her to help him find him. But when his doctor says that it won't be good for him to travel, she suggests that they invite them all for Christmas. While most of them come, Adam's attempt at reconciliation won't be easy.

Four women, whose kids attend the same preschool class, get together for a "fun mom dinner". When the night takes an unexpected turn, these unlikely new friends realize they have more in common than just marriage and motherhood.

A father and daughter journey from Denmark to an unknown desert that exists in a realm beyond the confines of civilization.

Like many Native families, Lena Mahikan grew up in the cycle of abuse. Her father, a residential school survivor, was an alcoholic until he killed himself when Lena was 10. Her mother, only 14 years her senior, turned to the slots. By the time Lena was 15, she was pregnant and, before giving birth, was kicked to the curb by her mom. The cycle continues and Lena is now watching helplessly as her own daughter, Peeka, spirals out of control, landing herself in the hospital following a drug overdose. As a final attempt at survival, Lena decides to return home and face her own mother and a past she’s desperate to escape.

With great wit and insight, New York City filmmaker Nina Davenport documents her quest to have a baby as a single mother over forty. Davenport's film taps into the zeitgeist topic of how the modern family is being re-imagined. (TIFF)

Twenty-six year old Scott is living on the streets and trying to find his way back into society while on probation for petty crimes. He attempts to navigate his relationship with his two bit criminal of a boss and an enigmatic detective, while at the same time winning back the heart of his ex-girlfriend, a working single mom. Never having a mother or father himself, Scott discovers the true meaning of fatherhood.

After a failed suicide attempt, a man receives a substantial inheritance from a long lost relative and meets a struggling single mom with an eccentric young daughter. Together they embark on a journey of self discovery and healing.

In 1975, as the Vietnam War was ending, thousands of orphans and Amerasian children were brought to the United States as part of "Operation Babylift." Daughter from Danang tells the dramatic story of one of these children, Heidi Bub (a.k.a. Mai Thi Hiep), and her Vietnamese mother, Mai Thi Kim, separated at the war's end and reunited 22 years later. Heidi, now living in Tennessee - a married woman with kids - had always dreamt of a joyful reunion. When she ventures to Vietnam to meet her mother, she unknowingly embarks on an emotional pilgrimage that spans decades and distance. Unlike most reunion stories that climax with a cliché happy ending, Daughter from Danang is a real-life drama. Journeying from the Vietnam War to Pulaski, Tennessee and back to Vietnam, Daughter from Danang tensely unfolds as cultural differences and the years of separation take their toll in a riveting film about longing and the personal legacy of war.

Dateless for the Christmas ball, 39-year-old bachelor, King Charles of Baltania, tracks down his American college sweetheart, only to discover Allison has never been married, yet raised a 17-year-old daughter, Lily, who mathematically might be Charles' biological princess.

Haley is a wealthy heiress known for her acts of kindness. Haley meets hopeless romantic Claud, and she keeps her wealthy family a secret. When Claud pitches an ad campaign to Haley's mom and Haley's secrets are revealed, things get...complicated.

Jackie Foster, a dynamic Assistant District Attorney and single mom, is looking forward to wrapping up her latest case and spending Christmas with Gracie, her adorable and precocious, eight-year old daughter. But when Jackie’s estranged dad, Jack , a gruff retired police officer, unexpectedly shows up at her door, they will be forced to confront old wounds.

Single mom Kathleen Russell (Roma Downey) and her daughter Zoey pretend to be Kathleen's boss's "family" so he can close a major business deal with the mysterious Mexican financier Javier Del Campo.

A man is sent to a small town to assess which of the workers in the local factory that supplies the town with jobs should get the boot when the downsizing begins. He gets sidetracked when he falls in love with a local, a cute single mom.

After a magical summer together, a nine-year-old boy whispers his heart into the ear of a best friend. With a loyal, golden dog by their side, the boy and girl bury a time capsule of keepsakes and then go their separate ways. Years later, looking for a fresh start, a man and woman each return to the place they felt most at home as a child. But a comedic case of unknown identity has them competing for the same childhood memories and Christmas escapades ensue. For the sake of their happiness, they must discover their common past before they turn each other's lives completely upside down. Can a golden dog lead them home?

A middle-aged mom and her teenage daughter adjust to life together after Dad's affair breaks up the family.

