Skip to content

Movies like I Am Riley (2019)

The best movies like I Am Riley (2019) are Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (2017), Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018) and Zero Days (2016). If I Am Riley hooked you with its documentary and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (2017)

    The courtroom and publicity battles between the superstar wrestler and the notorious website explode in a sensational trial all about the limits of the First Amendment and the new no holds barred nature of celebrity life in an internet dominated society.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018)

    Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. Zero Days (2016)

    Alex Gibney explores the phenomenon of Stuxnet, a self-replicating computer virus discovered in 2010 by international IT experts. Evidently commissioned by the US and Israeli governments, this malware was designed to specifically sabotage Iran’s nuclear programme. However, the complex computer worm ended up not only infecting its intended target but also spreading uncontrollably.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. Disclosure (2020)

    An investigation of how Hollywood's fabled stories have deeply influenced how Americans feel about transgender people, and how transgender people have been taught to feel about themselves.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. Welcome to Chechnya (2020)

    This searing investigative work shadows a group of activists risking unimaginable peril to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ program raging in the repressive and closed Russian republic. Unfettered access and a remarkable approach to protecting anonymity exposes this under-reported atrocity–and an extraordinary group of people confronting evil.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. Facing Ali (2009)

    Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. 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
  8. Room 237 (2012)

    A subjective documentary that explores various theories about hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's classic film The Shining. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (2010)

    An in-depth look at the rapid rise and dramatic fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. QT8: The First Eight (2019)

    A detailed account of the life and artistic career of legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, from his early days as a video club manager to the scandalous fall in disgrace of producer Harvey Weinstein. A story about how to shoot eight great movies and become an icon of modern pop culture.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. Milli Vanilli (2023)

    The story of Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, who became fast friends during their youth in Germany. With Rob coming from a broken home and Fabrice having left an abusive household, they shared a similar upbringing, as well as a future goal: to become famous superstars. In a few short years, their dreams came true. Rob and Fab, better known as Milli Vanilli, became the world's most popular pop duo in 1990 and won the GRAMMY for Best New Artist. However, their ascension to success came with a devastating price that ultimately led to their infamous undoing.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018)

    The definitive portrait of one of sport's most inspirational, influential figures - whose legacy lives on far beyond the football field.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022)

    A wide-ranging, definitive look at Hawk’s life and iconic career, and his relationship with the sport with which he’s been synonymous for decades, featuring unprecedented access, never-before-seen footage, and interviews with Hawk and prominent figures in the sport including Stacy Peralta, Rodney Mullen, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero, Neil Blender, Andy MacDonald, Duane Peters, Sean Mortimer, and Christian Hosoi.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. One More Time with Feeling (2016)

    Andrew Dominik's One More Time With Feeling is a remarkable black and white documentary which chronicles the creation of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' album Skeleton Tree. Originally a performance based concept, the film evolved into something much more significant as Dominik delved into the tragic backdrop of the writing and recording of the album. The result is stark, fragile and raw, and a true testament to an artist trying to find his way through the darkness. It documents the writing, recording and performing of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ sixteenth studio album, Skeleton Tree.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (2018)

    A funny, intimate and heartbreaking portrait of one of the world’s most beloved and inventive comedians, Robin Williams, told largely through his own words. Celebrates what he brought to comedy and to the culture at large, from the wild days of late-1970s L.A. to his death in 2014.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  16. Dig! (2004)

    A documentary on the once promising American rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. The friendship between respective founders, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor, escalated into bitter rivalry as the Dandy Warhols garnered major international success while the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploded in a haze of drugs.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation (2019)

    50 years after the legendary fest, Barak Goodman’s electric retelling of Woodstock, from the point of view of those who were on the ground, evokes the freedom, passion, community, and joy the three-day music festival created.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. Belushi (2020)

    Using previously unheard audiotapes recorded shortly after John Belushi’s death, director R.J. Cutler’s documentary feature examines the too-short life of the once-in-a-generation talent who captured the hearts and funny bones of devoted audiences.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

    A documentary on the Z Channel, one of the first pay cable stations in the US, and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974, the LA-based channel's eclectic slate of movies became a prime example of the untapped power of cable television.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. The Swamp (2020)

    A look behind the curtain of Washington politics following three "renegade" Republican Congressmen as they bring libertarian and conservative zeal to champion the President’s call to “drain the swamp.”

