Movies like Paddle to the Sea (1966)
The best movies like Paddle to the Sea (1966) are Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018), Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) and My Mom Jayne (2025). If Paddle to the Sea hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)
Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
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 thisAvatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022)
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGilbert (2017)
The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOur Planet: Behind the Scenes (2019)
Years spent recording footage of creatures from every corner of the globe is bound to produce a bit of drama. Here's a behind-the-scenes look.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNo Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad (2013)
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAlone in the Wilderness (2004)
Dick Proenneke retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin in the wilderness at the base of the Aleutian Peninsula, in what is now Lake Clark National Park. Using color footage he shot himself, Proenneke traces how he came to this remote area, selected a homestead site and built his log cabin completely by himself. The documentary covers his first year in-country, showing his day-to-day activities and the passing of the seasons as he sought to scratch out a living alone in the wilderness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGirl Rising (2013)
Nine filmmakers each profile a young girl from a different part of the world to weave a global tapestry of youth in the 21st century.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDownloaded (2013)
A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like this180° South (2010)
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Toxic Love Story (2026)
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012)
Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAvatar: Creating the World of Pandora (2010)
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story (2020)
After 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown is sentenced to life in prison, questions about her past, physiology and the law itself call her guilt into question.
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 thisEarth: One Amazing Day (2017)
An astonishing journey revealing the awesome power of the natural world. Over the course of one single day, we track the sun from the highest mountains to the remotest islands to exotic jungles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFor the Love of Spock (2016)
The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this28 Up (1985)
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSong of the Paddle (1978)
Join outdoorsman Bill Mason in this short documentary as he and his family go canoe camping in the wilderness. Gain an appreciation for the art of canoeing while watching a small group experience the sheer joy and beauty of Nature. Along the way, the Masons experience countless adventures and some breathtaking scenery, including Indian rock carvings at Lake Superior.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
North of Superior (1971)
The second IMAX film made, commissioned by the Ontario Government, and produced by MultiScreen Corporation, later to become IMAX corporation. North of Superior is a Northern Ontario travelogue, and was the first short feature to be shown at the newly created Ontario government theme park, Ontario Place, in it's state of the art cinema, Cinesphere, the first permanent IMAX installation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Woodland Spirits (2007)
In this documentary short, two men paddle a canoe across a remote part of northern Lake Superior. Each stroke brings them closer to the culmination of an artistic and spiritual journey, one that begins with ancient rock paintings from their Anishinaabe ancestors.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
In the Folds of the Great Snake (1997)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Dos Antigos aos Filhos do Amanhã (2018)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Carnival in Québec (1956)
This colorful archival record of Québec City's Winter Carnival shows that many popular events of today—pageants, parades, boat races, folk dancing, fireworks, and torchlight skiing—were also favorites many years ago.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
A fano ra (1995)
In 1995, a large gathering of transoceanic canoes took place on the island of Raiatea, an opportunity for the navigators of the South Pacific to renew old alliances and reunite their peoples. This film retraces the history of contemporary ancestral navigation through interviews with a number of distinguished Pacific navigators.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Levende Rivier (2015)
A man canoes through the the Rhine
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
New Skyscrapers for Old (1931)
Mountain climbing with all its thrills near Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park, British Columbia. The film begins on a busy street in Toronto with cars and a Yonge Street streetcar contending with traffic, and pedestrians during rush hour. It then cuts to a mountain in the Rockies and Lake O'Hara and with four men with pack-sacks boarding train. They later climb past the Seven Sisters waterfalls. Coming to an alpine lake, they begin the ascent to the summit, using ropes and picks and traversing some tricky rock faces. Near the top they reach the 'Devil's Window' and, finally, the summit. The film was produced by the National Parks of Canada to promote tourism travel to the Canadian Rockies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Moana Roa (1951)
A documentary portrait of life in the Cook Islands, focusing on Rarotonga and neighboring islands. The film records traditional fishing, weaving, agriculture, canoeing, music, and dance against the islands' picturesque tropical landscapes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Paddle to the Sea?
The closest matches to Paddle to the Sea are Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018), Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) and My Mom Jayne (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Paddle to the Sea?
Start with Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018), the closest match to Paddle to the Sea.
What is the newest movie like Paddle to the Sea?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Paddle to the Sea?
Yes: Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018), Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) and My Mom Jayne (2025).
How are movies similar to Paddle to the Sea chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Paddle to the Sea, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.