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Movies like Swimming to Ferguson (2018)

The best movies like Swimming to Ferguson (2018) are O.J.: Made in America (2016), Heart of a Dog (2015) and A Toxic Love Story (2026). If Swimming to Ferguson hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. O.J.: Made in America (2016)

    A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  2. 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 this
  3. A 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 this
  4. Shark Whisperer (2025)

    Marine conservationist and social media activist Ocean Ramsey fearlessly swims with sharks in this documentary about her risky mission to protect them.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (2025)

    Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. S4: The Bob Lazar Story (2026)

    Over 35 years after Bob Lazar's revelations, this documentary exposes secrets of a facility the government still denies. Featuring Lazar's testimony, recreations, and new evidence, it reopens a case that continues to spark global curiosity

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  7. Four Hours at the Capitol (2021)

    The documentary is an immersive chronicle of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when thousands of American citizens from across the country gathered in Washington D.C. to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election, many with the intent of disrupting the certification of Joe Biden's presidency.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Come 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 this
  9. Naqoyqatsi (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 this
  10. 3 ½ Minutes, 10 Bullets (2015)

    Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving November 2012, four boys in a red SUV pull into a gas station after spending time at the mall buying sneakers and talking to girls. With music blaring, one boy exits the car and enters the store, a quick stop for a soda and a pack of gum. A man and a woman pull up next to the boys in the station, making a stop for a bottle of wine. The woman enters the store and an argument breaks out when the driver of the second car asks the boys to turn the music down. 3½ minutes and ten bullets later, one of the boys is dead. 3½ MINUTES dissects the aftermath of this fatal encounter.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. 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 this
  12. My 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 this
  13. All the Empty Rooms (2025)

    A journalist and a photographer set out to memorialize the bedrooms left behind by children killed in school shootings.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. For Sama (2019)

    A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  15. Maternal 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 this
  16. Tower (2016)

    Combining archival footage with rotoscopic animation, Tower reveals the action-packed untold stories of the witnesses, heroes and survivors of America's first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. David Lynch: The Art Life (2017)

    An intimate journey through the formative years of David Lynch's life. From his idyllic upbringing in small town America to the dark streets of Philadelphia, we follow Lynch as he traces the events that have helped to shape one of cinema's most enigmatic directors.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. The Twister: Caught in the Storm (2025)

    In May 2011, a massive tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri. With pulse-pounding firsthand footage, this documentary goes inside a deadly twister.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. 13th (2016)

    An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. Ocean with David Attenborough (2025)

    David Attenborough takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival, more full of life, wonder, or surprise, than the ocean. Through spectacular sequences featuring coral reefs, kelp forests and the open ocean, Attenborough shares why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  21. I Was, I Am, I Will Be (1974)

    In the spring of 1974, a camera team from Studio H&S succeeded against the explicit orders of the Junta’s Chancellery, entered into two large concentration camps in the north of the country - Chacabuco and Pisagua - leaving with filmed sequences and sound recordings.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  22. My Life Inside (2007)

    Rosa is a Mexican woman who, at the age of 17, migrated illegally to Austin, Texas. Some years later, she was jailed under suspicion of murder and then taken to trial. This film demonstrates how the judicial process, the verdict, the separation from her family, and the helplessness of being imprisoned in a foreign country make Rosa’s story an example of the hard life of Mexican migrants in the United States.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  23. Cheer Up, Korea (2025)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  24. My AI Election (2026)

    A Trump supporter and election denier joins Georgia’s election board to expose fraud but, through conversations with a ChatGPT assistant and firsthand experience, he discovers the system’s surprising integrity — and realizes large-scale voter fraud is far harder than he believed.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  25. Freedom of Choice: How the Government Controls What You Consume (TBA)

