Movies like The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19 (2020)
The best movies like The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19 (2020) are Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008), In the Same Breath (2021) and Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022). If The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19 hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMy Name Is Francesco Totti (2020)7.4/10 from 216 votes
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
- In ItalianMassimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me (2023)Also in Italian
Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008)
Film which travels inside the singular world of one of Italy's most famous fashion designers, Valentino Garavani, documenting the colourful and dramatic closing act of his celebrated career and capturing the end of an era in global fashion. However, at the heart of the film is a love story - the unique relationship between Valentino and his business partner and companion of 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti. Capturing intimate moments in the lives of two of Italy's richest and most famous men, the film lifts the curtain on the final act of a nearly 50-year reign at the top of the glamorous and fiercely competitive world of fashion. (Storyville)
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Same Breath (2021)
This documentary recounts the experiences of people on the ground in the earliest days of the novel coronavirus and the way two countries dealt with its initial spread, from the first days of the outbreak in Wuhan to its rampage across the United States.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisMassimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me (2023)
The life of a dying young man at the short age of only forty-one after playing the lead in Il postino. He was a brilliant stage actor before becoming an astonishing film director.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisSergio Leone: The Italian Who Invented America (2022)
To mark the recent thirtieth anniversary of Sergio Leone’s death, this documentary sets out to pay tribute to one of the great legends of world cinema. The singular artistic vision of Sergio Leone has transcended national borders, creating the Spaghetti Western genre and transforming the international cinematic panorama forever with his innovative stylistic and narrative solutions, which have now become part of the language of the movies. The film, which is enriched with precious archive footage from the Cineteca di Bologna, including rare audio recordings and film clips shot behind the scenes, sees for the first time the direct participation of the Leone family and has interviews both with Leone’s longtime collaborators and with icons of Hollywood who have been profoundly influenced by his work.
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 thisBeyoncé: Life Is But a Dream (2013)
Life Is But a Dream is a HBO documentary about the life of US singer Beyoncé Knowles during the years 2011 and 2012 and on the recording of her fifth album. The film was directed by Beyoncé herself. The film shows Beyoncé from intimate moments of her pregnancy to behind the scenes and rehearsals of the main concerts of that time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisElstree 1976 (2015)
A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye (2022)
Join the likes of Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, and Vincent D’Onofrio as they reveal how Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” was conceived and created. Witness firsthand what it took to pull off the show’s pulse-pounding action set pieces, and discover how iconic characters from the pages of Marvel Comics such as Kate Bishop were adapted and brought to life for the six-episode series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHalftime (2022)
Global superstar Jennifer Lopez reflects on her multifaceted career and the pressure of life in the spotlight in this intimate documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mole: Undercover in North Korea (2020)
A real-life undercover thriller about two ordinary men who embark on an outrageously dangerous ten-year mission to penetrate the world's most secretive and brutal dictatorship: North Korea.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStruggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)
Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.
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 this35 Up (1991)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHarry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)
An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDownloaded (2013)
A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHalloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006)
Follow the evolution of the 'Halloween' movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films - seeing the effects on the local community. For the first time, cast, crew, critics and fans join together in the ultimate 'Halloween' retrospective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Name Is Francesco Totti (2020)
Francesco Totti retraces his entire life while watching it on the silver screen together with the audience. Images and emotions flow among key moments of his career, scenes from his personal life and memories he has never shared before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLast Call: The Shutdown of NYC Bars (2021)
The hospitality industry is the artistic heartbeat of New York. Thousands of artists, musicians, and actors flock to Queens to work in the service industry to supplement their dreams. In March of 2020 these dreamers put their lives on hold, self- isolating and sacrificing their income as Queens became the global epicenter of COVID-19. LAST CALL follows two local bars and frontline workers in a tale of two sacrifices that saved not only the lives of thousands but also the future of New York.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Log in Belgium (2021)
“To me films are an imaginary world where emotion comes into play.” YOO Teo traveled to Belgium to make his movie but he ended up being locked down due to COVID-19. This film is about his 15-days of quarantine in Antwerp Hotel fighting for his movie and loneliness. He also depicted his most personal story. This is the debut film of YOO Teo both as the star and the director.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Re-Up (2012)
A backstage and on-stage look at Nicki Minaj's career during the Pink Friday Tour, festivals, and more.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Great Nothing (2023)
The Covid-19 pandemic hit Czech society hard between 2020 and 2022. Pervasive restrictions trapped us at home for weeks and months, people died by the thousands, and the overburdened healthcare system ran at full speed. The course of the world seemed, in the words of Karel Vachek, to stop for a moment, and we held our breath for what would happen next. A documentary depiction of the greatest global catastrophe in ages is dedicated to the moments that changed everything irrevocably. Together with the three main actors, we are reminded of how fragile our personal and social lives can be when faced with the “big nothing” of a malignant disease.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net (2022)
As Cirque du Soleil reboots its flagship production, O, more than a year after an abrupt shutdown, performers and crew members face uncertainty as they work to return to their world-class standards in time for the (re)opening night in Las Vegas. With unfettered access, filmmaker Dawn Porter captures the dramatic journey of the world's most famous circus act on its way back from the brink.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Covid - le cure proibite (TBA)
New truths revealed about the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Isolation (2021)
A collective documentary film, from five european directors asked to witness the revolutions and dramas caused in their own countries by the pandemic. Among them, “Two Fathers”, directed by Julia von Heinz (20’). After the death of his father, Hans-Michael von Heinz, the director finds out the truth about her parent true sexual identity. In order to know more, she starts emailing persons who got to know him over the last years, among them his closest friend, director Rosa von Praunheim.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Race Against the Virus: Hunt for a Vaccine (2020)
With the drama of a scientific thriller, this documentary reveals—through the eyes of the scientists on the frontline—how Covid-19 spread, and the race to develop a vaccine
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Fragments (2020)
Images, voices, and interrupted silences that evoke the intangible losses caused by COVID-19.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Walls of Bergamo (2023)
In the first few months of 2020, huge swathes of Northern Italy were hit by a new virus. The town of Bergamo and its province was to become the epicentre of this pandemic.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19?
The closest matches to The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19 are Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008), In the Same Breath (2021) and Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19?
Start with Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008), the closest match to The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19.
What is the highest-rated movie like The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19?
My Name Is Francesco Totti (2020), rated 7.4/10 by 216 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19?
Yes: Massimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me (2023), Sergio Leone: The Italian Who Invented America (2022) and My Name Is Francesco Totti (2020).
How are movies similar to The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19 chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The First Wave - Milan in the Time of Covid-19, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.