Movies like El Father Plays Himself (2020)
The best movies like El Father Plays Himself (2020) are Burden of Dreams (1982), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). If El Father Plays Himself hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDeliver Us from Evil (2006)7.2/10 from 216 votes
- NewestThe Walking Dead: The Return (2024)Released 2024
- In SpanishSociety of the Snow: Who Were We on the Mountain? (2024)Also in Spanish
Burden of Dreams (1982)
The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director Werner Herzog, soon finds itself with problems related to casting, tribal struggles and accidents, among many other setbacks; but nothing compared to dragging a huge steamboat up a mountain, while Herzog embraces the path of a certain madness to make his vision come true.
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 thisNaqoyqatsi (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 thisFuck (2006)
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Curious Birth of Benjamin Button (2009)
A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.
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 thisMore Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011)
Retrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."
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 this180° South (2010)
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Walking Dead: The Return (2024)
Stars of "The Walking Dead," Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, walk down memory lane and visit iconic locations where pivotal moments between their characters, Rick and Michonne, were filmed.
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 thisDeliver Us from Evil (2006)
Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThey'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018)
As his life comes to its end, famous Hollywood director Orson Welles puts it all on the line at the chance for renewed success with the film The Other Side of the Wind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSociety of the Snow: Who Were We on the Mountain? (2024)
An in-depth look at the creative process behind "Society of the Snow," featuring cast, crew, director J.A. Bayona and even real-life survivors.
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 thisDirected by John Ford (1971)
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVisions of Light (1992)
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLost in La Mancha (2002)
Fulton and Pepe's 2000 documentary captures Terry Gilliam's attempt to get The Man Who Killed Don Quixote off the ground. Back injuries, freakish storms, and more zoom in to sabotage the project.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisCameraperson (2016)
As a visually radical memoir, CAMERAPERSON draws on the remarkable footage that filmmaker Kirsten Johnson has shot and reframes it in ways that illuminate moments and situations that have personally affected her. What emerges is an elegant meditation on the relationship between truth and the camera frame, as Johnson transforms scenes that have been presented on Festival screens as one kind of truth into another kind of story—one about personal journey, craft, and direct human connection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSexo en el plató (2007)
How are the sex scenes filmed? What tricks are used to fake the desire? How do the interpreters prepare and feel? Spanish actors and directors talk about the most intimate side of acting, about the tricks and work methods when narrating exposed sex. In Spain the general rule is that there are no rules. Each film, each interpreter, faces it in very different ways.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Making of "Dungeons and Dragons" (2001)
Produced for the "Dungeons and Dragons" Special Edition DVD. This video gives fantasy film and game fans a behind-the- scenes look at the making of the hit movie based on the classic Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. Includes interviews with star Jeremy Irons, as well as other members of the cast and crew, who share their experiences with bringing the game to the silver screen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
On the Red Carpet Presents: All of Us Strangers (2024)
On The Red Carpet presents an in-depth look at the making of All of Us Strangers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' (2001)
The making of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's classic work.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Beyond Horror: The History and Sub-Culture of Red Films (2019)
Delves into the history of the most extreme and shocking films that have ever been made. chronicles the timeline of Red Films: those films that are too extreme for the mainstream and historically have been circulated via the bootleg circuit.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Satan's Blood: recuerdos de «Escalofrío» (2016)
The story of the shooting of Satan's Blood (Escalofrío), a film directed by Carlos Puerto in 1978.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Giger's Alien (1979)
Documentary about Giger's work for the movie Alien (1979).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Mountaintop (2019)
An unfiltered look at the recording of the new album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Till The Clouds Roll By: Real to Reel (2006)
A short documentary on Jerome Kern and the making of Till the Clouds Roll By.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Three Little Words: Two Swell Guys (2006)
A short documentary on the lives of songwriters Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby and the making of the film, Three Little Words.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like El Father Plays Himself?
The closest matches to El Father Plays Himself are Burden of Dreams (1982), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after El Father Plays Himself?
Start with Burden of Dreams (1982), the closest match to El Father Plays Himself.
What is the highest-rated movie like El Father Plays Himself?
Deliver Us from Evil (2006), rated 7.2/10 by 216 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like El Father Plays Himself?
The Walking Dead: The Return (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like El Father Plays Himself?
Yes: Society of the Snow: Who Were We on the Mountain? (2024), Sexo en el plató (2007) and Satan's Blood: recuerdos de «Escalofrío» (2016).
How are movies similar to El Father Plays Himself chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside El Father Plays Himself, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.