Movies like Dave Not Coming Back (2020)
The best movies like Dave Not Coming Back (2020) are Diving Into the Unknown (2016), Operation Thai Cave Rescue (2018) and Ghost Elephants (2026). If Dave Not Coming Back hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Cove (2009)8.0/10 from 705 votes
- NewestShipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea (2026)Released 2026
Diving Into the Unknown (2016)
After a terrible accident deep inside an underwater cave, the survivors are forced to risk their own lives to bring the bodies of their friends home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Operation Thai Cave Rescue (2018)
Thai cave Rescue documents the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from the Tham Luang Cave in northern Thailand. Featuring interviews with key people involved, the film explains how the boys became trapped in the cave by heavy rains on Saturday, June 23, 2018, and explains how, fearing the worst, relatives and local rescuers began searching for the boys but to no avail. Finally, the film reveals how an international team of rescuers was called upon to find the boys and ultimately bring them to safety. This remarkable story gripped the world for 18 days. A stunning example of innovation, teamwork and human endurance in one of the most hostile environments on earth - a flooded cave.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Ghost Elephants (2026)
In Angola's mist-shrouded highlands, three KhoiSan master trackers embark on a spiritual quest to rediscover the legendary "ghost elephants" of Lisima, creatures presumed lost but remembered in ancestral trance, ritual, and memory.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClimbing Blind (2019)
By the time he was 30, Jesse Dufton's vision was reduced to just light perception with around 1 or 2% field of view. As a life long climber, Jesse flies in the face of adversity training for world cup events and leading traditional rock climbs with his sight guide and fiancee Molly Thompson. As his sight degenerates, his climbing continues to make remarkable progress. Despite his devastating condition, Jesse attempts to be the first blind person to make a ‘non-sight’ lead of the iconic Old Man of Hoy sea stack in Scotland.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
La Soufrière: Waiting for an Inevitable Catastrophe (1977)
Werner Herzog takes a film crew to the island of Guadeloupe when he hears that the volcano on the island is going to erupt. Everyone has left, except for one old man who refuses to leave.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)
Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLast Breath (2019)
A commercial diver is stranded on the seabed with only five minutes of oxygen supply, but with no chance of rescue for more than 30 minutes. With access to amazing archival footage, this is the true story of one man’s impossible fight for survival.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMissing 411: The Hunted (2019)
Hunters have disappeared from wildlands without a trace for hundreds of years. David Paulides presents the haunting true stories of hunters experiencing the unexplainable in the woods of North America.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Yeti Massacre (2023)
In the winter of 1959, the mutilated bodies of nine hikers were found in the Ural Mountains of Russia. Were they slaughtered in cold blood by a yeti? If so, what drove this legendary beast to kill? Shocking evidence sheds terrifying new light on the Dyatlov Pass incident.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
With a team of the world's foremost historic and marine experts as well as friend Bill Paxton, James Cameron embarks on an unscripted adventure back to the wreck of the Titanic where nearly 1,500 souls lost their lives almost a century ago.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2017)
Known for his spectacular pyrotechnic displays, Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang creates his most ambitious project yet: Sky Ladder, a visionary, explosive event that he pulls off in his hometown in China after 20 years of failed attempts.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Speed Cubers (2020)
This documentary captures the extraordinary twists and turns in the journeys of Rubik's Cube-solving champions Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTorn (2021)
When world renowned climber Alex Lowe was tragically lost in a deadly avalanche, his best friend and climbing partner went on to marry his widow and help raise his three sons. This profoundly intimate film from eldest son Max, captures the family's intense personal journey toward understanding as they finally lay him to rest.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Cove (2009)
The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of individuals, films makers and free divers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate the hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The shocking discoveries were only the tip of the iceberg.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDaniel (2023)
The remarkable first-person story of filmmaker Daniel Northcott, who documented his travels around the world, including a visit to a mysterious Mayan cave that may have precipitated his death.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft (2024)
Filmmaker Werner Herzog combs through the film archives of volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft to create a film that celebrates their legacy.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
An Unknown Compelling Force (2021)
The truth of Russia's greatest unsolved mystery, the Dyatlov Pass Incident, is uncovered in this compelling documentary.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Spookers (2017)
Documentary from Kiwi filmmaker Florian Habicht on the most successful haunted attraction in the Southern Hemisphere, Auckland’s Spookers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Tickled (2016)
Journalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn’t stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisExplorer: The Deepest Cave (2022)
Follows renowned cave explorer Bill Stone as he and his team push the boundaries of what has ever been done before as they attempt one of the greatest achievements of modern exploration — to set a new world record by venturing into the bottom of what is thought to be the deepest cave in the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Mountain (2017)
An epic cinematic and musical collaboration between SHERPA filmmaker Jennifer Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, that explores humankind's fascination with high places.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhosts of Sugar Land (2019)
Shocked when their friend embraces extremism, a group of Muslim Americans in Texas recount their time with him and theories about his fate.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisLo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World (2016)
Werner Herzog's exploration of the Internet and the connected world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWonders of the Sea (2017)
Filmed over three years in various locations, from the Fiji Islands to the Bahamas, Wonders of the Sea 3D is an underwater tour of the most obscure parts of our planet's oceans, revealing images so spectacular that they border on the fantastic.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave (2022)
In this compelling documentary, members of the Thai youth soccer team tell their stories of getting trapped in Tham Luang Cave in 2018 — and surviving.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 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 thisJohn Candy: I Like Me (2025)
Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisShipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea (2026)
Never-before-seen footage and survivor accounts trace the 2012 shipwreck of a luxury cruise and the disaster that ensued, in this immersive documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Dave Not Coming Back?
The closest matches to Dave Not Coming Back are Diving Into the Unknown (2016), Operation Thai Cave Rescue (2018) and Ghost Elephants (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Dave Not Coming Back?
People who watched Dave Not Coming Back most often go on to Diving Into the Unknown (2016), Operation Thai Cave Rescue (2018) and Ghost Elephants (2026).
What is the highest-rated movie like Dave Not Coming Back?
The Cove (2009), rated 8.0/10 by 705 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Dave Not Coming Back?
Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Dave Not Coming Back?
Yes: Operation Thai Cave Rescue (2018), Ghost Elephants (2026) and Climbing Blind (2019).
How are movies similar to Dave Not Coming Back chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dave Not Coming Back, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.