Movies like Pioneers (2023)
The best movies like Pioneers (2023) are The Alpinist (2021), Free Solo (2018) and 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021). If Pioneers hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Dawn Wall (2017)8.0/10 from 378 votes
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
- In ItalianMassimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me (2023)Also in Italian
The Alpinist (2021)
The life of Canadian mountain climber Marc-André Leclerc as he pushes the boundaries of climbing while on an expedition to Patagonia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFree Solo (2018)
Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like this14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)
In 2019, Nepalese mountain climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja set out to do the unthinkable by climbing the world’s fourteen highest summits in less than seven months. (The previous record was eight years). He called the effort “Project Possible 14/7” and saw it as a way to inspire others to strive for greater heights in any pursuit. The film follows his team as they seek to defy naysayers and push the limits of human endurance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this180° South (2010)
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEverest (1998)
An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return to Base Camp. It also shows many of the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, treacherous ice walls, and a deadly blizzard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMeru (2015)
Meru is the electrifying story of three elite American climbers—Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk—bent on achieving the impossible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Dawn Wall (2017)
In an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAnna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me (2023)
From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMassimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me (2023)
The life of a dying young man at the short age of only forty-one after playing the lead in Il postino. He was a brilliant stage actor before becoming an astonishing film director.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNational Geographic: Journey to the Edge of the Universe (2008)
In one single, epic camera move we journey from Earth's surface to the outermost reaches of the universe on a grand tour of the cosmos, to explore newborn stars, distant planets, black holes and beyond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisValley Uprising (2014)
In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service. And up on the walls, generation after generation has pushed the limits of climbing, vying amongst each other for supremacy on Yosemite's cliffs. "Valley Uprising" is the riveting, unforgettable tale of this bold rock climbing tradition in Yosemite National Park: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity -- and the laws of the land.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMia Martini - I Am Mia (2019)
The movie is a biopic about Mia Martini, an italian singer who died in 1995.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAvatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022)
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this35 Up (1991)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Mom Jayne (2025)
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like this42 Up (1999)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wildest Dream (2010)
Uses astonishing visuals to tell the intersecting stories of George Mallory, the first man to attempt a summit of Mount Everest, and Conrad Anker, the mountaineer who finds Mallory's frozen remains 75 years later.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Toxic Love Story (2026)
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like this28 Up (1985)
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisValentino: The Last Emperor (2008)
Film which travels inside the singular world of one of Italy's most famous fashion designers, Valentino Garavani, documenting the colourful and dramatic closing act of his celebrated career and capturing the end of an era in global fashion. However, at the heart of the film is a love story - the unique relationship between Valentino and his business partner and companion of 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti. Capturing intimate moments in the lives of two of Italy's richest and most famous men, the film lifts the curtain on the final act of a nearly 50-year reign at the top of the glamorous and fiercely competitive world of fashion. (Storyville)
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLes Horizons Gagnés (1974)
The guide Gaston Rébuffat, shares with us his view of his job and the nature that surrounds him by showing us some beautiful climbs made with friends, noting the importance of the friendship of the rope party. Born near the Calanques, he could have been a sailor, like him linked to storms and the stars. We follow him with Edwin Mattews (USA) in their ascent of the Barre des Ecrins, then in La Meije. Accompanied by Jean Juge (Switzerland), in the Mont Blanc Massif, for a crossing of the Aiguilles de Chamonix. With his Italian friend Lino Donvito, he climbs the Torre de Vijolet in the Dolomites. Then with Massulu Suzuki (Japan) in the Mont Blanc massif (Rochefort ridges, Dent du Géant via the south face). Christian Ringeval (France) accompanies him for an ascent of Vignemale. And finally return to the Mont Blanc massif, to the Grand Capucin (Bonatti route) with Konrad Krirch.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Rock Auvergne (2019)
