Movies like Groomed (2021)
The best movies like Groomed (2021) are Capturing the Friedmans (2003), Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (2023) and I Am Vanessa Guillen (2022). If Groomed hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMinding the Gap (2018)7.7/10 from 206 votes
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
An Oscar nominated documentary about a middle-class American family who is torn apart when the father Arnold and son Jesse are accused of sexually abusing numerous children. Director Jarecki interviews people from different sides of this tragic story and raises the question of whether they were rightfully tried when they claim they were innocent and there was never any evidence against them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisScouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (2023)
Survivors, whistleblowers, and experts recount the Boy Scouts of America's decadeslong cover-up of sexual abuse cases and its heartbreaking impact.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Am Vanessa Guillen (2022)
Vanessa Guillen was 20 years old when she was found murdered at a US Army base. Rather than submit to silence, her family fought for justice and change.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAbducted in Plain Sight (2017)
A family falls prey to the manipulative charms of a neighbor, who abducts their adolescent daughter. Twice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025)
Vulgar, taunting texts blow up the phones of a teen and her boyfriend. Who's sending them — and why? This twisty documentary reveals the shocking answer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 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 thisAn Open Secret (2014)
An investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAileen: Queen of the Serial Killers (2025)
Aileen Wuornos remains a rarity: a female serial killer. From childhood abuse to death-row revelations, this documentary revisits her life and crimes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPredators (2025)
In the mid-aughts, Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator drew millions of weekly viewers to watch sting operations: men planning to meet minors for sex would instead be confronted by polished host Chris Hansen, then by the police — all on hidden camera.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMommy Dead and Dearest (2017)
Child abuse, mental illness, and forbidden love converge in this mystery involving a mother and daughter who were thought to be living a fairy tale life that turned out to be a living nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo Kill a Tiger (2023)
Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOrgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste (2022)
A sexual wellness company gains fame and followers, then members come forward with shocking allegations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEvil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (2025)
Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · 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 thisVoyeur (2017)
Legendary journalist Gay Talese unmasks a motel owner who spied on his guests for decades. But his bombshell story soon becomes a scandal of its own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisMinding the Gap (2018)
Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVictim/Suspect (2023)
Investigative journalist Rae de Leon travels nationwide to uncover and examine a shocking pattern: Young women tell the police they’ve been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, they’re charged with the crime of making a false report, arrested, and even imprisoned by the system they believed would protect them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story (2020)
After 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown is sentenced to life in prison, questions about her past, physiology and the law itself call her guilt into question.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDisciples: The Cult of TB Joshua (2024)
BBC Africa Eye unravel a shocking journey into a maze of manipulation and terrifying atrocities, perpetrated by one of the most powerful religious figures of the 21st century. This investigation contains detailed first-person testimony and historical footage as it delves into the experiences of those who were wooed by the world-famous pastor into his religious cult, only to suffer devastating consequences. Twelve survivors go on record, speaking out together for the first time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Awful Normal (2004)
Celesta and Karen Davis grew up in a loving family. They shared many wonderful childhood moments and, at the time, thought it all was normal. But when Karen and Celesta were molested in 1978, little was being done about sexual abuse. Their parents' lack of action was neither questioned nor challenged, including years of continued social contact with the perpetrator, his wife and their two young children. Twenty-five years later, feeling unresolved, they begin their quest to find the man who took advantage of their innocence and to ask him something that has haunted them for almost their entire life: "Why?"
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Magic & Monsters (2025)
Magic & Monsters uncovers a decades-old sexual abuse scandal at America's preeminent children's theater, following survivors who break their silence to hold both their perpetrators and the institution that harbored them accountable. Their quest for justice becomes a path to healing—not only for themselves, but for their entire community.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Twist of Faith (2004)
A man confronts the trauma of past sexual abuse as a boy by a Catholic priest only to find his decision shatters his relationships with his family, community and faith.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Procession (2021)
Six men who were sexually abused by Catholic clergy as boys become a makeshift family and find empowerment by creating films inspired by their trauma.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
A Journey Back to Youth (2001)
Based around the testimonies of four German women, this documentary details the abuse women suffered during after WWII at the hands of the Soviet forces, particularly during their forced labour.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Nothing Compares (2022)
Since the beginning of her career, Sinéad O’Connor has used her powerful voice to challenge the narratives she was surrounded by while growing up in predominantly Roman Catholic Ireland. Despite her agency, depth and perspective, O’Connor’s unflinching refusal to conform means that she has often been patronized and unfairly dismissed as an attention-seeking pop star.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Sexual Abuse: The Sitcom (2024)
Comedian Mark O'Sullivan researches and writes a sitcom about the sexual abuse he survived as a child, and the court case that led to the conviction of the man who abused him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
7:11 Cuarzo (2023)
Suffering child abuse marks you, conditions you and limits you. But what's next? 7:11 Cuarzo is a documentary short film that delves into the consequences and shows us various ways of experiencing grief after suffering it: the aftermath, the path after breaking the silence and destroying the stigma. It talks about the treatment and care of wounds with testimonials from those who have suffered abuse and aggression. Learning to live again when the most precious thing, innocence, is taken from you.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Groomed?
The closest matches to Groomed are Capturing the Friedmans (2003), Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (2023) and I Am Vanessa Guillen (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Groomed?
Start with Capturing the Friedmans (2003), the closest match to Groomed.
What is the highest-rated movie like Groomed?
Minding the Gap (2018), rated 7.7/10 by 206 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Groomed?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Groomed?
Yes: Capturing the Friedmans (2003), Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (2023) and I Am Vanessa Guillen (2022).
How are movies similar to Groomed chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Groomed, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.