Movies like Once Upon a Time in Norway (2007)
The best movies like Once Upon a Time in Norway (2007) are Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005), Until the Light Takes Us (2008) and Global Metal (2008). If Once Upon a Time in Norway hooked you with its crime and documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAnvil! The Story of Anvil (2008)7.6/10 from 285 votes
- NewestOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)Released 2026
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005)
The film discusses the traits and originators of some of metal's many subgenres, including the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, power metal, Nu metal, glam metal, thrash metal, black metal, and death metal. Dunn uses a family-tree-type flowchart to document some of the most popular metal subgenres. The film also explores various aspects of heavy metal culture.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUntil the Light Takes Us (2008)
Chronicles the history, ideology and aesthetic of Norwegian black metal, a musical subculture infamous as much for a series of murders and church arsons as it is for its unique musical and visual aesthetics. This is the first film to truly shed light on a movement that has heretofore been shrouded by rumor and obscured by inaccurate and shallow depictions. Featuring exclusive interviews with the musicians themselves, Until the Light Takes Us explores every aspect of the controversial movement that has captured the attention of the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGlobal Metal (2008)
In GLOBAL METAL, directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn set out to discover how the West's most maligned musical genre - heavy metal - has impacted the world's cultures beyond Europe and North America. The film follows metal fan and anthropologist Sam Dunn on a whirlwind journey through Asia, South America and the Middle East as he explores the underbelly of the world's emerging extreme music scenes; from Indonesian death metal to Chinese black metal to Iranian thrash metal. GLOBAL METAL reveals a worldwide community of metalheads who aren't just absorbing metal from the West - they're transforming it - creating a new form of cultural expression in societies dominated by conflict, corruption and mass-consumerism.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLords of Chaos (2018)
A teenager's quest to launch Norwegian Black Metal in Oslo in the 1990s results in a very violent outcome.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
An exploration of the heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on glam metal. It features concert footage and interviews of legendary heavy metal and hard rock bands and artists such as Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Megadeth, Motörhead, Ozzy Osbourne and W.A.S.P..
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026)
With unprecedented access to the official archives and intimate recollections from the band, both current and past, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition invites fans to experience one of the most iconic journeys in music history. Spanning five decades, this electrifying documentary charts the band’s rise from the pubs of East London to the world’s biggest stadiums. Featuring exclusive interviews with band members and contributors such as Javier Bardem, Lars Ulrich and Chuck D, as well as all-new animated sequences of the band's legendary mascot, Eddie, the film offers a rare and intimate look at Iron Maiden’s uncompromising vision and unwavering connection with their truly global army of fans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)
Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaft Punk Unchained (2015)
Daft Punk Unchained is the first film about the pop culture phenomenon that is Daft Punk, the duo with 12 million albums sold worldwide and seven Grammy Awards. Throughout their career Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have always resisted compromise and the established codes of show business. They have remained determined to maintain control of every link in the chain of their creative process. In the era of globalisation and social networks, they rarely speak in public and neither do they show their faces on TV. This documentary explores this unprecedented cultural revolution revealing a duo of artists on a permanent quest for creativity, independence and freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOut of Thin Air (2017)
Set within the stark Icelandic landscape, OUT OF THIN AIR examines the 1976 police investigation into the disappearance of two men in the early 1970s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisSomething from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012)
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is the film's director and interviewer Ice-T. Taking us on a deeply personal journey Ice-T uncovers how this music of the street has grown to dominate the world. Along the way Ice-T meets a whole spectrum of Hip-Hop talent, from founders, to new faces, to the global superstars like Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West. He exposes the roots and history of Rap and then, through meeting many of its most famous protagonists, studies the living mechanism of the music to reveal 'The Art Of Rap'. This extraordinary film features unique performances from the entire cast, without resorting to archive material, to build a fresh and surprising take on the phenomenon that is Rap.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnvil! The Story of Anvil (2008)
At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal" influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their 13th album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisColdplay: A Head Full of Dreams (2018)
An in-depth and intimate portrait of Coldplay's spectacular rise from the backrooms of Camden pubs to selling out stadiums across the planet. At the heart of the story is the band's unshakeable brotherhood which has endured through many highs and lows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & 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 & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeliver Us from Evil (2006)
Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Up in Smoke Tour (2000)
The Up in Smoke Tour is a West Coast hip hop tour in 2000 featuring artists Ice Cube, Eminem, Proof, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, D12, MC Ren, Westside Connection, Mel-Man, Tha Eastsidaz, Doggy's Angels, Devin The Dude, Warren G, TQ, Truth Hurts and Xzibit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaternal Instinct (2026)
Police pull over a woman who claims she just gave birth. But the baby — and the blood — aren't hers. Twisted lies unravel in this true-crime documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnd of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003)
A years-in-the-making documentary on the legendary punk band the Ramones. Through a mixture of archival footage, archival and new interviews with all members of the band's various lineups, and new interviews with a number of their contemporaries, the film traces the peaks and valleys the band experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWestern Stars (2019)
The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRite Here Rite Now (2024)
Whether you’re a devoted disciple looking to relive treasured memories of the GHOST live spectacle or among the curious uninitiated, RITE HERE RITE NOW will put you right there: putting your phones down and living in the moment—as a shadow of uncertainty looms—completely spellbound and in the thrall of this bombastic yet intimate cinematic portrait of GHOST.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998)
A musical study of Los Angeles in the late 90s, where homeless teens roam the streets and profess to live a punk lifestyle of music, drugs, and flouting authority.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMatangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018)
Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Band Called Death (2013)
Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early '70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSlipknot : Rock Am Ring 2019 (2019)
Setlist: 01 – People = Shit 02 – (sic) 03 – Get This 04 – Unsainted 05 – Disasterpiece 06 – Before I Forget 07 – The Heretic Anthem 08 – Psychosocial 09 – The Devil in I 10 – Prosthetics 11 – Vermilion 12 – Custer 13 – Sulfur 14 – All Out Life 15 – Duality 16 – Spit It Out 17 – Surfacing
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary
Assjack: Gates of Hell (2006)
A "best of" compilation of live clips of various ASSJACK shows taped live at Alley Katz in Richmond, VA from 2003 - 2006 and clips of 1 show from May 2005 at Bluecats in Knoxville, TN. Special cameos by Dancing Outlaw Jesco White, Randy Blythe from Lamb of God and Chris Arp from Psyopus.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Louder Than Hell: Wacken The Movie (2014)
Wacken Open Air is the biggest 3-day-rock- and metal-festival in the world. It's three days of raw energy, non-stop Heavy Metal music at full blast and 80.000 fans on a party frenzy. A true legend, taking place annually since 1990 in the sleepy German country town of Wacken, it attracts fans from all over the world. It was released on 24th of December 2014 on dvd, blu ray and 3D blu ray.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary
Danzig: Home Video (1990)
Featuring songs from their debut album DANZIG: "Twist of Cain" and the controversial uncut versions of "Am I Demon", "She Rides" and "Mother". Plus interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Highlights include: Glenn revealing his songwriting process, reading Wolverine comics, discussing his book collection, chugging a box of Milk Duds before an encore, and Eerie Von being a badass.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Hypnotizing Power: The Story of Master of Puppets (2020)
Feature documentary chronicling the making of Metallica's third studio album 'Master of Puppets'. Comprised from a wealth of archive interviews, studio and demo recordings, live performances and stock footage, the documentary is told exclusively in the words of the band members and those that helped make the album.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary
Heavy Metal (1981)
The embodiment of ultimate evil, a glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with bizarre stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe War to End All Wars - The Movie (2023)
"The War To End All Wars - The Movie" is an animated musical and historical journey that brings to life stories from World War 1. It features music from Sabaton's 10th studio album, "The War To End All Wars".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Black Metal: The Music of Satan (2011)
Bill Zebub interviews various musicians about black metal. Includes members of Behemoth, Darkthrone, Dark Funeral, Gorgoroth, Belphegor, Mayhem, Marduk, Immortal, and others.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Once Upon a Time in Norway?
The closest matches to Once Upon a Time in Norway are Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005), Until the Light Takes Us (2008) and Global Metal (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Once Upon a Time in Norway?
People who watched Once Upon a Time in Norway most often go on to Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005), Until the Light Takes Us (2008) and Global Metal (2008).
What is the highest-rated movie like Once Upon a Time in Norway?
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008), rated 7.6/10 by 285 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Once Upon a Time in Norway?
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Once Upon a Time in Norway?
Yes: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005), Until the Light Takes Us (2008) and Global Metal (2008).
How are movies similar to Once Upon a Time in Norway chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Once Upon a Time in Norway, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.