Movies like How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick
The best movies like How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick are The Matrix Recalibrated (2004), The Captains (2011) and Extraordinary: The Stan Romanek Story (2013). If How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick hooked you with its documentary and science fiction, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedOceans (2010)7.5/10 from 353 votes
- NewestPLUGGED-IN (2026)Released 2026
The Matrix Recalibrated (2004)
The making of Matrix Revolutions, The (2003) is briefly touched on here in this documentary. Interviews with various cast and crew members inform us how they were affected by the deaths of Gloria Foster and Aaliyah, and also delve into the making of the visual effects that takes up a lot of screen time. Written by Rhyl Donnelly
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Captains (2011)
The Captains is a feature-length documentary film written and directed by William Shatner. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed starship captains in the Star Trek franchise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExtraordinary: The Stan Romanek Story (2013)
Stan Romanek is the center of the world's most documented extraterrestrial contact story, and the multitude of evidence accumulated over the past decade has convinced thousands around the world that his story is true. This documentary film takes audiences on a journey through Stan's past, present and future with one goal in mind: help the world understand that no one knowingly chooses the challenges Stan and his family have endured. This film's intention is not to prove the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrials, but it does pose the question' What if this is all true? extraordinary: the stan romanek story is about one man's evolution through a life he did not choose and the messages he is driven to deliver to mankind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpider-Man 2: Making the Amazing (2004)
A comprehensive 12-part documentary on the making of "Spider-Man 2," covering everything from pre-production to premiere.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVan Gogh: Painted with Words (2010)
A drama-documentary presented by Alan Yentob, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role. Every word spoken by the actors in this film is sourced from the letters that Van Gogh sent to his younger brother Theo, and of those around him. What emerges is a complex portrait of a sophisticated, civilised and yet tormented man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee (2016)
The strange story of John McAfee, who went from millionaire software mogul to yogi, Kurtz-like jungle recluse to potential murderer, and most recently a prospective presidential candidate for the American Libertarian Party.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife in a Day (2011)
A documentary shot by filmmakers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChaos on the Bridge (2014)
Canadian acting legend William Shatner takes viewers inside the creation of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the bold attempt in 1986 to recreate the success of the original television series, in which Shatner played Captain James T. Kirk.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like this20,000 Days on Earth (2014)
A semi-fictionalized documentary about a day in the life of Australian musician Nick Cave's persona.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBehind the Planet of the Apes (1998)
Roddy McDowall takes you, film by film, from production meetings to make-up sessions, then right onto the movie set to see the actual filming of the science fiction masterpiece. The most comprehensive history of Planet of the Apes ever created, this fascinating 127-minute documentary explores one of the most imaginative and influential series in movie history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll That Breathes (2022)
Against the darkening backdrop of New Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protecting one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the black kite.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEinstein and the Bomb (2024)
What happened after Einstein fled Nazi Germany? Using archival footage and his own words, this docudrama dives into the mind of a tortured genius.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTen Minutes Older: The Trumpet (2002)
Ten Minutes Older is a 2002 film project consisting of two compilation feature films entitled The Trumpet and The Cello. The project was conceived by the producer Nicolas McClintock as a reflection on the theme of time at the turn of the Millennium. Fifteen celebrated film-makers were invited to create their own vision of what time means in ten minutes of film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTyson (2008)
Director James Toback takes an unflinching, uncompromising look at the life of Mike Tyson--almost solely from the perspective of the man himself. TYSON alternates between the controversial boxer addressing the camera and shots of the champion's fights to create an arresting picture of the man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Arbor (2010)
The lives of the late Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar and Lorraine, one of her daughters, and the community of Bradford, in the 30 years since the 18-year-old Andrea penned a play about growing up in the community titled "The Arbor".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCollapse (2009)
