Movies like A Life in Waves (2017)
The best movies like A Life in Waves (2017) are Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA (2017), Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018) and Max Richter's Sleep (2020). If A Life in Waves hooked you with its documentary and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSelena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)8.4/10 from 623 votes
- NewestCONTACT (2026)Released 2026
Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA (2017)
Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto weaves man-made and natural sounds together in his works. His anti-nuclear activism grew after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, and his career only paused after a 2014 cancer diagnosis.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMatangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018)
Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMax Richter's Sleep (2020)
This is a film for these frenetic times; a meditative respite from the rush and chaos of the modern world. A study of the universal experience of sleep, that unites us all.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)
Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Beach Boys (2024)
A celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSelena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)
After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMusic by John Williams (2024)
His unforgettable scores are an essential part of some of the most beloved movies of our time, over a career that spans decades. See and hear maestro John Williams' own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJustin Bieber's Believe (2013)
A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTravis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly (2019)
While crafting his Grammy-nominated album "Astroworld," Travis Scott juggles controversy, fatherhood and career highs in this intimate documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKurt Cobain: About a Son (2007)
An intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain, based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audiotaped interviews conducted with Cobain by noted music journalist Michael Azerrad for his book "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana." In the film, Kurt Cobain recounts his own life - from his childhood and adolescence to his days of musical discovery and later dealings with explosive fame - and offers often piercing insights into his life, music, and times. The conversations heard in the film have never before been made public, and they reveal a highly personal portrait of an artist much discussed but not particularly well understood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019)
Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, this film captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies 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 · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998)
A musical study of Los Angeles in the late 90s, where homeless teens roam the streets and profess to live a punk lifestyle of music, drugs, and flouting authority.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSomething from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012)
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is the film's director and interviewer Ice-T. Taking us on a deeply personal journey Ice-T uncovers how this music of the street has grown to dominate the world. Along the way Ice-T meets a whole spectrum of Hip-Hop talent, from founders, to new faces, to the global superstars like Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West. He exposes the roots and history of Rap and then, through meeting many of its most famous protagonists, studies the living mechanism of the music to reveal 'The Art Of Rap'. This extraordinary film features unique performances from the entire cast, without resorting to archive material, to build a fresh and surprising take on the phenomenon that is Rap.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like this20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSelena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy (2025)
Never-before-seen footage and intimate interviews celebrate the life and legacy of iconic Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla and her family band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJohn & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky (2018)
Film telling the untold story of John Lennon's 1971 album Imagine, exploring the creative collaboration between Lennon and Yoko Ono and featuring interviews and never-seen-before footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Velvet Underground (2021)
Experience the iconic rock band's legacy in the first major documentary to tell their story. Directed with the era’s avant-garde spirit by Todd Haynes, this kaleidoscopic oral history combines exclusive interviews with dazzling archival footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009)
The troubled fraternal relationship between songwriters Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, the Oscar and Grammy-winning Sherman Brothers, famous for the iconic hits they wrote for Disney.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnd of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003)
A years-in-the-making documentary on the legendary punk band the Ramones. Through a mixture of archival footage, archival and new interviews with all members of the band's various lineups, and new interviews with a number of their contemporaries, the film traces the peaks and valleys the band experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sound of 007 (2022)
Pull back the curtain on the remarkable history of six decades of James Bond music, from Sean Connery’s Dr No through to Daniel Craig’s final outing in No Time to Die.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShawn Mendes: In Wonder (2020)
A portrait of singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes' life, chronicling the past few years of his rise and journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSheena Ringo: Gekokujyo Xstasy (2000)
"Gekokujyo Xstasy" is a video album by Japanese singer and songwriter Ringo Sheena, released on 7 December 2000 by Toshiba EMI. It contains a live recording of Sheena during her first tour of the same name. "Gekokujyo Xstasy" was the first nationwide tour for Shiina performed from April 17, 2000 to June 7. The live video takes up two performances at NHK Hall and at Fukuoka Sunpalace mainly from this tour. The stage design of the tour makes a hospital a motif like her single "Honnou." The stage setting imitated an operating room, and an ECG Monitor or an anatomical model of the human body, etc. were arranged on the stage, and the synthesizer and the drum set were laid on operating tables. Shiina wears a white dress looks like gauze bandages with which she blinds her body. Four members of the tour band also wear the white coat.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary
Yeonjun's "Make it Happen" Winter 2023 (2024)
Choi Yeonjun prepares for his end of the year performances. He takes us along with him in his journey as he makes it all happen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Portrait of a Song (2025)
A documentary looking at the making of the hit sing ‘Runaway’ for its 10 year anniversary, by AURORA
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Just released from prison, Jake Blues puts his old band back together with his brother Elwood to save the Catholic home where they were raised.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMr. Holland's Opus (1995)
In 1965, passionate musician Glenn Holland takes a day job as a high school music teacher, convinced it's just a small obstacle on the road to his true calling: writing a historic opus. As the decades roll by with the composition unwritten but generations of students inspired through his teaching, Holland must redefine his life's purpose.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like this6-Crowd (TBA)
6-Crowd, an all girl British pop group, is followed by cameras while staying in Los Angeles during the summer of ‘96. Money, egos, and bad luck strip the world of getting a chance to ever fall in love with them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
King of the Sandcastle (2025)
A control-obsessed saxophonist must embrace uncertainty when he learns that a career-defining audition will be assessed on his ability to improvise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
CONTACT (2026)
CONTACT is a short documentary film directed by Jonathan Walley that chronicles the transformation of an entire skatepark into a playable musical instrument—where the skate, BMX, art, and music scenes collide. HCS has been many things: a skatepark, gallery, library, museum, and stage; but, for one weekend, Derek Nelson fabricator, activist, BMX pro, and artist, transformed his skatepark into an immersive sonic installation—part instrument, part playground—for the community of Binghamton, NY to become co‑creators in a conflagration of sound. SMALL TOWN, BIG SOUND. CONTACT reminds us of the joy in creativity, community, and the DIY spirit. Contact is about pushing boundaries, experimenting with art, and reclaiming space in an increasingly cruel, unkind, and oppressive world. It’s a poetic exploration of the creative process told by a filmmaker who calls HCS home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Life in Waves?
The closest matches to A Life in Waves are Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA (2017), Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018) and Max Richter's Sleep (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Life in Waves?
People who watched A Life in Waves most often go on to Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA (2017), Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018) and Max Richter's Sleep (2020).
What is the highest-rated movie like A Life in Waves?
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022), rated 8.4/10 by 623 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Life in Waves?
CONTACT (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like A Life in Waves?
Yes: Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018), Max Richter's Sleep (2020) and Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026).
How are movies similar to A Life in Waves chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Life in Waves, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.