Movies like Transmutation (2018)
The best movies like Transmutation (2018) are Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017), 180° South (2010) and The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019). If Transmutation hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- NewestLes Invisibles (2025)Released 2025
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
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 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 thisThe Class of ‘92 (2013)
A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisElstree 1976 (2015)
A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisDirected by John Ford (1971)
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisAbove Majestic (2018)
A look at the origins, history and conspiracies behind the "Majestic 12", a clandestine group of military and corporate figureheads charged with reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.
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 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 this35 Up (1991)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPowaqqatsi (1988)
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCapital in the Twenty-First Century (2019)
Film adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends (2019)
This documentary focuses on the actors and their journey over two summers to create the remake to the original IT, by Stephen King. The documentary originally released as bonus material, bundled with IT: Chapter Two.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me (2023)
From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Curious Birth of Benjamin Button (2009)
A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMcQueen (2018)
Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCasting By (2012)
This essential new documentary pays tribute to the legacy of the late, legendary casting director Marion Dougherty and shines a light on one of the most overlooked and least understood crafts in filmmaking.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIsaac Babel. The Fatal Triangle (2006)
When the collection of short stories by I.E.Babel "Konarmiya" was published, S.M. Budyonny became one of its first readers. The "horse army" infuriated him. Budyonny called the essays slanderous speculation and threatened to personally hack Babel with a saber. Defending the writer, Gorky wrote: "He showed the fighters of the First Cavalry better, more truthfully than Gogol — Zaporozhtsev." The writer was saved that time. But on May 16, 1939, no one could help Babel anymore. The writer was arrested. He ended up in the most terrible NKVD prison, Sukhanovskaya. Few people managed to get out alive.…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Fernanda (2022)
Fernanda Ocaña, a 60-year-old drag artist from Seville, left her hometown at 14 to build a life in Barcelona. Taken in by the iconic Spanish artist José Pérez Ocaña, she immersed herself in the world of show business. Today, she continues to shine as the host of the Bar Ocaña in Plaza Real, welcoming guests with her unmistakable charm.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Chillouks, a Central African Tribe (1910)
Short documentary on a central african tribe called 'The Chillouks'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Lo Que Queda en la Tierra (2025)
In the mountains of Colombia's Coffee Triangle, a family faces the shadow of armed conflict. Years later, a son reconstructs the inherited fear, amidst echoes of the past and invisible scars. A sensory journey into memory, where the unspoken still resonates.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Asilo (Prototipo) (TBA)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Les Invisibles (2025)
"In Wallis and Futuna, disability has long lived in the shadows. Invisible to the world, those affected were marginalized, deprived of genuine recognition and a place in society. Behind closed doors, shame and fear of judgment mingled with the pain of families convinced that a child with a disability was a curse. Today, these superstitions are gradually fading. But the wounds of the past remain, and the path to acceptance and inclusion is still long. On this archipelago, it is urgent to make up for lost time in terms of recognition, support, and dignity for every person with a disability."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
But your last name is Moroccan, isn't it? (2018)
The Dutch director A.H., born in Noord-Brabant, has been experiencing pressure from his family for years to focus more on his Moroccan identity. Aiman does not feel the need, because he considers himself a Dutchman, too. In this personal documentary, he examines the cultural differences between himself and his family, before he will have to cut some knots. Either he conforms to the wishes of his family or he follows his own path, possibly jeopardising the relationship with his parents.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ulster's Regiment: A Question of Loyalty (1990)
A Panorama investigation. Last August's shooting of a young Catholic, Loughlin Maginn , was the 2,744th murder since the present Northern Ireland troubles began. But it will be remembered as the killing which triggered off a damaging row between the governments of London and Dublin. Maginn was targeted and murdered by Protestant terrorists using an intelligence file leaked from within forces there to prevent such violence. Next month a report on the collusion between Loyalist paramilitaries and dissidents in the army and police will be delivered by a team of English detectives sent to plug the leaks. John Ware reveals disturbing new evidence that the principal source of leaks is from within the locally recruited Ulster Defence Regiment.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Laura Aguilar: Life, the Body, Her Perspective (2009)
For nearly three decades Laura Aguilar has used photography as a tool to speak about people and issues not considered part of the cultural mainstream. Laura Aguilar: Life, the Body, Her Perspective presents personal video essays by the artist, a lecture she gave at UCLA in 2005 that describes her life as a photographer, plus an interview and documentary filmed by Michael Stone. A comprehensive series of slide shows features works from her extensive oeuvre, including Family and Friends, In Sandy’s Room, and Clothed/Unclothed. A bonus CD contains a PowerPoint survey that enables students and educators to study individual images, facilitating discussion of Aguilar’s groundbreaking art.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
In continuo (1971)
"In continuo" uses slaughterhouse imagery to present the warlike nature of man, first depicting the cleaning and mechanical preparations for the slaughterhouse and then the killing, however, the animal slaughter itself isn’t shown.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like Transmutation and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Transmutation?
The closest matches to Transmutation are Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017), 180° South (2010) and The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Transmutation?
Start with Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017), the closest match to Transmutation.
What is the newest movie like Transmutation?
Les Invisibles (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Transmutation?
Yes: Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017), 180° South (2010) and The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019).
How are movies similar to Transmutation chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Transmutation, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.