Movies like Forbidden Songs of the Earth (2023)
The best movies like Forbidden Songs of the Earth (2023) are Naqoyqatsi (2002), Nas: Time Is Illmatic (2014) and OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) (2022). If Forbidden Songs of the Earth hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBaraka (1992)8.2/10 from 735 votes
- NewestOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)Released 2026
- In SpanishHuelga UNAM 1999 - 2000: CGH a 20 Años (2019)Also in Spanish
Naqoyqatsi (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 thisNas: Time Is Illmatic (2014)
Time Is Illmatic is a feature length documentary film that delves deep into the making of Nas' 1994 debut album, Illmatic, and the social conditions that influenced its creation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) (2022)
Grammy® winner singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo takes a familiar road trip from Salt Lake City, where she began writing her debut album “SOUR,” to Los Angeles. Along the way, Rodrigo recounts the memories of writing and creating her record-breaking debut album and shares her feelings as a young woman navigating a specific time in her life. Through new live arrangements of her songs, intimate interviews and never-before-seen footage from the making of the album, audiences will follow Olivia along on a cinematic journey exploring the story of “SOUR.”
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)
A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPowaqqatsi (1988)
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGirl Rising (2013)
Nine filmmakers each profile a young girl from a different part of the world to weave a global tapestry of youth in the 21st century.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Repair Shop (2024)
In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
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 documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSelena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy (2025)
Never-before-seen footage and intimate interviews celebrate the life and legacy of iconic Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla and her family band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 thisAvicii: True Stories (2017)
Documentary about the arena-packing Swedish DJ, chronicling his explosive rise to fame and surprising decision to retire from live performances in 2016.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBuena Vista Social Club (1999)
In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Irishman: In Conversation (2019)
Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino in conversation about The Irishman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
On a January night in 1985, music's biggest stars gathered to record "We Are the World." This documentary goes behind the scenes of the historic event.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAmazing Grace (2018)
A behind-the-scenes documentary about the recording of Aretha Franklin's best-selling album finally sees the light of day more than four decades after the original footage was shot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBaraka (1992)
A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global vision—an odyssey through landscape and time—that attempts to capture the essence of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSupersonic (2016)
Supersonic charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed and features candid new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother, and members of the band and road crew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHuelga UNAM 1999 - 2000: CGH a 20 Años (2019)
Faced with attempts to privatize public education, the General Strike Council (CGH) brings Latin America's largest university to a standstill. The goal is clear: to keep UNAM free, facing as its main obstacles media lynching, internal divisions, and imminent federal repression. A chronicle of ten months of the largest student strike in Mexico's history.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Rainald Grebe: Der Tod im Leben. Unheilbar krank zum größten Auftritt (2025)
After suffering a stroke during a performance, cabaret artist Rainald Grebe faces up to his illness. A touching documentary about his return to the stage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Reflection, Improvisation (2026)
A perspective and reflection on the work of Gabriel Ferrandini.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ni Por Mil Puñados De Oro (2022)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ellison. The Reef That Saved Them All (2026)
Sixty years after the original fight that saved it from being mined, Ellison Reef once again becomes a touchstone for what's at stake as climate change accelerates.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Tianguis (2016)
From the break of dawn until the darkness of night, the *tianguis* is born and dies in the streets of Mexico City. It is during these fleeting hours that we can find an endless array of colors, sounds, and unique personalities.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ian Dury: On My Life! (1999)
Autobiographical documentary in which Ian Dury, fighting a battle with cancer to which he would later succumb, recalls his life and career. With contributions from painter Peter Blake and members of Dury's band, the Blockheads.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ian Dury and the Blockheads: Live at Luton (1999)
In one of his last gigs, Ian Dury performs in concert with The Blockheads at Venue 27 in Luton. Hits include Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3, Mash It Up Harry and Bus Drivers' Prayer. First broadcast 28 March 2004
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Groove Under the Groove (2026)
An intimate look at the life and career of Paulinho da Costa, the most recorded percussionist in music history. The documentary explores his unique rhythmic language and his collaboration with legendary icons.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Forbidden Songs of the Earth?
The closest matches to Forbidden Songs of the Earth are Naqoyqatsi (2002), Nas: Time Is Illmatic (2014) and OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Forbidden Songs of the Earth?
Start with Naqoyqatsi (2002), the closest match to Forbidden Songs of the Earth.
What is the highest-rated movie like Forbidden Songs of the Earth?
Baraka (1992), rated 8.2/10 by 735 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Forbidden Songs of the Earth?
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like Forbidden Songs of the Earth?
Yes: Huelga UNAM 1999 - 2000: CGH a 20 Años (2019), Ni Por Mil Puñados De Oro (2022) and Tianguis (2016).
How are movies similar to Forbidden Songs of the Earth chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Forbidden Songs of the Earth, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.