Movies like Lifetime (2018)
The best movies like Lifetime (2018) are The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026), Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) and Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020). If Lifetime hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)8.1/10 from 621 votes
- NewestUntold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom (2026)Released 2026
- In GermanBerlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927)Also in German
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026)
A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity, and explores the most powerful technology humanity has ever created... and what's at stake if we get it wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
With this inventive portrait, director Kirsten Johnson seeks a way to keep her 86-year-old father alive forever. Utilizing moviemaking magic and her family’s dark humor, she celebrates Dr. Dick Johnson’s last years by staging fantasies of death and beyond. Together, dad and daughter confront the great inevitability awaiting us all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBerlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927)
A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChronos (1985)
Carefully picked scenes of nature and civilization are viewed at high speed using time-lapse cinematography in an effort to demonstrate the history of various regions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Love Song for Latasha (2019)
A dreamlike conversation with the past and the present, reimagining Latasha Harlins' story by excavating intimate memories shared by those who loved her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAs 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 thisExtremis (2016)
A purely observational non-fiction film that takes viewers into the ethically murky world of end-of-life decision making in a public hospital.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVoyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (2016)
A celebration of the universe, displaying the whole of time, from its start to its final collapse. This film examines all that occurred to prepare the world that stands before us now: science and spirit, birth and death, the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnselm (2023)
This unique cinematic experience dives deep into an artist’s work and reveals his life path, inspiration, and creative process. It explores his fascination with myth and history. Past and present are interwoven to diffuse the line between film and painting, allowing the audience to be completely immersed in the remarkable world of one of the greatest contemporary artists, Anselm Kiefer. Wim Wenders shot this unique portrait over the course of two years in stunning 3D.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStutz (2022)
In candid conversations with actor Jonah Hill, leading psychiatrist Phil Stutz explores his early life experiences and unique, visual model of therapy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVoyage of Time: Life's Journey (2017)
A celebration of the universe, displaying the whole of time, from its start to its final collapse. This film examines all that occurred to prepare the world that stands before us now: science and spirit, birth and death, the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisRobin's Wish (2020)
The final word in the story of what really happened to Robin Williams at the end of his life, focusing on his fight against a deadly neurodegenerative disorder known as Lewy body dementia.
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 thisRiefenstahl (2024)
Explores Leni Riefenstahl's artistic legacy and her complex ties to the Nazi regime, juxtaposing her self-portrayal with evidence suggesting awareness of the regime's atrocities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate (2023)
A glittery nightclub in 1920s Berlin becomes a haven for the queer community in this documentary exploring the freedoms lost amid Hitler’s rise to power.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006)
A hilarious introduction, using as examples some of the best films ever made, to some of Slovenian philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek's most exciting ideas on personal subjectivity, fantasy and reality, desire and sexuality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDjango & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained (2021)
A tribute to Italian filmmaker Sergio Corbucci (1926-90), presented by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Child Crusades - Barefoot to the Promised Land (2006)
It was a fateful expedition into the unknown. 50.000 children marched along the banks of the Rhine and the Loire Rivers dressed in rags, dragged themselves barefoot across the snow-covered Alps. They reached the shores of the Mediterranean in a state of exhaustion, and were loaded onto shady ships and ended up as slaves at North African markets. The film snatches the stirring fate of these children from the realm of the forgotten and gives them back their dignity on the pages of history.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
A World Is Turning (1948)
A lost chapter in black British film: extraordinary rushes from a documentary showcasing talented members of the black community.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Battle of the Somme (1916)
A documentary and propaganda film which shows the British Army's preparations for, and the early stages of, the battle of the Somme.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
God, the Universe and Everything Else (1988)
In a studio setting, Stephen Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan (who joins them via satellite) discuss the Big Bang theory, God, our existence as well as the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom (2026)
This documentary traces the life of Lamar Odom, from his rise to NBA fame and marriage to Khloé Kardashian to his near-fatal overdose in a Nevada brothel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Madame Favre's (2026)
In a nursing home, a young man visits his grandmother. As she constantly repeats that she wants to go home, his grandson visits her now empty apartment, seeking to capture memories of a fading past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Other Side of Fear (2020)
The Other Side of Fear signifies the actions which incite religious violence and broaden the divide of cultural and moral beliefs in society. The film shadows two clashing perspectives both of which are searching for safety in their own communities and these perspectives blend testimonies of trauma and manifestos of power. By using poetic documentation, the director acknowledges that there are more than two sides to every story and intertwines these sentiments, embodiments and experiences into one journey to understand what is happening behind the doors of communities the other hasn’t experienced.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Wujud (2025)
This award-winning documentary journeys deep into Brunei’s cultural heart, exploring its monarchy, faith, language and stories of resilience, a stunning portrait of a nation in transition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
69, année pandémique (2020)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Peter Eisenman: Building Germany's Holocaust Memorial (2009)
This documentary explores the creation of the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin as designed by architect Peter Eisenman. Reaction of the German public to the completed memorial is also shown.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Lifetime?
The closest matches to Lifetime are The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026), Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) and Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Lifetime?
Start with The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026), the closest match to Lifetime.
What is the highest-rated movie like Lifetime?
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008), rated 8.1/10 by 621 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Lifetime?
Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like Lifetime?
Yes: Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927), Anselm (2023) and Riefenstahl (2024).
How are movies similar to Lifetime chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Lifetime, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.