Movies like The Source Family (2013)
The best movies like The Source Family (2013) are A (1998), Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006) and American Swing (2009). If The Source Family hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSearching for Sugar Man (2012)7.9/10 from 1,087 votes
- NewestLouis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere (2026)Released 2026
A (1998)
Roughly chronological, from 3/96 to 11/96, with a coda in spring of 1997: inside compounds of Aum Shinrikyo, a Buddhist sect led by Shoko Asahara. (Members confessed to a murderous sarin attack in the Tokyo subway in 1995.) We see what they eat, where they sleep, and how they respond to media scrutiny, on-going trials, the shrinking of their fortunes, and the criticism of society. Central focus is placed on Hiroshi Araki, a young man who finds himself elevated to chief spokesman for Aum after its leaders are arrested. Araki faces extreme hostility from the Japanese public, who find it hard to believe that most followers of the cult had no idea of the attacks and even harder to understand why these followers remain devoted to the religion, if not the violence.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisJonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
Featuring never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmerican Swing (2009)
Chronicles the rise and fall of 1970s New York City nightclub Plato's Retreat.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste (2022)
A sexual wellness company gains fame and followers, then members come forward with shocking allegations.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInside Deep Throat (2005)
In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel: "Deep Throat," starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self-appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film's star.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoing Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)
The film profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things they do in the name of religion.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWaco: The Rules of Engagement (1997)
In one of the most tragic face-offs in the history of law enforcement, the deadly debacle at Waco pitted the Branch Davidian sect against the FBI in an all-out war. This documentary makes the most of footage and recordings to examine how the events that led to the tragedy of April 19, 1993, unfolded, and how the FBI's unrelenting approach made what was already a bad situation much worse.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoly Hell (2016)
An inside look at a West Hollywood cult formed by a charismatic teacher in the 1980s that eventually imploded.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Commune (2013)
In 1970, hundreds of hippies followed Stephen Gaskin on a journey from San Francisco to Tennessee, where they founded a legendary commune known as the Farm. Within this self-sustaining society based on non-violence, vegetarianism and respect for the earth, members willingly took a vow of poverty, lived in converted buses, grew their own food and home-delivered babies. Born and raised in this alternative community, filmmakers and sisters Rena and Nadine return for the first time since leaving in 1985. Finally ready to face the past after years of hiding their upbringing, they chart the rise and fall of America’s largest utopian socialist experiment and their own family tree. The nascent idealism of a community destroyed, in part, by its own success is reflected in the personal story of a family unit split apart by differences. American Commune finds inspiration in failure, humour in deprivation and, most surprisingly, that communal values are alive and well in the next generation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Family (2016)
Anne Hamilton-Byrne was beautiful, charismatic and delusional. She was also incredibly dangerous. Convinced she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, Hamilton-Byrne headed an apocalyptic sect called The Family, which was prominent in Melbourne from the 1960s through to the 1990s. With her husband Bill, she acquired numerous children – some through adoption scams, some born to cult members – and raised them as her own. Isolated from the outside world, the children were dressed in matching outfits, had identical dyed blonde hair, and were allegedly beaten, starved and injected with LSD. Taught that Hamilton-Byrne was both their mother and the messiah, the children were eventually rescued during a police raid in 1987, but their trauma had only just begun.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJesus Camp (2006)
A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHail Satan? (2019)
The story of The Satanic Temple, a controversial movement that combines religion and activism with the apparent purpose of questioning the basic foundations of US society.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · 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: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne of Us (2017)
Penetrating the insular world of New York's Hasidic community, focusing on three individuals driven to break away despite threats of retaliation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLouis Theroux: The Most Hated Family in America (2007)
Louis meets the Phelps family — the people at the heart of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church. The Phelps have rabid anti-homosexual beliefs, and often campaign at the funerals of American soldiers. They believe that every tragedy in the world is God's punishment for homosexuality.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRecorder: The Marion Stokes Project (2019)
Marion Stokes secretly recorded television 24 hours a day for 30 years from 1975 until her death in 2012. For Marion taping was a form of activism to seek the truth, and she believed that a comprehensive archive of the media would be invaluable for future generations. Her visionary and maddening project nearly tore her family apart, but now her 70,000 VHS tapes are being digitized and they'll be searchable online.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Room 237 (2012)
A subjective documentary that explores various theories about hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's classic film The Shining. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLouis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere (2026)
With rare access and no holds barred, the acclaimed documentarian investigates a growing ultra-masculine network and its controversial influencers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHell House (2001)
A look at the "Hell House" performed annually in October by the youth members of Trinity Church (Assemblies of God) in Cedar Hill, Texas (a Dallas suburb) — seen by over 10,000 visitors each year.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeliver Us from Evil (2006)
Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChaos: The Manson Murders (2025)
In August 1969, Charles Manson's followers killed seven people on his orders. Why? Explore a conspiracy of mind control, CIA experiments, and murder.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Contestant (2023)
The incredible true story of a man who lived for 15 months trapped inside a small room, naked, starving and alone... and completely unaware that his life was being broadcast on national TV in Japan, to over 15 million viewers a week.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTwist 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: Fans watch both · both documentary
AUM: The Cult at the End of the World (2025)
The shocking story of Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult that unleashed a deadly nerve gas in Tokyo’s subway system in 1995. Founded by disillusioned yoga teacher Shoko Asahara, Aum transformed into a terrorist organization while Japan’s police and media turned a blind eye. Featuring rare archival footage and an interview with one of Asahara’s former high-ranking disciples. A Sundance premiere.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Marjoe (1972)
Part documentary, part expose, this film follows one-time child evangelist Marjoe Gortner on the "church tent" Revivalist circuit, commenting on the showmanship of Evangelism and "the religion business", prior to the start of "televangelism". Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2005.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Kingdom of Us (2017)
How does a traumatic event shape a family? How do you sift through the memories to find hidden clues and unlock a collective grief? Kingdom of Us takes a look at a mother and her seven children, whose father's suicide left them in financial ruin. Through home movies and raw moments, the Shanks family travels the rocky road towards hope.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Orange Sunshine (2016)
The never-before-told story of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love – a spiritual group of surfers and hippies in Southern California that became the largest suppliers of psychedelic drugs in the world during the 1960s and early 1970s. Bonded by their dreams to fight social injustice and spread peace, this unlikely band of free-spirited idealists quickly transformed into a drug-smuggling empire and at the same time inadvertently invented the modern illegal drug trade. At the head of the Brotherhood, and the heart of this story, is the anti-capitalistic husband and wife team, who made it their mission to change the world through LSD.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Call Me Miss Cleo (2022)
Follow the rise, fall, and reinvention of controversial and revered '90s television psychic Miss Cleo. Featuring interviews with celebrities and those closest to the self-proclaimed voodoo priestess, this documentary explores the many layers behind a complicated and charismatic figure.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Source Family?
The closest matches to The Source Family are A (1998), Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006) and American Swing (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Source Family?
People who watched The Source Family most often go on to A (1998), Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006) and American Swing (2009).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Source Family?
Searching for Sugar Man (2012), rated 7.9/10 by 1,087 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Source Family?
Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Source Family?
Yes: Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006), American Swing (2009) and Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste (2022).
How are movies similar to The Source Family chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Source Family, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.