Movies Like Lost for Life

If you liked Lost for Life (2013), a crime and documentary movie directed by Joshua Rofé, 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 Menendez Brothers (2024)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
Serving life in prison for murdering their parents, Lyle and Erik Menendez speak out in this documentary explaining the shocking crime and ensuing trials.
2
Ted Bundy: Mind of a Monster (2019)
★ 7.6/10Also crime and documentary
New exclusive access and never before heard testimony gives a unique insight into the mind of America's most notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy. Breathtaking archive from the time and the voice of Bundy himself…
3
Into the Abyss (2011)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary and crime
We do not know when and how we will die. Death Row inmates do. Werner Herzog embarks on a dialogue with Death Row inmates, asks questions about life and death and looks deep into these individuals, their stories, their…
4
Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also crime and documentary
When Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested in South Central Los Angeles in 2010 as the suspected murderer of a string of young black women, police hailed it as the culmination of 20 years of investigations. Four years later…
5
Deliver Us from Evil (2006)
★ 7.2/10Also crime and documentary
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…
6
Time (2020)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary
Fox Rich, indomitable matriarch and modern-day abolitionist, strives to keep her family together while fighting for the release of her incarcerated husband. An intimate, epic, and unconventional love story, filmed over…
7
13th (2016)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
8
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story (2020)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
After 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown is sentenced to life in prison, questions about her past, physiology and the law itself call her guilt into question.
9
The Crash (2026)
★ 6.8/10Also documentary and crime
A teen slams her car into a building, killing her boyfriend and his friend. What seems like a tragic accident becomes a murder case.
10
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (2025)
★ 6.2/10Also documentary
Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.
11
Long Shot (2017)
★ 7.2/10Also crime and documentary
When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around unexpected raw footage.
12
The Alabama Solution (2025)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
Incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of America’s deadliest prison systems.
13
Maternal Instinct (2026)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary and crime
Police pull over a woman who claims she just gave birth. But the baby — and the blood — aren't hers. Twisted lies unravel in this true-crime documentary.
14
Western Stars (2019)
★ 7/10Also documentary
The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen…
15
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also documentary and crime
This documentary brings to life the stories of four people believed by their family and friends to be “DB Cooper,” a man who hijacked a 727 flying out of Seattle and jumped from the plane over the wilds of Washington…
16
Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers (2025)
★ 7/10Also documentary and crime
Aileen Wuornos remains a rarity: a female serial killer. From childhood abuse to death-row revelations, this documentary revisits her life and crimes.
17
The Fear of 13 (2015)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary and crime
After 23 years on Death Row a convicted murderer petitions the court asking to be executed, but as his story unfolds, it becomes clear that nothing is what it seems.
18
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
★ 7.7/10Also crime and documentary
One night in November 1976, after his car breaks down on a road outside Dallas, Randall Dale Adams accepts a ride from teenager David Harris. Harris is driving a stolen vehicle and, later that night, when Dallas police…
19
Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes (2021)
★ 6/10Also documentary
Serial killer Dennis Nilsen narrates his life and horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell.
20
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.