Movies Like This Is the Way We Rise

If you liked This Is the Way We Rise (2021), a documentary movie directed by Ciara Lacy, 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
Baraka (1992)
★ 8.2/10Also documentary
A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global vision—an odyssey through landscape and time—that attempts to capture the essence of life.
2
Powaqqatsi (1988)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
3
Riding Giants (2004)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.
4
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.
5
The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.
6
A Toxic Love Story (2026)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
7
14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
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…
8
McQueen (2018)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own…
9
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye (2022)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
Join the likes of Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, and Vincent D’Onofrio as they reveal how Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” was conceived and created. Witness firsthand what it took to pull off the show’s…
10
Junun (2015)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
A documentary capturing the creation of the album Junun inside Rajasthan’s 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort. Paul Thomas Anderson follows Jonny Greenwood, Shye Ben Tzur, Nigel Godrich, and the Rajasthan Express as they…
11
Elstree 1976 (2015)
★ 6.2/10Also documentary
A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.
12
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.
13
Koyaanisqatsi (1983)
★ 7.9/10Also documentary
Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by…
14
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…
15
The Captains (2011)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
The Captains is a feature-length documentary film written and directed by William Shatner. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed starship captains in the Star Trek franchise.
16
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…
17
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
18
Dawg Fight (2015)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
In a crime-plagued neighborhood near Miami, brutal, bare-knuckled backyard fights give young men a chance to earn money -- and self-respect.
19
Naqoyqatsi (2002)
★ 6.2/10Also documentary
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
20
To Kill a Tiger (2023)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his…