Rock Auvergne is a documentary film about the history of climbing in Auvergne which introduces us, through interviews and archive footage, to its iconic climbers such as Denis Collangette, Jean-Pierre Frachon, Gérard and Olivier Monneron, Zsolt and Csaba Osztian, Thierry Mompied, Claude Clauzon, Aurélien Païs and a certain Patrick Berhault, all driven by the desire to pass on knowledge and the human aspect of climbing, and sumptuous images of the emblematic cliffs and peaks of Puy-de-Dôme and the Sancy massif such as the Capucin, the Dent de la Rancune, the Tullière and Sanadoire rocks and the Saint-Sauves rock.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Höhenrausch - Laura Dahlmeiers Leben nach dem Biathlon (2024)
Two-time Olympic champion, seven-time world champion, overall World Cup winner – Laura Dahlmeier is one of the most successful German biathletes and sportswomen of all time. But at an unusually early age, at just 25, she turned her back on winter sports and devoted herself to mountaineering. A film crew accompanied the exceptional athlete from Garmisch-Partenkirchen for three and a half weeks on her expedition to the spectacular Ama Dablam in Nepal. In addition to incredible drone footage of the mountain landscape, the documentary also features private moments during the ascent of the "Matterhorn of the Himalayas." The biathlon legend talks about her life as a mountain guide and alpinist after her sporting career, without concealing the dangers involved. Conversations with parents and friends reveal the character and motivation of the 31-year-old, making it clear why this exceptionally talented woman turned her back on the biathlon circuit at such a young age.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Le Grand Paradis (2013)
The Grand paradis is said to be one of the easiest four-thousanders and that is the one choosen by Carole Dechantre to share with the famous alpinist Jean Troillet.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Höhenrausch – Die Entwicklung der Höhenmedizin (2022)
How do you brave acute mountain sickness? We talk to researchers, doctors and mountaineers about a syndrome whose mechanisms are still poorly understood.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Fitzroy (1977)
Award-winning film by Dee McLachlan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Solo Ascent (1984)
Award-winning film by Dee McLachlan
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Jeannot (2023)
The name Jean Gounand is legendary among the rock faces of the French and Italian Maritime Alps. Whether through a bold first ascent, an audacious variation, an adjustable wooden wedge, or a simple piton stamped "JG," Jean has left his mark on countless routes. From the Baou de Saint-Jeannet to the Corno Stella and the Cougourde, he knows every line on these iconic peaks. A retired factory worker, he has harbored a lifelong passion for the mountains—one that remains stronger than ever at age 83; he heads out to climb with boundless energy, the same eagerness, and the same sense of wonder. A contemporary and climbing partner of mountaineering greats like Patrick Berhault, he has played an active role in the evolution of rock climbing for over half a century. It was with his characteristic kindness and humility—and eyes sparkling with joy—that he opened the door to his vertical world for us.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
An Accidental Life (2022)
An Accidental Life is a deeply personal and vulnerable portrait of Quinn Brett, an ambitious, record-setting climber who strives to make meaning out of tragedy in the years following a near-fatal rock climbing accident on El Capitan that left her paralyzed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Karim's Footsteps (2023)
Documentary about Abdul Karim, the most famous porter of the Karakoram, born in Hushé, a small village in northern Pakistan where the only way to earn money to survive the harsh winters is to work as a mountain porter with the expeditions on the highest peaks in the country. He climbed with the greatest mountaineers: Messner, Kukuczka, Boivin, Bonington... But his last, most ambitious and revolutionary project of all was to create the first women's mountaineering team in Baltistan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Pioneers?
The closest matches to Pioneers are The Alpinist (2021), Free Solo (2018) and 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Pioneers?
Start with The Alpinist (2021), the closest match to Pioneers.
What is the highest-rated movie like Pioneers?
The Dawn Wall (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 378 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Pioneers?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Pioneers?
Yes: Massimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me (2023) and Mia Martini - I Am Mia (2019).
How are movies similar to Pioneers chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Pioneers, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.