Movies like The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson (2014)
The best movies like The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson (2014) are The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019) and Red Army (2015). If The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson hooked you with its documentary and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedKoyaanisqatsi (1983)7.9/10 from 814 votes
- NewestThe Time Step (2026)Released 2026
The Untold History Of The United States (2012)
Oliver Stone charts the history of the United States from the Second World War to the present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMaking Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019)
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Army (2015)
A documentary highlighting the Soviet Union's legendary and enigmatic hockey training culture and world-dominating team through the eyes of the team's Captain Slava Fetisov, following his shift from hockey star and celebrated national hero to political enemy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisApollo: Missions to the Moon (2019)
National Geographic's riveting effort recounts all 12 crewed missions using only archival footage, photos and audio.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRonaldo (2015)
Filmed over 14 months with unprecedented access into the inner circle of the man and the sport, this is the first official and fully authorised film of one of the most celebrated figures in football. For the first time ever, the world gets vividly candid and un-paralleled, behind-closed-doors access to the footballer, father, family-man and friend in this moving & fascinating documentary. Through in-depth conversations, state of the art football footage and never before seen archival footage, the film gives an astonishing insight into the sporting and personal life of triple Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo at the peak of his career. From the makers of ‘Senna’ and ‘Amy’, Ronaldo takes audiences on an intimate and revealing journey of what it’s like to live as an iconic athlete in the eye of the storm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKaty Perry: Part of Me (2012)
Giving fans unprecedented access to the real life of the music sensation, Katy Perry: Part of Me exposes the hard work, dedication and phenomenal talent of a girl who remained true to herself and her vision in order to achieve her dreams. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes interviews, personal moments between Katy and her friends, and all-access footage of rehearsals, choreography, Katy’s signature style and more, Katy Perry: Part of Me reveals the singer’s unwavering belief that if you can be yourself, then you can be anything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaqoyqatsi (2002)
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeart of a Dog (2015)
Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHarry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)
An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove, Marilyn (2013)
Using the book 'Fragments', which collects Marilyn Monroe's poems, notes and letters, and with participation from the Arthur Miller and Truman Capote estates who have contributed more material, each of the actresses will embody the legend at various stages in her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOur Planet: Behind the Scenes (2019)
Years spent recording footage of creatures from every corner of the globe is bound to produce a bit of drama. Here's a behind-the-scenes look.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHalloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006)
Follow the evolution of the 'Halloween' movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films - seeing the effects on the local community. For the first time, cast, crew, critics and fans join together in the ultimate 'Halloween' retrospective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNothing Like a Dame (2018)
BBC Arena's documentary on the Dames of British Theatre and film featuring Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench and Joan Plowright on screen together for the first time as they reminisce over a long summer weekend in a house Joan once shared with Sir Laurence Olivier.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFor the Love of Spock (2016)
The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie (1988)
Marcel Ophuls' riveting film details the heinous legacy of the Gestapo head dubbed "The Butcher of Lyon." Responsible for over 4,000 deaths in occupied France during World War II, Barbie would escape—with U.S. help—to South America in 1951, where he lived until a global manhunt led to his 1983 arrest and subsequent trial.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJustin Bieber's Believe (2013)
A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJonas Brothers: The Concert Experience (2009)
Grab a backstage pass to the Jonas Brothers' motion picture debut! Kevin, Joe and Nick are "Burning Up" the stage and inviting you inside their personal world for the adventure of a lifetime. This colossal movie event launches the world's hottest band straight into your living room – and includes guest appearances by chart-topping artists Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift! Secure your VIP pass to a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the Jonas Brothers. Get ready to hang out with this multitalented trio, and take an intimate look at what their lives are like offstage and behind the scenes. It's the music-filled movie event perfect for the whole family!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMore Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011)
Retrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Waltz (1978)
Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and other rock legends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKoyaanisqatsi (1983)
Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Time Step (2026)
A portrait of the filmmakers grandmother made from self scanned 8mm footage from 1940's-1960's. Commissioned for the 2026 True/False Film Festival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Under Quabbin (2001)
