Movies like They Also Dreamed (2020)
The best movies like They Also Dreamed (2020) are My Mom Jayne (2025), Heart of a Dog (2015) and Father Soldier Son (2020). If They Also Dreamed hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedStutz (2022)7.5/10 from 228 votes
- NewestThe Veto (2026)Released 2026
My 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 thisHeart of a Dog (2015)
Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFather Soldier Son (2020)
When Sgt. First Class Brian Eisch is critically wounded in Afghanistan, it sets him and his sons on a journey of love, loss, redemption and legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLooking for Richard (1996)
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStutz (2022)
In candid conversations with actor Jonah Hill, leading psychiatrist Phil Stutz explores his early life experiences and unique, visual model of therapy.
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 thisKaty Perry: Part of Me (2012)
Giving fans unprecedented access to the real life of the music sensation, Katy Perry: Part of Me exposes the hard work, dedication and phenomenal talent of a girl who remained true to herself and her vision in order to achieve her dreams. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes interviews, personal moments between Katy and her friends, and all-access footage of rehearsals, choreography, Katy’s signature style and more, Katy Perry: Part of Me reveals the singer’s unwavering belief that if you can be yourself, then you can be anything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisThe AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026)
A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity, and explores the most powerful technology humanity has ever created... and what's at stake if we get it wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTake Your Pills (2018)
In a hypercompetitive world, drugs like Adderall offer students, athletes, coders and others a way to do more -- faster and better. But at what cost?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSherman's March (1986)
Documentarian Ross McElwee originally set out to make a travelogue of sorts tracing General William T. Sherman's infamous scorched-earth march through the Confederacy in the latter stages of the Civil War. Instead, haunted by a recent breakup with a girlfriend, McElwee ends up documenting his progress -- or lack thereof -- in starting a new relationship. His journey then becomes one of self-reflection and self-discovery rather than a historical/sociological exploration.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 this28 Up (1985)
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisPowaqqatsi (1988)
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
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 September Issue (2009)
A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)
A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012)
Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZero 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 thisThe Merry Companions (2007)
"It takes courage to accept growing old. It's the response to the cruelty of passing time that I wanted to film." (Xavier Liébard) A group of elderly people decided to live their journey through middle age to the fullest. United in the same small group for over fifteen years, they chose to share their vitality through song with others, those whom old age has excluded from the social, familial, and human experience. Against all odds, "The Joyful Companions" are active and committed to maintaining the social connections that bind them to life. But what strategies, tricks, and struggles they must invent to live old age with hope... Xavier Liébard Director, Writer
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Toubib, 12 années dans la vie d'un étudiant en médecine (2024)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Veto (2026)
For 80 years, the UN Security Council permanent member veto power has been the subject of constant debate, within the UN and without. The veto itself isn’t going away—it’s ‘veto-proof’. But when vetoes are cast in the face of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, obligations under international law and the UN Charter must be considered. Such veto uses have led to massive loss of life, displacement of millions, and the multilateral order pushed to a breaking point. The film, featuring leading global experts, puts aside ‘the impossibility of change’ and explores real paths to breaking the Security Council deadlock, and avoiding a third global conflict. This is an urgent film for global audiences — it’s an issue that truly affects us all.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
My Fair Lady (2025)
“My Fair Lady” is a completely indie documentary about a house and the Lady who made it the sanctuary it was. We follow three people: my mom, my dad, and I, as we all recall our memories of her while trying to keep her alive in that now empty house. We each discuss topics we’ve never spoken about with each other. It is a story of heartache, pain, and perseverance after having lost.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
A Life on the Farm (2023)
A strange story from Somerset, England about a filmmaking farmer and the inspiring legacy of his long-lost home movies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
In Three Acts (2015)
When an 80 year old intellectual is confronted with issues of old age and death, she reminisces the death of her mother that happened 30 years earlier. With dialogue inspired by Simone de Beauvoir mixed with contemporary dance, the cycle of life is exposed in a poetic manner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Life, Animated (2016)
At three years old, a chatty, energetic little boy named Owen Suskind ceased to speak, disappearing into autism with apparently no way out. Almost four years passed and the only stimuli that engaged Owen were Disney films. Then one day, his father donned a puppet—Iago, the wisecracking parrot from Aladdin—and asked “what’s it like to be you?” And poof! Owen replied, with dialogue from the movie. Life, Animated tells the remarkable story of how Owen found in Disney animation a pathway to language and a framework for making sense of the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGutiérrez: Una deuda pendiente (2024)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
North Circular (2022)
Atmospherically shot in black and white North Circular Road travels the length of the eponymous road exploring the history, music and streetscapes of this legendary artery that links some of Dublin's most beloved and infamous places. From the Phoenix Park to Dublin Port, this documentary evokes many narratives from the history of the nation to the urgent issues of today including the battle to save the legendary Cobblestone Pub.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Caste Aside (2018)
Caste Aside is a documentary about the British government's controversial decision on whether or not to introduce legislation against caste discrimination in the UK. Highlighting both sides of this heated debate, the documentary speaks to Dalit rights activists, Hindu community leaders, academics and lawyers, as well as those who say they have been discriminated against on the basis of their caste - here in Britain.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like They Also Dreamed and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like They Also Dreamed?
The closest matches to They Also Dreamed are My Mom Jayne (2025), Heart of a Dog (2015) and Father Soldier Son (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after They Also Dreamed?
Start with My Mom Jayne (2025), the closest match to They Also Dreamed.
What is the highest-rated movie like They Also Dreamed?
Stutz (2022), rated 7.5/10 by 228 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like They Also Dreamed?
The Veto (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to They Also Dreamed chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside They Also Dreamed, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.