Movies like The Search for the Meaning (2019)
The best movies like The Search for the Meaning (2019) are Baraka (1992), Ram Dass, Going Home (2017) and Ghost Elephants (2026). If The Search for the Meaning hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBaraka (1992)8.2/10 from 735 votes
- NewestGhost Elephants (2026)Released 2026
Baraka (1992)
A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global vision—an odyssey through landscape and time—that attempts to capture the essence of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRam Dass, Going Home (2017)
Ram Dass is one of the most important cultural figures from the 1960s and 70s. A pyschedelic pioneer, author of Be Here Now, beloved spiritual teacher, and outspoken advocate for death-and-dying awareness, Ram Dass is now himself approaching the end of life. Since suffering a life-changing stroke twenty years ago, he has been living at his home on Maui and deepening his spiritual practice — which is centered on love and his idea of merging with his surroundings and all living things. Shot in a nuanced cinematic style, the film is an intimate summary of his life learning and awareness, and is ultimately a poetic meditation on life, death, and the soul’s journey home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisGhost 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 Unbelievers (2013)
Scientists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss travel the globe promoting a scientific worldview and the rational questioning of religious belief.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirl Rising (2013)
Nine filmmakers each profile a young girl from a different part of the world to weave a global tapestry of youth in the 21st century.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInto the Inferno (2016)
With stunning views of eruptions and lava flows, Werner Herzog captures the raw power of volcanoes and their ties to indigenous spiritual practices.
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 thisHeal (2017)
A documentary film that takes us on a scientific and spiritual journey where we discover that by changing one's perceptions, the human body can heal itself from any disease.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPope Francis: A Man of His Word (2018)
Pope Francis responds to questions from around the world, discussing topics including ecology, immigration, consumerism and social justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFilmworker (2018)
The story of Leon Vitali, who surrendered his promising acting career to become Stanley Kubrick's devoted right-hand man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGod Grew Tired of Us (2006)
Filmmaker Christopher Quinn observes the ordeal of three Sudanese refugees -- Jon Bul Dau, Daniel Abul Pach and Panther Bior -- as they try to come to terms with the horrors they experienced in their homeland, while adjusting to their new lives in the United States.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King (2020)
A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMy Scientology Movie (2016)
After being denied access to the Church of Scientology's headquarters, documentarian Louis Theroux teams up with ex-Scientology official Marty Rathbun to stage re-enactments of alleged abuses within the organization. Theroux soon discovers that the church is watching his every move.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmazing Grace (2018)
A behind-the-scenes documentary about the recording of Aretha Franklin's best-selling album finally sees the light of day more than four decades after the original footage was shot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEx Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVal (2021)
For over 40 years Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood's most mercurial and/or misunderstood actors, has been documenting his own life and craft through film and video. He has amassed thousands of hours of footage, from 16mm home movies made with his brothers, to time spent in iconic roles for blockbuster movies like Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone, and Batman Forever. This raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSurplus: Terrorized Into Being Consumers (2003)
Swedish documentary film on consumerism and globalization, created by director Erik Gandini and editor Johan Söderberg. It looks at the arguments for capitalism and technology, such as greater efficiency, more time and less work, and argues that these are not being fulfilled, and they never will be. The film leans towards anarcho-primitivist ideology and argues for "a simple and fulfilling life".
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 thisJean-Marie Serreau, découvreur de théâtres (2016)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
gOD-Talk (2023)
Explores the lives of seven Black Millennials – Atheist, Buddhist, Christians, Muslim, Ifa, and Spiritualist – and the challenges and discoveries with faith and spirituality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Picturesque India or, In and About Calcutta (1913)
Botanical gardens in Bombay plus the highly decorative Jain Temple in Calcutta.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
District Officer (1945)
The work of a district officer in the province of Bengal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Marching in the Dark (2024)
In a drought-struck region in India, suffering from climate change and a high suicide rate amongst farmers, a group of resilient women farmers, who recently lost their husbands, is coming together with a local psychologist to learn counselling and help others in grief.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Tight: The World of Indian Bodybuilding (2024)
Can Aji's talent and triumphs elevate him from his poor, Tamil background to succeed on the national stage at Mr India? Or will his dreams be shattered by corruption and discrimination? The booming world of Indian bodybuilding is a captivating window through which to observe a rapidly changing society, while Aji's journey is a story of unity, brotherhood and celebration of India's incredible diversity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
An immersion into the Divine Feminine (2017)
By drawing a parallel between the Indian Durga Puja festival and other forms of celebrating the divine feminine, Santa Shakti reveals the Sacred Power beyond languages and religions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
India Cabaret (1985)
An exploration of the 'respectable' and 'immoral' stereotypes of women in Indian society told from the point of view of two striptease dancers in a Bombay cabaret.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Kolkata with Sue Perkins (2015)
Sue Perkins immerses herself in the complex life of Kolkata and sees how it is reinventing itself as a megacity with a reputation for eccentricity, culture and tolerance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Dr Rudolf Steiner and the Science of Spiritual Realities (1993)
This television documentary takes us on a fascinating journey into the realms just beyond our five senses, where thoughts are things and creation begins. Rudolf Steiner not only found how to experience these areas directly, in a very safe and methodical manner, but he also developed specific techniques which, if utilized in the right way and with the proper intention, enable the individual to have insight into the spiritual realities. In addition to learning of this extraordinary individuality, we meet some of the men and women who are utilizing the impulses brought by Dr. Steiner to expand and enhance their specific vocations in very practical ways, e.g. education, agriculture, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, architecture, the arts, and working with retarded children and adults.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like The Search for the Meaning and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Search for the Meaning?
The closest matches to The Search for the Meaning are Baraka (1992), Ram Dass, Going Home (2017) and Ghost Elephants (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Search for the Meaning?
Start with Baraka (1992), the closest match to The Search for the Meaning.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Search for the Meaning?
Baraka (1992), rated 8.2/10 by 735 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Search for the Meaning?
Ghost Elephants (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like The Search for the Meaning?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to The Search for the Meaning chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Search for the Meaning, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.