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Movies like Spain, from dictatorship to democracy (2025)

The best movies like Spain, from dictatorship to democracy (2025) are Fuck (2006), Land Without Bread (1933) and South of the Border (2009). If Spain, from dictatorship to democracy hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Fuck (2006)

    A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Land Without Bread (1933)

    An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. South of the Border (2009)

    A road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. The Silence of Others (2019)

    The story of the tortuous struggle against the silence of the victims of the dictatorship imposed by General Franco after the victory of the rebel side in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1975). In a democratic country, but still ideologically divided, the survivors seek justice as they organize the so-called “Argentinian lawsuit” and denounce the legally sanctioned pact of oblivion that intends to hide the crimes they were subjects of.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  5. Cuba and the Cameraman (2017)

    This revealing portrait of Cuba follows the lives of Fidel Castro and three Cuban families affected by his policies over the last four decades.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. Feminists: What Were They Thinking? (2018)

    In 1977, a book of photographs captured an awakening - women shedding the cultural restrictions of their childhoods and embracing their full humanity. This documentary revisits those photos, those women and those times and takes aim at our culture today that alarmingly shows the need for continued change.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower (2017)

    When the Chinese Communist Party backtracks on its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong, teenager Joshua Wong decides to save his city. Rallying thousands of kids to skip school and occupy the streets, Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in Hong Kong and one of China’s most notorious dissidents.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. The War Room (1993)

    A behind-the-scenes documentary about the Clinton for President campaign, focusing on the adventures of spin doctors James Carville and George Stephanopoulos.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. 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 this
  10. Comandante (2003)

    Oliver Stone spends three days filming with Fidel Castro in Cuba, discussing an array of subjects with the president such as his rise to power, fellow revolutionary Che Guevara, the Cuban Missile crisis, and the present state of the country.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. The Red Pill (2016)

    When a feminist filmmaker sets out to document the mysterious and polarizing world of the Men’s Rights Movement, she begins to question her own beliefs. Chronicling Cassie Jaye’s journey exploring an alternate perspective on gender equality, power and privilege.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Ronaldo (2015)

    Filmed over 14 months with unprecedented access into the inner circle of the man and the sport, this is the first official and fully authorised film of one of the most celebrated figures in football. For the first time ever, the world gets vividly candid and un-paralleled, behind-closed-doors access to the footballer, father, family-man and friend in this moving & fascinating documentary. Through in-depth conversations, state of the art football footage and never before seen archival footage, the film gives an astonishing insight into the sporting and personal life of triple Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo at the peak of his career. From the makers of ‘Senna’ and ‘Amy’, Ronaldo takes audiences on an intimate and revealing journey of what it’s like to live as an iconic athlete in the eye of the storm.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. OLIVIA 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 this
  14. Louis 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 this
  15. The Battle of Chile: Part I (1975)

    The chronicle of the political tension in Chile in 1973 and of the violent counter revolution against the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Diego Maradona (2019)

    Constructed from over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage, this documentary centers on the personal life and career of the controversial football player Diego Maradona who played for SSC Napoli and Argentina in the 1980s.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. Cristiano Ronaldo: World at His Feet (2014)

    Cristiano Ronaldo: The World at His Feet follows the footballer from his beginnings in Portugal, breakthrough start with Manchester United and current career at Real Madrid.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. 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
  19. Messi (2014)

    His teachers, coaches, childhood friends and Barça teammates, together with journalists, writers and prominent figures from the history of football, come together in a restaurant to analyze and pick apart Messi's personality both on and off the field, and to look back at some of the most significant moments in his life. Viewed from Álex de la Iglesia's unique perspective, Messi recreates the player's childhood and teenage years, from his very first steps, with a football always at his feet, through to the decision to leave Rosario for Barcelona, the separation from his family, and the role played in his career by individuals such as Ronaldinho, Rijkaard, Rexach and Guardiola.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. 42 Up (1999)

    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 this
  21. 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: Similar story and style · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  22. After We Are Born (2027)

    A New Psychological Documentary About Children

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

    Coming SoonMovies like this
  23. A fleur d'eau (2025)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  24. Controlling Britney Spears (2021)

    Britney Spears has said that her conservatorship had become “an oppressive and controlling tool against her”. This New York Times investigation reveals much of how it worked, including an intense surveillance apparatus that monitored every move she made.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  25. The Pleasure in Pain (2022)

    A short film that follows key figures of the London kink scene on an exploration into BDSM and the notorious fetish event Klub Verboten. The film touches upon themes of psychology, trauma, LGBTQ+ rights and black representation.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  26. Christian Weston Chandler...Yep, I'm on TV :) (2007)

    Christian Weston Chandler...Yep, I'm on TV is a independent documentary produced by Christine Weston Chandler, prior to her internet fame, and released on DVD in celebration of her 25th birthday. The film mostly exists as a compilation of home movies and previous short films.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  27. Cannabis : Une enquête de Mathieu Kassovitz et Antoine Robin (2024)

    In many countries, cannabis legislation is becoming more relaxed, whether for therapeutic reasons or to combat illegal trafficking. In France, the country with the highest number of cannabis users in Europe, this issue is still a subject of debate. To understand why some countries are legalizing it and how they regulate its use, Mathieu Kassovitz and Antoine Robin spent a year investigating ten different countries. This documentary explores the organization, successes, and failures of this legislation and questions the adaptability of these different models to France.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  28. Tchernobyl : nuage radioactif sur la France (2026)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  29. Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic (2026)

    Featuring interviews from members of the casting, production design, costume design, and creature effects teams, follow the behind-the-scenes journey of bringing the Harry Potter books to the small screen. Find out how the new Golden Trio were found, and celebrate the commitment to detail of the artists, craftspeople, and technicians who have come together to bring the wizarding world to life.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  30. Celso: a portrait, a place (TBA)

    "Celso: a portrait, a place" is a documentary that emerges from a year of sporadic visits by the documentary filmmaker (until then a convinced agnostic) to the Capuchin complex, a block that is, among other things, a place to preserve the memory of the Capuchin friars in the Serra Gaúcha, southern Brazil. The daily life of the space and the ramblings of the charismatic friar and artist Celso Bordignon are interspersed in an attempt to contemplate aspects of religious life, art, and the awareness of the nuances of the action of time on matter, body and spirit.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

Like Spain, from dictatorship to democracy and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Spain, from dictatorship to democracy?

The closest matches to Spain, from dictatorship to democracy are Fuck (2006), Land Without Bread (1933) and South of the Border (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Spain, from dictatorship to democracy?

Start with Fuck (2006), the closest match to Spain, from dictatorship to democracy.

What is the highest-rated movie like Spain, from dictatorship to democracy?

The Red Pill (2016), rated 7.5/10 by 230 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Spain, from dictatorship to democracy?

Tchernobyl : nuage radioactif sur la France (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Spanish movies like Spain, from dictatorship to democracy?

Yes: Land Without Bread (1933), The Silence of Others (2019) and The Battle of Chile: Part I (1975).

How are movies similar to Spain, from dictatorship to democracy chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Spain, from dictatorship to democracy, 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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