Movies like XYZ (2016)
The best movies like XYZ (2016) are Joker: Put on a Happy Face (2020), Extremis (2016) and One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper (2015). If XYZ hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
Joker: 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 thisExtremis (2016)
A purely observational non-fiction film that takes viewers into the ethically murky world of end-of-life decision making in a public hospital.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper (2015)
Join director Clint Eastwood and his creative team, along with Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, as they overcome enormous creative and logistic obstacles to make a film that brings the truth of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle's story to the screen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies 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 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 thisNo Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad (2013)
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 thisEmbrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022)
A feature length documentary about the all-women team at the helm of Pixar's original feature, Turning Red. With unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Director Domee Shi and her core leadership crew, this story shines a light on the powerful professional and personal journeys that brought this incredibly comical, utterly relatable, and deeply heartfelt story to the screen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 thisDownloaded (2013)
A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Making of 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)
Documentary of the making of the sequel to the popular Schwarzenegger film, The Terminator.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStruggle: 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 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 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 thisCameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010)
In 2001 Jack Cardiff (1914-2009) became the first director of photography in the history of the Academy Awards to win an Honorary Oscar. But the first time he clasped the famous statuette in his hand was a half-century earlier when his Technicolor camerawork was awarded for Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus. Beyond John Huston's The African Queen and King Vidor's War and Peace, the films of the British-Hungarian creative duo (The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death too) guaranteed immortality for the renowned cameraman whose career spanned seventy years.
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 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 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 thisAquaman: Heroines of Atlantis (2019)
Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman discuss their characters Mera and Atlanna.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLearning Disabilities in Primary Care (2022)
People with learning disabilities often experience worse physical and mental health. This film is a starting point to address these inequalities.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
El cielo es muy bonito (2022)
Mothers and daughters flee their country of origin and travel through Mexico carrying their fears, dreams and a hopeful future.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Gingers (2013)
Redheads. Fire crotches… This film collects samples of their testimonials and their body hair and skin. About being different genetically, about gay gingers, doubly in a minority, from Ireland to Israel to Brazil. A film made especially for ginger lovers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ask Me, Don't Tell Me (1961)
Short film documenting the San Francisco Youth for Service program.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Shake Hands with Danger (1980)
This short cautionary training film examines dangers associated with earthmoving equipment operation, showing many simulated accidents on construction sites.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Robert Koch, ein Wohltäter der Menschheit (1955)
An insight into the work and life of Robert Koch.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Borderlands (2023)
Fleeing the 1980 Civil War in El Salvador, Dora Rodriguez, among a group of twenty-five asylum seekers, were abandoned by their guide and left to fend for themselves in the relentless Sonoran desert of Arizona.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Krása z proutí (2020)
The preservation and development of traditional folk crafts is in the hands of skilled individuals... Wicker Beauty presents portraits of those creators from among the holders of the title Bearer of the tradition of folk crafts, for whom the basic working material is various natural weaves. We will show baskets woven from pine bark, tying birch brooms or traditional products from willow wicker and also from pedig, which is a material obtained from tropical liana in Southeast Asia. The five award-winning manufacturers continue the legacy of old basket makers and, together with their families, maintain a tradition in their home workshops that continues from generation to generation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
I Don’t Want to Be Just a Memory (2024)
Berlin queer community members mourn the substance abuse-related loss of their friends by sharing memories and rituals. Resembling glow-in-the-dark fungi, they radiate light together as a network of support and care.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Con amigos así (2014)
The Falklands War began on April 2, 1982, with the Argentine landing on the islands ordered by Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri, and culminated with the cessation of hostilities between Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain on June 14, 1982. Through dynamic editing and the use of archival materials, the documentary considers the war as part of our recent past, but also opens up multiple questions and reflections on contemporary society and the future projection of what such a conflict generates for us Argentines.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like XYZ?
The closest matches to XYZ are Joker: Put on a Happy Face (2020), Extremis (2016) and One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after XYZ?
Start with Joker: Put on a Happy Face (2020), the closest match to XYZ.
What is the newest movie like XYZ?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like XYZ?
Yes: Joker: Put on a Happy Face (2020), Extremis (2016) and One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper (2015).
How are movies similar to XYZ chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside XYZ, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.