Movies like Between the sea and the desert (2009)
The best movies like Between the sea and the desert (2009) are As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000), 180° South (2010) and The Class of ‘92 (2013). If Between the sea and the desert hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMoney Heist: The Phenomenon (2020)7.4/10 from 1,094 votes
- NewestCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)Released 2025
- In SpanishMoney Heist: The Phenomenon (2020)Also in Spanish
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 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 thisThe Class of ‘92 (2013)
A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
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 thisHalloween: 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 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 thisAquaman: Heroines of Atlantis (2019)
Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman discuss their characters Mera and Atlanna.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper (2015)
Join director Clint Eastwood and his creative team, along with Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, as they overcome enormous creative and logistic obstacles to make a film that brings the truth of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle's story to the screen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisMea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012)
Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.
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 thisA Decade Under the Influence (2003)
A documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 thisDirected by John Ford (1971)
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMoney Heist: The Phenomenon (2020)
A documentary on why 'Money Heist' sparked a wave of enthusiasm around the world for a lovable group of thieves and their professor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome 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 thisTo 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 thisSherman's March (1986)
Documentarian Ross McElwee originally set out to make a travelogue of sorts tracing General William T. Sherman's infamous scorched-earth march through the Confederacy in the latter stages of the Civil War. Instead, haunted by a recent breakup with a girlfriend, McElwee ends up documenting his progress -- or lack thereof -- in starting a new relationship. His journey then becomes one of self-reflection and self-discovery rather than a historical/sociological exploration.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeduced and Abandoned (2013)
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaia Sahara (2015)
Daia Sahara is a trip to near and distant realities, a trip full of emotions, sensations and experiences, which despite their proximity, are alien to us but which build an energetic bond between Spanish families and Sahrawi refugee families.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Susu's journey (2003)
Suso is a Sahrawi child. He has put his name down for a humanitarian aid program that allows saharawi children to spend a holiday away form the refugee camp where they lives. For the first time in his life he will see the grass, the mountains, the sea ...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Vacations in Peace (2014)
As happens every year, the parents of the Association of Friends with the Sahrawi People of Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Barcelona) gather to welcome a group of Sahrawi children who come to spend two months with them each summer. The strong emotional ties that develop between them help them to overcome challenges such as cultural adaptation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Atu, the face of a forgotten nation (2019)
Atu is a 12-year-old Saharawi girl who comes to Valencia every summer to escape the suffocating desert summer in exile. Two opposing worlds between a conflict that has driven hundreds of thousands of people away from Western Sahara forcing them to live in southwestern Algeria. At her young age, with little resources and no homeland, she courageously faces the future.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Bachir in Wonderland (2018)
Bachir dreams of swimming in the sea, but he lives in a refugee camp in the desert. Despite the fact that he has no passport, he is offered the chance of a lifetime: he may be allowed to go on summer camp to Spain. Will his wish be fulfilled?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Coría and the sea (2014)
This is a story about women who are fighters, tenacious, hopeful, active women…who were capable of lifting, from nothingness, in the harshest landscape of the world, life. They are the Sahrawi women. 40 years ago, they were forced into exile; the men of this region, marched to war and the women created “temporary cities”: The Refugee Camps. They invented a new day to day life which made possible a sustainable existence and a hope, of one day returning home. Coría every night dreams of the sea; the majestic image of its water, the sound of its waves, are the echoes that join the people with their homeland. The will beats in the hearts of the Sahrawi women who maintain their unbreakable spirit, ever moving forward.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Smiles of the desert (2005)
Sahrawi children move to Basque country in summer thanks to the solidarity project Vacations in Peace. In the first part of the documentary, we see how they live, what they discover, what they learn and how these children enjoy themselves during their stay. The second part of the documentary takes place in the refugee camps in the desert which have held refugees for more than 30 years. We see their day-to-day life and, in passing, the reasons for the conflict and the Sahrawi struggle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Lejsara, a history between two worlds (2020)
Lejsara is a documentary about two worlds: Tinduf and Mallorca. The main character, Lejsara, is twelve years old and, thanks to the ‘Holidays in Peace’ project, she’s going to spend her third and last summer in Spain with her host family. The film asks whether this program lets their children taste a piece of candy and then takes it away from them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Daughters of sand (2023)
Benda, a young Sahrawi woman in the diaspora wonders about the future of her people's children and women. We accompany her on an emotional journey to the refugee camps to see the more human face of the conflict. The film leaves the political as a mere context to focus on the dreams and drama of a people determined in their struggle to return home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The show (2012)
Jean Rouch shot La Pyramide Humaine in 1961. We discovered it the summer of 2012. This treasure draws suggestive connections between a politic conflict and the art of creation by itself. That summer we were in charge of shooting the staying of Sahrawi children with host families from Barcelona during the summer holidays. Nothing seemed to us more inspiring than get deep into the essence of that movie. And we dare to play. It is an audiovisual experiment, by way of an imperfect tale, with three protagonists: a Sahrawi friend in exile, a group of kids from the desert and a play.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like Between the sea and the desert and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Between the sea and the desert?
The closest matches to Between the sea and the desert are As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000), 180° South (2010) and The Class of ‘92 (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Between the sea and the desert?
Start with As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000), the closest match to Between the sea and the desert.
What is the highest-rated movie like Between the sea and the desert?
Money Heist: The Phenomenon (2020), rated 7.4/10 by 1,094 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Between the sea and the desert?
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like Between the sea and the desert?
Yes: Money Heist: The Phenomenon (2020), Daia Sahara (2015) and Susu's journey (2003).
How are movies similar to Between the sea and the desert chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Between the sea and the desert, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.