    Life is about choice. What we eat, what we read, who we elect; every day we make choices that determine how we want to live. But what if these choices are just an illusion? In an era where regulations and red tape rule every industry, where lobby groups and big businesses wield more influence than ever before, our daily choices have become increasingly limited. And with all our options so deliberately handpicked, are we really making a choice at all? Freedom From Choice examines the current state of life and personal choice today. Experts from many different fields offer a frank and startling look at the hidden limitations in our daily lives. Focusing on key areas such as food, medicine, finance, and media, Freedom From Choice provides viewers with a glimpse at the myriad of ways their lives are being dictated and tells us who stands to gain.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  26. Ainsi soit Macron (2017)

    The meteoric path of Emmanuel Macron made him pass in three years of almost anonymity to the presidency of the Republic. Yet, even though the media have followed him every day during his campaign, no one really knows him. Politics has spoken, progressive, social and liberal at the same time, but man remains an enigma. Behind the official story-telling, what is the true personality of the one who is going to lead France? What are its strengths, its weaknesses? Thanks to unpublished images and exclusive testimonials, including that of his wife Brigitte, this film tells the pivotal moments of the new President's career and reveals the deep motivations that animate him. Investigation of a meteor become President.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  27. Emmanuel Macron: Behind the Rise (2017)

    Deputy General Secretary at the Elysée to candidate for the presidency of the Republic, the novice in politics went from the shadows to the light in a very short time. For 200 days, our cameras followed him behind the scenes of his campaign and his exceptional ascent. For eight months we were the only ones allowed to follow the candidate Emmanuel Macron with our camera behind the scenes of this exceptional campaign. From the announcement of his candidature until his election on May 7, we propose you an exclusive documentary allowing you to live from inside the campaign of Emmanuel Macron in the manner of a political thriller.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  28. Tripping with Zhirinovsky (1995)

    A candid, fly-on-the-wall BBC television documentary portrait of Russian Nationalist politician, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The film shows the leader on a cruise surrounded by two hundred supporters getting plenty of media attention in New York. We are left with the nagging question: to what extent is Zhirinovsky really dangerous? To take that further, to what extent are populist politicians truly dangerous?

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  29. The End of America (2008)

    Based on her book of the same name, Naomi Wolf presents controversial evidence that America has begun a frightening descent into dictatorship and fascism. American democracy, as we know it, is under attack. By examining the chilling parallels between the current state of our nation and the ascent of dictators and fascism in other once-free societies, Wolf urges viewers to open their eyes to the horrors that lie ahead. From the increased use of paramilitary groups to the construction of secret prisons and the targeted suspension of the rule of law, the warning signs are all there for people to wake up and finally take notice.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  30. Der grosse Kanton (2013)

    Is the solution to Switzerland's future to integrate Germany into the confederation? After all, like Michael Ringier, CEO of the Ringier media group, says, blithely ignoring all minorities, we're very close in culture and language. Oskar Freysinger takes out his guitar and sings his answer. Politicians from French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino think expanding will help the country survive. The former German foreign minister thinks the two countries' traditions are too different. The banker Oswald Grübel is worried about Germany's debts, although he'd be prepared to take over its assets. With serious interviews interspersed with gags (boat people on Lake Constance, the last Habsburger as a peasant), Giaccobbo gathers off-the-cuff reactions which reveal a lot about the different mentalities. The movie laughs at preconceived notions, redefines neutrality and reflects on what designates a nation. Switzerland, which loves to teach the world a lesson, will soon helvetize the planet, oder?

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

Like Swimming to Ferguson and something else?

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Swimming to Ferguson?

The closest matches to Swimming to Ferguson are O.J.: Made in America (2016), Heart of a Dog (2015) and A Toxic Love Story (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Swimming to Ferguson?

Start with O.J.: Made in America (2016), the closest match to Swimming to Ferguson.

What is the highest-rated movie like Swimming to Ferguson?

O.J.: Made in America (2016), rated 8.4/10 by 271 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Swimming to Ferguson?

A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Swimming to Ferguson?

Yes: O.J.: Made in America (2016), Heart of a Dog (2015) and A Toxic Love Story (2026).

How are movies similar to Swimming to Ferguson chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Swimming to Ferguson, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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