Movies like The Sunshine (2000)
The best movies like The Sunshine (2000) are Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), Avatar: Creating the World of Pandora (2010) and The Matrix Revisited (2001). If The Sunshine hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Sunshine
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSamsara (2011)8.1/10 from 719 votes
- NewestCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)Released 2025
Avatar: 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 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 thisThe Matrix Revisited (2001)
The film goes behind the scenes of the 1999 sci-fi movie The Matrix.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 Irishman: In Conversation (2019)
Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino in conversation about The Irishman.
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 thisDangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007)
The definitive 3½-hour documentary about the troubled creation and enduring legacy of the science fiction classic 'Blade Runner', culled from 80 interviews and hours of never-before-seen outtakes and lost footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSalinger (2013)
An in-depth investigation into the private world of the American writer J. D. Salinger (1919-2010), who lived most of his life behind the impenetrable wall of a self-imposed seclusion: how his dramatic experiences during World War II influenced his life and work, his relationships with very young women, his obsessive writing methods, his many literary secrets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGuillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema (2022)
With mesmerizing footage and time lapses of animators at work, this behind-the-scenes special captures the artistry of a unique tale years in the making.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSymbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968)
In Manhattan's Central Park, a film crew directed by William Greaves is shooting a screen test with various pairs of actors. It's a confrontation between a couple: he demands to know what's wrong, she challenges his sexual orientation. Cameras shoot the exchange, and another camera records Greaves and his crew. Sometimes we watch the crew discussing this scene, its language, and the process of making a movie. Is there such a thing as natural language? Are all things related to sex? The camera records distractions - a woman rides horseback past them; a garrulous homeless vet who sleeps in the park chats them up. What's the nature of making a movie?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 thisObi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return (2022)
This special explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the screen, as well as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their classic roles. Director Deborah Chow leads the cast and crew as they create new heroes and villains that live alongside new incarnations of beloved Star Wars characters, and an epic story that dramatically bridges the saga films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPublic Speaking (2011)
Martin Scorsese’s portrait of writer and social commentator Fran Lebowitz, celebrated for her sharp wit and observations on modern life. Filmed at New York’s Waverly Inn and intercut with archival footage and interviews, the documentary captures Lebowitz’s distinctive worldview through her spontaneous monologues and public appearances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpider-Man 2: Making the Amazing (2004)
A comprehensive 12-part documentary on the making of "Spider-Man 2," covering everything from pre-production to premiere.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man (2018)
One man’s journey to find meaning in Bill Murray’s many unexpected adventures with everyday people, rare and never-before seen footage of the comedic icon participating in stories previously presumed to be urban legend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisSamsara (2011)
Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisXavier (2018)
April 20, 2017 - Avenue des Champs-Elysées. During an attack, police officer Xavier, among his injured fellow-officers, was shot dead. There are broken dreams and unanswered expectations of peace. But there is no place for hate, dialogue and tolerance being the only possible solutions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
A. (2025)
Having lost her memory, A. could barely recall glimpses of her childhood in Argentina. After her death, her son visits the empty house for the last time. A sensory journey through a house without objects but filled with memory.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Gast der Bambuti (1954)
An insight into the life of a pygmy tribe.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
I'm Not Racist... Am I? (2014)
What if this next generation could transcend racism? One year, 12 teens, on a remarkable journey to face racism and white privilege, have the conversations most of us are too afraid to have. Once they push through naivete, guilt and tears, what they learn may change us all.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Nahrung und Verdauung (1985)
Using the basic nutrients protein, fat and carbohydrates as examples, the film provides an introduction to the complicated processes of digestion. Our digestive organs are presented schematically. It is shown that the interaction of the digestive organs prepares the food we eat and makes it absorbable. The absorbable food components enter the organism's metabolism and serve to build up the body and generate energy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Seven Five (2015)
Meet the dirtiest cop in NYC history. Michael Dowd stole money and dealt drugs while patrolling the streets of '80s Brooklyn.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVII. Thou You Shalt Not Steal (2013)
Norbert, the protagonist of the film, is a priest. But also a father and a criminal convicted of bank robbery. His future is uncertain, as is his family's.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Catch the Sun (1973)
A fast-paced collage of Ontario life. Highlights include a rollercoaster ride, a hair-raising speedboat skim along Ottawa's Rideau Canal, a downhill ski run through the trees on a Thunder Bay trail, and the sleek beauty of a small fleet of ice boats whistling over a gleaming lake.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
People of the Sun (1983)
El Pueblo Del Sol captures not only the visual delights of Mexico today, but also grasps the day-to-day life of a people in a land filled with future promise. One is mesmerized by rich images of such natural beauties as the Isla Contoy in the Caribbean, Copper Canyon in the Chihuahua Sierra, the Paricutin Volcano, and Ensenada's Bay. Short IMAX documentary.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Listening Project (2018)
The profound impact of technology on the lives and identities of young deaf adults is explored in The Listening Project. Fourteen deaf people tell stories beginning with a childhood wide-eyed about sound, into the growing pains of adolescence and, eventually, their professional lives. Sometimes humorous, always tender, The Listening Project is a timely coming of age story, one we haven't heard before.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like The Sunshine and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Sunshine?
The closest matches to The Sunshine are Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), Avatar: Creating the World of Pandora (2010) and The Matrix Revisited (2001). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Sunshine?
Start with Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), the closest match to The Sunshine.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Sunshine?
Samsara (2011), rated 8.1/10 by 719 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Sunshine?
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Sunshine?
Yes: Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), Avatar: Creating the World of Pandora (2010) and The Matrix Revisited (2001).
How are movies similar to The Sunshine chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Sunshine, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.