Movies Like Half a Life

If you liked Half a Life (1982), a documentary and history movie directed by Romain Goupil, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Weather Underground (2002)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary
The remarkable story of The Weather Underground, radical activists of the 1970s, and of radical politics at its best and most disastrous.
2
Fuck (2006)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
3
Heart of a Dog (2015)
★ 6.5/10Also documentary
Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.
4
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
★ 7/10Also documentary and history
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…
5
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
6
Sidney (2022)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
7
Room 237 (2012)
★ 6.1/10Also documentary
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…
8
The Soviet Story (2008)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary and history
“The Soviet Story” is a story of an Allied power, which helped the Nazis to fight Jews and which slaughtered its own people on an industrial scale. Assisted by the West, this power triumphed on May 9th, 1945. Its…
9
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary
Takes us inside the world of Anonymous, the radical "hacktivist" collective that has redefined civil disobedience for the digital age. The film explores early hacktivist groups like Cult of the Dead Cow and Electronic…
10
La cravate (2020)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
Bastien is twenty years old and has been an activist for five years in the main extreme right party. When the presidential campaign begins, he's invited by his superior to commit even further. Initiated into the art of…
11
In the Realms of the Unreal (2004)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along…
12
Robin's Wish (2020)
★ 7/10Also documentary
The final word in the story of what really happened to Robin Williams at the end of his life, focusing on his fight against a deadly neurodegenerative disorder known as Lewy body dementia.
13
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
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.
14
Varda by Agnès (2019)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
An unpredictable documentary from a fascinating storyteller, Agnès Varda’s last film sheds light on her experience as a director, bringing a personal insight to what she calls "cine-writing," traveling from Rue…
15
Sherman's March (1986)
★ 6.3/10Also documentary
Documentarian Ross McElwee originally set out to make a travelogue of sorts tracing General William T. Sherman's infamous scorched-earth march through the Confederacy in the latter stages of the Civil War. Instead…
16
American Teen (2008)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.
17
Being James Bond (2021)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in…
18
My Mom Jayne (2025)
★ 7.9/10Also documentary
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…
19
Human (2015)
★ 8.4/10Also documentary
A collection of stories about and images of our world, offering an immersion to the core of what it means to be human. Through these stories full of love and happiness, as well as hatred and violence, it brings us face…
20
Daguerréotypes (1978)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
An intimate portrait of the small shops and shopkeepers of the Rue Daguerre in Paris, a picturesque street that has been the filmmaker’s home for more than 50 years.