Do you feel like you’ve watched every Netflix rom-com a million times?
From Set It Up to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, we’ve certainly got our favorites — but if you’re craving a fun twist on a familiar formula, why not check out a new movie from across the world?
The Watch With Us team is recommending a new Turkish and German Netflix rom-com, She Said Maybe, in September 2025.
Check out three reasons you’ll love this international romantic comedy below.
The Premise Feels Familiar With an International Twist
She Said Maybe follows Mavi (Beritan Balci), a seemingly ordinary German woman who is surprised to learn that she is descended from ultra-wealthy Turkish nobility on her mother’s side. When she and her boyfriend Can (Sinan Güleç) venture to Istanbul, they’re greeted by overwhelming displays of riches, luxury and social status. Can Mavi embrace her new family while still holding on to who she is inside? And can her relationship with Can survive — especially after Mavi puts off responding to his marriage proposal?
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This concept will remind you of a few of our favorite rags-to-riches rom-coms, like The Princess Diaries and Crazy Rich Asians. She Said Maybe plays into those well-trod tropes of social faux pas and wish fulfillment, but places it in a world American viewers may not be familiar with.
It Presents a Relatable Relationship Dilemma in Fantastical Circumstances
The throughline in the movie is the relationship between Can and Mavi, who have been dating for two years at the start of the film. Can almost proposes to Mavi in the opening scene, but it goes awry — and it’s clear that Mavi has some trepidation about making a lifelong commitment. Mavi’s grandmother, Yadigar Bilgin (Meral Perin), quickly decides that the working-class Can is not a suitable partner for her heir, so she tries to break them up with the help of sexy socialite Kent Wolff (Serkan Çayoglu). This world of riches and unknown possibilities seems determined to pull Mavi away from her love.
When it’s time to commit to a relationship, it can be hard to give up on the “what could have been” or “what else is out there” fantasies. She Said Maybe makes that dilemma very literal, presenting Mavi with a concrete choice between what she knows and loves or a fairy tale. While the circumstances are larger than life, many people deciding the fates of their relationships may relate to Mavi’s dilemma.
The Setting Is an Underappreciated and Stunning Escape
Istanbul hasn’t reached the levels of global fantasy fodder that Paris or Florence have in rom-coms, but She Said Maybe is a strong argument for why it should be. From the stunning Bosphorus Bridge to the magical caves of Cappadocia, the movie uses Turkey’s most gorgeous locations to seduce Mavi into her new, lavish world, which is so unlike her hometown of Hamburg, Germany.
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If you’re yearning to travel the world from your couch, She Said Maybe could be the perfect opportunity to explore Eastern Europe.
If you’re looking for an escapist fantasy with a fun love story at its heart, check out She Said Maybe on Netflix now.