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. Romy Schneider, face à son destin (2023)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  22. The Fly (1958)

    Industrialist François Delambre is called late at night by his sister-in-law, Helene, who tells him that she has just killed her husband. Reluctant at first, she eventually explains to the police that he invented a matter transportation apparatus and, while experimenting on himself, a fly entered the chamber.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  23. Where Ever You Are (2026)

    After living in Denmark for 38 years, Francisco has decided to move back to his homeland, the Philippines—a country he feels he has never really left. So, on a cold winter evening, he meets with his daughter, who was born and raised in Denmark, to tell her that he plans to leave just a few days later.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  24. ET Contact: They Are Here (2017)

    ET CONTACT: THEY ARE HERE documents the jaw-dropping stories of individuals from around the world who share similar accounts of extraterrestrial and otherworldly encounters. Producer and host Caroline Cory, who has her own extensive history with the supernatural, takes the viewers on an extraordinary journey to uncover whether these seemingly independent yet parallel reports may actually be scientific evidence of a greater phenomenon at work. Through a series of groundbreaking on-camera experiments on human DNA, and interviews with leading scientists, viewers will find themselves pondering the nature of their own reality or yet the true origin of the human species. ET CONTACT may ultimately show that the traditionally unexplained is, in fact, far more attributable to science than fiction. NOTE: This film has been released in some territories under the title: "Among Us".

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  25. Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom (2012)

    Tony Curtis, the man who influenced Elvis Presley and James Dean. A sex symbol, a matinee idol, a powerful and magnetic actor, Tony Curtis was the original movie star.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  26. Mae West: Dirty Blonde (2020)

    Mae West achieved great acclaim in every entertainment medium that existed during her lifetime, spanning eight decades of the 20th century. A full-time actress at seven, a vaudevillian at 14, a dancing sensation at 25, a playwright at 33, a silver screen ingénue at 40, a Vegas nightclub act at 62, a recording artist at 73, a camp icon at 85 - West left no format unconquered. She possessed creative and economic powers unheard of for a female entertainer in the 1930s and still rare today. Though a comedian, West grappled with some of the more complex social issues of the 20th century, including race and class tensions, and imbued even her most salacious plotlines with commentary about gender conformity, societal restrictions and what she perceived as moral hypocrisy. Mae West: Dirty Blonde is the first major documentary film to explore West's life and career, as she "climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong" to become a writer, performer and subversive agitator for social change.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  27. Cat Rong Po (2025)

    Liu Liu is living in a strange new land. While his mother looks after the shop, he goes exploring. Encountering a ghost monster, a fierce battle begins. Behind the shop counter, Liu Liu’s mother listens to audiotapes to teach herself Hungarian. Bored and frustrated, Liu Liu goes in search of adventure. Exploring this new and foreign land, he encounters a mysterious monster.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  28. Gregory Peck, le gentleman acteur (2022)

    A legend of the Hollywood Golden Age, Gregory Peck (1916-2003) had an exemplary career, working under some of the greatest directors: Alfred Hitchcock, Elia Kazan, Raoul Walsh, Vincente Minnelli... Portrait of an actor with irresistible charm and strong political commitments.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  29. Fishing Dreams (2021)

    Someone tells of a dream he had, which was to go fishing and get lots of fish, this kind of dream is often associated with a symbol of good luck. But he was afraid that the dream would happen again and again, from generation to generation.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  30. The story of Freddie Mercury (2021)

    This documentary tells the story of Freddie Mercury in the form of a trip to England in which we retrace his life, visiting the apartments he lived in, the studios in which he recorded his albums, his school friends and the venues in which he gave his most memorable concerts. Every one of these locations provides us with the opportunity to look back over Freddie Mercury’s career, and to interview those who knew him.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

Like I Am Riley and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like I Am Riley?

The closest matches to I Am Riley are Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (2017), Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018) and Zero Days (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after I Am Riley?

Start with Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (2017), the closest match to I Am Riley.

What is the highest-rated movie like I Am Riley?

For Sama (2019), rated 8.2/10 by 323 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like I Am Riley?

Where Ever You Are (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like I Am Riley?

Yes: Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (2017), Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018) and Zero Days (2016).

How are movies similar to I Am Riley chosen?

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

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Full search page