Movies like A Swedish Elephant (2018)
The best movies like A Swedish Elephant (2018) are Elephant (2020), The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019) and Looking for Richard (1996). If A Swedish Elephant hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAvicii: True Stories (2017)8.0/10 from 364 votes
- NewestBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)Released 2026
Elephant (2020)
Disneynature’s Elephant follows African elephant Shani and her spirited son Jomo as their herd make an epic journey hundreds of miles across the vast Kalahari Desert. Led by their great matriarch, Gaia, the family faces brutal heat, dwindling resources and persistent predators, as they follow in their ancestors’ footsteps on a quest to reach a lush, green paradise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisSeduced and Abandoned (2013)
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIngrid Bergman: In Her Own Words (2015)
A personal and captivating account of the extraordinary life and work of Ingrid Bergman (1915-82), a young Swedish woman who became one of the most celebrated actresses in world cinema.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSidney (2022)
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEx 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 thisI Am Heath Ledger (2017)
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHuman Flow (2017)
More than 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine, climate change and war, the greatest displacement since World War II. Filmmaker Ai Weiwei examines the staggering scale of the refugee crisis and its profoundly personal human impact. Over the course of one year in 23 countries, Weiwei follows a chain of urgent human stories that stretch across the globe, including Afghanistan, France, Greece, Germany and Iraq.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret (2006)
Interviews with leading authors, philosophers and scientists, with an in-depth discussion of the Law of Attraction. The audience is shown how they can learn and use 'The Secret' in their everyday lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAvicii: True Stories (2017)
Documentary about the arena-packing Swedish DJ, chronicling his explosive rise to fame and surprising decision to retire from live performances in 2016.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHalloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006)
Follow the evolution of the 'Halloween' movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films - seeing the effects on the local community. For the first time, cast, crew, critics and fans join together in the ultimate 'Halloween' retrospective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Elephant Queen (2019)
Embark on an epic journey of family, courage, and coming home in this feature-length documentary. Join Athena, the majestic matriarch, as she leads her elephant herd across an unforgiving African landscape filled with vibrant wildlife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLeave the World Behind (2014)
A music documentary following the breakup of Swedish House Mafia and their subsequent One Last Tour. The largest electronic tour in history, selling over 1 million tickets in one week. Director Christian Larson captures the band in a unique fly on the wall manner as they call it quits and seek closure by going on the tour they had always dreamed of. With breathtaking live moments, huge laughs and dark lows, the band start to unravel why they came to the decision to end the biggest achievement of their lives to date to save their friendship. The film maps out three of the biggest stars in a scene which has gripped youth the world over and the psychology of the band. A film not to be missed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye (2022)
Join the likes of Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, and Vincent D’Onofrio as they reveal how Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” was conceived and created. Witness firsthand what it took to pull off the show’s pulse-pounding action set pieces, and discover how iconic characters from the pages of Marvel Comics such as Kate Bishop were adapted and brought to life for the six-episode series.
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 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 thisUndvik räta vinklar (2011)
"Avoid Straight Angles" - Once upon a time Stefan Sundström was Farsta's Mick Jagger. Then he was influenced by the punk. Now he is one of Sweden's most productive, self-centered and socially critical artists - diligent in terms of both songwriting and touring.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & documentary
Från vinterviste till sommarfjäll (1949)
Documentary by Stig Wesslén, commenced in 1942 and ended seven years later. Here he shows human and animal, and follows the nomadic life in an old culture.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Crackoholic (2010)
Crackoholic , by Jonas Paulsson and Mikael Widerberg, is quite different to most other climbing movies. The style is somewhat similar to that of the classic Hard Grit, in that it provides a historical perspective to the climbing of the area. In this case Bohusln on the Swedish west coast. We also get to meet and listen to some of the climbers who, through the decades, have been important to the development, of difficulty as well as ethics, and hear their thoughts on climbing and risk. As would be expected, these thoughts range from profound to cliche. Of course, there's also a lot of climbing, from moderates to FA's of cutting edge "death" routes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Totem: Return and Renewal (2007)
In this follow-up to his 2003 film, Totem: the Return of the G'psgolox Pole, filmmaker Gil Cardinal documents the events of the final journey of the G'psgolox Pole as it returns home to Kitamaat and the Haisla people, from where it went missing in 1929.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Every Face Has a Name (2015)
Recalls the day when Holocaust survivors took their first steps into freedom, unaware of their future. Every Face Has a Name puts a name on those nameless faces and lets them recount their feelings of that day, the 28th of April, 1945.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Everything's Better than a Hooker (2018)
The tragedy of Eva-Marree, deprived of her children for prostitution then killed by their father. In a convincing indictment, director Ovidie denounces the abuse of power by a supposedly protective Swedish state.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Modersmålsmord (2022)
Ahmemulić prepares tongue in her mother’s way – skinned, seasoned, boiled, sliced. She can then in turn serve her son her mother’s tongue. The skinned lamb tongue here becomes a brutal metaphor for a doubly impossible language – the acquired Swedish and a Serbo-Croatian that has begun to dissolve.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Kristina von Schweden - Die wilde Königin (2015)
After the death of her father, Christina is a Swedish queen in her childhood. As a young woman, she leaves the throne, changes to the Catholic faith and escapes to Rome. The life of Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689), her power and her self-interest fascinate the world to this day. The documentary drama explores the history of the unadjusted queen in Stockholm and Rome, which is still a model for many feminists.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popular Science L-7-4 (1948)
At Arcata, California, testing technology for landing planes in fog. Also: a high-tech barber shop in Westwood Village, California; manufacture of precision steel gauge blocks in Eskilstuna, Sweden.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Four Nations Facing Off (2025)
In perhaps the most emotional release of the year, Captain Canada aka Sidney Crosby lets us know that Four Nations are... what? Watch this 1hr long masterpiece, created by FierySharky (Twitter), in order to find out.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Swedish Elephant?
The closest matches to A Swedish Elephant are Elephant (2020), The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019) and Looking for Richard (1996). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Swedish Elephant?
Start with Elephant (2020), the closest match to A Swedish Elephant.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Swedish Elephant?
Avicii: True Stories (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 364 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Swedish Elephant?
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to A Swedish Elephant chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Swedish Elephant, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.