Movies like How to Tell (1931)
The best movies like How to Tell (1931) are The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), A Toxic Love Story (2026) and Come See Me in the Good Light (2025). If How to Tell hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBeyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)7.0/10 from 246 votes
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
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 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 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 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 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 thisCasting By (2012)
This essential new documentary pays tribute to the legacy of the late, legendary casting director Marion Dougherty and shines a light on one of the most overlooked and least understood crafts in filmmaking.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King (2020)
A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNo Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad (2013)
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEx Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisI Am Ali (2014)
Unprecedented access to Muhammad Ali's personal archive of "audio journals" as well as interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends are used to tell the legend's life story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret (2006)
Interviews with leading authors, philosophers and scientists, with an in-depth discussion of the Law of Attraction. The audience is shown how they can learn and use 'The Secret' in their everyday lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeven Up! (1985)
A group of British children aged 7 from widely ranging backgrounds are interviewed about a range of subjects. The filmmakers plan to re-interview them at 7 year intervals to track how their lives and attitudes change as they age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFacing Ali (2009)
Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)
Explore the evolution of Buzz Lightyear from toy to human in the making of Pixar’s Lightyear. Dive into the origin and cultural impact of everyone’s favorite Space Ranger, the art of designing a new “human Buzz,” and the challenges faced by the Lightyear crew along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025)
Vulgar, taunting texts blow up the phones of a teen and her boyfriend. Who's sending them — and why? This twisty documentary reveals the shocking answer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOrgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste (2022)
A sexual wellness company gains fame and followers, then members come forward with shocking allegations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDownloaded (2013)
A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisPuberty: Sexual Education For Boys and Girls (1991)
This sex education movie explore themes of body development, sexual hygiene, masturbation, menstruation, puberty, sex and giving birth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Asking For It: the Ethics & Erotics of Sexual Consent (2010)
The line between sexual consent and sexual coercion is not always as clear as it seems -- and according to Harry Brod, this is exactly why we should approach our sexual interactions with great care. Brod, a professor of philosophy and leader in the pro-feminist men's movement, offers a unique take on the problem of sexual assault, one that complicates the issue even as it clarifies the bottom-line principle that consent must always be explicitly granted, never simply assumed. In a nonthreatening, non-hectoring discussion that ranges from the meanings of "yes" and "no" to the indeterminacy of silence to the way alcohol affects our ethical responsibilities, Brod challenges young people to envision a model of sexual interaction that is most erotic precisely when it is most thoughtful and empathetic.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Man & Wife: An Educational Film for Married Adults (1969)
Hosted by some unnamed escapee from a twelve-step program, Man and Wife, moves from anatomy charts and Asian erotic art into actual footage of two couples demonstrating nearly fifty different sexual positions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisSaying No (1982)
Saying No is an early 1980s educational film produced by Crommie & Crommie that, true to the title, presents a process for young women to successfully decline advances from the opposite sex.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Du - Zwischenzeichen der Sexualität (1968)
Educational film devoted mainly to understanding sexual behavior that deviates from the norm and circumstantially attempts to de-taboo human sexuality. The manuscript of the film, which uses a wealth of interviews, statements, charts and reportage elements, was written by the director of the Institute for Educational Psychology at the PH in West Berlin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Prüdes Hollywood - Laster, Lust und Leidenschaft im Film (2025)
In recent years, Hollywood productions have turned away from sensuality. Is the sex scene on the verge of extinction or reinvention? Alongside film professionals and researchers, this documentary deciphers a trend that speaks volumes about the evolution of the industry and our societies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Educational Archives: Sex & Drugs (2003)
Generations of American children sat in dark classrooms and absorbed wisdom in the form of 16mm educational and social guidance films. Through the flicker of dim projector bulbs and the warble of optical soundtracks a blueprint for better living in the Atomic Age was spelled out in no uncertain terms. Now, just as you remember them, Fantoma presents this collection of sex education and drug prevention films, ranging in date from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. Some historical, some hysterical and all filled with more important misinformation than you can digest in one viewing. Learn all about the dangers of marijuana, the perils of heavy petting, the difference between boys and girls, and the joys of menstruation. Films include: LSD: Insight Or Insanity?, It's Wonderful Being a Girl, Narcotics: Pit Of Despair, LSD: Case Study, & Marijuana (with Sonny Bono).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The ABC of Love and Sex: Australia Style (1978)
A tongue-in-cheek sex education documentary covering a different subject for each letter of the alphabet, e.g. A is for Anatomy, B is for Babies, etc.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Sexual Partnership (1968)
This is a continuation of the sex education films by Oswald Kolle. This time the sexual partnership is discussed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
foreplay (2019)
we see Dutch high school kids receiving their most memorable lesson yet: sexual education. Their faces are flushed with embarrassment and curiosity, but what’s going on in their minds?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like How to Tell?
The closest matches to How to Tell are The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), A Toxic Love Story (2026) and Come See Me in the Good Light (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after How to Tell?
Start with The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), the closest match to How to Tell.
What is the highest-rated movie like How to Tell?
Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022), rated 7.0/10 by 246 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like How to Tell?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like How to Tell?
Yes: The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), A Toxic Love Story (2026) and Come See Me in the Good Light (2025).
How are movies similar to How to Tell chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside How to Tell, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.