Beneath the millions of gallons of water that flow into homes across eastern Massachusetts is a story of buried history, scientific discovery, & individual hopes & dreams destroyed in the name of progress. Edward Klekowski, a UMass biology professor with a passion for scuba diving, chronicles an unprecedented search for the remains of four lost towns under the Quabbin Reservoir in Belchertown, MA
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Trailer Camp (1995)
Film archivist and former director of the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Jenni Olson created this fast-paced and often funny, campy 75-minute film comprised entirely of spliced together movie trailers. Some of the segments have themes such as a breezy look back at John Travolta's career that includes trailers from such films as Saturday Night Fever, Staying Alive, Grease, Perfect, and Moment by Moment. Other trailers include Mae West in Sextette, the disco camper Thank God It's Friday, Raquel Welch in Kansas City Bomber, Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew and the rarely seen Chastity, the serious acting debut of Cher.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Phantasia (2024)
X-ray images were invented in 1895, the same year in which the Lumière brothers presented their respective invention in what today is considered to be the first cinema screening. Thus, both cinema and radiography fall within the scopic regime inaugurated by modernity. The use of X-rays on two sculptures from the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum generates images that reveal certain elements of them that would otherwise be invisible to our eyes. These images, despite being generally created for technical or scientific purposes, seem to produce a certain form of 'photogénie': they lend the radiographed objects a new appearance that lies somewhere between the material and the ethereal, endowing them with a vaporous and spectral quality. It is not by chance that physics and phantasmagoria share the term 'spectrum' in their vocabulary.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Henry David Thoreau: Surveyor of the Soul (TBA)
“…this documentary capturing important aspects of Thoreau’s life and writings is highly recommended.” Video Librarian, May 2018 Made over the course of 13 years, Henry David Thoreau: Surveyor of the Soul tells the story of Thoreau in his time and the story of the impact Thoreau’s writings and lifestyle have in our time. Surveyor of the Soul has interviews and commentary by: Laura Dassow Walls (author, Henry David Thoreau: A Life), Bill McKibben, Howard Zinn, Richard Primack, Megan Marshall, Rep. John Lewis, Robert Bly, Wai Chee Dimock, Spencer Crew, Darren Ranco (Penobscot), Rochelle Johnson, and more. “If you are not yet a Thoreau enthusiast, this beautiful, engrossing documentary just might turn you into one. If you already are, it will remind you of the many reasons why.” Lucille Stott, Appalachia, Winter/Spring 2019
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Strange Woman (1946)
In early 19th century New England, an unscrupulous woman uses her beauty and wits to seduce, deceive and control the men around her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPine State Phantoms (2020)
Sabattus is an old town and like any old town it has its history of inhabitants, tragedy, and conflict. There's a house in Sabattus, though, unlike any other. The owner reports that the property experiences strange sightings. Shadowy figures, strange balls of light, and the sounds of being followed are all common occurrences at this house. Join investigator Nate Brislin as he documents the strange goings-on at the Sabattus house. Hear the story from the eyewitnesses, and embark on an expedition that dares to ask: are there phantoms in America's Pine Tree State?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Collector (2024)
The offbeat, fairytale story of Wizard of Oz fanatic and obsessive pop culture collector Willard Carroll. From dining with Munchkins to owning the world’s largest private collection of Oz memorabilia, Willard is proof that one story can change the entire trajectory of your life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Main Man (2025)
A German tourist who gained fame in the 1970s after becoming lost in America and a washed-up one-hit-wonder indie rocker are connected across history by feelings of having already peaked.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
why some people be mad at me sometimes (2024)
why some people be mad at me sometimes is a single channel experimental film that cites the mother of Dancehall Sister Nancy singing her song bam bam in dialogue with Maya Angelou’s performance of the poem The Mask. The video is a meditation on the misappropriation of Blackness within music, and how often Black folks are told to not criticize but to smile and be grateful. All while tracing the filmmakers' relationship to Dancehall and Afro Caribbean culture through archival footage of themselves as a young person dancing at Folklorama. Folklorama has the intention to be a space for sharing diverse cultures but oftentimes a space of cultural consumption that erases the colonial history of the countries that are on display.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson?
The closest matches to The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson are The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019) and Red Army (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson?
Start with The Untold History Of The United States (2012), the closest match to The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson?
Koyaanisqatsi (1983), rated 7.9/10 by 814 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson?
The Time Step (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson?
Yes: The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019) and Red Army (2015).
How are movies similar to The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Maine Frontier: Through the Lens of Isaac Walton Simpson, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.