Movies Like Lessons of Darkness

If you liked Lessons of Darkness (1992), a war and documentary movie directed by Werner Herzog, 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
For Sama (2019)
★ 8.2/10Also documentary and war
A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all…
2
2000 Meters to Andriivka (2025)
★ 8.1/10Also documentary and war
Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther…
3
Korengal (2014)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary and war
Korengal picks up where Restrepo left off; the same men, the same valley, the same commanders, but a very different look at the experience of war.
4
20 Days in Mariupol (2023)
★ 8.1/10Also documentary and war
As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.
5
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary and war
A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of Armistice Day, and the end of the war.
6
The Age of Stupid (2009)
★ 6.6/10Also war and documentary
Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?
7
Virunga (2014)
★ 7.9/10Also documentary and war
Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa's oldest national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, and a contested ground among insurgencies seeking to topple the government that see untold profits in the…
8
Let There Be Light (1946)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary and war
The final entry in a trilogy of films produced for the U.S. government by John Huston. Some returning combat veterans suffer scars that are more psychological than physical. This film follows patients and staff during…
9
The Battle of San Pietro (1945)
★ 6.1/10Also war and documentary
This documentary movie is about the battle of San Pietro, a small village in Italy. Over 1,100 US soldiers were killed while trying to take this location, that blocked the way for the Allied forces from the Germans…
10
Behind the Planet of the Apes (1998)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary and tv movie
Roddy McDowall takes you, film by film, from production meetings to make-up sessions, then right onto the movie set to see the actual filming of the science fiction masterpiece. The most comprehensive history of Planet…
11
Audrey (2020)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary and tv movie
An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
12
Five Broken Cameras (2011)
★ 7.5/10Also war and documentary
Five broken cameras – and each one has a powerful tale to tell. Embedded in the bullet-ridden remains of digital technology is the story of Emad Burnat, a farmer from the Palestinian village of Bil’in, which famously…
13
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
★ 7/10Also documentary and tv movie
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…
14
Titanic: 20 Years Later with James Cameron (2017)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary and tv movie
For the 20th anniversary of "Titanic," James Cameron reopens the file on the disaster.
15
The Godfather Family: A Look Inside (1990)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary and tv movie
A documentary on the making of the three Godfather films, with interviews and recollections from the film makers and cast. This feature also includes the original screen tests of some of the actors for "The Godfather"…
16
Restrepo (2010)
★ 7.2/10Also war and documentary
Directors Hetherington and Junger spend a year with the 2nd Battalion of the United States Army located in one of Afghanistan's most dangerous valleys. The documentary provides insight and empathy on how to win the…
17
Why We Fight: Prelude to War (1942)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary and war
Prelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Pentagon and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the…
18
Last Days in Vietnam (2014)
★ 7.3/10Also war and documentary
During the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats…
19
City of Ghosts (2017)
★ 7.2/10Also war and documentary
With unprecedented access, this documentary follows the extraordinary journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”—a group of anonymous citizen journalists who banded together after their homeland was overtaken by…
20
Louis Theroux: Twilight of the Porn Stars (2012)
★ 6.3/10Also documentary and tv movie
In 1997, Louis Theroux made a documentary about the world of male porn performers in Los Angeles. 15 years later, he returns to find a business struggling with the deluge of free porn on the internet. Louis revisits…