Movies like 21 Years: Richard Linklater (2014)
The best movies like 21 Years: Richard Linklater (2014) are Searching for Ingmar Bergman (2018), The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018) and Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014). If 21 Years: Richard Linklater hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)7.9/10 from 447 votes
- NewestLynch/Oz (2023)Released 2023
Searching for Ingmar Bergman (2018)
A meaningful account of the personal and professional life of the great Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) that explores his film legacy, with interviews with his closest collaborators and a new generation of filmmakers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018)
A poetic journey into the visual world of the legendary filmmaker and actor Orson Welles (1915-85) that reveals a new portrait of a unique genius, both of his life and of his monumental work: through his own eyes, drawn by his own hand, painted with his own brush.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMagician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014)
The extraordinary life of Orson Welles (1915-85), an enigma of Hollywood, an irreducible independent creator: a musical prodigy, an excellent painter, a master of theater and radio, a modern Shakespeare, a magician who was always searching for a new trick to surprise his audience, a romantic and legendary figure who lived only for cinema.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Bergman Island (2006)
The desolate and mysterious island of Fårö, Sweden, Baltic Sea, 2004. Swedish master filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) looks back on his personal and artistic life; a journey through more than sixty years devoted to film, plays and television programs. (An abridged version of Ingmar Bergman Complete, 2004; a collection of three thematic documentaries: Bergman and Film; Bergman and Theater; and Bergman and Fårö Island.)
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Making Dazed (2005)
This documentary reunites the cast of the 1993 film "Dazed and Confused", and features behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film. A decade after the hit comedy's release, director Richard Linklater reunited the cast -- Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey and Adam Goldberg -- to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the film that helped launch their careers. Now you can watch the cast look back on the movie that changed their lives and on the decade that has passed since.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
De Palma (2016)
An intimate conversation between filmmakers, chronicling De Palma’s 55-year career, his life, and his filmmaking process, with revealing anecdotes and, of course, a wealth of film clips.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJodorowsky's Dune (2013)
In 1974, Chilean-French director Alejandro Jodorowsky embarked on the quixotic project of adapting Frank Herbert's influential novel Dune (1969) for the big screen. After investing two years, and millions of dollars, the gigantic project ended in failure; but the artists Jodorowsky brought together to carry it out continued to work together, and ended up laying the foundations for modern science fiction cinema.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBurden of Dreams (1982)
The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director Werner Herzog, soon finds itself with problems related to casting, tribal struggles and accidents, among many other setbacks; but nothing compared to dragging a huge steamboat up a mountain, while Herzog embraces the path of a certain madness to make his vision come true.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSide by Side (2012)
Since the invention of cinema, the standard format for recording moving images has been film. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged, creating a groundbreaking evolution in the medium. Keanu Reeves explores the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking via in-depth interviews with Hollywood masters, such as James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Soderbergh, and many more.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAttack of the Hollywood Clichés! (2021)
One-man armies, meet-cutes, casual strolls away from huge explosions — stars and industry insiders toast and roast these cinematic chestnuts and more.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFilming Othello (1979)
Filming Othello is a 1978 documentary film directed by and starring Orson Welles about the making of his award-winning 1952 production Othello. The film, which was produced for West German television, was the last completed feature film directed by Welles.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Making 'The Shining' (1980)
Directed and edited by Stanley Kubrick's daughter Vivian Kubrick, this film offers a look behind the scenes during the making of The Shining.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Fuller Life (2013)
Friends and admirers of iconoclastic film director Sam Fuller read from his memoirs in this unconventional documentary directed by Fuller's only child, Samantha.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018)
As his life comes to its end, famous Hollywood director Orson Welles puts it all on the line at the chance for renewed success with the film The Other Side of the Wind.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Jodorowsky Constellation (1994)
This documentary depicts the filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky talking about his life, his loves, his career as a filmmaker, graphic novelist, and workshop leader, and his eccentricities including tarot reader and theatrical director during The Panic Movement. Directed by Louis Mouchet, La Constellation Jodorowsky includes a lengthy on-camera interview with Jodorowsky in Spanish with subtitles. Marcel Marceau, Fernando Arrabal, Peter Gabriel, Jean "Moebius" Giraud, and Jean Pierre Vignau make appearances discussing their various projects with the director. In addition to the interview and film clips, Mouchet features some bizarre footage from Jodorowsky’s absurdist plays in which topless women splattered with paint writhe around the stage in a theatrical production meant to represent The Panic Movement, i.e., an artistic expression in which reason cannot fully express the human experience.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors' health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming of Apocalypse Now, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of Francis Ford Coppola.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSpielberg (2017)
