Movies like Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill (1967)
The best movies like Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill (1967) are Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016), Blue (1993) and Totally F***ed Up (1994). If Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDestino (2003)7.2/10 from 300 votes
- NewestI Want Your Sex (2026)Released 2026
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016)
Nude men in rubber suits, close-ups of erections, objects shoved in the most intimate of places—these are photographs taken by Robert Mapplethorpe, known by many as the most controversial photographer of the twentieth century. Openly gay, Mapplethorpe took images of male sex, nudity, and fetish to extremes that resulted in his work still being labelled by some as pornography masquerading as art. But less talked about are the more serene, yet striking portraits of flowers, sculptures, and perfectly framed human forms that are equally pioneering and powerful.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue (1993)
Against a plain, unchanging blue screen, a densely interwoven soundtrack of voices, sound effects and music attempt to convey a portrait of Derek Jarman's experiences with AIDS, both literally and allegorically, together with an exploration of the meanings associated with the colour blue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTotally F***ed Up (1994)
Gay, alienated Los Angeles teens have a hard time as their parents kick them out of their homes, they don’t have money, their lovers cheat, and they are harassed by gay-bashers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVery Nice, Very Nice (1961)
Arthur Lipsett's first film is an avant-garde blend of photography and sound. It looks behind the business-as-usual face we put on life and shows anxieties we want to forget. It is made of dozens of pictures that seem familiar, with fragments of speech heard in passing and, between times, a voice saying, "Very nice, very nice." The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThey'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: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBenjamin (2019)
Benjamin, a rising star filmmaker, is on the brink of premiering his difficult second film No Self at the London Film Festival when Billie, his hard drinking publicist, introduces him to a mesmeric French musician called Noah.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Brother the Devil (2012)
Fourteen-year-old Mo is a lonely, sensitive boy whose hunger for the rant and banter of buddies makes him prone to tread dangerous territories. He idolizes his handsome older brother, Rashid, a charismatic, well-respected member of a local gang, whose drug dealing enables “Rash” to provide for his family. Aching to be seen as a tough guy himself, Mo takes a job that unlocks a fateful turn of events and forces the brothers to confront their inner demons. It turns out that hate is easy. It is love and understanding that take real courage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Friend of Dorothy (2025)
Dorothy is a lonely widow whose body is failing, but her mind remains as bright as ever. When 17-year-old JJ accidentally kicks his football into her garden, he upends Dorothy's daily routine of pills, prunes, and crosswords, and an unlikely friendship blossoms. Despite being worlds apart in every way, the two come to find they have more in common than they could ever imagine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998)
In the 1960s, British painter Francis Bacon surprises a burglar and invites him to share his bed. The burglar, a working class man named George Dyer, accepts. After the unique beginning to their love affair, the well-connected and volatile artist assimilates Dyer into his circle of eccentric friends, as Dyer's struggle with addiction strains their bond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTotal Eclipse (1995)
Young, wild poet Arthur Rimbaud and his mentor Paul Verlaine engage in a fierce, forbidden romance while feeling the effects of a hellish artistic lifestyle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll Wet (1927)
Oswald takes a job as a lifeguard to keep an eye on Miss Rabbit, who in turn stages a boating accident hoping Oswald will come to save her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Want Your Sex (2026)
When a naive young man becomes the sexual muse for a renowned and provocative artist, his dream job quickly turns dangerous as he is drawn into an obsessive world of power, betrayal, and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Art of Getting By (2011)
George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who's made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCQ (2001)
A young filmmaker in 1960s Paris juggles directing a cheesy sci-fi debacle, directing his own personal art film, coping with his crumbling relationship with his girlfriend, and a new-found infatuation with the sci-fi film's starlet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisHoward (2018)
Though legendary lyricist Howard Ashman died far too young, his impact on Broadway, movies, and the culture at large were incalculable. Told entirely through rare archival footage and interviews with Ashman’s family, friends, associates, and longtime partner Bill Lauch, Howard is an intimate tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent and a rousing celebration of musical storytelling itself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Repair Shop (2024)
In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOther Side of the Box (2018)
A couple receives a mysterious package from an old friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDestino (2003)
Short film to a song of love lost and rediscovered, a woman sees and undergoes surreal transformations. Her lover's face melts off, she dons a dress from the shadow of a bell and becomes a dandelion, ants crawl out of a hand and become Frenchmen riding bicycles. Not to mention the turtles with faces on their backs that collide to form a ballerina, or the bizarre baseball game.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStopmotion (2024)
Ella Blake, a stop-motion animator struggling to control her demons after the loss of her overbearing mother, embarks upon the creation of a film that becomes the battleground for her sanity. As Ella’s mind starts to fracture, the characters in her project take on a life of their own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScorpio Rising (1964)
A gang of bikers prepares for a race as sexual, sadistic, and occult images are cut together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDog Day - Rome (2010)
A woman wakes up after a car accident in a strange world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Monomyth - Patsy (2014)
A very unusual wedding unfolds in front of a woman.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Goya (1950)
Presents life in 18th century Spain as the painter Francisco de Goya showed it to us.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Paseo por una guerra antigua (1949)
Madrid, Spain. A mutilated man, a war veteran, walks, leaning on a crutch, through the stadium of the Ciudad Universitaria, a place that still preserves in walls and buildings the terrifying traces of one of the bloodiest battles of the Spanish Civil War.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Teruel has Fallen (1937)
A pro-Republican propaganda documentary made during the Spanish Civil War. It reports on the demonstration held in Barcelona on December 27, 1937 to commemorate the capture of Teruel by the Republican forces.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Good Not Great (2026)
After a breakup sends him into a manic, drug-fueled spiral, a bipolar comedian from Queens lands in a psych ward for the eighth time, where therapy forces him to relive the delirious path that brought him there.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
This Too Shall Pass (2020)
An unsuccessful meeting with her estranged father leaves Noel questioning whether or not he deserves a role in her life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Girls (2024)
Fate has brought them together and nothing and nobody seems to be able to stop them: Romane and Ally speed off into the night on their motorcycle. And straight to their doom when they stop at a run-down petrol station. A tough fight for survival begins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill?
The closest matches to Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill are Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016), Blue (1993) and Totally F***ed Up (1994). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill?
Start with Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016), the closest match to Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill.
What is the highest-rated movie like Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill?
Destino (2003), rated 7.2/10 by 300 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill?
I Want Your Sex (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill?
Yes: Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016), Blue (1993) and Totally F***ed Up (1994).
How are movies similar to Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.