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Movies like My Mother's Name is Forest (2013)

The best movies like My Mother's Name is Forest (2013) are My Mom Jayne (2025), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and Nothing Like a Dame (2018). If My Mother's Name is Forest hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. My 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 this
  2. As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)

    A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. Nothing 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 this
  4. The Beaches of Agnès (2008)

    Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda, the award-winning director regarded by many as the grandmother of the French new wave, turns the camera on herself with this unique autobiographical documentary. Composed of film excerpts and elaborate dramatic re-creations, Varda's self-portrait recounts the highs and lows of her professional career, the many friendships that affected her life and her longtime marriage to cinematic giant Jacques Demy.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. News from Home (1976)

    Impersonal and beautiful images of Akerman's life in New York are combined with letters from her loving but manipulative mother, read by Akerman herself.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. Maria by Callas (2017)

    Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs, the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. Girl 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 this
  8. Come See Me in the Good Light (2025)

    In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. Bambi: A Tale of Life in the Woods (2024)

    The life of Bambi, a male roe deer, from his birth through childhood, the loss of his mother, the finding of a mate, the lessons he learns from his father, and the experience he gains about the dangers posed by human hunters in the forest.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. Halloween: 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 this
  11. Daguerréotypes (1978)

    An intimate portrait of the small shops and shopkeepers of the Rue Daguerre in Paris, a picturesque street that has been the filmmaker’s home for more than 50 years.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Baraka (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 this
  13. To Kill a Tiger (2023)

    Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. 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 this
  15. Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (2016)

    An intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty featuring Debbie Reynolds, Todd Fisher, and Carrie Fisher.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Heart 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 this
  17. I Am Heath Ledger (2017)

    The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)

    Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. Love, 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 this
  20. Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (2025)

    Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. Postcard (Or, from afar, you are a mirage) (2024)

    "The palm trees on the reverse are a delusion; so is the pink sand". This line, taken from a poem by Margaret Atwood, lights the path traced in "Postcard". As the years go by, landscapes transform, take on new meanings, and hold onto joys that will never be regained. The sea and the beach, once stages of happy summers, romances, and encounters, will turn into concentration camps or centers of detention and torture. This occurs across different times and places. In this piece, I embark on a journey through some of my works that explore the relationship between testimony, spaces, and time, engaging in dialogue with the beautiful film directed by Alejandro Segovia in 1972.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  22. Le cahier de Danièle Kahn (2024)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  23. Carnations (2025)

    Seven strangers are interviewed to talk about the relationship they have with their mother.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  24. What You'll Remember (2021)

    Homelessness in the United States takes many forms. For Elizabeth Herrera, David Lima and their four children, housing instability has meant moving between unsafe apartments, motels, relatives’ couches, shelters, the streets and their car. After 15 years of this uncertainty, the family moved into their first stable housing — an apartment in the San Francisco Bay Area — in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  25. That Kid (1976)

    A group of educators led by Fernand Deligny are working to create contact with autistic children in a hamlet of the Cevennes.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  26. La Parole de l'enfant, sortir du silence (2025)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  27. Exergo (2024)

    Departing from peripheral details of some paintings of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, a female narrator unravels several stories related to the economic, social and psychological conditions of past and current artists.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  28. Madwoman of God (2008)

    This feature-length film tells the story of the passion between Marie de l’Incarnation, a mid-seventeenth-century nun and God, her "divine spouse." Fusing documentary and acting by Marie Tifo, whom we follow as she rehearses for this demanding role, the film paints an astonishing portrait of this mystic who abandoned her son and left France to build a convent in Canada, where she became the first female writer in New France.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  29. And Yet We're Not Super Heroes (2020)

    It takes time to grow up. And sometimes you even wonder if it’s really worth it… Then the children move slowly, at their own pace, the time to tame the world that awaits them. On the way, they ask questions and invent answers using their overflowing imagination.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  30. Bébés placés, la vie devant eux (2023)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like My Mother's Name is Forest?

The closest matches to My Mother's Name is Forest are My Mom Jayne (2025), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and Nothing Like a Dame (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after My Mother's Name is Forest?

Start with My Mom Jayne (2025), the closest match to My Mother's Name is Forest.

What is the highest-rated movie like My Mother's Name is Forest?

Baraka (1992), rated 8.2/10 by 735 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like My Mother's Name is Forest?

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there French movies like My Mother's Name is Forest?

Yes: The Beaches of Agnès (2008), News from Home (1976) and Bambi: A Tale of Life in the Woods (2024).

How are movies similar to My Mother's Name is Forest chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside My Mother's Name is Forest, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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