A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisQT8: The First Eight (2019)
A detailed account of the life and artistic career of legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, from his early days as a video club manager to the scandalous fall in disgrace of producer Harvey Weinstein. A story about how to shoot eight great movies and become an icon of modern pop culture.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal (1986)
Among the legends of Hollywood, George Pal takes his place as a true visionary, an innovator and a showman who profoundly shaped the art of motion pictures. A peer of Walt Disney, Pal pioneered stop motion animation and went on to virtually invent the modern science fiction and fantasy film genres. Pal's extraordinary genius molded a dazzling array of films, which earned an incredible total of eight Academy Awards and left a cinematic legacy that served as formative inspiration for the movies of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Gene Roddenberry.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Life Itself (2014)
The surprising and entertaining life of renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert (1942-2013): his early days as a freewheeling bachelor and Pulitzer Prize winner, his famously contentious partnership with Gene Siskel, his life-altering marriage, and his brave and transcendent battle with cancer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Dying of the Light (2015)
Loving documentary about the invisible hand that brings light in the cinema: the projectionist. Momentarily, his booth is at the centre of this film, which primarily looks back on the time when you could still touch film images. "Do pay attention to that man behind the curtain!"
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story (2017)
Working largely uncredited in the Hollywood system, storyboard artist Harold and film researcher Lillian left an indelible mark on classics by Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Stanley Kubrick, Roman Polanski and many more.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Dreams: Cinema of the Subconscious (2010)
Can the dream world be a fully functional parallel reality? Joseph Gordon-Levitt and leading scientists take you to the cutting edge of dream research in this documentary produced for Christopher Nolan's "Inception."
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny (2016)
Highlighting one of the most innovative American directors, this film reveals the path traveled by the auteur from his small-town Texas roots to his warm reception on the awards circuit. Long before he directed Boyhood, Richard Linklater’s intense desire to create fueled his work outside the Hollywood system. Rather than leave Texas, he chose to collaborate with like-minded artists crafting modest, low-budget films in a DIY style. His ability to showcase realistic characters and tell honest stories was evident from his films, and others soon took notice of his raw talent.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Tell Them Who You Are (2004)
The son of acclaimed cinematographer Haskell Wexler confronts his complex father by turning the camera on him. What results is a portrait of a difficult genius and a son's path out of the shadow of a famous father.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Milius (2013)
The life story of ‘Zen Anarchist’ filmmaker John Milius, one of the most influential storytellers of his generation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDavid Lynch: The Art Life (2017)
An intimate journey through the formative years of David Lynch's life. From his idyllic upbringing in small town America to the dark streets of Philadelphia, we follow Lynch as he traces the events that have helped to shape one of cinema's most enigmatic directors.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWoody Allen: A Documentary (2011)
An intense portrait of the iconic filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician Woody Allen: his life, family and friends; his writing and directing habits, and his relationship with performers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIngrid Bergman: In Her Own Words (2015)
A personal and captivating account of the extraordinary life and work of Ingrid Bergman (1915-82), a young Swedish woman who became one of the most celebrated actresses in world cinema.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLynch/Oz (2023)
Victor Fleming’s 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is one of David Lynch’s most enduring obsessions. This documentary goes over the rainbow to explore this Technicolor through-line in Lynch’s work.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like 21 Years: Richard Linklater?
The closest matches to 21 Years: Richard Linklater are Searching for Ingmar Bergman (2018), The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018) and Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after 21 Years: Richard Linklater?
People who watched 21 Years: Richard Linklater most often go on to Searching for Ingmar Bergman (2018), The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018) and Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014).
What is the highest-rated movie like 21 Years: Richard Linklater?
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991), rated 7.9/10 by 447 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like 21 Years: Richard Linklater?
Lynch/Oz (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like 21 Years: Richard Linklater?
Yes: The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018), Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014) and Bergman Island (2006).
How are movies similar to 21 Years: Richard Linklater chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside 21 Years: Richard Linklater, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.