From the acclaimed director of American Movie, the documentary follows former Los Angeles police officer turned independent reporter Michael Ruppert. He recounts his career as a radical thinker and spells out his apocalyptic vision of the future, spanning the crises in economics, energy, environment and more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAfter Death (2023)
Based on real near-death experiences, the afterlife is explored with the guidance of New York Times bestselling authors, medical experts, scientists and survivors who shed a light on what awaits us.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOceans (2010)
An ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout the globe. Part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFraming John DeLorean (2019)
A documentary interspersed with acted scenes, this portrait of John DeLorean covers the brilliant but tragically flawed automaker's rise to stardom and shocking down fall.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWormwood (2017)
In this genre-bending tale, Errol Morris explores the mysterious death of a U.S. scientist entangled in a secret Cold War program known as MK-Ultra.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNingwasum (2022)
Ningwasum follows two time travellers Miksam and Mingsoma, played by Subin Limbu and Shanta Nepali respectively, in the Himalayas weaving indigenous folk stories, culture, climate change and science fiction.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & documentary
PLUGGED-IN (2026)
In a dystopian society where people are fully emotionally dependent on music, Paul, having broken his listening devices, tries to find his own sound.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & drama
Twiggy (2025)
Twiggy takes a comprehensive look at the life story of UK model and cultural icon Twiggy, real name Lesley Lawson, whose career kickstarted in the 1960s. It features interviews with Twiggy and her husband Leigh Lawson, as well as commentary from Erin O’Connor, Paul McCartney, Lulu, Poppy Delavigne, Brooke Shields, Pattie Boyd and Zandra Rhodes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Simulation (2019)
An advanced alien civilization builds a simulated reality where infinite beings, including humans, are imprisoned.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Cade: The Tortured Crossing (2023)
An identical AI twin restores an old mental asylum, where he takes it upon himself to mystically train the patients as warriors for humanity and justice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
no one knows who created skull trumpet (until now) (2023)
YouTuber Jeffiot goes digging for the origins of skull trumpet / doot doot / mr skeltal, and ends up taking a trip to the early web heyday of animated gif art, and ruminating on creativity and legacy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Une vie contre l'oubli (2016)
Portrait of Belgian historian, reporter and documentarian André Dartevelle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Notes from a Young Black Chef (TBA)
Based on Kwame Onwuachi's memoir which tells his unprecedented journey from childhood in the Bronx with a mostly single mother to opening a fine-dining restaurant in Washington D.C. at the age of 26.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Wild Plants of Palestine (2018)
The film follows journeys of observational tours solicited by the Palestinian Museum and conducted by two professors from Birzeit University to collect photos of and information on the Palestinian Flora. The title is adapted from a collection of 123 images (circa 1900 to 1920) of wild flowers in Palestine found in the Matson Collection in the Library of Congress. Despite the tendency to trace the wild plants, the text in general aims at questioning the territorial extension of what is meant by the term “Palestinian”, while standing on insignificant topographical features of the (postcolonial) landscape in West Bank. Furthermore, it addresses photography as a practice and a tool of distributing and restricting information at once.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ten Lives of a Cat: A Film about Chris Marker (2023)
Ten years after the death of iconic French filmmaker, Chris Marker. A filmmaker, hoping to rediscover that unique sensibility against the uncertainty of the new century, returns to the places synonymous with those incomparable and unforgettable films-- From the cat cemetery of Sans Soleil, to the mausoleum of The Last Bolshevik; The caves of Level Five to the rooftops of The Case of the Grinning Cat. A biographical portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest and most misunderstood filmmakers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick?
The closest matches to How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick are The Matrix Recalibrated (2004), The Captains (2011) and Extraordinary: The Stan Romanek Story (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick?
Start with The Matrix Recalibrated (2004), the closest match to How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick.
What is the highest-rated movie like How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick?
Oceans (2010), rated 7.5/10 by 353 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick?
PLUGGED-IN (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick?
Yes: The Matrix Recalibrated (2004), The Captains (2011) and Extraordinary: The Stan Romanek Story (2013).
How are movies similar to How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.