Movies Like The Painter and the Thief

If you liked The Painter and the Thief (2020), a documentary movie directed by Benjamin Ree, 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 Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary
Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans, based on his famous 1994 autobiography.
2
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…
3
Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary
Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions.
4
For Sama (2019)
★ 8.2/10Also documentary
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…
5
Zero Days (2016)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
Alex Gibney explores the phenomenon of Stuxnet, a self-replicating computer virus discovered in 2010 by international IT experts. Evidently commissioned by the US and Israeli governments, this malware was designed to…
6
One More Time with Feeling (2016)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
Andrew Dominik's One More Time With Feeling is a remarkable black and white documentary which chronicles the creation of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' album Skeleton Tree. Originally a performance based concept, the film…
7
Inside Deep Throat (2005)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
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…
8
Sour Grapes (2016)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
Controversy erupts when an unassuming young man floods the American wine market with fake vintages valued in the millions, bamboozling the wine world elite, in this humorous and suspenseful tale of an ingenious con on…
9
Hated: GG Allin and The Murder Junkies (1993)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary
An overview of the life of the most shocking, vile, and notorious of punk rock legends.
10
Milli Vanilli (2023)
★ 7/10Also documentary
The story of Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, who became fast friends during their youth in Germany. With Rob coming from a broken home and Fabrice having left an abusive household, they shared a similar upbringing…
11
Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) (2023)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
In 1968, art students Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell made a trippy photo collage for their musician friends Syd, David and Roger. The resulting album and album cover, A Saucerful of Secrets, helped launch two…
12
Night Will Fall (2014)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making…
13
Disclosure (2020)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
An investigation of how Hollywood's fabled stories have deeply influenced how Americans feel about transgender people, and how transgender people have been taught to feel about themselves.
14
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022)
★ 7.7/10Also documentary
A wide-ranging, definitive look at Hawk’s life and iconic career, and his relationship with the sport with which he’s been synonymous for decades, featuring unprecedented access, never-before-seen footage, and…
15
Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018)
★ 7/10Also documentary
The definitive portrait of one of sport's most inspirational, influential figures - whose legacy lives on far beyond the football field.
16
Facing Ali (2009)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.
17
The Fog of War (2003)
★ 7.7/10Also documentary
Former corporate whiz kid Robert McNamara was the controversial Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, during the height of the Vietnam War. Augmented by archival footage and cabinet…
18
Belushi (2020)
★ 7/10Also documentary
Using previously unheard audiotapes recorded shortly after John Belushi’s death, director R.J. Cutler’s documentary feature examines the too-short life of the once-in-a-generation talent who captured the hearts and…
19
Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992)
★ 6.8/10Also documentary
In this documentary, filmmaker Nick Broomfield follows the saga of Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute who has been accused of committing a brutal series of murders. Broomfield conducts interviews with Wuornos herself, and…
20
Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story (2014)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
A portrait of the man behind the greatest fraud in sporting history. Lance Armstrong enriched himself by cheating his fans, his sport and the truth. But the former friends whose lives and careers he destroyed would…