Movies like The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis (2026)
The best movies like The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis (2026) are Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017), Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2019) and 28 Up (1985). If The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
Ex 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 thisCapital in the Twenty-First Century (2019)
Film adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.
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 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 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 thisNaqoyqatsi (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 thisPublic Speaking (2011)
Martin Scorsese’s portrait of writer and social commentator Fran Lebowitz, celebrated for her sharp wit and observations on modern life. Filmed at New York’s Waverly Inn and intercut with archival footage and interviews, the documentary captures Lebowitz’s distinctive worldview through her spontaneous monologues and public appearances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStruggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)
Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrew: The Man Behind the Poster (2013)
A documentary on legendary movie-poster artist Drew Struzan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAvatar: Creating the World of Pandora (2010)
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisMcQueen (2018)
Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarina Abramović: The Artist Is Present (2012)
Performance artist Marina Abramovic prepares for a major retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Curse of the Dragon (1993)
A 1993 documentary film about Bruce Lee. The film includes interviews from some of his fellow students and opponents who worked alongside him in his movies.
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 thisCreating The Queen's Gambit (2021)
A fascinating character. Exquisite sets. A wig for every era. The stars, creators and crew reveal how the hit series about a chess prodigy came to life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBehind the Planet of the Apes (1998)
Roddy McDowall takes you, film by film, from production meetings to make-up sessions, then right onto the movie set to see the actual filming of the science fiction masterpiece. The most comprehensive history of Planet of the Apes ever created, this fascinating 127-minute documentary explores one of the most imaginative and influential series in movie history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisLouis Theroux: Twilight of the Porn Stars (2012)
In 1997, Louis Theroux made a documentary about the world of male porn performers in Los Angeles. 15 years later, he returns to find a business struggling with the deluge of free porn on the internet. Louis revisits some of the original programme's contributors as well as meeting the latest crop of porn performers dreaming of porn stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Power of Perception (2017)
In this visual essay, author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas reflects on the recurring theme or perception in Dario Argento's filmography.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
On the Sea (2026)
A film essay that approaches cinema as a water current, revisiting a body of previous essay films through the recurring image of water—rivers, seas, tides, and flows—to explore cinema as a fluid space of memory, movement, and transformation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Andalucía entre el incienso y el sudor (1982)
A documentary essay that, through exclusively images, music and editing, aims to show a different image of the manipulated Andalusia that had been present on movie screens for many decades.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Eternal Silence (2026)
An philosophical film assembled from archival NASA footage exploring humanity’s search for meaning in the silence of space.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Loving the Devil: Aging and Sexuality in La Strega in Amore (2022)
Video essay on the "The Witch" (1966) by author and academic Miranda Corcoran. Corcoran places the film within wider histories of witchcraft and witch imagery, including: Folklore and real-world witchcraft traditions, Witches as figures in popular culture, The film’s treatment of sexuality, femininity, desire, aging, and the supernatural, How those ideas illuminate Damiani’s unusual Italian Gothic film, centered on Sergio’s encounter with the mysterious Aura [Included on the Arrow Video "Gothic Fantastico - Four Italian Tales Of Terror" blu-ray box set.]
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Grudge (2022)
A video essay by Kat Ellinger covering the transposition of the Hollywood revenge Gothic to Italy, the trope of the "wronged woman" including incarnations by Barbara Steele and other horror icons, and ties to similar narrative strands in Japanese folklore and cinema from Kwaidan to Ring. Included on Blu-ray as an extra on Lady Morgan’s Vengeance (1965), disc one of Arrow Video’s four-disc box set Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
SO ALIVE! (2026)
A fictional boy aims to become a non-fictional rapper. His label has other plans.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Coming SoonMovies like thisNostalgia Becomes Necrophilia (2022)
A video essay on the film, THE THIRD EYE (1966), where author and filmmaker Lindsay Hallam examines the film’s psychological and Gothic dimensions—especially its patterns of jealousy, obsession, eroticism, death, and preservation. The essay considers how the movie’s visual style extends melodramatic and Italian Gothic conventions, rather than simply recounting the plot. [Included on the Arrow Video "Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror" Blu-ray box set.]
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis?
The closest matches to The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis are Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017), Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2019) and 28 Up (1985). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis?
Start with Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017), the closest match to The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis.
What is the newest movie like The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.