Movies like Dying to Live (2018)
The best movies like Dying to Live (2018) are Heart of a Dog (2015), A Toxic Love Story (2026) and Joker: Put on a Happy Face (2020). If Dying to Live hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDeliver Us from Evil (2006)7.2/10 from 216 votes
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
Heart of a Dog (2015)
Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisJoker: Put on a Happy Face (2020)
Featuring interviews with filmmakers and industry legends, discover the origins and evolution of The Joker, and learn why The Clown Prince of Crime is universally hailed as the greatest comic-book supervillain of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBeing James Bond (2021)
Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
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 thisThe Curse of the Dragon (1993)
A 1993 documentary film about Bruce Lee. The film includes interviews from some of his fellow students and opponents who worked alongside him in his movies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn the Realms of the Unreal (2004)
In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.
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 thisCharlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (2003)
Brilliant, long in-the-works story of the life and art of the world's greatest comedian and the cinema's first genius, Charlie Chaplin. Produced, written and directed by renowned film critic Richard Schickel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGet Me Roger Stone (2017)
From his days of testifying at the Watergate hearings to advising recent presidential candidate Donald Trump, Roger Stone has long offended people on both sides of the political fence as a force in conservative America. Outspoken author, pundit, ahead of his time election strategist, this is his story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisDeliver Us from Evil (2006)
Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHarry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)
An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisMaternal Instinct (2026)
Police pull over a woman who claims she just gave birth. But the baby — and the blood — aren't hers. Twisted lies unravel in this true-crime documentary.
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 thisI Am Ali (2014)
Unprecedented access to Muhammad Ali's personal archive of "audio journals" as well as interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends are used to tell the legend's life story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)
A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLooking for Richard (1996)
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecond Chance Champions (2023)
Second Chance Champions delves into the world of organ and tissue donation through an international event for transplant athletes. Emotions run high as competitors split their medals with those who have given them a second chance at life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Driven to Save Lives (2024)
A profound movement has ignited in the Racing Capital of the World, fueled by the legacy of racing champion Bryan Clauson, whose heart symbol on his driver’s license became a beacon of hope.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
BEAN (2017)
Alana and Lori were just two LGBT 20-somethings looking for love on Tinder when a casual right swipe made a match that would bind them together forever. Within a few weeks of meeting, Lori learned that Alana suffers from Lupus and has been waiting on the kidney transplant list for years. The state of New York, where Alana lives, has the lowest number of organ donors in the country, and because of her complex medical background, her chances of finding a donor match were incredibly slim. Against all odds, Lori found that she was a candidate for donation and decided to give Alana the ultimate gift. If the transplant is a success, Alana will triple her life expectancy and be freed from nightly dialysis. But if it fails, Lori will go through risky surgery and lose a healthy organ in vain. BEAN is an emotional medical journey for two families that tests the true limits of love and sacrifice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Une greffe pour la vie (2018)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Passeurs de vies (2024)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Perfect Strangers (2013)
What lies beyond the art of giving and receiving? Ellie, a liberal Democrat and kind-hearted masseuse, decides she wants to share the gift of life with a stranger. Five hundred miles away, Kathy loses hope of receiving a transplant until she hears from Ellie. Over the course of four years, both women face unexpected challenges.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Confessions of a Good Samaritan (2023)
Director Penny Lane’s decision to become a “good Samaritan” by giving one of her kidneys to a stranger turns into a funny and moving personal quest to understand the nature of altruism. “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” is a provocative inquiry into the science, history, and ethics of organ transplantation, asking an ancient question in a whole new way: Who is your neighbor, and what do you owe them?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
D Tour (2009)
Pat Spurgeon is a professional musician whose dreams of being in a successful rock 'n' roll band have come true. But just as his band, Rogue Wave, starts to take off, his kidney starts to fail. "D tour" chronicles the life of a musician with "no back-up plan" as he's faced with daily dialysis, a grueling tour, and a search for a new kidney.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
God Vulture and Human (2023)
The film explores the subject of organ donation through the lens of transplant coordinators, highlighting their role in the process of organ donation, retrieval and transplantation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
GIFTED: The Docuseries (TBA)
GIFTED: The Docuseries celebrates the heroism of organ, eye, and tissue donation by taking viewers on it's full dramatic sweep: from the tragedies that claim these hero donors, into the rooms where the gut-wrenching decisions are made, down the hospital halls for the “honor walk,” inside the airplanes fighting against time, and ultimately into the heart and joy of new life. You will see how one life can save eight, and why 20 people don’t have to die today. GIFTED will measurably save lives by celebrating the heroism of organ, eye, and tissue donation – showing how YOU can so simply make a difference. Featuring donor heroes Heather Miller, Maissa Abdallah, and Maddie Grobmeier.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Dying to Live?
The closest matches to Dying to Live are Heart of a Dog (2015), A Toxic Love Story (2026) and Joker: Put on a Happy Face (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Dying to Live?
Start with Heart of a Dog (2015), the closest match to Dying to Live.
What is the highest-rated movie like Dying to Live?
Deliver Us from Evil (2006), rated 7.2/10 by 216 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Dying to Live?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Dying to Live?
Yes: Heart of a Dog (2015), A Toxic Love Story (2026) and Joker: Put on a Happy Face (2020).
How are movies similar to Dying to Live chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dying to Live, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.