Movies like The Backstage Wall (1983)
The best movies like The Backstage Wall (1983) are Free Solo (2018), The Dawn Wall (2017) and Valley Uprising (2014). If The Backstage Wall hooked you with its documentary and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Dawn Wall (2017)8.0/10 from 378 votes
- NewestSkyscraper Live (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchHenri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno (2009)Also in French
Free Solo (2018)
Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & adventure
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Dawn Wall (2017)
In an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & adventure
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisValley Uprising (2014)
In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service. And up on the walls, generation after generation has pushed the limits of climbing, vying amongst each other for supremacy on Yosemite's cliffs. "Valley Uprising" is the riveting, unforgettable tale of this bold rock climbing tradition in Yosemite National Park: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity -- and the laws of the land.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Alpinist (2021)
The life of Canadian mountain climber Marc-André Leclerc as he pushes the boundaries of climbing while on an expedition to Patagonia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSkyscraper Live (2026)
No ropes. No fear. Free solo legend Alex Honnold risks it all in a high-stakes, live ascent of one of the world's tallest skyscrapers in Taipei, Taiwan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisExplorer: The Last Tepui (2022)
This documentary starring climber Alex Honnold and famous biologist Bruce Means document their expedition to the South American sky islands in search of new species and discoveries. Follows elite climber Alex Honnold and a world-class climbing team led by National Geographic Explorer and climber Mark Synnott on a grueling mission deep in the Amazon jungle as they attempt a first-ascent climb up a 1000 foot sheer cliff.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Art of Flight (2011)
Iconic snowboarder Travis Rice and friends redefine what is possible in the mountains. Experience the highs, as new tricks are landed and new zones opened, alongside the lows, where avalanches, accidents, and wrong-turns strike.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAtlantis Rising (2017)
James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici go on an adventure to find the lost city of Atlantis by using Greek philosopher Plato as a virtual treasure map.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaidentrip (2014)
14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out on a two-year voyage in pursuit of her dream to become the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)
In 2019, Nepalese mountain climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja set out to do the unthinkable by climbing the world’s fourteen highest summits in less than seven months. (The previous record was eight years). He called the effort “Project Possible 14/7” and saw it as a way to inspire others to strive for greater heights in any pursuit. The film follows his team as they seek to defy naysayers and push the limits of human endurance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEverest (1998)
An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return to Base Camp. It also shows many of the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, treacherous ice walls, and a deadly blizzard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOur Planet: Behind the Scenes (2019)
Years spent recording footage of creatures from every corner of the globe is bound to produce a bit of drama. Here's a behind-the-scenes look.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this180° South (2010)
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMeru (2015)
Meru is the electrifying story of three elite American climbers—Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk—bent on achieving the impossible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInterstellar: Nolan's Odyssey (2014)
A look behind the lens of Christopher Nolan's space epic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this42 Up (1999)
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 thisHenri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno (2009)
In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot's production of L'Enfer came to a halt. Despite huge expectations, major studio backing and an unlimited budget, after three weeks the production collapsed. This documentary presents Inferno's incredible expressionistic original rushes, screen tests, and on-location footage, whilst also reconstructing Clouzot's original vision, and shedding light on the ill-fated endeavor through interviews, dramatizations of unfilmed scenes, and Clouzot's own notes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisQuay (2015)
In 2015, Christopher Nolan curated a selection of short films by the surrealist animators the Quay Brothers to be distributed as a touring 35mm presentation. The three films—"In Absentia" (2000), "The Comb" (1991) and "Street of Crocodiles" (1986)—were accompanied by this brief portrait of the brothers at work in their London studio.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlone in the Wilderness (2004)
Dick Proenneke retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin in the wilderness at the base of the Aleutian Peninsula, in what is now Lake Clark National Park. Using color footage he shot himself, Proenneke traces how he came to this remote area, selected a homestead site and built his log cabin completely by himself. The documentary covers his first year in-country, showing his day-to-day activities and the passing of the seasons as he sought to scratch out a living alone in the wilderness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Beaches of Agnès (2008)
Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda, the award-winning director regarded by many as the grandmother of the French new wave, turns the camera on herself with this unique autobiographical documentary. Composed of film excerpts and elaborate dramatic re-creations, Varda's self-portrait recounts the highs and lows of her professional career, the many friendships that affected her life and her longtime marriage to cinematic giant Jacques Demy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRock Queen (1998)
Catherine Destivelle has deservedly become the most famous female climber in the world. She rose to prominence with historic climbs, such as the free ascent of the Nameless Tower in Pakistan, and solo winter ascents of the classic north faces of the Matterhorn and the Eiger, climbs that have never been repeated by any woman. She also made history in sport climbing by winning the world championship title. In 1997, this time in Scotland, on the iconic Old Man of Hoy route, opened by Bonington, Patey & Baillie, Martin Belderson crowned Destivelle Queen of the Rock. She was four months pregnant when she made this 137-meter ascent, which was not difficult but on tricky rock.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & adventure
Touching the Void (2003)
The true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' disastrous and nearly-fatal mountain climb of 6,344m Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJoshua Tree: Climb On! Series - Volume I (1999)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & adventure
Las Vegas: Climb On! Series - Volume III (2002)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & adventure
The Center Of The Universe (2004)
The Center Of The Universe chronicles four days in the life of German climber Alexander Huber in Yosemite Valley, California. Living the typical Yosemite vagabond lifestyle, Alex reflects on his goal of successfully free-climbing "El Corazon" (35 pitches, 8a) on the famous El Capitan face, which is a combination of the historic routes "Salathé," "Albatross," "Son of Heart," and "Heart Route," connected by newly laid out sections. 35 challenging pitches, combining technicality, stamina, and commitment, with difficulty levels up to 8a. The film showcases the unique style of climbing in Yosemite, as well as a piece of history of the famous valley, narrated by Heinz Zak, Jim Bridwell, Lynn Hill, Alexander Huber, and Chongo Chuck themselves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & adventure
Reel Rock 14 (2019)
In a battle for El Cap’s coveted Nose speed record, rock legends Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold go head to head with Yosemite dirtbags Jim Reynolds and Brad Gobright. Highball bouldering ace Nina Williams flexes her guns and tests her nerves well into the no-fall zone. In rural Utah, conservative Mormon coal miners collide with an influx of out-of-town climbers - with surprising results. And two adventurous Brits, Hazel Findlay and Maddy Cope, pursue first ascents in wild and remote Mongolia.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & adventure
Americans on Everest (1965)
"In 1963, Swiss climber Norman Dyhrenfurth began 'a little war against a big mountain.' Leading 19 Americans, 32 Sherpas, and 909 porters carrying 27 tons of gear, Dyhrenfurth spearheaded the highly successful 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition for his adopted country. Jim Whittaker, accompanied by Nawang Gombu Sherpa made the first ascent by the Hillary-Tensing route. On May 22, Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld made the first ascent by the unclimbed West Ridge. They descended by the South Col, making the first traverse of Everest. Orson Welles narrates the spectacular record, and the film includes the first ever filmed images from the summit."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & adventure
Making 1899 (2022)
Go behind the scenes and see how the creators of "Dark" used groundbreaking virtual technology "The Volume" to shoot their new mystery series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Helena from the Wedding: Cast Interviews (2011)
On-set interviews with the cast of Helena from the Wedding (2010).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Lakeland Rock - Raven Crag: Closing the Gap (1985)
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Jill Lawrence and Gill Price, members of the women's climbing club Pinnacle Club, made the first female ascents of difficult routes, laying the foundations for what would develop in the 1980s. In 1984, in the Lake District, Gill Price and Jill Lawrence were filmed climbing Empire E3 6a at Raven Crag, Thirlmere, for a Channel 4 program, Lakeland Rock, with Chris Bonington, broadcast on Channel 4 on 25 May 1985. This event marked a turning point in British women's climbing, as few, if any, women appeared on television climbing difficult sport routes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Backstage Wall?
The closest matches to The Backstage Wall are Free Solo (2018), The Dawn Wall (2017) and Valley Uprising (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Backstage Wall?
Start with Free Solo (2018), the closest match to The Backstage Wall.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Backstage Wall?
The Dawn Wall (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 378 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Backstage Wall?
Skyscraper Live (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like The Backstage Wall?
Yes: Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno (2009) and The Beaches of Agnès (2008).
How are movies similar to The Backstage Wall chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Backstage Wall, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.