All Lauren Bradley, a single mom and confirmed workaholic, wants this holiday is a much deserved break. Those hopes are dashed when she runs into fellow single dad Ben who enlists her help in taking care of a cute and cuddly christmas present he plans to give his daughter. Through all the chaos and calls from work, Lauren just might get the best gift of all, the holiday spirit.

Single mom Emma Sanderson is looking for a Christmas miracle to write about for the lifestyle magazine where she's landed a temporary job. Along the way Emma discovers unexpected romance with a supportive colleague and brings about a Christmas miracle for a lonely street musician.

A former basketball star moves to a small town to assistant coach for a high school championship-winning basketball team.

Feeling disconnected with her teenage son, a protective mother decides to step outside of her comfort zone and take him camping. But as soon as she arrives, she begins butting heads with her cabin neighbor, a single father and outdoorsman who is also in search of a connection with his teen daughter. Stars Danica McKellar and Paul Greene.

When a single mom Erin (Stephanie Bennett) takes her much younger daughters to spend Christmas with her estranged dad on his Texas ranch, she unexpectedly falls in love with local restaurateur Mateo (Marco Grazzini) while learning to forgive her father for the past.

When Vanessa receives the results from her Family Tree DNA test, she discovers a family she didn't know existed and travels to their home for Christmas.

For years Lucy has played Santa to her small town’s community by making their holiday wishes come true. But when Lucy grants a little girl’s wish for a Christmas like she used to have with her mom, she unexpectedly finds her own wishes coming true in life and love.

Maddie, a high-powered marketing executive, is on her way to a client’s wedding but her plans are derailed by car trouble. When a fork in the road leads her to Christmas Valley, a town in love with Christmas, an unexpected encounter and a group of strangers that start to feel like family will have her questioning what she’s really been missing in life.

As Christmas approaches, Amelia Hughes, a career-focused Chicago app developer lacking in holiday spirit, returns to her small hometown of Christmas Creek to rediscover the meaning of Christmas. There, she reunites with her childhood best friend Mike and her estranged uncle Harry, whose mysterious rift with Amelia’s father divided her family during the holiday season when she was a child.

Pop superstar Adelaide Kay is so fed up with her controlling manager that she sneaks off the tour bus after their latest squabble. Though exhilarated to be free, she finds herself stranded in the freezing cold of a Pennsylvania winter, with no money and no plan. A local family, the Lapps, take her in. They know the true meaning of the season, even if they’re close to losing their dairy farm. No one in the family recognizes Adelaide except Dillon, the oldest son. He figures she’s the ticket to fast cash and plots to snap photos of Adelaide around the farm and sell them to the tabs. What he doesn’t plan, however, is their mutual attraction.

A young girl named Addie, living in Nebraska in 1946 wants nothing more for the holidays than a Christmas tree, but her widowed father, is bitter and refuses due to events from the family's past.

Californian widower Joel Wallace, a successful businessman, is a great catch in a grand mansion, but absorbed by his work. His daughter Felice writes to a TV Christmas special, hoping for a 'new mammy'.

Single, divorced lawyer Jess Gradwell returns in this sequel as she tries to raise her new three-year-old son, Jake, while dealing with her teenage daughter, Sara's, growing carnal desires with a photographer she meets while planning her high school graduation. It all comes to a head when Jess' former flame and father of Jake, Alex Lofton, returns never knowing he has a son out of his and Jess' lustful fling and wants to be a part of her life again, despite Jess not wanting anything to do with Alex.

Six people bound together by a traumatic experience decide to round off a year of group therapy in style. They join each other once more, traveling up to the Scottish Lowlands for a reunion weekend in a 1970s holiday let. Soon a number of mysterious and horrifying events start to expose the cracks in their relationships, and one by one they discover that trust runs but skin-deep. A night of closure turns out to be far more final than they could have anticipated.

When 9-year-old Megan dedicates her Christmas wish to helping her mom Cara find love, she enlists the help of their blended family to make it come true. But when the letter goes viral, will Cara realize that what she was looking for was on her doorstop the whole time?

Single mom and chef Lilah sees her dreams for the future falling apart when arrogant tech innovator Charlie buys her beloved family restaurant with plans to turn it into a buzzy dining experience. Instead of “reinventing lasagna” for Charlie’s new menu, Lilah puts everything she has into showing Charlie the meaning of community and tradition in their little corner of Brooklyn. Sparks fly between them as they appreciate the present and realize their future dreams are with each other.